The Warrior

It came
Unwelcome
And uninvited
And I see
What it has done to you

Yes it enjoyed the
Wining and dining
When we thought we'd booked
A dinner meant only for two.

It celebrated with us
Absorbing a wine or two
And amidst the laughter
Began multiplying
As it lay obscured from view

And as we celebrated
It lay
Silent and deadly
Stealing and robbing
While hiding seductively in the dark

And I see what it has done
Yes I see the tiredness
The bone weary tiredness
That steals even the smallest of smiles

I look helplessly on
As you take on the fight
And I see the struggle
When your strength is compromised

Yes I see you rally
As you forge onwards
I see the weariness
And I hear the sighs

But I too
see the strength
The epitome
Of
A true fighter

I watch in awe
And admire your stamina
As true to your family motto
You fight the fight
Faithfully and strongly
As only I know you can

The Enemy Lies Within

I sat quite still
I did not fidget at all
The air slowly seeped from the room
As he spoke his practiced words
Of diagnosis and prognosis
And I wondered how
Just how, we would weather this storm

I'm sure I held my breath
As the room grew hazier
As the words continued
To pour from his lips.
Each one
As sharp as a razor
And every one a direct body hit.

The haziness continued
But his words
Yes, they were crystal clear
Sickeningly they continued their assault
And they mushroomed on impact
Each one cutting and tearing
As they tore our world apart

This wasn't what we came to hear
And so we waited
Surely some comfort
Was to come from his lips
But as the words continued to pour unchecked
The sickening dread increased
As his words spewed forth relentlessly.

And when it was over
He ushered us out the door
The consultation was complete
And clearly his job was done
We had been dismissed and we stood
Battle weary and unsure of what was in store.

But if his news was hard to impart
It was even harder to digest
His compassion was lacking
His words brutal and direct
But he does not know us
We were not diminished by his words
We took comfort and strength in each other

And we have risen above his words
We do not deny that they are true
But he did not factor
On our resoluteness
Our resilient immigrant background

And for that we thank our forebears
For when times were tough
They did not wail and beat their chests
No, they hunkered down
And gave the fight their very best.

Did They Know?

It is time for me to go

And they must have known it too.
For one by one they've arrived,
During this last week or two.

The butterfly that brooded and fussed,

Its wings delicately sheer.
Did it uncannily know,
That when summer prevailed,
I would no longer be here?

The echidna,

Who waddled across my path.
Did he know that this regular walk,
Would soon be one of my last?

Or the little bird,

That perched on my window sill,

Did he know that his ancient tune.

Would no longer rouse me,

As it echoed around the room?

Did those maggies know,

As they merrily splashed and preened?
Did they know that I will not be here,
To enjoy their next captivating scene?

Did those lady bugs know

When I held them in my hand?
That I would not be here,
When they next came to land?

Their unadorned beauty,

Which is often overlooked,
Is beauty nonetheless.
And it is these precious moments,
That showcase nature at its best.

They are magical and mythical

And I see them vividly clear.
I store these images,
So I can visit them,
When I am no longer here.

I know as I close the door for the very last time,
They will continue to visit from time to time.
It is squeals of laughter that will now pierce the air.
For it is a new family who will greet them ...
When I am no longer here.

Ari's Rocket

Ari wanted to be an astronaut.

She wanted to fly to the moon.
She wanted to borrow a rocket,
But only for an afternoon.

It was hard to borrow a rocket,
So Ari knew just what to do.
She'd build herself a rocket.
And then she'd fly it to the moon.

And when she got there,
She'd look for the brightest star,
The brightest star is the one that she'd need.
For the brightest star is where her Opa would be.'

Ari began collect all the things,

She'd need to build a rocket.
Tin cans, cardboard, string
And a whole bunch of other things.

"And this", said Daddy,
"You'll need this for your rocket."
As an enormous ball of rubber bands
Appeared from his pocket.

'But,' he said,
'Be home in time for tea.
Take Solar along,
To keep you company.'

Ari worked all day,

And she worked all night.
She worked until her rocket,
Was pretty much ready,
To take its first flight.

