Fourlinegraphia

I am the woman woven from the night, A silver mirror of forgotten sight. The world admires the beauty that I show, But never sees the storms that rage below. Sometimes I vanish from the crowded sky, Not to be lost, but just to wonder why- To find the pieces that I cast aside, And heal the wounds I usually must hide. For so long, I remained a perfect sphere, To shine completely and conceal my fear. I strove to give without a pausing breath, As if a fading phase were like a death. I wore a mask to prove that I was whole, And locked away the shadows of my soul. But in my own reflection I could see: Who am I when no eyes are watching me? I dropped the mask and found a quiet space, The dark became a fertile, healing place. It was the soil where sleeping seeds could grow, The only home my truest self could know. My crescent phase has taught me how to wait, The hidden moon gave courage to my fate. The full moon taught acceptance of the past, To know that nothing is designed to las...

Wedding Morning ***!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*** The sun rose softly that morning, painting gold across the sky, while a little girl inside her heart wondered when the years went by. *** The house was filled with laughter, with footsteps, songs, and light, but somewhere deep within her soul, she held a silent night. *** Her hands wore shades of crimson, her eyes held dreams and tears, a thousand little memories stood beside her through the years. *** Her mother’s loving whispers, her father’s gentle smile, her brothers’ endless teasing - she carried every mile. *** The jewels upon her table sparkled bright and new, but none could shine as brightly as the love she always knew. *** Today she’d leave the doorway where her childhood used to stay, walking into someone’s world on her own wedding day. *** She smiled for all around her, hiding storms she couldn’t say, for a daughter becomes a bride while her heart learns to fly away. *** And somewhere in the silence, beneath the bridal ...

  The Refining Fire ~~***~~~~***~~ I entered this world with an open, bare hand, A stranger arriving in a transient land. Yet I grasped at the trophies, the praise, and the gold, Forgetting I borrowed what I never could hold. ~~***~~ I built up my kingdoms, I argued, I fought, Chasing brief illusions that the daylight had caught. But the clock never pauses, my hour will chime, To strip all my attachments from the hands of time. ~~***~~ Death is no shadow, no thief in my night, But my mystical guide walking into the light. The quiet companion who stays by my side, To show me the ocean beyond this brief tide. ~~***~~ My wealth will divide, and my arguments cease, As I shed all my armor and step into peace. My memories will fade like the mist on a stream, As I, the deep dreamer, awake from the dream. ~~***~~ For life was the forge where my spirit had to go, To learn from the friction, the sorrow, the blow. Like iron once plunged in the heat of the pyre, I am being made sharp by the re...

  The Road Beyond Shadows *** ~~***~~*** ~~*** ~~***  Shadows may wander and drift away, Yet one companion is bound to stay- Silent, patient, beyond all claim, Death remembers each of our names. ~~***~~ He comes not early, nor lingers near, But arrives in the hour both solemn and clear; A mystic guide with an unseen hand, Leading us toward an unknown land. ~~***~~ Once upon his chariot we ride, Past memory's shores and time's fading tide, The stories we carried, the joys and the pain, Dissolve like mist in a gentle rain. ~~***~~ We entered this world with empty hands, And leave the same, as destiny commands; No treasure follows, no title remains, Only the soul beyond earthly chains. ~~***~~ Time has tethered life with cords unseen, Woven from deeds and all that has been; Yet why do we quarrel, why strive and contend, When every journey approaches its end? ~~***~~ The wealth we gathered, the things we adored, Are measured and shared by those left ashore; What once seemed lastin...

  The Monsoon Frog ~~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~ After the long and merciless summer, when the fields lay thirsty and the river dwindled into a narrow ribbon, we waited for the monsoon with the patience of farmers watching the horizon. ~~::::::~~ The sun ruled those days without mercy. Our few shirts and trousers hung on a rope, fluttering in the scorching wind. By noon they were stiff and dry, baked by the fire of summer. ~~::::::~~ The whole village knew our poverty. Some saw our worn clothes, yet few could see the hidden wounds- the tears swallowed in silence, the hunger burning in the belly, the worries smouldering in the mind. ~~::::::~~ But childhood had its own wisdom. We carried our sorrows lightly, tucking them away among games and laughter. ~~::::::~~ Then one afternoon, dark clouds gathered above the coconut groves, and rain burst upon the earth. The scent of wet soil rose from the ground- an old song returning after years of silence. ~~::::::~~ I ran with my friends...

  Bathing Days on the Congo River ~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~ Along the mighty Congo's winding breast, Where giant baobabs stood at rest, There lay a broken bathing ghat, worn by years, A keeper of laughter, dreams, and tears. !!~!! The river flowed like an old African griot's song, Carrying the village's soul along. Men and women gathered by its side, Washing clothes with rhythm and pride. !!~!! The pounding of cloth upon weathered stone Blended with voices in a timeless tone. News, stories, jokes, and village lore Flowed as freely as the river's roar. !!~!! Then came the rafts of massive timber, Bound from giant forest giants' limbs. Engines growling like distant lions at night, They drifted slowly through the morning light. !!~!! Those floating timber towns rolled by, A travelling village beneath the sky. Families cooked, children played and ran, Life unfolding upon wood and water as one. !!~!! Beneath those moving giants' shade, Women i...

  I rose from failure's thousand broken hands, A dream pursued through years of patient plans. Before my birth, countless attempts had died, Yet from their ashes came the light inside. **** Is that not how a human life begins? Built from old hopes, defeats, and silent wins? A child arrives, yet hidden in that breath Are generations wrestling life and death. **** A slender filament became my heart, A fragile thread assigned a brilliant part. Argon filled my lungs with unseen grace, And living current moved through all my space. **** What is the current flowing through your soul? What unseen force compels your journey's goal? Who placed the spark within your fragile frame, And taught your darkness how to kindle flame? **** For years I stood where village pathways turned, And city avenues with movement burned. I lit the roads where weary travelers passed, Each step uncertain, none designed to last. **** Like people walking through the years of time, Climbing through joy and stumbl...