The Wind's Tricks

 With apologies to my mother.

South Wind, you mock me
As I grieve.
I implore the heavens for a vision
And instead am blinded by tiny snowflakes.

These tears that stain my face will never dry.
They are my gifts, left unspoken, to the children.

I think of my mother's face, creased in crowsfeet,
Lines of laughter and joy.

Mother, I am growing older too,
But my face is etched with a furrowed brow,
Lines of worry and despair.

I always dreamed of laugh lines,
Carving out memories of a happy life,
But fate had its own mind.

You were always the strong one,
A shining example to look up to.
You have vision.

I forsook that path for rebellion,
Teenage angst and a will for adventure.

Now I stand in the ruins
Of wandering whimsy,
The North Wind's winding path,
Abandoning me like an Ijiraq.

I will shed these tears for the children.
I hope they will grow old,
With faces lined with laughter.

Cosmic Dreams

For E and Troy and Vicki

I remember all my shooting stars

Shining so bright, lighting the way,

But the atmosphere was too great 

And space was too dark,

So they fizzled away.

And I want to be a rising star

But I feel like my orbit is too low,

And my spark is too small.

I try to shine brightly

But the darkness closes in

Threatening to engulf me.

Where are all my shooting stars?

They shined so brightly 

But too soon they were gone,

Leaving me all alone

In this empty vacuum of space,

Thinking, wondering, dreaming,

Cast upon a different path.

I am no star,

Just a faithful planet

Plodding my course,

My path preset by fate,

Dreaming I was a shooting star.