My Heaven by Lauren McGill
Lauren McGill
My Heaven
It’s midnight, and I fight to stay awake just to watch you sleep
My life is now filled with unbelievable beauty
My life is now filled with you
I must not wake you, but I want to hold you tight in my arms
I am in awe of you
The way your hand rests softly upon your pale cheek
The way your chest rises and falls with each breath you take
You are a miracle
I listen to the melodious sound of your heart beating
Now I can imagine loving someone unconditionally
Now I can imagine a future with you
You are my child, my world, my heaven
Free by Shannon McCullough
Shannon McCullough
Free
Four, it’s easy enough—
Piggybacks and enormous hands
And a mother’s comforting touch.
Outwardly, one could understand.
Fourteen, big hair, and L’Oreal lashes,
Wondering aimlessly around the mall,
Searching for love, but loneliness attaches.
Darkness begins to fall.
Twenty-four, a merry-go-round thrill,
Staring at these tiny faces; they are counting on me to win.
Insecure, relying on my own will,
Hearing the silent screams arise again!
Thirty-four, haunting recollections,
Numb, still, intense dire straits.
Hit my knees! Make a wise decision!
Tangling with hate!
Fresh air, new eyes—forty plus!
Thank you, God, for believing in me!
Walking tall, using your crutch,
You have set me free!
A Tortured Soul by Stephanie Eberly
Stephanie Eberly
A Tortured Soul
She stands alone,
Abandoned in a sea of doubt.
She crouches,
Facing the waves that mercilessly beat her.
Her foundation crumbles as time tears it away.
She is nothing but a shell of her former self,
Left to face the ghosts of her past.
She stands motionless.
A monument to all that was and all that is.
She is like an abandoned castle,
Left to face Mother Nature alone,
Majestic, yet slowly caving in,
Surrounded, but alone in its shell.
The halls that were once filled with people
Now stretch out in an empty expanse.
The rooms that were once richly adorned
Now contain mold and spider webs as decoration.
The walls snap and crack as wave after wave crashes.
The concrete foundation begins to wear away.
There is no worker to repair damages.
There is no caretaker to remove the weeds.
The castle is alone,
Surrounded by the timeless air of past events.
History imbedded into the structure,
Broken walls, and shattered relics
Are all that remain of the former glory.
Only time will tell how the days will end,
As the ocean fiercely erodes
The cliff where the structure stands.
But one thing is certain,
History cannot be undone.
Like an ancient castle clutching a lonely cliff,
She is an anachronistic monument,
Evidence of past choices, past mistakes,
Of things that cannot be forgotten.
What’s done is done.
Autumn Leaf by Stephanie Eberly
Just One More Time by Dana Sterner
Dana Sterner
Just One More Time
It’s been a lonely road—away from you
Things I’ve done—things I’ve seen
I’ve often thought of you
I miss you now more than before
I miss the things you once hoped for
What I’d give—just one more time
To see you smile
To know you’re proud of what I’ve done
To know the struggles I’ve overcome
Thoughts of you carried me through
The lonely times away from you
What I’d give
To hear your voice, to listen close
The things we’ve missed—we’ll never know
What would have been if you were here
Talking together through the years
The countless joys they’ll never show
What I’d give
To share with you just like before
Time claimed you in your younger years
But in my sorrow I have grown
And thank you now—for what is clear
What you gave I’ll always have
But what I’d give—just one more time
Just one more time—to have you here