Poetry to Escape In

I've been writing poetry since I was 13. It's something that flows naturally out of me like notes through a musician. I enjoy writing lines that contain visual words, with little focus or meaning, but rather convey an emotion or experience. Then, when read, the meaning can be twisted and conformed by the reader to construct a personal meaning based on his feelings at the moment or on the reader's memories. It's the type of poetry that can be read several times and display a different message each time. Sometimes my poems rhyme and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they are happy, sometimes sad, and other times angry, depending on my mood at the time of creation. Here is a small sampling of poetry I've written over the years.

Sunlight gasping for life,

Through grumbling puffs of black and gray,

Like joys dancing admist moments of strife,

Streams of unconsciousness through broken clouds sway.

Shadows dancing across floating fields of green,

Shivering leaves fluttering silently on their branches,

Glistening water droplets combine to offer lake's gleam,

Rocky hills reach for the friendly sky on its haunches.

Peaceful mist embracing the ground to form wetness,

Calming winds blow forest fragrances through the air,

Perfuming the earth with a sweet melody of lightness,

Consuming my senses with beauty that welcomes me there.

The Mountain Dew is greener on the other side,

The dancing fizz tickles my eyes like magic,

Forget inhibitions, worries, and your selfish pride,

Take off your blindfold and forget all stories tragic.

Winter's sorrow has taken a vacation for the summer,

I guess my heart is thawing in his smile's brightness,

It was solidly frozen in broken ice, all it knew was scorn and bummers,

Taking the burden off was hard but worth it for heart's lightness.

Beauty my eyes behold in life's sunsets and sunrises,

God takes away what I want for my sorrow but His gladness,

Joy can be found in the pain of life, like goodness in disguises,

I have to trust Him and His plan not my desires and selfish badness.

I'm not aware of what future awaits me,

I only know that every happiness and peace left are from Him,

Including the one that makes my heart smile with more than just glee,

Makes my life feel grounded and level as if helped by a shim.

I guess I'll surrender to beauty I can't control,

If beauty means I'll be able to take hold of him,

If not, I guess the experience was worth the toll,

At least another pathway away from darkness and grim.

I saw a butterfly today,

It flapped its wings among the gray,

Resting neatly on a wilted flower,

Waiting for some lonely, cold shower,

But before I could wish it was a brighter day,

The fairy-like creature opened wide and flew away.