My Tribe

Scattered across many lands,
Looks and thoughts, not always in kind.
There is a thread that binds.
Time and years do not wear
on the strength of this connection.

Our journeys differ,
We walk different paths--
for weeks, months, even years.
Yet, there as if yesterday,
When the time comes.

When the collective needed,
To bolster and support.
For me--a cornerstone for others.
I sound the rally cry.
Surrounded.  My tribe.

---For Alison.

#twoblindbrothers #shopblind

Yesterday

Living in memories of times long gone,
Conversations become circular.
As I cling onto what is left of today.
In a place strange yet oddly familiar,
I find myself.  Not knowing the day.
I will not remember your call,
But somewhere in the recesses of a mind,
betraying me--I will know it hasn't been long.

Often scared and confused, I find myself.
I talk of home, often across generations.
Be patient with me, as you detangle these threads.
Someday, they will be all that remains.
As I slip more and more into yesterday.

You are my memory now; my legacy.
Carry me with you, always.
Remember the things that I cannot,
And continue to share your stories.
Until I fade away.

Post Mortem

Young and broken,

You had me believe.

Dependent solely on you.

Groomed to suite your needs.

Needing to be needed, 

I clung to your intermitted praise.

Afraid of life without you.

A love unconditional,

Until it was.

Growing and maturing.

Voice growing steadier,

The conflicts began. 

The balance of power,

No longer always yours.

Hot and cold, to keep me guessing.

Eggshells I no longer cared to walk on,

Were cracking beneath my feet.

The foundation was crumbling,

and the end drawing near.

There were conditions.

I knew.

I jumped.

In the darkness, a glimmer.

I turn to face the day.

That shame I carried, was not mine.

Those chains no longer bind me.

New life, I am finding alone.