Sleep…
And as you do, you have regained
The innocence you left behind,
The fragile bearing of a child,
The peace required by your mind.
The qualities life strips away
Through sorrow, pain, and worldly care
Return to grace your countenance
As you lay sleeping, sweet and fair.
All this combines for loveliness
As I stand here, regarding you;
Though you don’t know that I am here,
That is all I wish to do.
For I would guard your sleep against
Intrusion from the world outside,
That in your sleep you may be safe,
That in your sleep you may abide.
Sleep.
-- 1985
© 2003 Brian J. Esposito
“While You Sleep”
May
the night hold you close in its tender embrace,
May the stars be a
blanket for you,
May the clouds be a pillow to cradle your
head,
And the moon cast its night-light on you.
May your
slumber relieve you the cares of the day,
Return to you hope,
peace, and grace;
May your dreams bring you comfort and respite
from sadness,
May your dreams bring a smile to your face.
What
secrets are shared by your heart and your soul
In the wordless
discourse of the night?
Revealed in the safety of darkness -
sweet solace -
Too fragile to withstand day's light.
When
the tender night yields its embrace to the day,
When the blanket
of stars fades from view,
May your heart and your soul remember
shared secrets,
And their memory make your dreams come true.
-- May 2, 2003
3 a.m.
© 2003 Brian J. Esposito
“Winter In Your Heart”
The journey is a lonely one from winter into spring,
When hope has fled like autumn’s geese, with sadness on the wing.
The season’s start, the season’s end – infinity apart;
The cold a pain that aches the soul – it’s winter in your heart.
The trees that bloomed emotion’s fruits by life are all stripped bare.
The fruits that once brought nourishment are frosted beyond care.
The snow and cold seem without end, bereft of sign or trail,
And cries for help are often lost in the wind’s incessant gale.
Yet, somewhere in the maelstrom’s eye, like the calm before the storm,
Is a place where hope refused to die, by love kept safe and warm.
Though these may seem beyond your reach, beyond your will to win,
Hope, faith, and love wait patiently till you find your way again.
To a place where winter’s ravages hold no power or claim to you,
Where a rainbow arcs across the sky, to show the way is true;
Where emotion’s fruits grow rich and full in love’s abiding care,
And a rose e’er blooms – your heart’s renewal –
They’re waiting for you, there.
-- September 18, 1990 11:45 p.m.
©2003 Brian J. Esposito
Just a note for no special reason,
A wave while I'm passing by,
A chance to return all your smiles,
A moment just to say "Hi!"
Just a prayer for each day's renewal,
Success for each time you try;
A place for your heart's deepest yearnings,
An answer each time you ask "Why?"
Just a wish that you find what you're seeking,
That you laugh far much more than you cry;
When you run that you never shall stumble,
When you dream that you ever shall fly!
-- September 8, 1990 1:30 a.m.
All right -- tell me what you think -- I can take it! (I think!)
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