Enjoy these poems from my books.
Poem of the Week
by Richelle E. Goodrich
OPTIONS
There’s always another option.There’s always another one.It’s never only “this” or “that,”The moon or else the sun.
Don’t sigh and choose the greaterOr lesser of two plights.But look to see the stars beyondFor options vast and bright.
Don’t sigh and choose the greaterOr lesser of two plights.But look to see the stars beyondFor options vast and bright.
LIFE, LIKE CHRISTMAS
FROM: SLAYING DRAGONS
Life is the season for loving and caring,for laughing and caroling, giving and sharing.
Christmas is meant for the same, people say,which makes life like Christmastime every day.
Christmas is meant for the same, people say,which makes life like Christmastime every day.
SO LONG AS
From: Making Wishes
Flames burn so long as they are fed. Rivers rage so long as it rains. The sun rises so long as the earth rotates. Prayers are answered so long as they are uttered. Hope exists so long as there is a new day. Miracles never cease so long as there is faith. Love endures so long as kindness rules all actions. Dreams thrive so long as they are pursued. Never give up so long as you live.
ALICE
From: Slaying Dragons
Sipping tea with glee beneath a gooseberry tree.I wish Alice were here. Oh, my dear, do not fear, she will be.
SILENCE
from: Being Bold
Silence is my defense.The protector whom I trust.A sturdy shield,A loyal safe-keeper,A sentinel, impassable.
Silence is my refuge.The shelter in which I hide.A peaceful home,A safe sanctuary,A fortress, impenetrable.
HOPE
From: HOPE EVERMORE
Hope is to fly with wings.It is a sword against the unpredictable,A bridge that traverses despairs.
Hope is to leap with springs.It is a helmet to guard the vulnerable,A barge that floats o’er anxious cares.
Hope is to spar with kings.It is a shield against the uncontrollable,A hedge that fences in nightmares.
Hope is to leap with springs.It is a helmet to guard the vulnerable,A barge that floats o’er anxious cares.
Hope is to spar with kings.It is a shield against the uncontrollable,A hedge that fences in nightmares.
MEANT TO BE
Hands are meant to be clasped. Lips are meant to be kissed.Doubts are meant to be asked. Truth is meant to persist.
Trees are meant to be climbed. Blooms are meant to be smelled.Bells are meant to be chimed. Babes are meant to be held.
Joy is meant to be owned. Sins are meant to forgive.Love is meant to be shown. Life is meant to be lived.
PRAYER IS FAITH
From: Making Wishes
Pray each morning and each night.Talk to God and be polite.Tell Him what you're grateful for.Leave your troubles at His door.
Share your wishes, needs, and hopes.Ask God how to bravely cope.Tell Him all you learned today.Say the things you need to say.
Beg forgiveness for your sins.Pray to live with Him again.Speak with earnest heart and soul.He will listen. This I know.
For prayer is hope put to the test.And hope is faith in what is best.Faith is power to do great things.Thus, prayer is faith's enabling wings.
Share your wishes, needs, and hopes.Ask God how to bravely cope.Tell Him all you learned today.Say the things you need to say.
Beg forgiveness for your sins.Pray to live with Him again.Speak with earnest heart and soul.He will listen. This I know.
For prayer is hope put to the test.And hope is faith in what is best.Faith is power to do great things.Thus, prayer is faith's enabling wings.
SUNLIGHT
She touched my hand.Not on purpose.We bumped by mistake.But the softness of her skin was sunlight to me. I was drawn to it.My fingers hooked with hers.Loosely at first.Then sunlight tingled as she took my hand.On purpose.Not by mistake.And I have never let go.
PAPER PLANE
From: Being Bold
I watched as he ignored the worldand focused on his hands.He creased a simple paper planeand dreamt of other lands.
I watched him reach to throw that planeinto the open sky.A passing breeze upheld its wingsand made the paper fly.
I watched a pleasant smile controlhis lips throughout the flight,until the little paper planehad floated out of sight.
I hoped to see him chase the planeinto the light of day.Instead, he creased another oneand threw it too away.
I watched him reach to throw that planeinto the open sky.A passing breeze upheld its wingsand made the paper fly.
