by Roger Laird
Poetry
Roger Laird
Copyright 2011 Roger Laird
All rights reserved
Discover other works by Roger Laird at RogerLairdWriting.com
Table of Contents
And Then Came Man
Angel
Beauty of a Meadow
Boundless Ends
Clouded Memories
Complexity
Dreams
Empty Souls
Familiar Face
Granddad
Hand In Hand
I Love Thee
Love
Lullaby
The Bee
The Perfection of a Rose
Things I Wouldn’t Give for a Kiss
To My Wife
Unclear
Undelivered
Words
Legacy: A Father’s Tale
About the Author
Other Works from Roger Laird
And Then Came Man
In the beginning
Man was one with nature
Part of its beauty
But not anymore
Deep in the forest
There is a small break in the trees
Beyond the trees lay a secluded meadow
A trickling stream runs down from a mountain
Tall grass and fragrant flowers grow
A doe and her young fawn drink from the spring
A small breeze blows
Just enough to make the grass sway
The breeze dies down
Then comes a rustle in the grass
Drown out by the trickling of the stream
And then came man
Emerging from his hiding place down stream
Raising his rifle from his side
A shot rings out and fear sets in
A direct hit
The doe’s body lay motionless
The hunter goes to claim his prize
Deciding it was ruined by a bad shot, he leaves
The fawn returns
It lay by its mother’s side
The stream stained red
And the fawn just laid there
Doomed without the care she provides
Angel
I have a theory of how we came to be
Two young souls flying together
Searching for our way home
Then came the modern world, which interfered
We became separated
I returned to Father
He comforted me, told me
I was to watch over you
I put away my fears
Kissed Father good bye
I promised to return with you
He took away my wings
And wished me well
I went to the gates
Stood on the edge
I took a deep breath
And dove from the place I called my home
All for you
Perhaps I fell too quickly
And when I hit the water
This water of worldly things
I plunged into the depths
When I stopped, I turned and swam
Searching among other souls
Took me many years to find you
And days and hours beyond that
But we were changed by the water we lived in
This water of worldly things
And now it seems that it is you
Who is to watch over me
We rise toward the surface
And soon we will be back in Father’s arms
Beauty of a Meadow
This place I don’t recognize
Although it is so familiar
Like something from a dream
In this meadow, perhaps it is here
The tall grass sways in the wind
Like waves of the ocean
The flowers so sweet
Like the aroma of perfume
The wind picks up
Flower pedals swirl around
A single white feather catches my eyes
Maybe a sign that my angel is here
I glance around frantically now
Searching for the place where you fell
My angel from heaven, could it be
I see you now as you stand
It is not what I had thought at all
You can’t be my angel
For you are far too beautiful to be an angel
What is it that I have done
To deserve such a graceful being
We embrace each other now
Our eyes meet
My lips find yours
It is truly a gift from God
That each found the other
This feeling I have for you
Let us call it love
Boundless Ends
In a forest of many years stood two trees alike
Of some yesterday were towering
Two dragons, gone bad, in the sky
Seeking vengeance for things thought stolen
Turned course for there
Guided by some unknown rage
A hate welled up that no one knew
The first dragon came of early mourn
Engulfing the branches with its fire
Leaving a gaping hole where it struck
And the animals housed by this tree
Frantic and worried
Made their way down the branches
The creatures of the forest came
To watch the horrid sight
Now the habitants of the second tree
Had heard of the tragedy of the first
And began to scamper down the trunk
As they did, they heard a call in the midst of it all
To return to business now
Moments later the second fury came
A dragon in the sky
Hitting the second tree with an even greater force
The sight seen by the whole forest
Bringing an awe to the creatures
Showing them how vulnerable they were
And then more tragedy
The second tree fell
Taking creatures into its trap
As it came crashing down
It took other trees with it
And then the first tree fell
A sight that was sad to see
And as darkness poured in
The realization that the forest had changed
Hit hardest in the woods surrounding
When the fireflies usually gathered to sit upon the trees
Lighting up the skies
And now the greatest lanterns of all
Were gone forever
Clouded Memories
These things sit in the back of my head
They torture me so profusely
Coming out once or twice a year
Around Christmas time
Usually a happy time
But not for me
These things linger over me
They come, and are painful
And here they sit again
Maybe with a familiar face
Or some comment made
And you were there to comfort me
Or so I thought
And then created a new memory
More painful than the rest
And even though you are still here
It seems to hurt just the same
And in time I know it will pass
But this memory will join others
To remain forever painful
To await the chance to peek out again
To show its ugly painful ways
Just to torture me
Forever more
Complexity
Dreams are
