Tattered Edges

Its tattered edges
Have come unraveled
As if to show the pain
The love the strife
And memories help me recall
The pieces that tell the story
Of my grandma's life.

The piece way up in the cornor
was from the lovely gown
She made for her wedding day
The tiny rosebud scrap
Recalls to mind the baby girl
Whom in the arms of God they lay

Several pieces tell of mommy's life
Her snowy white christening gown
The dress she wore the first day of school
Her tomboy days
When gingham was prefered to lace
And later when gingham would no longer do
And placed up in the center
As if to show their pride
A cutting from the robe she wore
On her Graduation day
And when the guns of war sounded
And the decisions were made
When one chose blue
And the other chose gray
She placed the two together
Hoping they would stand
Unlike the pride that kept her sons apart
When her time near ended
Love replaced the guilt
And North and South shook hands at last
Above my grandmas quilt.

Typing this one out has become a very emotional thing for me. I recall my gram writing this one. My mom was taking a business class and her goal was to come up with a business proposal. Crafting especially quilts is big in West Virginia. Even my great-gram who was still alive at the time quilted. My moms' idea was to open a craft store called Tattered Edges. In every part of my grams life there was a poem to go along with it. As I wrote this particular poem I heard my grams voice. I didn't think I'd be able to finish this today. My face is covered in tears. I miss my gram a great deal. It's been over 10 years since her passing and I'm not sure I'll ever be ok with her being gone.

The Arms Of God (In Memory Of Mark)

He needs no tears
They sooth their soul
But where he walks
On streets of gold
He knows no pain.

Mourn him not though he is gone
Think what he left behind
For he will live eternally
In your heart and on your mind.

He will know no suffering
He will feel no pain
There will be no sorrow
In the life way he has trod
For silently last night he slipped
Into the arms of God.

Ancestors

The old graveyard is covered with weeds
It seems that no one cares
For the hopes and dreams
Of the life and loves
Of the people lying there
There are stones weathered
By the hands of time
And off in the corner there
Is a single spot that has no stone
Whose child is buried there
Unloved or long forgotten
Displaced by the hands of time
I wonder the story she has to tell
This forgotten ancestor of mine.
My gram wrote this poem after I began to develop an intrest in genealogy. I now have family histories that points to Pocahontas as being one of my great grandmothers on my grandpas' side and on my grams side we stem from English Nobility.

Prayer At The End Of The Day

Momma raised all eight of us
She done the best she could
She taught us all the things she knew
Till we knew and understood
"You don't rob another mans castle
You don't take another mans life
You don't envy his car or his golden guitar
And you certainly don't want his wife
You don't make a God out of money
You don't try to justify sin
You don't use a crutch if you have two good feet
And you bend or you break in the wind
Don't think the world owes you a living
Its been here a lot longer you see
You don't judge a man by the shad of his skin
Or how long his hair might be
You don't go to bed with a quarrel on your mind
When I'm sorry can set you free"
But the major thing she insisted we learn
Was this prayer at the end of the day
"Dear Lord please forgive all my weakness
And please forget all my sins
Just make of each morning a new beginning
And make of each evening a new end

Wilder Than Weeds

They said he grew wild in the country
Perhaps from sturdier seed
But somehow he survived the country
Growing strong and wilder than weeds

The sunshine he had for his mornings
From the country he garnished his needs
Each day he grew taller and stronger
And wilder much wilder than weeds

By your standards crude and unpolished
But he manages to fill my needs
Just remember the most beautiful orchard
Once was the wildest of weeds

Dreaming

Soft light through lace curtains
A lovely day breaks
You lie there my darling
Not yet awake

A stray sunbeam enters
To play in your hair
I lie here and watch you
So beautiful there

Your slur as if dreaming
Your lips slightly part
A picture I'll carry
Of you in my heart

Sleep on little darling
Let me dream for awhile
For while you are sleeping
I live in your smile

But when you waken
In the harsh light I'll see
No matter how much I love you
You're cheating on me

Last To Know

They say a woman is always last to know
She never feels the hurt until she's told
But what they're saying isn't true
A woman only hides her blues
And never lets her man know that she knew

I was first to know he kissed you
By the lipstick on his shirt
And though I never mentioned it
You can bet I felt the hurt

I was first to know he held you
By the scent of your perfume
I knew that he had told you lies
Looked into your starry eyes
But I never told him that I knew

Then on the day the roses came
I knew he had tired of that old game
Just like he had done before a time or two
So now you have to face the blues
My darling has said "good bye to you"
And now I'll never tell him that I knew

You Never Loved Me

It's been a long time since we said "I do."
In all of this time I have been true to you
But my love couldn't change you
At last, I can see
You never loved me, you only used me.

