Blog Archives
Human Condition
Struggle through the birth canal
The baby fights for life
Tiny lungs that gasp for air
A slap across the butt
Pattern set for human life
It’s cruel and cold sometimes
Fraught with tests and challenges
To teach life’s lessons best
Question not when things are good
Enjoy the respite time
Love will keep your spirit whole
Resilient, strong, inspired
Time to leave will come with death
For most another fight
Struggle through the veil to light
Cross over, job well done!
Inner Voice
Twisted moments, fleeting dreams
Confusion, fractured thinking
Make a change or stay the course
Decisions weighing heavy
Seeking wisdom I must have
To excavate God’s message
Light one step before I fall
Or give me wings for flying
Life’s a crap shoot, nothing’s sure
Endure on Faith all blindly
Listen to the inner voice
Within the answer’s hiding
Another Soul
Another one has left this place
Never to return
As parent, friend and confidant
Strong until the end
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It takes belief and open heart
Know that she lives on
Her home is peace, love, harmony
Painful body shed
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Five senses do not see her soul
There behind the veil
Be still to view her messages
Love sent from afar
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Rejoice she’s found her way back home
Angels there to guide
Another soul has left this place
Resting in the Lord.
Star Upon The Tree
I set the star upon the tree
A special place on top
Reminder of past Christmases
I spent with my life’s love
Did I appreciate those days
While running to and fro
Or did I miss the best of times
Wrapped up in Christmas rush?
The baking, cooking, trim the tree,
Will all of it be done
Before the family arrives
For dinner Christmas eve
We’d stay up late to build the toys
Exhausted, went to bed
Excited boys would wake by five
To see what Santa left
I cannot travel back in time
To capture what was lost
My photos of past holidays
Forever warm my heart
That special star upon the tree
Burns brighter from above
His spirit lives forever more
In everlasting love
Listening
Listening to deepest yearnings
Voices whisper deep within
Listening to spirit guiding
Letting heart lead not my head
Discovering there’s more to see
Making choices new to me
Turning pages, writing chapters
Living my own history
No one else can walk my journey
Only I can take the path
Listening to spirit calling
Feeding soul with sight and sound
No one else can write my story
Not a one will take the blame
If I fail to have the courage
Paying heed to ego’s fears
Listening to deepest yearnings
Hear the calling from my heart
Listening to spirit guiding
I set sail for parts unknown
Fight for Control
Angry seas launch my eggshell craft
Floating, but a second, before
Gravity’s tentacles tighten
Crash! Into the trough
Green water overhead
Where air had been
Scared, I fight for control
To survive
My fragile vessel, scarred
From numerous storms
Victim of circumstance
Once again
Exhausted from the struggle
I finally learn that I cannot
Control Nature’s fury
But must weather
I trim the sails, hand on tiller
Adjust the course to surf
Not be buried
By the uncontrollable
Sail on, my Captain
Sixteen years ago I wrote the following lighthearted poem in honor of my husband Roger and two friends, Roger and Mike, who raced our sailboat in the 1998 National Catalina Race held in Westbrook, Connecticut. They took first for the tall rig division in all three races. Yes, readers, the sailboat’s name was Sloopy, the inspiration for the fictional 36 foot sloop that Liz and Garret live aboard in Murder in Mystic, Murder in Newport and Two Headed Snake of Key West. Our Sloopy was fast and my husband could make a mighty Margarita.
I am sharing this with you in memory of my husband, who passed away on July 1, 2014. Sail on, my captain.
The pressure was on
To win a glass cup
Each silently prayed
He wouldn’t screw up
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The guy thing, you know
Machismo, at best
The challenge would come
They’d be put to the test
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The good Lord was laughing
As they hoisted the main.
These three would need blessings,
And more, it was plain
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Wine made from water
Was easy for sure,
But Roger, Mike, Roger
Three races endure?
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The task was immense
But these were nice guys
He raised His arms up
And Sloopy did rise.
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She raced to the finish
Three bullets to boot
Miracles do happen.
There’s proof in the loot.
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The lesson each learned,
To celebrate life
Believe in oneself
Be good to your wife.
Surviving Loss
Stand tall to do it all
Accepting help with grace
The sense of loss will fade
The healing’s not a race
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Reach out to those in need
Give all that you can spare
Your heart will fill with love
While showing that you care
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Be good to you! Sing! Dance!
In time the joy returns
Your world will right itself
As everyone learns
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Enjoy each day with thanks
A gift is what it’s called
From up above it comes
Stand tall to do it all
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Memories Live Forever
As the moments slip away
The landscape forever changes
I hold onto treasured memories
Those of days gone by
The best is yet to come
My life’s love would say
But the scales have now tipped
Things go the other way
Memories are what I have
Good, bad and ugly
But they are mine
‘Til the end of my time
I wish I knew then
What I now know
Unnecessary time wasted
Exaggerated insignificance
Take heart, dear friend
Make light of the unimportant
For life is too short
Memories live forever
Quiet Place
Retreating to my quiet place
To heal, to rest, restore
Retreating to my special space
Where pain can live no more
Where flowers bloom and birdies sing
No worries can befall.
There’s joyous music. I am king
My kingdom excludes all
My special place is mine, sweet dove
A spot to be alone
A place of peace to feel God’s love
No TV, text or phone
Retreated to my quiet place
To heal, to rest, restore
Retreated to my special space
I’m back, refreshed for more
Marilyn Dalla Valle 