I watched a pleasant smile controlhis lips throughout the flight,until the little paper planehad floated out of sight.
I hoped to see him chase the planeinto the light of day.Instead, he creased another oneand threw it too away.
ME & MY REFLECTION
from: Being Bold
I look in the mirror and see myself,and yet I really don’t.Only an image is perceived,not things I will or things I won’t.
Ideas in my mind I cannot see.No glimpse of how I feel.Shreds of emotion shape my gaze,but depth, the mirror will not reveal.
I see my reflection colored in,my hair, my skin, my eyes.Hues in my heart and shades of thoughtremain unlit by fire or skies.
I smile at the mirror and watch it grin,hasty to copy me, but who I am ‘twill never know.Mirrors don’t reflect identities.
Ideas in my mind I cannot see.No glimpse of how I feel.Shreds of emotion shape my gaze,but depth, the mirror will not reveal.
I see my reflection colored in,my hair, my skin, my eyes.Hues in my heart and shades of thoughtremain unlit by fire or skies.
I smile at the mirror and watch it grin,hasty to copy me, but who I am ‘twill never know.Mirrors don’t reflect identities.
WISHING STARS
from: Smile Anyway
I pulled a star from the darkest corner of night and hid it within my bosom. When the Earth beneath my feet gave way, moist and fertile, I knelt to the ground and cupped the radiant treasure in my hands. In a shallow hole I buried it—layer upon layer of black dirt tossed upon the spot until it no longer glowed.
This I did for you, my love. Now, come with me and see what has been born from a single wishing star.
Hand in hand we walk to the same spot of dirt to find the black and fertile soil sucked dry, the color blanched as pale as desert sands. Look how a ring of white fire jumps and dances around the buried starling! We catch our breath, beholding what has sprouted from this magical seed. The illusion of twisted branches glowing in the darkness like tails of comets soaring skyward—tails of baby stars that shoot like fireworks from that ring of fire. Up, up, up they fly to light a neglected corner of the night. From a single wishing star a thousand more have been born.
They are for you, my love—a thousand dreams destined to come true.
This I did for you, my love. Now, come with me and see what has been born from a single wishing star.
Hand in hand we walk to the same spot of dirt to find the black and fertile soil sucked dry, the color blanched as pale as desert sands. Look how a ring of white fire jumps and dances around the buried starling! We catch our breath, beholding what has sprouted from this magical seed. The illusion of twisted branches glowing in the darkness like tails of comets soaring skyward—tails of baby stars that shoot like fireworks from that ring of fire. Up, up, up they fly to light a neglected corner of the night. From a single wishing star a thousand more have been born.
They are for you, my love—a thousand dreams destined to come true.
MINISTERING TO ME
From: HOPE EVERMORE
I cried, and your shoulder caught my tears. I laughed, and you echoed my guffaws. I cringed, and you talked me from my fears. I sang, and you cheered a loud applause.
I lost, and you boosted my self-worth.I won, and you noised the news abroad.I sulked, and you showered me with mirth.I shrugged, and you saw through my facade.
I pained, and you sat beside my bed.I healed, and you took me out to tea.I lived, and you helped make life worthwhile.I thank you for ministering to me.
I lost, and you boosted my self-worth.I won, and you noised the news abroad.I sulked, and you showered me with mirth.I shrugged, and you saw through my facade.
I pained, and you sat beside my bed.I healed, and you took me out to tea.I lived, and you helped make life worthwhile.I thank you for ministering to me.
HER HUMOR, HER SONG
She laughs at the odd and curious things,Like burnt toast, wet cats, and entangled string.She beams like the sun in a summer sky,Shedding warmth on each lucky passerby.
Her voice when it jingles, coaxes a smile.Life loves her bubbly and frolicsome style.If you are able to capture her gaze,Delight in a rapturous mental haze.
Drink in her cherry lips; mirror her grin.Be lackadaisical outward and in.See how her humor disperses the clouds.Feel how her favor engulfs and enshrouds.
Be not dismayed when you find she is gone.Many, forever, shall whistle her song.
Her voice when it jingles, coaxes a smile.Life loves her bubbly and frolicsome style.If you are able to capture her gaze,Delight in a rapturous mental haze.
