Tag: Poetry

A New Day Dawns

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Broken, shattered, a life in tatters
She gasps for each new breath
Every memory viciously attacks her
Dancing the dance of death

Her days are filled with sorrow
Drowning in a widow’s tears
Praying for no tomorrows
Or more minutes, hours, days, or years

No more smiles, hugs, and kisses from her lover
Alone, she shuffles, room to room
Praying that she can discover
A path leading to her own tomb

She’s yet to grasp the gifts of grief
That a still beating heart has direction
Leading to spiritual relief
Letting go of her retrospection

A new day dawns, hope replaces sorrow
Her mirror occasionally reflects a smile
Schemes are made for her new tomorrow
Life again becomes worthwhile

An Endless Sea Of Love

Posted on by Joe Merkle

What about me in twenty twenty-three
What will I do, what will I see
Will I finally conquer grief
See the light, attain reprieve

Will I travel to a foreign land
Will I walk along the shores of white sand
Or begin to understand
The meaning of God’s demands

All questions without answers now
Perhaps a visit to Curacao
Or be bold and allow
Myself to just be in the here and now

Or will I wallow in self-pity
Tossed against the shore of enmity
Can I reach out tentatively
And discover a new identity

Can I find the will to take a chance
Find love again by happenstance
Know without doubt upon first glance
To once again dance that dance

Will she be loving and sexy
A lover to sweep away my emotional debris
To once again feel carefree
To float away on an endless sea

Of love

A Breath Away To Where You Are

Posted on by Joe Merkle

The night sky
Is your lullaby
When you rock me
In your arms — I’m free

From the constant longing
The begging, imploring
Barely breathing, clinging
On my knees, groveling

The river of tears
Each tear, a waking nightmare
My heart pierced by Ares’s spear
As each day morphs into years

Is it too much to ask
Just a simple heavenly task
Visit me with your death mask
A sip from a poisoned cask

I feel you, I know you are near
My love, my life, my Guinevere
My future seems impossibly unclear
My will to live stripped of its veneer

Still now, hushed breathing, I wait
Just a breath away, I abdicate
This earthly shell I dedicate
A body no longer able to participate

I sense you’re just a breath away
My ticket stamped, prepaid
No more yesterdays or todays
I step into a heavenly cabriolet

My ride to where you are

You Are The Music

Posted on by Joe Merkle

I’ve played

My life has been an orchestra of love
Those I’ve loved are the notes I have played
I sincerely don’t know what I’ve done
To deserve the chance to conduct this heavenly serenade

I‘ve conducted a wonderful symphony of souls
All the sharps and flats creating a gravitational mass
An inimitable universal love that unfolds
A treasure chest of love that I’ve amassed

Sing to me my choir of shining stars
That I may sail away upon your wings
Let’s erect our personal spiritual alcazar
A palace to share our heartstrings

Let me sail away upon your perfect harmony
Scaling notes beyond human comprehension
As all our love melds with eternity
While we entertain each spiritual dimension

It Had To Be You

Posted on by Joe Merkle

My shining light

When the setting sun slithers silently
When darkness dooms my daylight
And shadows slither into my soul
A satanic stain swallowing my sanity

I howl to the heavens
Imploring, inpouring spiritual salvation
Helplessly hoping for her healing heart
And her tender, tantalizing touch

It had to be you, my shining light
Lighting my way home to daylight
Surround me, secure me, my sexy paramour
Vanquish my villains with vigor

Then we’ll dance the dance that darlings do
Sharing secrets sacrosanct to just a few
To those who trapped a note or two
And share the sacred song of HU

Each Beat Of Your Heart

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Is my life’s elixir

Each beat of your heart
is my life’s elixir
and your kisses impart
an unintended strip search

Your laugh lights the way
then you dance the pony
a reinvented sexual foreplay
so innocent and carefree

You’re a treasure with no measure
my pièce de résistance
an irresistible treasure
you are my soul assistant

