Alongside Me So Faithfully

Paths cross.

Some, like I,

believe for reasons.

I get disheartened when

the trail diverges

and someone again

leaves me,

but even in that,

as I take more steps

into the great unknown,

I know

so many

are not supposed

to walk with us

all the way

home.

You came along

and were soon nested

in my mind and heart;

your patience,

your shoulder,

your understanding,

you offered so selflessly

from the very start.

My laugh

you seemed to arrive with,

the greatest gift

I continuously unwrap.

So many fears

you convince me

to relinquish,

that together we

can combat,

my biggest being

the path diverging

up ahead

again,

but you assure me

you’ll keep walking

the way I go,

like our path together

has no end…

Poem and images ©LauraDenise

Mosaicking Me

reinvention of the self
a mosaic
from pieces forged
and discovered

some to be polished
painted
others best with
the coatings of
dust and dirt

my favorite so far
the healing gem
you led me to
to dig up myself
with the skills I learned
by watching you

Poem and images ©LauraDenise

Paths and Bridges

bridges, paths, trails

life choices and directions

so many ways

to detour

to explore

on the unhurried way

home

Version 2

All words and images on this site ©LauraDenise

These Trails

Despite what the markers say,

these trails have no end,

for we only reside in a portion of the middle

of the Maker’s creation.

This tease of greater things

is meant to last us,

sustain us,

with enough awe

to make all believers,

our time so short yet long

enough to discover

what this part of the journey is for:

to revel

in the natural wonders

and each other,

for every day

the beauty surrounds us.

We are cloaked and dripping

with blessings

and the potential of

love.

This mountain trail has no end,

the silence on the way up

prepares me for the summit’s message

prepared especially for me.

I proceed leisurely

but attune

to the psalms whispered

between the trees.

These trails have no end

for when the footpath stops,

I will carry on,

carrying these moments

in my heart

until I return

again.

When the Petals Fall

When the petals fall,

make potpourri

to keep fresh the scent

of the sweet memories.

When the rain falls,

look to the trees;

wet feathers never deter

the birds from singing.

When loneliness sets in, know

it’s but one leg of the journey;

paths cross for reasons,

and someone special is coming…

Version 2

Poem and images ©LauraDenise

Here I Go Again

Here I go again,

but at least

toward the horizon,

off the endless looping trail

that was but an adventure illusion,

for even though each day differed

upon that familiar path,

the way it returned me back again

made my soul so restless.

I itched not to be reckless

nor carefree

but for a reassurance

that I was where I was meant to be,

but all the dreaming I did

beneath the wishing stars

filled me with the growing belief

that my true north

was neither fantasy nor far,

so here I go again

but not to loop around:

I’m headed for the horizon

treading upon new ground

in desperate search

of nothing,

but open to being

found.

Poem and image ©LauraDenise

The Steps

The steps toward my future

are soothing, silk sand

shifting between my toes,

as I choose the bridge or dune

to begin again on unpaved roads…

This Strange New Land

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My hands are free.

It is an odd feeling

to be gripping so tightly

nothing,

but not like previous

free falling.

My feet are steady.

The fears, the desperations,

have fled, leaving me

drama free.

I have landed

in such a strange new land.

My muses, even,

have retreated,

not in abandonment,

but belief that I can stand

on my own.

Mother Nature and my higher power

whisper again the ways to go now

toward home.

Without the whirlwinds of that past life

deafening me,

I can hear them now.

And I’m not in a hurry.

To flee toward or away from

anything.

Normally, I would be on guard,

not trusting the calm,

knowing it is only the before

of the next storm,

but somehow,

I now know

even though I am still one without a home,

I am exactly where I should be.

I do not feel lost.

I am not lonely.

At this stage of relief

in my journey.

Is this serenity?

So many years,

I spoke the words

of that prayer.

Something or someone

feels so gently and thankfully

near.

My hands, my arms, my heart

are now free

to, if I choose,

receive.

Travails & Trails

Sunlit boardwalk path

fading into shade,

I am not the first to traverse you;

this is hardly an escapade.

Upon you, I cannot leave

fresh footsteps;

nonetheless, I know not

what to expect.

I am alone,

and dangers still may lurk

(even the signs warn of that).

I watch my step,

watch above,

watch my back.

The thing about all this alertness,

not to mention the natural details,

is that it is impossible for my mind

to stay on track

to recall the plaguing travail

that brought me here

for nature to cure,

(my tried-and-true confidant).

I know not where this path leads,

but when I am lost in your

phenomenon,

I alway come out on the other side,

back into the light,

back into a clear day,

back to a cloudless mind.

I survived that silly, little trail,

and will survive this trying travail,

for although it seemed the end of the world,

my perspective has diminished in scale,

and whether or not I blaze new trails,

small steps on previously-trodden ones

can bring me plenty of adventure and growth

and long-sought-after accomplishments.