The Rat Race

Hurry, scurry,
walk the maze;
can't take time to
stop and breath

Punch the clock
and make the day -
forget to call
and say hello

Days click by,
then months, then years;
how much have you
accumulated?

How different life
would really be
if only you had not
tried to live the
"image"

Lynn West
2009

Water Lily Pond

Water Lily Pond

I was to meet her
on the arched bridge
at a quarter past three

As water lilies softly floated,
the day's magnificence
mesmerized me

I didn't see her looking for me
I wonder if she waited long
So lost was I to the lily pond
and the frogs lonely song

I missed my chance of kissing
her underneath the willow tree
and now I sit alone by the lily pond
for she won't even talk to me...

Lynn West
(c) 2009

Water Lily Pond
by Claude Monet

Haiku Bee

Bees buzzing about
honey in the making now
tasting Spring on toast

Lynn West
(c) 2009



My first attempt at a haiku...I have much to learn

The Dance

The Dance

Cherubs dancing,
liver spotted old
ladies sitting this
one out

Bald ones want
the skinny ones
and the wallflowers
just want someone

The band strikes
up a long forgotten
tune and for a moment
everyone stops to listen

Sailors wait for their
dance ticket to be
pulled while the pretty
girls smile through ruby red lips

In the corner, the lonely man
taps his foot and as the crowd
passes him by, he sips
another drink of courage

Lynn West
2009

Inconsequential Rain

Inconsequential Rain

Gentle rain
falls upon
your face
and you don't
seem to notice

Your dark,
piercing eyes
see me as if
you've never
looked before

Behind the passion
I see hope and I
can feel the need
to find a way

a way for us...

Lynn West
2009

Drifting Days

Drifting Days

The dirt feels cool
around my fingers
and squishes between
my toes

Bringing back childhood's
fondest memories when
pirates were my heroes

The sun lays warm upon
my back, while the birds
sing out their tune

I find myself lost in time,
smiling, remembering,
on this lazy, drifting afternoon

Lynn West
2009

Insomnia

Insomnia

eternal night
clouds burst
stars flying

mind plays
tricks, heart
feels empty

dreams kept
alive with
denial

constant song
the cry of a
nighthawk,
closer and
closer

close your
eyes now, rest

Lynn West
2009

Desert Lost

Desert Lost

Emotions raw
endless cries
of birds circling
overhead

Parched lips
aimless wander
no end in sight

Shadows form
crystallized on
my heart

The sun drops
golden hue'd
as the desert
comes alive

Coyotes begin
their nightly
concert while
fear is my
water and
madness
my feast

Lynn West
2009

The Rose

The Rose

Tantalized by
her splendor,
he reaches out
to touch the
velvety softness
of her hair

Words, like tiny
thorns prick
his soul and he
draws back,
afraid

The very essence
of her fills his
nostrils, leaving him
dizzy with longing

Finding no voice
his stands alone
his heart pounding
in his chest

Sadly content to
love from afar
as the rarest
of beauty unfolds
daily he prays
for courage

Lynn West
2009

The Forgetting

The Forgetting

Mellowing mind
filled with memories
fading like the light
at dusk

Cobwebbed corners
of her brain try
desperately to recall
faces and names
that once came so easily

She begins a sentence
as if nothing has changed
yet in seconds time stops
and she wonders
where she is

Thoughts float like
butterflies and at times
the mind clears like
a warm, sunny day

At other times it's
like looking through
fog and thinking back
she remembers a name,
calling out she does
not realize it is her own...

Lynn West
2009

This poem is dedicated
to the loved ones of families
with Alzheimer's sufferers.

May God help us find a cure.

The Shift

The Shift

Planets aligned,
energy shifts -
the new way
comes at last

Gridlines form -
light touches
light as we
join with our
past

A knowing
soul can move
the earth and
bring oneself
to "now"

As we rebirth and
bestow our light,
paths become
one as in "love"
we allow

Lynn West
2009

Spewing

Spewing

You bring out an anger in
me that I never knew
existed - it's building
like a volcano erupting
from some inner hell

Raucous, drunken slurs
spewing your mumbled
apologies in the wake
of lives shattered from
empty promises you
cannot keep


How can I stop
this broken
merry-go-round
that has long
imprisoned me

I want to get off...

Lynn West
2009