Sunday, July 31, 2016

REAL LIFE



Unconditional
That's what love's supposed to be
Even in real life.


Caren E. Salas



Thursday, July 28, 2016

AIR



Night
Air
Quiet
Stars shining
Alone with my thoughts
And praying for a little peace.



Caren E. Salas


Monday, July 25, 2016

HONEY

When Whiskey came, he needed us
Because life had been unfair
He was timid, skittish, scared
He needed someone to care.

And he became my constant friend
My shadow day and night
My little grumpy old guy
Always ready for a fight.

Then Honey came, a tiny angel
Four short legs and great big eyes
She touched our hearts, and Whiskey's too
(Which came as a surprise!)


And so it seems she's here to stay
This tender ball of fur
We love Whiskey 'cause he needed us
And Honey...we need her.


Caren E. Salas












Sunday, July 24, 2016

THE WORLD SPINS ON....

The world spins on
     People love and laugh
Oblivious to the pain we feel
I try and make it make some sense
But still, it doesn't seem quite real.

And the world spins on
     People rush around
Busy with their lives, and yet
Forgetting the things that really count
That someday they might just regret.

And the world spins on
     People trample dreams
Discouraged with the life they lead
Wanting more, but doing less
They break a heart to see it bleed.

And the world spins on...


Caren E. Salas



Photo by Bill Salas

Thursday, July 21, 2016

HANG ON

His eyes cry out, but no words
Come from his lips. I refuse
To listen. It hurts, I know.
Don't give up, she wouldn't want
You to say good-bye just yet.
Hang on just a while longer.

I try to tell him without
Speaking. Things will get better
You have a new great grandson
On the way that you should meet
And all of us who love you.
Hang on just a while longer.


Caren E. Salas

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

COUNTING DOLLARS




My love and I walked along hand in hand
Collecting sea shells down by the shore
Counting dollars half buried in sand
Watching the seagulls and pelicans soar.


Collecting sea shells down by the shore
We talked about all the years we had shared
Watching the seagulls and pelicans soar
Oh, the places we'd been, the dreams we had dared.


We talked about all the years we had shared
We stopped just to listen to the sounds of the sea
Oh, the places we'd been, the dreams we had dared
It all stood still for a moment or three.


We stopped just to listen to the sounds of the sea
As my love and I walked along hand in hand
It all stood still for a moment or three
As we counted dollars half buried in sand.


Caren E. Salas



Sunday, July 17, 2016

THE FLOWERS

The grounds keeper said we might as well take
The flowers; he'd be throwing them away.
So we did. Every bloom and bud we could
That wasn't crushed, spent, damaged or broken.
We gathered them gently into our arms
And took them home where we put them in jars,
Vases, bottles arranging them as well
As we could. The flowers brought color back
Into what had been a very gray week
And a bit of light into our dark times.











Now, as each day passes, more flowers fade;
Petals dropping silently, leaves drooping.
Maybe we can dry the roses, maybe
We can press some of them into a book. 
If we lay them in the garden, might seeds
Take root and in the Spring grow back again? 
Anything to keep these flowers alive,
To make them last a little bit longer. 
Because while I still have the flowers here,

I won't really have to tell her good-bye.


Caren E. Salas






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Friday, July 15, 2016

IN THE NIGHT

Trying to stay strong for them
And holding it together
But in the night and quiet
When I'm tired and alone
I just can't hold back the tears
Or keep my heart from breaking.


Caren E. Salas



Thursday, July 14, 2016

THE MEASURE

She was a small person
Not very tall, height-wise
But if you measured the size
Of her heart, well!
She was off the chart
And in number of embraces
And the faces of friends
She lifted up, gifts she gave
Unselfishly,
It was easy to see
That her being gone...
Just seems...so wrong.
But I'll remember her smile
And though for a while, I'm crying
I'm trying to love,
As she would,
Live like she could, Dream
Of the peace she now knows.
Because her light continues
To grow as long as we know
What to measure.


Caren E. Salas

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

THE ARMS OF GOD



For us, time stood still
The moment that the doctor
Said, I'm so sorry,
We did everything we could,
But she's in the arms of God.

It happened so fast;
No time to say our good-byes
Or that we loved her.
But she knew. I know she knew
Watching...from the arms of God.


Caren E. Salas

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

THE WORDS HAVE LEFT ME

The words have left me, so it seems
Packed their bags with broken dreams
They used to stay with me all night
Make sense of things, and hold me tight

But now they're gone, just not around
I'm open-mouthed, without a sound
I've seen the face of love in pain
And a light that's drowning, in ceaseless rain

I'm left with an empty and aching heart
Seeing those I love, now torn apart
The words have left me high and dry
I try to speak but only cry.


Caren E. Salas





Friday, July 1, 2016

ALL RIGHT (#24 Prompt: Lost and Regained)

True, we had lost touch
But when I heard that she was gone
Without a good-bye
And no forwarding address
Nothing about it felt right.

Years passed and often
I wondered what had happened
It wasn't like her
But sometimes we lose out minds
When we're following our hearts.

One day, she was back
She worried I'd be angry
But no, not a chance
I have my friend back again
And everything is all right.


Caren E. Salas