a complex existence
Are they the key to a new tomorrow
Or just the inner desire manifesting
From the dreamer’s hidden self
Many dreams have I had lately
Yet I do not sleep
How is it that these dreams come to be
Do I slip in and out of awareness from time to time
If so, am I a danger to others
Am I going crazy
Dreams have always held great significance in my life
Yet I find myself pondering the meaning of simple daydreams
Are they trying to send me in a certain direction
Or leading me haphazardly through life
My emotions are so wild
They lose expression in words
That is a scary thought for me
If I cannot sooth my mind
I will surely lose it
Dreams
Dreams are that place between wake and sleep
Where all things seem so real
That the line between almost disappears completely
You must know the world I speak of
The place where reality mixes with fantasy
So that all things are possible
Sometimes we wake from our dream world
Not knowing where we are or how we got there
Not knowing the day, month, or even year
All is lost in that world
And all is gained there
The helplessness of where our minds take us
So even time can be sucked to nothing
A place where animal, or spirit, or mythical beings can be
Or we can be them if we like
Or perhaps someone from another world
The place where you can’t be harmed or bothered
Where prophecies come
Or we can look into the span of time
And see what has been, is now, and even what will be
The place that is so beautiful
You always want to go there
And once you are there
You never want to leave
Empty Souls
Empty souls is all I see, everywhere I look
Granted there are some fulfilled
But then I look around
I see your hearts where you hide them
I see things sticking from you
As you bleed, it runs through the streets
And I remember the blood I shed
Every time you hide your sins
My hands and feet are stained red again
Tears run down my cheek
As you nail me up, back on the cross
So here I wait as I’ve said that I will
And if you can’t see me
I am standing behind you
With tears in my eyes
Familiar Face
A face so familiar
Yet I know not who you are
So much of your life I have seen
Yet I know not where I’ve been
Almost falling into your life
As if from the sky above
So unexpected to us both
That I am confused by how it happened
I sometimes wonder when the dream will end
Yet I know that I have not slept well
And then last night, those words coming from your mouth
So innocent
But as if you knew the significance
My knees went weak
My eyes watered
For an instant I nearly lost it
If you only knew the full meaning
What the commitment would require
Would you have said those words
I know I will do my best
To love you in return
Granddad
Always such a great man
Never let us down
Sometimes a kind smile
Others a solemn frown
Carried an ever present strength
To give us direction and security
Achieved much with a firm hug
A stern man that loved with purity
A bold man with an iron will
Such a caring soul
Never letting pain show through
As life took its toll
Speaking words to light our paths
At times our lives foundation shook
With such a confident “Good Job”
Or a simple sigh and long hard look
We were all blessed to know such a man
To follow down a path he helped us pave
And in our hearts he holds great legacy
That will reach his spirit far beyond his grave
Granddad was such an awesome man. Even though we had not known him a very long time, he took no hesitation to treat us like family. He was a bold brave man that could stand strong behind his family with great pride. I remember the first time I met him. He did not try to shake my hand, but instead he reached out and hugged me like I was family. I remember taking trips up to Shaver Lake, spending Christmas together. Even before my mother and Jerry were even married, he seemed to welcome us as family. I know that even now as I stand here, I would not be the young man I am today if he had never touched my life with his wisdom. He never put me down, and encouraged me in the things I did. I will forever miss having him around, but I am forever grateful for the times we had together. I love you Granddad. Goodbye.
Hand In Hand
Two young people, faced with the most important crossroad in their lives
Where three paths merged into one
Stood before the road ahead and took a step, hand in hand
They knew there was no turning back
No matter what hardships were presented
No matter what fears arose
As they walked down this path
Each shared the other’s pain
And gave their support where needed most
Many paths would come to merge there after
Both offering and seeking refuge from the harsh world
Finding their strength in each other
They welcomed each new path with all they had to offer, hand in hand
Never could they have known, when they took that first step
That they had began a great legacy
That would stretch beyond explanation by words
Beyond the bonds of true friendship
A legacy that’s truth could only be seen
Within the hearts of those whom they had met on the path that they walked
Those whom they had welcomed into their home
And those whom they had worked so hard to form into a family