RoseAnn V. Shawiak Poems

A little wooden stepladder held on to through the years,
filled with memories of a grandmother as she used it to
reach shelves beyond her grasp and sight.
Painted many times throughout the years, memories of it
...

Alone in a familiar world, I wonder what has happened to make me grow older.
Parents both are gone with very little reminder.
It numbs me with the pain of their passing.
Wanting to reach out to them and hold them close, but how can you hug their deadened ghosts?
...

Deftly turning into recesses of the deepest interior.
Holding onto small fragments of a broken heart, feeling lost and empty, with no one to impart them to.
Soul-turning sorrow wrenching apart the little bit of love left over from a broken friendship.
Delaying the inevitable, trying desperately to fold in upon itself.
...

Sparkling sands of time gently flowing.
No cares or worries to mess up it's journey - just sands of time in no great hurry.
Loving space and reveling in it's mime, happily wandering in and out of everyone's mind.
Time then quietly disappears upon a whisper and no more kisses fall from loving lips.
...

Rock the cradle gently, careful lest it fall.
Gingerly treat with kindness and great care.
Lifetimes depend upon gentle compassion given
to a child when death is near.
...

Many memories shine through clouds of grief, leading to recovery one day in the future.
For now, crying, sorrow, pain, all culminate in my mind.
Today is a puddle of remorse that I keep stepping in no matter which direction I go.
Where can I hide?
...

Tall, beautifully landscaped buildings standing, looking over the city of Tempe.
Chase Bank prettily reflecting new model cars and trucks as they drive by.
Silly moving reflections - new with each passing car.
In front of the building, sitting with head bent over, leaning on uplifted knees, trying to sleep.
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Sweeping away cobwebs of derelict thoughts, placing them in the dust bin where they belong.
Feeling the intensity of heart-ache and pain bouncing along walls of my chest, attempting to forget and let truth be stifled inside.
None of it matters when you look into the future and see the next horizon just ahead.
All is useless chatter, noisy circumstances not worth looking into.
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Families and friends holding hands, hugging one another, trying to get closer to Jim and Scott somehow through their genuine love for one another.
Photos forever etched in mind's of love, never to be forgotten as every heart holds so much sorrow - yet such bittersweet joy of two lives so closely entwined with an entire community, their extended family - all of us here in Phoenix.
When our eyes look to heaven, we will always see your smiles and never forget you or your families.
Thank you for sharing your lives and now your memories with us.
...