We Usually Know

We usually know what will happen
We are going to do this or that
We are going to go back and forth
We are going to be here or there
We are going to live up or down
We are going to feel happy or sad
Until we find out we really don’t know.

Poetry & Painting by Patricia Walter 2006 ©

I watched the storm
the tragedy unfold
nothing to do
except be told.

They’re way down there
I’m way up here
they can’t hear me
shed a tear.

I heard about people
stranded and alone
no power, no water,
not even a phone.

Don’t know what to do
but care in my heart
ask God for help
give people a new start.

God help the animals
left behind
abandoned – the thought
running thru their mind.

Let something good
grow from the tears-
from all the tragedy
sorrow and fears.

Poetry by Patricia Walter 2005

Wonderful Gifts

The beauty of youth, a gift to all
it’s energy and curiosity arrive when we’re small.
The knowledge of age, earned along the way
by what we do, what we say.
Patience and understanding, quiet insight
brings calm and love that feels just right.
Youth and age never do meet
they meld one to the other, a wonderful feat.
Life never allows choice of youth or age
a dilemma for some, even outrage.
The value of time, the knowledge of joys
are wonderful gifts, not youthful toys.

Poetry by Patricia Walter 2002 ©

The Answer

Why can’t we see it?
We don’t seem to hear it
Seldom do we feel it
the answer to a problem.
It’s always simple –
if we would turn around and look
if we would be quiet and listen
if we would be still and feel.
The answer is always there –
in our heart, our mind and soul.

Poetry & Art by Patricia Walter 2001 ©

An Idea

I have great fun, writing on the run.
An idea flashes by, who knows why?
I write a few lines then add a few rhymes.
A story will be told, a lesson will unfold.
Add a grin and a smile, folks will read for awhile.
Ponder a thought, wonder why
give them courage to go out and try.
Ideas from the heart, thoughts from the mind
encouragement and help for folks to find.

Poetry & Art by Patricia Walter 2000 ©

Life Can Be Good

Life can be good – life can be bad
it all depends on the perspective you have.

Some people you notice are always mad
then there are those who are always sad.

Some look up – some look down
too many often choose for a frown.

A smile works well – a laugh even better
a little more effort you ignore the weather.

Such simple advice given tongue in cheek
can make your life what you really seek.

Poetry & Graphic by Patricia Walter  2000 ©

How much misery can there really be?
From the heart, from the mind,
from a friend, from the mirror.

Can misery reside so deep inside
no one else can see or understand.
Is it a permanent scarring
or the swing of a mood.
Depends on the kind of friend it is.

Friend, if that’s all you know.
It controls, it holds,
a warm place to lie down in.
You can always count on it,
know it will be there
It takes so little effort to call it home.

Its hold so deep, there can be no intrusion
from help, kind words or the sunshine of the day.
A warm smile is melted, kind words vaporized.
Misery is a loner, seclusion its friend.

Poetry by Patricia Walter 2000 ©

Beyond the Eyes

Eyes are often green, blue or gray
they can see so clearly along the way.

Why indeed with such vision they see
the wonder, the joy and the glee.

Yes, so often, they never really see
what’s inside, the good in me.

They only see, with short-sightedness
the soul inside, which should be caressed.

Others can help and surround with love
but it’s your eyes alone that can see above.

Above disappointments and goals not achieved
to look beyond what you think you really need.

to focus on the good, worth person inside
to accept the gifts we have often put aside.

To see ourselves clearly is not a job for the eyes
but for the heart and soul to finally realize.

Poetry & Graphic by Patricia Walter 2000 ©

I Want

I don’t want life to be hard and cold.
Every time you turn around
there’s a bump or bruise.
I want to be surrounded by
kindness and love
feel the soft caress of
family and friends.
I want to see happiness flowing by
while sadness drowns
and hurt washes away.
I want to see anger
and shouted harsh words
soften by care,
melted by forgiveness.
I want everyone to take time
to reflect and build
a bridge to a kinder world.

Poetry & Art by Patricia Walter 2000 ©

Our lives are as fleeting
as a snow storm in March.
Raging wind, pellets of ice,
blankets of clouds graying the day.
The calm, the beauty, the serenity,
the glow of the fresh, innocent snow.
So alive, so compelling, so now in time –
so quickly forgotten.
Is our purpose in life to leave behind
cold legacies and monuments in stone
or take with us the beauty
the serenity and the glow.

Why does man feel he must be immortal?
Leave his mark on the world.
Most of the time, his mark should be erased
or never drawn in the first place.
Is the world a canvas
waiting for strokes of dark, ugly paint
or is it a fleeting symphony of joy,
hope and passion?

It’s our choice to mark, to defame
the natural beauty, our brother’s hearts,
our loved ones lives –
or create a timeless phrase that sings in harmony.
Whatever we choose,
our path is soon lost to all who follow.
Do our monuments leave splendor for others
or do our kind deeds leave a hope to embrace,
light the way, giving a helping hand?

Is man so small, so insecure
that the only memory he can leave
is a physical block of granite?
Do his deeds, his love, his caring,
continue to live in the hearts of others
or has his memory become
hate, anger or simply disappeared?
Perhaps the intangible, but real acts of kindness,
love and gentle caring are too hard for man to build,
they don’t require tools of the trade,
loans from the bank,
the enslavement of others.

Our lives are truly as fleeting as a winter storm,
but what will the memory be?
Will the monuments and tall buildings cause long shadows,
kill all hope, surround man in a chill of despair,
or will the essence of love and caring
cradle each new arrival,
guide the way for generations to come,
grow in the hearts of all mankind?

Poetry by Patricia Walter 2000