B. V. Dahlen

Depression is a fact of life for me.
As much a part of life as food and air,
It hovers like a dreaded entity.
...

May your days and nights be filled with peace,
And may those you love be near.
May the solace of that closeness
Banish any hint of fear.
...

The yard reposes,
weighty and lethargic,
in the torrid afternoon.
...

I walk the stinking city streets
Alone, while the passing throng
stares,
Because my clothes don't conform.
...

...

The face that I have grown to love,
please bless it Lord, each day.
The love I've learned to call my own,
oh never let it stray.
...

My female wiles were worthless.
The good they've done me nil.
I tried with all I have in me,
But I have lost you still.
...

The sea nibbles at our traces,
Grains shift beneath our tread
Settling slightly
As the curl recedes
...

Sometimes within a house of men
your feelings stay inside.
They are not comfortable at times
with sharing. So you bide
...

We offer gratitude this day
For blessings multiplied,
For family, fellowship and friends
Who remain by our side
...

In a night-lighted room
two mounds of covers
stir with dreams
and innocent sleep.
...

Are you out there
pacing the beach
with Miles,
kicking the drifted wood
...

The porch lies in shadows
while headlights flicker
through the blinds.
My arms hold you closer,
...

Gentle hands with gentle fingers,
Stroking, patting. His love lingers.
Tiny back and small head nodding.
Feet that move with little prodding.
...

When things are looking bleakest,
Clouds cover up the sun,
All those barriers surround you,
And there is no place to run,
...

May you spend your days in sunshine.
May your rainy days be few.
May the good Lord walk beside you
everywhere, in all you do.
...

I stood.
The wind blistered my cheeks
and the cold numbed me through.
My breath clouded the air
...

Familiar faces
familiar voices
blending together.
Melodies floating
...

The sky seems brittle,
an inky dome of stars.
Blued shadows stretching
to reach the fence post spars.
...

A head on my shoulder,
A soft-throated purr,
My Boo Boo, a lover,
All covered in fur,
...