Delicate golden cups of yellow
Waving atop slender stalks of green,
Clustered here and everywhere
Glistening with sunshine sheen,
Around my feeder fluttering
Gatherings of lacey hue,
Dancing all about are
Brilliant red and softer blue.
Trees so newly budding,
Icy rain to soggy earth,
A fresh scent on the breeze
Whispers promises of birth.
Copyright 2020. L.L. Shelton.
(For Zeek)
Was Bonbon born tired
Or was she simply worn out
By the time she was six?
You are not yet six.
Was it because she was shiny
Or was it due to her being less?
Was it over before she started
Or was it all to bring her here to you?
I sing, I write, I paint, I draw, I care.
I love and I forgive.
Am I trying to remember
Or am I trying to forget?
Please know that I love you,
That I traveled this road first,
That I may not know the beginning,
But I am well aware of the end.
Copyright 2020. L. L. Shelton.
Truly, I am not seen.
I am an appendage,
An arm or a leg.
An afterthought
Dependent on every movement,
Lost but for that unique perspective,
Those exclusive feelings,
Belonging only to that one
Enamored with the reflection in the mirror.
Copyright 2020. L.L. Shelton.
Desert ground is thirsty,
Far beyond parched,
Ouietlly begging for a
Long tall drink of water.
Dust clouds surround the truth,
Making it easier to breathe.
Water is fascinating here.
Loneliness is magnified.
Succulents abound,
Storing up the moisture needed
During a dearth of dew,
Sharing only if you know the password.
Sunshine raining down,
Thawing frozen hearts and minds,
Wind sweeping out the fog,
And Koffi early.
Wrapped in red,
A shadow on the sand,
The old is forever new.
Copyright 2020. L.L. Shelton.
On this night,
This fateful night
Our joys completely multiplied;
As heaven’s plan to justify
Became apparent to the eye.
As Simon spoke,
My eyes have seen
The one from whom salvation springs.
Let us rejoice, shout praise, and sing
And unto Christ our brief lives bring!
Copyright 2019. L.L. Shelton.
With my animals midst the hay,
I feel a very world away,
Near to heaven know I am,
When beside me lay a little lamb.
Copyright 2019. L.L. Shelton.
For every up there is a down,
For every joy there is a sorrow,
For every life that’s lived,
There comes a no tomorrow.
Bring on your troubles then,
We’ll carry one another,
Until that very end,
We’ll love like we are brothers.
Together count our blessings,
United we will strive,
We’ll learn and in thanksgiving,
As family we’ll thrive.
Copyright 2019. L.L. Shelton.
Every time,
My heart breaks a little bit.
Nothing rhymes,
But I am here to sit
With what remains:
This Grand Boy of mine,
Photos in their frames,
Steep hills left to climb,
The often sad refrain.
Copyright 2019. L.L. Shelton.
For years it has seemed as though
You know me more solidly than I know myself;
Our time alone together-scarce to none.
How can this be?
I am ever waxing and waning,
As the spectacular moon,
With it’s barren landscape and mystical shadows.
I hold no candle to the glorious sun
As I merely reflect the light.
But you-
You believe I am worth pursuing,
Less light than is needed to do the work,
Yet you see something in me.
I scrunch up my face before the glass..
I concentrate and stare intently..
I hope to get a glimpse of what it is that you see.
Alas, I am at a loss.
I flip the switch to off
And wander away, perplexed.
Copyright 2019. L.L. Shelton.
Sabrina, beauty,
Queen of cats,
Confident, she dines with dogs;
Then makes a meal of rats.
Blue eyes glowing she
Bathes, well-groomed,
Naps, yawns, stretches, glances round;
Astute, the hunt resumes.
L.L. Shelton. Copyright 2019.