Ah, growing up
when my father was gone
The colors were brighter
The world lighter
Breaths of fresh air
at the crack of dawn

My eyes are wide open
yet I cannot see
my connection to God
and what it means to me
If only I could see
in a grain of sand
the world beheld
in the palm of my hand
To look upon it
as “all that is made”
and relieved my intellect
not betrayed

May each smile be true
and not worn upon a face
of treachery

As my head of hair keeps graying
and I feel my edges fraying
Sometimes the thought
that comforts me
is the humble act of praying

Good morning my pain,
my sorrow, my fear
Nice to see you
Don’t worry I’m here
I’ve ignored you all
for oh, so long
Now I realize
that was wrong
Wrong for the
little child in me
Distracting myself
So, I could not see
the depth of his inner suffering

How can smiles
melt our hardened hearts
yet, we have these terrible wars
fueled by hate across the globe
that oozes from our pores?

Whenever we feel
loneliness or despair
We cover it up
and pretend it’s not there
Denying emotions
and pushing them down
won’t make them leave
or silence the hound
But, how do you face the suffering
when it is bigger than you are?