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POEMS No one has the right to reproduce and/or sell these poems - in part or in whole - in any way. Reproduction of these poems without the author's written permission will be considered a violation of copyright laws. Persons who want to use these poems for special purposes are asked to contact the author to obtain written permission. I am very humbled by the fact that some have asked to use my poems to be read at the funeral of loved ones or for personal milestones (i.e., dissertations, etc.). I provide my poems here for reflection and hope that you enjoy them. This poem is one that expresses the pain of leaving loved ones behind but reminds us that life is precious and that we are to cherish it. It also reminds those left behind of the joy that is to come as we are reunited in heaven forever. So often, we don't take the time or have the time or strength to say the words found in this poem... and should anything happen to me - be it illness or sudden death - I wanted my husband, my daughter and my son to know - always - how much I truly loved them... and hence, a very personal message to my family... "I'll Love You Always..." These are words I wanted to share with my family - words I do not want to make the mistake of leaving "unspoken" - as so many are in life. We truly take life for granted and forget that it can all be gone tomorrow, today, or in the next minute. I no longer take life or health for granted... having a child with autism truly makes you appreciate the smallest of blessings in life and allows you to see so much in a whole new light... and thus, even in the midst of deep sorrows, there can be so many blessings. :o) This poem is representative of each person's "walk through life". "The Tree Of Life" shows how "each tree grows"...each person, each child... as s/he goes through life's trials. But, there is another thing that this poem shows...it is the fact that to "renew" and get to the "truth", we often need to "shed the old" no matter how difficult the struggle. This poem also reminds us of God's love and that each person will reap what s/he has sown. This poem starts out... "This child of mine...Outside, he looks fine..." This is a poem that deals specifically with autism...there are close to 20 issues in this poem that deal specifically with many, many aspects of autism. I've written it in a manner that allowed me to put my child's picture "in the middle" of this poem... because "this child of mine" is the reason for our fight... and I wanted to be able to have "my child's picture" - there - as a constant reminder of why I need to fight the fight for not only my son, but for all children. This poem starts out..."There's a secret I've got - and I'll tell it to you, For it weighs on my heart - makes it split right in two!" These two lines are just above the area where the sibling's picture goes. The poem then, physically splits on the page....as does a broken heart. In the middle, again, I provided room for my child's picture...only this time, it was for the "non-autistic child" in my family. I wrote this poem for my daughter, Anika. When I showed Anika the poem called "This Child of Mine", with Zachary's picture in the middle of the page, her heart seemed to drop right before my eyes...it was something else for Zachary. This poem truly expresses how difficult it is to be a sibling to a child who suffers from any illness or disorder. It talks about the many, many feelings these children experience, but, are too often afraid to own up to. It makes them see that it is ok to feel the way they do...that it's normal ... that it's understandable. It explains how difficult it is as a sibling to see "the other child - the one who is ill" get so much more attention. Most importantly, it helps mothers explain to their "normal children" that time given to the "one who is ill"... is also "for the child who is ok".... and as such, the poem, like the healed heart, "comes back together" under the area for the sibling's picture to show the healing of the sibling's heart. I guess this one is pretty self-explanatory. I wrote this poem after coming to the realization that Alzheimer's very much appeared to be "autism in the elderly". This poem was written after yet another parent had sent me an email stating their child had just been diagnosed with autism... emails that now became all too familiar to me... and with each such email... my heart sinks as society has yet to come to terms with the autism epidemic and its causes. This is a poem to my husband... the man who so supported me through so much. The simple fact is that although I so felt a need to understand my son, all that research is not without cost in terms of time and moments lost... and I wanted my husband to know how much I love and appreciate him. My research often took me through times of intense hurt and pain... and so often, it seemed I took out my frustrations on the one who is closest to me... my husband has seen our family through a great deal... he learned to deal with my ups and downs like I know few men could... and through it all, he managed to remain my closest friend... This poem provides reflections of what it feels like to have a child with autism... and reflections in knowing the battle will ultimately be won. This one is a message to politicians - some of the best symbols of moral decay! This poem is for my sister-in-law who is also the mother of a child on the autism spectrum. Chris has truly been a pillar of support throughout my journey with "autism".
And... on the much, much lighter side of things... we do have many laughs too... The following poem started as a little jingle I just made up and sang to my daughter when we moved back to a farm... a farm with many old outdoor buildings... including a very old "outhouse" that had been left standing... when you look at such contraptions, it really makes you thankful for those little things in life... so very TLOL (totally laughing out loud)... This is one of those short poems that is just so filled with imagery... and one that will bring back sweet memories of those innocent days of laughter with my beautiful daughter, Anika... |
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