I helped you fight battles to keep us afloat
I just kept bailing while you rocked the boat
I hide my tears when my faults you would see
Now I know the reason you never loved me

I gave birth to the children that still bear your name
I raise them with honor but taught them shame
I never knew that inside them you'd see
All the things you dislike so in me

Years now have taken their toll there on our life
Your still my husband I'm still your wife
The tears that I've shed cleaned my eyes now I see
But I don't know the reason you never loved me

I am too old to change now so are you
The habits of a life time we have gotten used to
And it no longer matters whatever you do
For I have to tell you I no longer love you

Rambling Rose

We were standing on the porch
I thought my life would end
Until you said "I'm coming back
When the roses bloom again."
Then, you picked up a single rose
And kissed its tip so red
You handed it to me to keep
Then, you softly said
When you see roses bloom again
My darling please believe
I'm coming back to you again
And I will never leave
I believed the words you said
Until someone told me
That you were wed, and you had said
Those words to more than me
I cried at first then planned my life
Not my heart but my head
Should rule my life from this day forth
And I soon was wed
I tried to forget your face
Forget the words you said
But my heart remembered them
When those roses turned red
I went back home to see my folks
After the blooms were dead
They told me you had come for me
When the roses turned to red
I turned away
and started home
My home I could not leave
And I had no one to blame
For the lies I did believe.

Another Day

Another day to tell my darling that I love him.
Another day to hold my baby in my arms
Another day to see the dew upon the roses
And watch the rising and setting of the sun
Another chance to reach my hand to one who needs me
And maybe wipe a teardrop from some one's eye
Another chance to see the golden morning
And watch the little eagle learn to fly
Another chance to help a friend who needs me
To greet a sorrowing stranger with a smile
Another chance to make this life I'm living
Maybe just a little more worthwhile
Until at last when I come face to face with Jesus
And he says "My blessed child what did you do
With the golden day I gave you last summer?"
I can say, "I did the very best that I could do."

Search For Gold

What will you give up
In your search for gold?
Will you give up your honor?
Will you sell your soul?
Will you give up hope;
And sacrifice pride?
Will you kneel at the alter
Of your dreams that have died?
Will you sacrifice freedom?
Will you give up your health?
What will you give up
In search for wealth?

Moonshine

I thought I saw a waltzing bear
And the horse I saw was blue
I thought I heard a silly squirrel
And he sounded just like you
I saw the stars start spinning around
I didn't know what to do
I didn't know anyone else to call
And I couldn't get through to you
But it was really only the moonshine
That made this night come true
One little slip of the moonshine
My friends called Mountain Dew.

Secret Sorrow

She has a secret sorrow
You can see it in her eyes
And when she thinks no one is around
You can sometimes here her cry
She's a lady well worth knowing
And I know she'd be a prize
If I could find a way to wipe
The secret sorrow from her eyes

She has a secret sorrow
You can tell it in her smile
For when you look into her eyes
You see a frightened child
Somebody must have hurt her so
And made her so ashamed
That she would hide her sorrow
Behind a borrowed name.

She has a secret sorrow
Buried deep inside her heart
And just a bit of kindness
Can make the teardrops start
I wish I knew what it would take
To chase her fears away
So she could face the future
With no shadows in her way.

To Cathy

The silent cry of the aborted child
Hangs heavily in the air
With the agonizing cry of a three year old
Who thinks nobody cares
And the heart-broken cry of a momma
That the skeloton in the closet
Will soon be swept away
And she cries again for the laws of man
Who have put her baby there
She wonders why money talks louder
Than all her love and care
And why there is no justice
In a land that's supposed to be free
But the law sells its soul
For a pot of gold
And Lady Liberty cries.

Walk Beside Me

I do not want to follow you
Perhaps you walk too slow
Or you might choose the higher path
While I might seek the low
Perhaps our paths might split somehow
And we might drift apart
No, I do not want to follow you
I'll say before we start.

I do not want to take the lead
For on the lead depends
The safety of the ones you love
The fate of your dear friends
No, I do not want to walk in front
For I might lose the way
Just one mistake could haunt my life
Until my dying day.

But I would love to walk with you
Together you and I
Could see the morning awakening
Could watch the night birds fly
Together we could face the world
And all that it portends
If you walk beside me
And simply be my friend.

