So, here we are. It’s April again, which means it is National Poetry Month. Last year I said for National Poetry Month I was going to post poems that I have written over the years but due to my laziness and continuous lack of follow through I failed to do so. Thus, we are here once more, a second attempt at sharing my poetic mediocrity with the world.

For me, writing has always been a form of therapy. The problem is I don’t do it as often as I should. Since high school I have always loved poetry, which makes sense since I have always been a lover of music, and isn’t a song simply a poem set to a melody. My poetry more often than not comes from a feeling of love, heartbreak, or depression. My plan over the next couple of weeks is to share those with you. Many of the poems that I will be sharing have only been seen by my eyes but even in my insecurity I look forward to sharing them. So, let us start with love.

A couple months ago my wife and I celebrated the 15th anniversary of our first date. Thinking back over all of those years together I thought of all the times we passed a field of dandelions and took in the beauty. I remembered our last true date night before the world went into lockdown was a Lumineers concert. Or how she is the brightness in so many lives. And finally, how she is the one who saved me. The result of that moment of reflection is A World Full.

“A World Full“

In a world full of flowers you are a dandelion.
Under-appreciated in your beauty,
Forsaken as something you’re not.
As the world comes out of cold and darkness
You help bring it back to life.
In a world full of flowers you are a dandelion
And I would forever pick you to be mine.

In a world full of music you are an old folk song.
In harmony with everything around you.
Lyrics that are relatable and true.
A sound that comes from your roots.
Strong and bold and full of soul.
In a world full of music you are an old folk song.
The one that plays in my head all day long.

In a world full of fighting you are a moment of peace.
A hand to hold in this endless war.
An uplifting word in a sea of doubt.
Always there in the loneliness.
The unconditional love in a forest of hate.
In a world full of fighting you are a moment of peace.
The one who puts this burdened soul at ease.

In a world full of women you are the one.
The one who pulls me back from the edge.
The one who makes my world turn.
The one who has given everything
Never asking for anything in return.
In a world full of women you are the one.
And I’ll be here beside you until my day is done.

The next one came from a time when my wife was traveling a lot for work. She traveled to give trainings for her company and would be gone for about half the month, stopping back home for just a few days to a week at a time. This time apart was hard on us and hard on our son who missed his mom. We understood that the travel was part of her job but she was always Needed At Home.

“Needed At Home”

We fill it with the old, we fill it with the new
But this house just isn’t a home without you.
It’s just an empty vessel, a cavernous shack,
Without your loving heart, without your infectious laugh.
I can sit by the fire, I can crank up the heat,
But without you here there’s no warmth surrounding me.
Everything has it’s place, each window a view,
But everything seems scattered and dull without you.
So wherever it is you travel, wherever you roam,
Always remember that you are needed here at home.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel as well. I have seen some beautiful places, and there are still so many more I long to take in. Adventures and experiencing new places, the sights, the food, and the people, is always made better in the company of my wife. The characteristics of every place I have have and haven’t been can be found in her. She’s Everywhere.

“She’s Everywhere”

She’s New Orleans with the flair of Mardi Gras.
Arizona with the beauty of a desert sunset.
“The Vineyard” with the smell of the sea.
She’s everywhere I can’t ever forget.

A heart as big as the Montana sky.
As bright as those Manhattan lights.
The soul of Memphis, Tennessee.
She’s everywhere, my favorite sights.

Southern California, always warm and sunny.
The Mississippi River always rolling on.
The spirit of Galway in those Irish hills.
She’s everywhere under the sun.

Refreshing like a Smokey Mountain rain.
Motown, transforming again and again.
As mysterious as the Outer Banks.
She’s everywhere I have and haven’t been.

If you find a candid photo of me and my wife I usually have the same look on my face. I liken it to those moments in a cartoon when the character has hearts for eyes when they see their love interest. No matter the shape she’s in, no matter what she is wearing, I have always found my wife beautiful. She truly is A Sight to See.

“A Sight to See”

I watch as you cross the floor,
Needing more,
Like never before.
In this moment I just need you.
It’s nothing new.
It’s overdue.
I take in your every curve,
Unnerved,
To preserve
This moment in time, this minute.
Frozen in it.
At my limit.
I hold you as I lay you down
Without a sound,
Even now,
I catch my breath, melt like butter.
Heart a flutter,
Needing no other.
I trace the shape of your hips,
Your lips,
And the tips
Of my fingers burn at the touch.
It’s too much
But never enough.
The taste of your kiss,
My every wish
Led to this.
Right here with you, to me
You’ll always be
A sight to see.

I have been lucky to share a life with this woman, to love and be loved by her. She lives every day to

Be Good, Do Good.