Healing Places - a poem for Amanda

Healing Places - a poem for Amanda

Take her away
into her story,
the enchanting forever-after place
where no one discusses different diseases
or takes pictures of bile ducts
with rock band rubbermaid machines.

Take her away
into healing waters
with angel fish and smiling dolphins
where mermaids serve deliciously sweet sandwiches
on starfish platters and lullabye waves
rock her gently to sleep

Take her away
to a rainbow slide
in a blue sky playground
where toes are tickled by cloud puffs
as her whee! tree swing takes flight
amongst the birds

Take her home
to her beautiful soul
the shiny spirit of perfect love
where she knows that it will all be ok
and one day we'll understand why
we had these tests, walked this road, prayed these prayers.

For now, when she closes those blue eyes
please take her away
to the healing places
where it's easy to
swim and slide and swing and fly

Let her be here
and dream herself away.

~Robin O'Neal, 1/22/09

Just Past Twilight

It came to me,
outside
in the darkness
with my dog

The halo moon crescent,
waxing me with beauty
(wait, that was last night)
where are you tonight, moon?
Clouds keep you from view, but
I know you're here

Thick trunk oak friend beckoning,
branches reaching up, up
no matter the sky

I meld into otherness
to twilight space, dark time
still, wide awake

Floating in dream pools
of gameboards, pages, masks,
free-flying robins, car rides with girls

Treading water with dreams
and their dreamers
The cool warm waves
lapping against me,
so gentle and serene

Like words of a poem -
or a dream once lost -
Finding me

Here, outside
in the darkness
with my dog.

~Robin O'Neal, 1/3/09