If you don’t like
The way I burn-
My stubborn, steady flame-
Neither light the match,
Nor fan the embers
Of a fire you cannot tame.
ⓒ2021 Joanne Van Leerdam
Burn.
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Burn.
Just Imagine.
Just Imagine.
Just imagine a world
Where more people read poetry
Instead of giving breath
To things that divide and cause fear.
Imagine a world
Where more people picked up a pen
Than a gun or a sword
Or even a lawyer.
Imagine a world
Where poets were the dealers
That troubled souls turned to for a hit;
Where people self-medicated with poetry
Rather than drugs or alcohol
To help them deal
With their demons;
Where addiction brought life and hope,
Mindfulness and restoration
To the broken,
The hurting,
The needy.
Imagine a world
Where everyone knew and understood
That they are not alone,
That someone understands,
That they are enough.
Just imagine.
©2018 Joanne Van Leerdam
Farewell, My Friend.
For you, no more waiting for heaven,
And no more praying for peace:
Your fight is over, your work is done,
You have found your eternal release.
I wasn’t ready for you to leave—
But I never would have been,
So I remain here, without you,
In this miserable in-between.
My heart is broken, my words are gone,
I have cried a million tears,
And the hurt cascades inside me
Each time I realise you’re not here.
We made a lifetime of memories,
Full of family, friendship and song,
And I know it was just a rehearsal
For where you are now, all along.
But this feels nothing like heaven:
I so miss your warmth and your smile,
The music you brought to every day,
The way you made each day worthwhile.
I will always love you and miss you,
And life will never be the same,
I will cherish your memory forever
And always smile when I speak your name.
©2020 Joanne Van Leerdam
Mourning Song
Tears fall,
Can’t stop them,
Can’t hide them.
You’re gone,
Can’t bring you
Back again.
Why am I always the one who is feeling
The pain of the wrenching and tearing of leaving?
Why must this pain be so raw deep inside of me?
My heart
Misses you
Desperately.
Please say
That you won’t
Forget me.
I can’t imagine my life without you in it,
Bereft of the light and the joy of your loveliness,
Every room filled with the echoes of memories.
Never
To be the
Same again.
Tears fall,
Into the
Loneliness.
You’re
Gone.
©2016 Joanne Van Leerdam
Mourning Song.
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This poem is included in my collection titled ‘Leaf’.
Beloved.
This poem is perfect to share for Valentine’s Day- and every other day!
You, my love, are beautiful:
Although form and face may change,
The light of your soul
Burns with inexorable passion,
Tempered with undying love:
In that, my darling, you are
Unequalled by any other.
You are without blemish
Not for any god-like failure to err,
But that in my eyes there is no flaw
That could cause me to love you less.
My beloved, you alone
Are the desire of my heart,
My now, my forever, my destiny.
Dearest heart, do not believe
The world or your own insecurities:
They lie.
Instead, I beg of you, believe me,
For I understand your worth
In a way that you may never do.
ⓒ2017 Joanne Van Leerdam
Shares are welcomed and appreciated.
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