The man I am did not exist
you rescued me from certain doom
with just a hug and then a kiss
you stripped away my grieving costume

I wonder at the innocence you display
how wonderful it must feel to know
that life is just child’s play
while you emanate a golden glow

Let it go, Joe, you encourage me to see
that life is love and nothing more
that there are no guarantees
then you whisper come to me, my matador

I fall deeper into your eyes
swimming in those blue lagoons
all my demons exorcised
each day becomes a new honeymoon

We sail in the cosmic seas
as we escape our earthly bonds
no longer concerned with analyses
masters of our magical wands

Lover’s Poem

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/vkstudio

When we meet
We shall touch the stars
The little children will laugh at us
And to each, we shall teach love

And we’ll float on the soft summer breeze
I’ll carve our initials in the clouds
And in a fleeting moment
That which is not tangible shall succumb

And our love will become inimitable

We’ll explore the silver sun
And search for the silver man
We’ll mix the colors on the palette
And paint the world

Then we’ll say goodbyes
And no regrets will there be
Only happy memories we share
And our initials in the clouds

Max And Mandy

Posted on by Joe Merkle

A lifetime of love

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/imrandk

Max and Mandy fell in love at first sight
On the school playground at the age of six
Sharing their M&M’s candy with delight
Mandy bold enough to kiss Max on the lips

They married young, at twenty-one
Two months passed and Max went to war
Ten months later Mandy birthed their son
Night after night she paced the floor

Six months went by without a word
She searched for answers with no avail
Sending daily letters, she was undeterred
Max suffered injuries on a German forest trail

He came home to her a wounded soul
Having witnessed the worst of mankind
Doing her best at damage control
She patched him back towards peace of mind

Many years have passed, their hair grown gray
Still holding hands as they gingerly walk the park
Sitting on “their” bench on a lovely October day
Comfortable in knowing they will soon embark

On a glorious journey that will end their pains
Where the Light and Sound will light their paths
As their undying love brings more spiritual gains
Going home, home at last

You Are The Reason

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Of This New Season

Spring

Born in spring, a new life begins
A baby boy born of woman
Inheriting his ancestor’s sins
Crying over once again being human

Summer

Youth manifests its boundless energy
Sun rays bake skin golden brown
Playing, prancing, light and fancy-free
With energy that knows no bounds

Autumn

Tree leaves that fill Van Gogh with jealousy
Love blossoms within expectant hearts
Lover’s bodies meld zealously
A lifetime ahead for these sweethearts

Winter

The icy cold clatters these aged bones
Heartbroken by Death’s finality
The flag I fly is skull and crossbones
My body, icy cold, stiff, shivering

But Then…A New Mysterious Season

An angel of mercy graced my threshold
Tossed aside my insistent futility
Gently, she removed my blindfold
Now spending eternity exploring infinity

©2024 Joe Merkle All rights reserved.

I have had the privilege of sharing great love all my life. When my wife died in May of 2021 I never thought I would feel a deep, loving connection again. But God took pity on me and sent me an angel disguised as a woman. That was rather sneaky of IT as I wanted no part of this earthly existence anymore. I am forever grateful. I just wonder what IT expects in return. Whatever it may be it should be very interesting indeed.

A Soul On The Wing

Posted on by Joe Merkle

A puppet on a celestial string

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/primevectors

the dance of moonbeams 
across cresting waves
lends to daydreams
of hopes I’ve yet to attain

footprints in the sand
stragglers left behind
ballads are sung by a heavenly band
urging me to stay aligned

waves lapping at my feet
I stare into a starlit sky
this human form seems obsolete
its existence hard to justify

I’m just a contestant in this game show
a puppet on a celestial string
a player in God’s minstrel show
a soul on the wing

sun peeks above the horizon
casting tangerine across the dawn 
I’m tripping on nature’s psilocybin
this heavenly phenomenon

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/yellowj

Originally published at https://medium.com/poetry-publication/a-soul-on-the-wing-7834636ed097