She hoisted it onto her cart,
And dragged it to the beach.
Where she balanced it on a cliff,
While Solar watched on from his seat.              

Ari pushed the buttons,
But the rocket wouldn't fly
Maybe there was just one more thing,
Just one last thing..
That she could try.

So with a burst of speed,

She ran as fast as she could
She flew off into the air,
As the rocket rattled and shook.

The rocket hung in the air,
It didn't make a sound.

It somersaulted once,
And sped towards the ground.

It hit the ground..
It hit the ground with a ...'SPLAT'
Out flew Ari,
And out flew the cat.

The cat shot off
And the rocket lay in a heap,

Her beautiful rocket,
Lay crumpled at her feet.

But as she lay there,
She saw something in the sand.
She took a closer look,
And reached out to touch it with her hand.

It glistened and shone,
And as she brushed the sand aside.
She saw ...
What had been washed up by the morning tide.

She scooped it up into both hands
For it was very small.
She gazed up at the stars and smiled
For she had found  ...  the brightest star of all.

The Perfect Day!

Going to bed with a dream ..... Waking up with a purpose!

Make every day an Ice Cream kinda day!

Who Stole Tui's Ruffle?

Tui stared with horror and his fear began to grow.

Someone had stolen his beautiful, lacy ruffle.
And without his ruffle ... would that make him a .... CROW??

He took off in a panic and frantically began to circle and swoop,
"My ruffle has to be here." He cried, as he twirled another loop.
Suddenly he saw it bouncing and bobbing in the grass below,
And in a flash, he zoomed towards it and swooped in very low.

He zoomed in fast and aimed for that thieving chap.

That ruffle was HIS and he was taking it back!
But when he got close and tried to grab it firmly in his beak,
That thief lashed out angrily and he fell in an awkward, tumbling heap.

Clinging on, he yanked once more, but that ruffle was stuck!

It did not budge at all. It was glued firmly to that bunny’s butt.
The bunny squawked loudly and angrily shot down a nearby hole,
The tui tried to follow but he tripped and stumbled into a skidding roll.

Feathers flew everywhere and he quickly scurried away,
For that bunny had made an awful din.

He wanted to slip away before the other animals could make fun of him.
He zigzagged through the sky and swooped frantically once more,
Could his beautiful ruffle be lying trampled on the forest floor?

Then he saw them. The hikers camping at the river side.

They were COOKING his ruffle ... it was about to be fried!
He zoomed right in. His heart pounded loudly in his chest
And in one swoop, he scooped it up and clasped that ruffle to his breast.

They waved their fists at him and he heard their angry cries.

As he held on tight and began to swoop up into the sky,
But the ruffle was sticky and it clung stubbornly to his beak
It just wouldn't budge, so he used his wings, and then he used his feet.

Now his feet AND his wings were glued together,

And he couldn’t make a sound.
He was terribly stuck,
And he began to thrash wildly upon on the ground.

He stumbled blindly toward the lake, things were getting very hazy,

He couldn't breathe and the trees began spinning around him crazily.
Sniggering could be heard when he fell for the very third time,
And there high above him, sat a grinning crow watching his drunken climb.

He did not stop, for he could not open his mouth to speak,

He needed water to clear the goo that trickled from his beak.
Slipping and sliding, he finally made his way to the lake,
Where he threw himself in and he swam until his legs began to ache.

Finally when he could swim no more,
He dragged himself out of the water.

Where he lay panting in the hot summer sun.
And he lay there for the longest time wondering,
Without his ruffle, just WHAT had he become?

Suddenly he caught his reflection,

And he began to smile.
A lacy ruffle sat proudly at his throat.
Dazzlingly bright .. where it had been all the while.

He smiled happily to himself in the hot, summer sun,
And he remembered what the old owl had said when he was only young.

"Sometimes sonny" he said importantly.
"The things we cannot see for ourselves,
Are the things that can be so plainly seen by everyone else.

And what you may have been looking for, for so very long,
May have been right there  … plain to see all along."