OctPoWriMo #22: Tough
Your smile, soft as silk
smooths over the roughness
that we encounter.
I take an easy
and calming breath
knowing kindness from you.
You see the good in others,
and view the glass of life half full.
Your take charge attitude,
hard as nails
when you seek order.
You don’t command respect,
but it is always given to you.
You never yell to prove a point,
but remain tough
to get things done.
OctPoWriMo #23: Death
Another friend has died today.
You make the trek to show support
and say your last goodbyes.
I never see you cry.
You know that they are safe
in a place without pain or suffering.
You celebrate their life.
You reserve tears behind closed doors
to show strength.
You keep their memory alive with stories.
I smile knowing that as long as you are here
you connect the living with the dead in your mind.
I no longer see death as the final journey.
It’s just a stop on the never-ending road.
OctPoWriMo #24: Kansas City, Missouri
She sits on the western edge
On the border
and into the state
of its city’s name.
She feeds her city
with cool jazz
and hot barbecue,
and she quenches their thirst
with large fountains.
I learn about the history
of baseball from the Black perspective.
I view ancient art
in her museums.
She may have given birth to you,
but the golden state helped refine you.