Walk With Me

Come walk with me awhile today
I think I need a friend
Who understands my silence
But who will hold my hand
I need someone who will listen
If I feel the need to talk
I need someone beside me
If I only want to walk
I need your broad strong shoulder
To lean on if I cry
I need your arms to pick me
and give me strength to try
I know I ask a lot of you
But I hope you understand
Come walk with me awhile today I know I need a friend

The Child I Gave Away

I stand by the gate to the playground
just to watch her play
That little girl in ruffled dress
so happy here today
I watch her kiss another's cheek
Hear her call that other mom
And know I never told her
In these lonely aching arms
I come here every morning
to watch her at her play
And pray she never learns
Shes the child I gave away.

For Annie

When sunlight streams in
Through your window
To play on the floor in your room
You can see a new day dawning
You can think of no reason for gloom
The dew that has watered the grasses
Has left a blush on the rose
Today you have time to enjoy
A beautiful flower as it grows
Stop just awhile in your hurry
To gaze at the stones at your feet
Then I listen awhile to the songbird
As it sings it's song so sweet
And linger to see the sunset
Tell you your day is complete
Time lays all the cares you had carried
In a neat little pile at your feet
For you see you have no time to worry
Gather your gold on your way
The gold you have in friendships
Of those who surround you today
And though we will miss you greatly
We are happy to be here today
To share with you a milestone
HAPPY RETIREMENT TODAY!

Catch The Spirit

It's not hard to catch the spirit
When you know what you should do.
Don't you feel the eyes of a hungry world
Reaching for your hand
And the voices of a world that has no hope
Begging you to understand
For the price of a pack of cigarettes
Someones' life can be changed
Perhaps a child that cannot walk
Or a man who cannot see
Perhaps a teen who has no hope
Might find her life set free.
Perhaps someone who faces death
Might find the will to live
Then you will know the inner glow
He lives because you give
For that extra cup of coffee
Or that high calorie treat
You might make yourself live longer
And let the poor eat
Then, when you stand at the judgement seat
Upon the golden chairs
The Lord will say "Show him through
He changed the world, He cared."

Black And White

You're black, I'm white
I'm me, you're you
We stand at opposite corners
With our own narrow views.

I'm wrong, you're right
And I don't think I like you
This whole world is acting the same way we do.

God made you in color
While he left me white
But that gives us no reason
To fuss and to fight.

If I hold out my hand
And you lean toward me,
We can still be brothers
Like the Lord meant us to be.

Success

He looked at me softly and told me
"You could be one of the best.
If you weren't afraid so of failure,
I'll bet you could be a success."
I thought about that for a moment
And wondered; he could be right,
But failure has been with me many a year,
Has stayed with me both day and night,
A glimmer of thought then struck me,
And now I must confess,
Failure don't scare me not one little bit,
But I'm deathly afraid of success.

The Gifts

He gave me a day of sunshine:
But I kept looking for rain
He gave me a day to run and play
But I kept waiting for pain.

He gave me a day for laughter
But I had a frown on my face
He gave me a day to love and obey
But I couldn't take the chance

Then, I asked for a day of sunshine
But he sent only rain
I asked for a day to run and play
But I felt only pain

I asked for a day of laughter
But he gave me only a frown
In anger I said "You don't love me,
Look how you let me down."

He smiled at me softly and asked me
"What do you want me to do?
You didn't use the gifts I gave,
So, I had to take them from you."

Mary's Song

My little boy you my pride and joy
You'll rule the world some day
With angels to guide you
And mother's beside you
Sleep now in your soft warm hay
Angels sing for you
And Shepard's adore you
Kings lay their gold at your feet
Stars shine to guide you
And mother's beside you
So sleep, sweet baby, sleep

Tomorrow you'll waken
Your youth will be taken
And you'll find a world full of sin
You'll find non-believers
And down right deceivers
And you won't know where to begin
You'll find some who will follow
And one who is hollow
And he your life will betray
But while you're a babe
Now, my son, this is your hour
Sleep now in your soft warm hay

I hold you close to me
And feel your warm body
I know it will hang from a cross
And though your just a baby
And I'm holding you tightly
I'm already feeling the loss
So cuddle close to me
While mommy sings to you
And tells you she loves you so
Although you're just a baby
And I'm holding you tightly
I'm learning I have to let go.

Bethlehem Town

The people gathered in Bethlehem town
The king they dared not defy
So hurried, so worried, they scurried about
And did not hear the child cry

Wine flowed free, as old friends they'd see
The streets rang with "Hi!" and "Goodbye!"
But with heads bowed low they'd never know
of the star that shone in the sky

In the meadow far they saw the star
And heard the angels sing
These Shepard's poor coarse robes they wore
Knelt before the newborn king

And the crowds passed by on the streets outside
Never knowing the king was near
Like the crowds pass by on the streets today
Going farther from him each day