Front Porch

They stand
On the front porch
With gentle breezes
And birds singing
And tell me
This is life
Really

I invite them

Inside
Past the front door
Where it is dim

They won’t come

So I am left

To explain
That on the inside
Walls are collapsed
Ceilings are sagging
There is no air
And this is
Also life
Really

I invite them inside

But they won’t come in
And risk losing
Their front porch
Gentle breeze view
Of the world

Refusing

Front door entry
Which protects them
From the knowledge
Of what exists
Beyond it

Solidifying their
What is true
On the porch
Is true
Everywhere
Resolve

Not budging

From the front porch
 
Not walking
Past the front door

Safe

On the front porch
Though the house
It’s attached to
Is falling

Blood Runs Cold

First
Your blood
Runs cold

Then
You make
Your feet move

And you do

And you solve
And you comfort

And you get

The people
You love
The help
They need

Only later

Do you
Feel

And when you do

The feelings
Take you
To the ground

Where you stay

Until you
Remember
How to breathe
 
And when you are ready
You inhale
And rise up

And steady yourself

For whatever
Your mentally ill loved one
Needs next

I Can Try

Can I look
Myself
In the face

See each

Of the broken
Parts of me
Exactly
For what
They are

And accept

That I am whole
In spite of them

In spite of

Extra
Pounds
Of weight
And pain
Carried

In spite of

My sometimes
Awkward ways
And always
Sensitive
Soul

Can I do this

I honestly

Do not know

But I can try

Without Words

When you sit
In silence
Next to someone
Who is grieving
You are saying
        You
        Are not
        Alone

When you resist

The urge
To sanitize
Another person’s
Mess
You are saying
       I will
       Follow
       Your lead

When you

Don't utter
Simple solutions
To complicated problems
You are saying
       This is dark
       I'm scared
       But I’ll stay

When you listen

As she decides
How to move forward
After trauma
You are saying
      I trust
      That you
      Know best

You’re not alone

I will follow
I will stay
You know best

All this

And more said
Without words

I Am Only Me

I am only me
Frail in this world
Strong in this world
Here in this world

Muddling through
Learning as I go

Hoping

That I am
Enough