Oh lonely queen of hearts
Whose anger knows no bounds
Face is flush, contorts with rage
Deals out anger by the pound

Her soldiers stand aligned
Regalia of crimson
They stand upon the brink of war
To which she sends them once again

Amongst the fateful ranks
A soldier in his row
A ruby pendant ‘round his neck
A scarlet ribbon marks his bow

The ribbon, cut from finest cloth
His mother could afford
A symbol of maternal love
With purpose as a magic ward

Some of the boards have lichen on them
in the sun-starved corners
There’s a length that’s been replaced
along the east-facing section

The new wood planks abut the old,
adding a sense of acceptance
to the persistence of renewal

We’ve hung some of my mother’s yard ephemera
in various places along the weathered fencing
Talavera moons and sunbursts, even a gecko!
Cheerily colored wood and tin birdhouses too. No real order,
but placed where these things seemed to need to be

I’ve been to places
few have seen them
Physical and ethereal

They both require
Selfless review
With knowledge of which of the two is surreal

Summiting mountains
Only a few
But countless traverses of trail

Loads of challenges
Victories too
And numerous trials and tests that were failed

I Pick myself up
Dust my back off
Massage magic salve on the wounds

I fashion resolve
Into a crutch
Relentlessly drawn to your beckoning moon

When all my spoken promises
Deprived of mass, become windswept
Displaced by tempest of the mind
Destined, never to be kept

Depressed, dejected, but aware
I will retreat into myself
Spend some time and walk the halls
Examine all the dusty shelves

Tokens and reminders there
Like little trophies from the past
Tarnished with elapsing time,
sweat, and tears their cups amassed

Amongst the flotsam all around
I see the object of my search
A gentle net upon a pole
Resides upon intended perch

I loved the way I lived my life,
All by myself, without a wife.
I'd pick my nose if I liked it,
Tell the world to go and suck it.

But I met you, bright and shiny,
Made me get up, get off my hiney.
I was in love with just one sight,
and now I love with all my might.

Of attachment I'm still frightened,
even though my day has brightened,
What's the worst thing that can happen?
You're the one for me, I reckon.

Hope is magnificent
Hope is magnanimous
Hope is the motivator
of impossible dreams

Dreams are touchstones
Dreams are troublesome
Dreams are the vessel
in which we pour faith

Faith is a gift
Faith is belief in yourself
Faith is the blanket
shielding your heart

The heart is the truth
The home of the soul
The holder of hope
The keeper of dreams
The producer of faith

I always watch people walking their dogs
Hounds, pooches, mongrels, all of the dogs, really
Their noses examine every scent for messages;
the canine secrets we can only imagine

On these walks, the owners reveal things
about themselves if you pay attention
to the way they move with their companions

Hints about their character, how they feel
about their pet, the way they care for them
Are they patient, or in the usual hurry?

Yes I love this country
To me it’s not a flag
I stand with hand held over heart
But I’m not really one to brag

I wont say mediocre
I don’t think that’s the truth
Believing we’re the best of all
Is something I lost with my youth

Things always need improvements
And everything decays
We need progressive movements
To keep us current with the days

So let’s stop moving backwards
At best we’re standing still
I’ve got a feeling in my gut
It can get better and it will

Deep in the stacks of notes and old photos
Ones marked important and shuffled aside
I keep an old file of stories and pictures
In a shoebox all careworn by passage of time

Not a real box, it’s the figurative kind
In a well hidden, guarded, corner of mind
Store all of my greatest memories there
So when I come visit the image is clear

Inside there’s a picture (truth be told there’s a lot)
They’re hazy old Polaroids and lazy snapshots
But I’ve got a favorite, I keep it on top
Protect it from loss when I’m cleaning up shop

Letter To My (first) Ex (#2 topic)
(32 lines)Neopoet Random Challenge #17

I just had to know
the answers which eluded me why...

why wouldn't you kiss or hold me
while I was with your child.
I know you loved me at first,
and I was truly beguiled.

at first you seemed delighted with me
you hung on my words and I yours.
got to know each other by night and day,
discoveries made, opening new doors.