Under the guise of loving eyes, he came.
Softening me with smiles that flattered
Honey stained lips that chattered
Of new and brighter days

Take my hand, he said with a grin
Enjoy life's twists and spins
There is nothing more to fear
For I'll always be near

Even when you want to run
And life with me has lost its fun
When the mask has fallen,
In the end, it's my name you're callin'

Love is supposed to be a blessing,
But it can be a deadly curse,
The dark side of love is so oppressive,
It can make you feel so much worse.

It can bring out the worst in us,
And make us do things we regret,
The dark side of love is so destructive,
It can leave us feeling upset.

It can make us feel worthless and empty,
And consume us in our sorrow,
The dark side of love can be so draining,
Until we've no more strength to borrow.

After the food,
and family,
and laughter,

we walked
Thanksgiving
afternoon

along the creekside path.

And while we chatted,
a sharp-shinned hawk
gave chase to a screeching sparrow,

finally seizing it,
pinning it to the ground
before taking it to a high tree

where it ripped off one feather after another -

and as we watched,
we felt the weight of
the history of our country,

the beginning, when
lives were seized, pulled apart,
and taken away, like so many

Success transcends from
the act of perseverance
with instilled of mind set
build persistent image

Embrace each failure
with a positive attitude
that comes to face in life
with a matter of optimistic

Never resign from fear
with a determination
to overcome obstacles
reach for the shining stars

Success is counted
with the opportunity
making the impossible
to become reality