The Screen Door Closed

It is supposed to hit the low 80s by afternoon.
My lawn is still damp from last night’s watering
so I don’t have to water it very soon.

I have my front door open and the screen door closed.
The children across the street are playing like kids,
loud and noisy, just like they should.

The birds are singing their songs
and I can hear the dogs barking
from being left alone.

I drift in and out of my old man nap.
Deeply immersed in my neighborhood dream,
I smile at my friends and tip my hat.

I can hear my neighbors arguing over this and that.
Neither one wins and this is just that,
they have been married so long.

I am waiting for the mailman,
hoping a card will come from my daughter.
She forgot father’s day last year.

It is just a paper card
so what does it matter
to a daughter’s father?

I once gave her hand to another man.
Now I am hoping she will write
to me with that same hand.

How I miss her presence from my lap
as I watched her in her sleep
and she smiled up at me from her little girl nap.

reply to post by grayeagle

That was beautiful. Ahh, for a comfortable chair to rest our bones, to sit and ponder as the world wanders by.

Now I know where the gray in gray eagle comes from. You sir are a poet. I would try and publish this one. It is really good.

reply to post by intrptr

Young men have visions and old men dream dreams. We need both to balance our society. I dream of peace but it will take the vision of youth to make it happen. To us older folk keep sharing your dreams! To the young, be bold and courageous enough to make peace happen!

reply to post by grayeagle


That was great friend!
The words flow and seem to have a glow. You're writing is real and I enjoy it.
Thank you for sharing another great one

Peace and love
-nat the lil angel cat-

reply to post by natalia


It is in the wounded heart we give birth to truth. It is in the birthing pain we hear it's cry and recognize its voice.

In truth you are my sister and I appreciate your tender and fruitful heart. Peace to you my friend!

reply to post by grayeagle


grayeagle, that was wonderful! It really resonated with me. We love our kids yet sometimes there are disappointments. I always hoped for a much better relationship with my child than what I had with my mother...I feel like I did all the right things, gave my heart in love, offered her the safety I never had. I played games with her and her lil buddies. Yet, it didn't work out the way I dreamed. I know what it is like waiting for a card or a phone call and get disappointed.

All we can do is offer them all the love we can and hope and wait. Your words are always so honest and from the heart. Thank you again friend for writing something that made me feel not so alone in the world or like the only one that has some things to feel bad about or wonder about.

reply to post by shrevegal

I believe we live in a fallen world where terrible things can happen to wonderful people and wonderful things can happen to terrible people. The rain falls on the just and unjust alike. I remain committed to the hope that people can change. It was that hope that kept me going during the time I worked as a child protection investigator.

I now pursue connecting with people the way I wished I could communicate with my daughter. I take comfort in the fact that her husband who lost his father to cancer does connect with me. I love him as if he were my own son. Thank you for your kind words and be assured they have meaning and power in my life.

Peace and healing to you my friend.