Touched

Velvety touch, firm grip, clear words ~

Respectful welcome of touch and tone

to meet the spiked edges of fear,

baffle wild splashes of uncertainty,

settle the dust of chaos ~

Honest service to those who still suffer.

“ A firm, hearty handshake gives a good first impression, 

and you’ll never be forgiven is you don’t live up to it.”

~ P. J. O’Rourke, political satirist and journalist

Tea Service

Reliable protection from the elements 

 ~ not always a shiny yellow slicker. 

Hearts bruise,

feelings get frayed and torn. 

souls disappear in the debris of the real world without scarlet drops or purple stains. 

Numbness hides the damage.

Elements of our lives 

 ~ emotional storms and turbulence

need buffers and wraps

to seek protection and shelter.

Warm service from others delivered

in a listening ear, a cup of tea or bowl of soup

offers the reliability of friendship for the long road to recovery.

“When friendships are real, they are not glass threads 

or frost work, but the solidest things we can know.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series

Back Light

Everlasting satisfaction ~

a glow that only dims

never extinguished

Everlasting satisfaction ~

needs no words of gratitude

merely calm where there has been chaos.

Everlasting satisfaction

grows from genuine service ~

giving without expectation of return.

“Only memories have a future.”

~ Ljupka Cvetanova,  The New Land