Drink in her cherry lips; mirror her grin.Be lackadaisical outward and in.See how her humor disperses the clouds.Feel how her favor engulfs and enshrouds.
Be not dismayed when you find she is gone.Many, forever, shall whistle her song.
SUNSHINE
From: Being Bold
The summer sun welcomes me outto sandy beaches with palm trees.I am lulled by caressing raysas warm as heavy, denim quilts.The heat melts away distressesfrom my muscles, from my thinking.Entranced and contented, I baskin the careless arms of sunshine.
DRAGONS AT NIGHT
From: Slaying Dragons
I slay dragons at night while you sleep.
I see by the way your face contorts how they exist in your dreams.
Willing a magic sword, I plunge into your deepest nightmares and swing at the beasts with all my might, dodging flames exhaled by monsters that would eat me alive to go on torturing the fair one I love. I see your face relax, eyes still drowsily closed, when the mighty dragon is slain.
It may be that my fingers rub soft circles on your forehead as I imagine my brave fight as a knight reclaiming your dreams. You smile under the spell of my touch, and I am rewarded. And so, my love, as I await the dawn, I stand ready to slay dragons while you sleep.
I HOPED
From: Hope Evermore
I hoped for a rose and got lilies.I hoped for the sun and got rain.I hoped for a cat and got puppies.I hoped for Brazil and got Spain.
I hoped for a raise and got transferred.I hoped for northwest and got south.I hoped for ice cream and got yogurt.I hoped for a kiss on the mouth.
I hoped for more time and got late fees.I hoped for a cruise, got a flight.I hoped for Poseidon, got Hades.I hoped for long days over nights.
You may wonder why I keep hoping,As fruitless as it seems to be.But hope is a bow, not an arrow.Its release depends much upon me.
I hoped for a raise and got transferred.I hoped for northwest and got south.I hoped for ice cream and got yogurt.I hoped for a kiss on the mouth.
I hoped for more time and got late fees.I hoped for a cruise, got a flight.I hoped for Poseidon, got Hades.I hoped for long days over nights.
You may wonder why I keep hoping,As fruitless as it seems to be.But hope is a bow, not an arrow.Its release depends much upon me.
MAN IN THE MOON
from: Smile Anyway
Oh, man in the moon, send an evening star to wink at my dreary eyes, and I shall make a wish for a peaceful world that spins with no more lies.
Oh, man in the moon, send the night’s cool breeze to lull my leery heart, and I shall cast my fears to the wind with ease, and watch them all depart.
Oh, man in the moon, send the sandman’s dust to rest my weary soul, and I shall slumber in happy dreams until the morning bells do toll.
Oh, man in the moon, send the night’s cool breeze to lull my leery heart, and I shall cast my fears to the wind with ease, and watch them all depart.
Oh, man in the moon, send the sandman’s dust to rest my weary soul, and I shall slumber in happy dreams until the morning bells do toll.
LAUGHTER’S FATE
Where does our laughter travel to?
Does it search out monkeys in the zoo?Or settle on the heart like dew?Or cling to lip-glossed smiles on me and you?
Does it hang around throughout the day?Or spread its wings and fly away?Or gather-in like puffy clouds of gray?
Perhaps it hooks a rainbow’s endAnd melts to make the colors blend.Or paints a happy face upon a friend.
Does it turn to stardust when it’s late?Or in a windstorm, circulate?Or does it simply fade and dissipate?
What is our laughter’s merrymaking fate?
I DANCED UNDER HEAVEN
From: Smile Anyway
Last night I danced.
My body rose from its slump for the first time since the beginning of sorrows—my fingers beckoning to the stars at arm’s length, back arching as tingles bubbled up my spine, hips caught in a silent tempo while on tiptoe I twirled in endless euphoric circles. It didn’t matter that you loved me or that you didn’t. For I was wanted by the gods last night, their seraphs and muses descending on moonbeams into my midst, caressing my face and gliding their spirited arms about my waist, lifting my toes from the soil that I might feel what it is to fly without heaviness of heart. I danced with them under the glow of a loyal moon. For one brief, visceral dance I joyed as Heaven joys—in endless bliss.
And the universe cherished me.