the perfect place
escapes
without a trace
a moment past
a moment fast
fleeting as it were
a gasp…and it’s gone
hiding just behind
the mind’s eye
allowing just
a sneaky peek
a peck on the cheek
a reminder to dwell
occasionally
in a perfect place
momentarily
Published in “The Best Poets and Poems of 2002”
The first time set the stage
Before I had an age
When the doctor placed me in my mother’s arms
And she took my hands to count my fingers
The countless times my mom and dad
Held my hand to keep me safe
The countless times I reached out
For their hand to feel safe
Oh that first love, that set my heart aflutter
That nervous, anxious reach, praying she reaches in return
That galactic collision when hand touches hand
A great awakening by such a simple act
And through my life, I have been so fortunate
To have met true friends with whom a handshake is no simple gesture
It’s heartfelt, with deep intentions
Saying I’m always here for you
Oh that true love, the “I do” love
When her every breath breathes life into me
When every step, though they may be apart
Finds me holding her hand for dear life
And with each birth of my children, the cycle expands
Allowing me a greater comprehension and burning desire
To create, with just the touch of my hand
A world safe and bursting with love for them
I was so fortunate to be with my dad
When he chose to leave this earthly plane
When I sat beside him and held his hand to the end
Just to return the favor
And now I have come to understand
That my hands are not just tools
To play guitar, fix the faucet, write this poem
What I have come to realize, finally
With open eyes and open heart
That all my life I have lived in a world
Created by the simple act
Of holding hands
Humans, in our conceit
Concern ourselves over our lives’ legacies
In hopes of what we leave behind
Matters for prosperity’s sake
I think, like all things temporary
I will fade away in time
Become a picture on a hallway wall
That is viewed occasionally
Like a song that fades from memory
Or a poem that marks a moment in time
Like the autumn leaves that blow away
In the wind, thus I will become
Only love creeps through the halls
Of time and space
Reflecting my love that never fades
Just a shadow that haunts those I’ve touched
A legacy, I think not
Just a whisper in the dark
A cool breeze on a warm day
Perhaps a teary eye, and a smile
These I leave behind
Treasures with no measure
Their worth decided by
Those still open to my love
Engulfed by the sense of you
Gasping for each new breath
While my heart hastens
Towards the unknown
Engulfed by the scent of you
The essence of my euphoria
You are the culmination
Of my wildest imaginations
Engulfed by the vision of you
Spellbound by the spectacle of you
Astonished by my prosperity
You share your life with me
Engulfed by your love
That sweet, salubrious sentiment
Which you surround me with
In every moment of my day
Ethereal, a shadow I become
Floating through sun and shade
A choir of pines serenades my senses
The breeze echoing each ghostly note
Every step seems an eternity
Now is the perfect place to be
Time reveals…the illusion it is
A solitary moment engulfs this lifetime
Am I a boy of six
Or a man of sixty
Who can say – certainly not I
I am timeless, just a memory
What will I have left behind
When I leave this mortal plane
That means a thing or two
To anyone – old or new
Images on photographs
That captured moments of my life
Now found in picture frames
That earns an occasional glance
Perhaps a smile on my children’s faces
A word or two on yellowed pages
Friendships that are not forgotten
That can bring a laugh over a beer or two
But most importantly I leave behind
My heart-with the one I have loved forever
So one day she may find
Her way back home to me
Placed upon a dusty shelf, there to lie
Hidden behind the mask of age
Forgotten in their steel bar cage
Schemes of children fade away
As we grow older day-to-day
Pursuing lofty heights of money and fame
While losing the point
Of playing the game
A child’s love, so simple and pure
God’s greatest gift, a miracle cure
A simple point of view you see
Matters not if you’re one or seventy
So be silly and laugh, forget what you know
Make room for all your love to grow
Dust off your shelves, awaken those dreams
Start living all those childhood schemes
It could be anytime, anywhere
When I hold your hand, I disappear
Into your world, into your world
Into your perfect world of love
Spinning, twirling, whirling by
All the moments of my life flying by
Until I hold your hand and time seems to stand still
In your perfect world of love
So many days, in so many ways
I feel lost and it’s you I’m calling
And when I hold your hand, I find myself freely falling
Into your perfect world of love
Wafting, wandering through the house
Vapors caressing, swirling about
Searching for and finding perch
Within my nose, my smile, my smirch
She brews a stew
With a sorcerer’s charm
Blending a beguiling brisket of beef
She steals my soul, like a culinary thief
At times I nod off
For just a little while
To awaken from savory scents
That brings a smile
Each recipe contains
A pinch of this, a pinch of that
But her unique recipes possess a peculiar potion
Filled with her blend of love and devotion
I find myself orphaned on this deserted island
A returned prodigal
My only inspiration an occasional
Sliver of blue
I was an appetent victim of your coquetry
I drank from your Circe elixir
You are a siren, a piece de resistance
An arabesque of womanhood
All your gracious beauty
Your infallible reflection
Disguised so adequately
A heart of callosity
Hollow is my heart
I dwell in somber perpetuity
The price I pay
For courageous credulity