Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

Poem- GRATITUDE April 9, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:30 am
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It is lonely

Seeing ghosts of wagging tails

Dancing feet and twinkling eyes.

To remember joy made physical

Only because of my existence.

It is lonely

To catch the movements

From the corners of my eyes

Of furry bodies no longer present.

Grief is a hard, hard, hard burden.

But you,

Are lighter without the responsibility

Lighter with the freedom

Lighter  from the consequences.

Lighter with the isolation

That is not loneliness to you.

But oh,

It is to me,

And my heavy heart struggles

With this burden of grief.

Knowing you.  Knowing me.

Knowing the sacrifice you make

To bring some relief from grief,

To bring me a piece of joy again,

Wagging on the tip

of a tiny tail.

 

2016/04/08

 

poem- new April 8, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:31 am
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The

birches are

speckled with new

green.  Forest lace.

Bursting with

spring

 

poem-attendance issues April 7, 2016

Filed under: Poetry,Teaching — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:54 am
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Again

an A

beside your name.

Nine boxes for nine days.

Six A’s.

You, with that great brain,

want A’s

on your transcript

not your attendance record.

What is happening in your world

that keeps you from learning?

Ties shackles to your potential

for excellence?  Your health is fine.

Oh, dear girl,

What can we do

to advocate for you?

 

poem-quick April 6, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:51 am
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Such quick fixes

stick with us.

Duct tape, while great,

for emergency execution

cannot create lasting

solutions.

 

 

poem- alteration April 5, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:39 am
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Love is not love

if it alters when alteration finds

It is an ever fixed mark, said Shakespeare.

Constancy is a quality of mind

that removes sparks of fear.

Love is love

when the word can be relied

upon and expressions of affection

will be supplied, for

faithfulness in word and deed

is the essence of true love’s need.

 

 

poem-hearts April 4, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 2:28 pm
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Our broken heart

has not mended;

the hole of your absence

will never fill.

But crushed and anguished

though it is,

there is room for love

still.

So we open to new

affections even

while we’re missing you.

We welcome new joy

and celebrate your memory,

as we remember you

in reverie.

 

poem-baby April 2, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:17 pm
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Baby

you’re far away.

Maybe

you’ll come home with me.

Maybe

it will be.

Baby

I just wanna say

if someday you’re here with me

You’ll be my only baby

and I’ll love you

unconditionally.

.

.

(There might be a poodle puppy in my near future.  He needed a poem.  Maybe his poem should have been “One of these things is not like the others” because like me, he stands out in the group!  Guess which one?)  😉

 

poem-gulf April 1, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 4:12 pm
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You open up before me

a gulf of possibility

things I never considered

complications I did not foresee.

You open up before me

a black hole of opportunity

devouring expectations

creating alternative realities

of what my future might be.

.

 

.

(“Thanks, Des,” she says

dripping with irony.)

 

poem-choosing March 31, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:28 pm
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Will I choose you?

Or you?

Or will I choose at all?

Am I ready for this work

of nurturing potential?

My world is wound tightly

with possibility,

fighting emotionality with

rationality.

 

poem-weeps March 30, 2016

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:43 am
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Tears appear;

truth pools in her eyes.

She looks out the window, scenery unseen,

one droplet,  breaking free, tracks a slow progress across

cheek,

chin,

neck.

Another makes the parallel journey.

She turns her face, while she waits, wishes,

then slowly grows the knowledge

that what is

will be.

She weeps out the weakness.

While there may be grief,

acceptance brings resilience.

Resilience

is the power of belief

and relief.