Was This the Only Way? (sonnet)

Gut wrenching sobs from the pit of my soul,
I try to stop, but the tears still flow on.
Feels like I'm broken in two, never whole,
All the days since my children have been gone.
I pray, but my prayers bounce right off the wall.
I beg and I plead for God to hear me.
I wish I could protect them from this all,
What I wouldn't give to have them near me.
But God is asleep, or maybe He's deaf,
Or maybe He just simply doesn't care.
I've cried til I haven't any tears left,
But it hasn't gotten me anywhere.
What is it that You're trying to teach me?
Was this the only way You could reach me?

Somewhere, Someday, Somehow (sonnet)

Somewhere out there is there a man, like me,
Who seeks a mate to complement his soul.
Somewhere out there is someone who could be
The other half of me to make a whole.
Somewhere out there could be just the someone
I've never met, but yearned for all my life.
Someday perhaps, my loneliness all done,
I'll take my place as someone's cherished wife.
Somehow, maybe, God's will includes a mate,
A character that just might match with mine.
Someday, perhaps, if it is not too late,
I'll find the man for me, by God's design.
Somewhere, someday, somehow, if it's to be,
I'll find the one that God's prepared for me.

Worn and Weary (sonnet)

How hard would it have been to just say "no,
I cannot stay and help you through the night.
Tomorrow I have places I must go,
And I can't function without sleeping right."
But no, I think I have to save the world,
That I must care for ev'rybody else.
But what about this worn and weary girl?
When will I learn to care about myself?
I worry so about what others think,
I don't want to inconvenience them.
So here I sit with my coffee to drink,
And will I sleep tonight? If not, then when?
Someday I really need to fin'lly learn
Not to let both ends of the candle burn.

Candy Land (sonnet)

So we're back to the game of Candy Land,
We're not stuck in the Lollipop Forest
Like we had been for weeks and weeks on end,
But in the Molasses Swamp now we "rest."
I don't know how many "turns" we'll spend here,
Perhaps we'll have to go back to the start.
I don't know how I'll dry up all my tears,
Or explain to my children's broken hearts.
How is it that this injustice can be?
How am I to deal with this load of pain?
Just when I thought life was setting us free,
My hopes were squashed completely flat again.
I don't know how much more pain I can take
Before I stop bending and fin'lly break.

One Chapter Closed (sonnet)

One chapter closed and another begins,
Or is it the end of a book and the
Start of a new one where the other ends;
Time to live what is and forget what was.
Where will I go on this, my new journey?
Will there be signs to guide along the way?
Will I be stuck here for eternity,
Or will I find myself a brighter day?
No iron fetters now to hold me back,
No bitter bonds of "love" to keep me still.
Unsure of what it is that I now lack,
I don't know the way, but find it I will.
The challenge of tomorrow seems immense.
But I'll manage it just like all the rest.

The Storm's Increased (sonnet)

I saw a lighthouse drawing me to shore,
A beacon of hope lit my shadowed path.
Distraught, I prayed in anguish to the Lord,
"Please let this storm I'm fighting be the last."
The thunder raged about me 'round the clock,
The waves came up and over on the deck.
I felt my ship pulled near the jagged rocks,
Yet still I clung to hope and craned my neck --
Yearning for a glimpse of the distant shore,
Longing to be rescued from all the pain,
Buffeted by gales I couldn't ignore,
Drowning in bucketfulls of pouring rain.
Just when I thought I'd find a resting place,
The storm's increased and trashed my flimsy faith.

Email Auto-Responder (humor)

Trouble with an overflowing email inbox of novel-length communications? Try setting the following as your email auto-responder (at the very least you may get someone to LOL):
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friend, Family Member, Loved One, and/or Business Associate:

Thank you for your email, which, if it is under 5 sentences long, I have read and will eventually reply to.

Owing to the large volume of email I'm receiving at this time, please note that if your email was longer than 5 sentences it may take me up to 14 days to respond to your email (if I respond at all).

In the interim, please rest assured that I am attempting to address, resolve, or think about the matter you have described (unless I'm avoiding it altogether).

On rare occasions, I may respond almost immediately to emails that are shorter than 5 sentences with a one or two word response. Here is a guide to those responses:

LOL: I am laughing out loud at the humor or sheer stupidity of the matter about which you wrote.

Haha! : see LOL

Thank you: Thank you

Yes: I approve of, agree with, or give consent to that which you have written.

No: I do not approve of, agree with, or give consent to that which you have written.

Boo : I am palpably disappointed and/or trying to scare you.

PPPSSEO5SIL: Please, please, please stop sending emails over 5 sentences in length.

Should you receive one of these 1 or 2 word responses, please do not read anything into it. More often than not, such responses may not even correspond to the content of your email.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation & understanding in this matter.

[Your Name]

Don't Give Up Now (sonnet)

A fire begins as just a single spark,
A flood begins as just a drop of rain,
A dream begins as a beat of your heart,
And miracles can happen despite pain.
Don't have to build a dam to stop a drip,
Don't have to win them all, just have to try.
Just take a step to start a longer trip,
You don't need any special wings to fly.
A thousand reasons to keep going on,
A hundred reasons to give in and quit.
You can't get back the days that are now gone,
Just take a breath and learn to deal with it.
There are still more battles yet to be won.
Don't give up now, you've only just begun!

The Rapist Walks Free (sonnet)

The memories still haunt me in the night,
The flashbacks still plague me during the day.
What about this picture is not right?
So many things I never got to say.
I never called the cops to come for him,
I chose, instead, to suffer in my shame.
It wasn't simply on a flimsy whim,
That I protected him and his "good name."
I thought about our kids, and shut my eyes
To all the hellish things he did to me.
I guess that it should come as no surprise
That things would turn out as they seem to be.
Justice does not exist (at least for me);
Tonight, my husband, the rapist, walks free.

Sing Me a Lullaby (sonnet)

Can't somebody sing me a lullaby,
Like I think my mother always used to?
I can't sleep and I'm much too old to cry,
So what's a very tired woman to do?
Can't someone get me some milk in a glass,
And warm it like I remember she did,
Or hot cocoa, that would do the trick fast,
I would finally be sleeping instead.
Can't somebody rock me and hold me close,
Like I think my dad must have always done?
I think it's the hugs that I miss the most,
And being alone isn't any fun.
It's true that I'm being a big baby,
But even grownups have "those days," maybe.

No Point Wasting Time (sonnet)

Do raindrops drizzling wish that they were snow?
Do snowflakes swirling wish that they were rain?
Does thunder ever care to even know
From where on earth it's booming power came?
Does the water flowing downstream ask where?
Does the seed that's aloft the breeze know why?
Does the child at its mother's bosom care?
If they have no worries, then why should I?
Not even a single sparrow that falls
Is unseen by my Father's watching eyes,
He hears each fallen creature as it calls,
Our mournful tears to Him are no surprise.
So let life carry you where e'er it may.
No point wasting time on worry today.

How It Feels to Be Saved (sonnet)

Like icy lemonade on a hot day,
Like a cozy scarf in cold mid-winter,
Like all the lights turning green in your way,
Like a needle when you've got a splinter,
Like a wrench and jack when you have a flat,
Like an emery board when a nail snags,
Like a GPS to tell where you're at,
Like extra hands when you're carrying bags,
Like a baby's giggle when you feel down,
Like a warm glass of milk when you can't sleep,
Like whispers from God when no one's around,
Like a lifeguard's arms when you're in too deep;
That's how it feels to be saved and know it.

That's what it means to know God and show it.