Wishes and Prayers

When I pray,
I always add the addendum,
“…if it is in accordance with Your plan,”
for more than what I plea for,
superseded, I wish for us to remain
always in His hands.

I trust whatever may happen,
although I may not understand,
will come with a needed lesson,
a necessary occurrence in the process
of the destiny in becoming once again

who I am.

I was reminded of this
when a partial wishie lent
further wisdom for reflection.

Sometimes the biggest wishes
should not be spent, eyes closed,
all at once, in one breath and direction

but patiently
spaced out in seeds,
part self-initiated action,
part angel-breath breezes.

Sometimes what we desire most
needs time to germinate to non-perfection
and be released in parts for better chances
of fruitful multiplication.

I am always careful
in what I wish and pray for:
I don’t want to get in the way
of what He has in store.

I try not to be too cautious
in taking action with soulful instinct,
for the surest way to get lost
is to pass up what He hands me.

I do close my eyes
to bring up a whisper
from my soul
that launches another
seed of hope…

Poem and image ©LauraDenise

Hope Is A Red Balloon (With Audio)

Hope is a red balloon.
To dream is to release,
To let the heart again believe:
Benediction granted wings.

Hope is a red balloon.
To fear is to release.
Self-shackling to the ribbon needed
For freedom to be achieved.

Hope is a red balloon.
But with passenger and knapsack attached,
It becomes the passageway
Between spirit-death and life hatched.

Hope is a red balloon
That may burst at any moment
Over deep, dark uncharted waters
With drowning a likely occurrence.

Hope is a red balloon.
Faith is to ride it into the winds
Knowing the trajectory
Is calculated and adjusted
by Him,

Delivering to safety,
Granting the dream.
Because you held fast
To Hope’s string.

Poem and image and recitation ©LauraDenise

Light Bulb

In lieu of petals,
on a barren stem,
a bud of light
hatches open.

The message clear:
it’s all a bit more than
a matter of perspective.

You can focus on the loss
or fill it in.

One comes from stagnancy,
the other action.

We can do so much more
with what we are given.

Poem and image ©LauraDenise

Gripping Sand

Sometimes we must firmly
grip the sand
instead of merely wishing
to be carried to shore.

Sometimes it is best
to escape through the window
rather than open
either door.

Sometimes when the photo album
has so many empty pages,
it’s time coloring the sickness yellow
since it can’t fade non-faces.

Sometimes in the dark wood
instead of striking tear-soaked matches,
we must look up for the beacon
of light through the branches.

Sometimes from the cliff of depression
instead of digging our nails in,
we must be willing to release our grip
and reach for the offered hand.

Sometimes for a while longer,
it’s good to remain on our knees,
but He cannot help us rise
if we let lie His gifted bravery.

Sometimes when we grip the sand
and claw our way to beach,
we complain it’s the wrong island
and forget we were just
drowning in the deep.

Poem and images ©LauraDenise

A Dream Sustains

Can a dream sustain,

keep you afloat

in a bubble or cloud

bobbing above the

things that can pull you down?

I think it can

if you are willing

to both grab the string

of the balloon or kite

and open the pocket knife

to cut yourself free,

and let the breeze

take you where you’ve never been,

but you have to be ready to jump

onto a drifting cloud

and then again

and again

with no guarantee

of where you will end

up,

but up

is away,

and where there is a will,

there is a way,

they say,

so be willing

to not only dream

and hope and believe,

but take that leap,

for a dream can sustain

whether or not

you ever arrive

at a destination.

I am cloud hopping,

but at this height,

it feels close enough

to flying.