It's All Part of the Promise...

The words fell away when we were young

they rolled off the tongue with the sweet invincibility

of youth, whose only truth was the dream of  

     “Happily ever after…”

The answers we need remain hidden and masked

in youth’s ignorance are left silent, unasked—

and when the storms come, as they always will,

when easy route stops and the path starts uphill

~ will either or both remain up for the task?

The words to "the promise” stay burning within

like a mantra, they echo again and again…

when worse comes a-calling, when poorer prevails,

when time takes our youth, and when illness assails—

we find that those smooth seas were just a illusion

for life‘s often messy and  seeks retribution.

When the unknowns give way to the hard lessons learned,

the depth of devotion will then be discerned.

So we listen as “promise” is given once more

and hope the new couple will  find what we’ve found:

that love isn’t measured in points that are scored,

nor in how hard you fall, but how well you rebound.

The road that lies waiting remains undefined

   we will never foresee all the changes in course;

 it's determined in part by a love that endures

  and confirmed in the warmth of the hand holding yours. 

© Ginny Brannan 2017

For Mike and Ashley, a gentle reminder to be kind to each other, to forgive each other, and to love each other with all that you are. 

It's Not The Rain, But The Rainbow...

Image: J. Hesch  Used with Permission

Another rainy day dawns,

the gray clouds heavy laden on the horizon,

they blend with the mountains:

heaven and earth indistinguishable;

our spirits are weighted down

soggy as the leaves on the apple tree,

muddied as the splash-back

on the newly planted flowers.

Once, we shrugged these days off

as we waited the sun to come,

as we surely knew it would.

The darker days seem longer now,

as I scour the sky, searching for that thin spot

where the sunbeams hide,

waiting for the final break

that lifts the clouds to dissipate.

I scan the heavens for the sign—

that rainbow—the ‘promise’

that brighter days are coming,

that there will be a reprieve…

if I can just muster the patience, 

the fortitude to hang on

and, channeling the child I was so long ago,

look beyond the clouds and believe.

© Ginny Brannan 2017

In a Heartbeat...

Ba bump ba bump ba bump ba bump…

my heart races at eighty-five beats per minute;

faster as I push myself to finish what I’m doing

so I can move on to something else.

I set the bar high, my own expectations higher—

the fear of restructure, replacement remains

a ghostly shadow hiding in a corner of my mind;

for I know all too well that I am dispensable,

that it’s never about the work, but the bottom line.

I‘ve wondered, how does one pace oneself?

Is there even such a thing?

Acutely aware that at this age, this stage

life should be about slowing down,

enjoying each moment…

unsure if this is wearing me down

or keeping my mind alert; keeping me young.

I am reminded on a daily basis

of how life can change in a heartbeat;.

So, like the ‘Little Engine That Could’

  I keep chugging away while I still can

...ba bump ba bump ba bump ba bump ba bump.

© Ginny Brannan 2017

A Feast for the Eyes

Image: G. Brannan

A soft rain falls upon the garden

coaxing life from winter’s sleep.

The birds return, reverse migration

in their song lies winter’s pardon;

as season shares an invitation

that we, in turn, attempt to reap.

Lilac, dogwood, rhododendron—

the apple blossoms drift like snow…

they share again their ageless story,

as in succession, so they grow.

The Spring explodes in all her glory

and we embrace her bright tableaux.

© Ginny Brannan 2017

Just Three Simple Words

How sweet the innocence that’s found

in children and the elderly;

the joy unbounded they exude

with love both simple and profound

that for the rest of us, eludes.

The young with their straightforwardness—

a child giggles, happily

untainted by the world beyond

with no reserve or attitude

their love shared, unabashedly

both color-blind and rainbow-hued.

In turn, receiver then responds

in kind, to share this special gift

that’s given, unsolicited;

and so we’re captured in this bond

that we embrace with gratitude.

The elderly live time reversed—

they’re locked inside their solitude

so often jaded and despondent.

Yet laughter often lifts this curse:

we watch their spark return once more

to leave us humbled and subdued.

I heard your words, my heart expands

within this bond that we have shared,

this momentary interlude

between two friends of circumstance.

Within a world of happenstance,

so often words get misconstrued

or took for granted once they’re said.

Without reward or recompense

they’re left ignored as they accrue.

And what is learned through this review?

    —We must embrace each "I love you."

© Ginny Brannan 2017