innocence

innocence

i can’t remember when i lost you
for so many years we were one
weirdly enough
at first i didn’t notice you were gone
you had been slipping away from me
piece by piece
each piece forever gone
how could i have missed that?
after i lost you
the world lost some of its gleam
a darker and more cynical view
became my norm
now i see you again
however briefly
in my daughter
i can get the vicarious thrill
of your presence once more
until she loses you
too

©2009-Art Belliveau

i know you're out there

i know you're out there
living your life
loving your kids
doing your job
buying groceries
reading books
watching tv
all without me

©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 8/24/09

slowly turtle's head
peeks up out of the water
then disappears fast

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 8/24/09

up too late again
stomach churns with butterflies--
excitement or fear?

©2009-Art Belliveau

taking time

so much time
demanded by
“necessary” things
like work
like cleaning the house
like taking care of the yard
never time for
family
daughter
wife

unless

time is taken
deliberately
consciously
taken from the “necessities”
taken for the important
people

an afternoon at the park
the gabble, gabble, honk of
geese
blending and mixing with
the laughter and shouts of
playing children

wife and husband
sitting in the shade
reading, watching, listening
mother and father
playing with child
holding hands
buying ice cream from a truck
and making a memory

the important takes precedence
over
the necessary


©2009-Art Belliveau

lost

i felt lost
lost in a place
as familiar as
my own bathroom
lost in space
and time
looking for some trail
some sign
some something to tell me
where I was
where I was going
and then
I found
you

©2009-Art Belliveau

i wish that you could see

i wish that you could see
the man i grew into
the man you helped me to become
through your years of example
through your love
even though you were not perfect
you always did your best
inspiring me
to try to do the same

©2009-Art Belliveau

little did i know

i had thought
for so many long years
that the drummer i marched to
could be heard only by me

little did i know
somewhere out there
you were marching also
in lockstep with
my drummer
and me

©2009-Art Belliveau

the battle begins

the battle begins
each side takes its position
it may be over quickly
or may drag on and on
seemingly endless
wails of agony
shouted threats
tears and submission
and when this battle ends
the next is still in sight
even for a first grader
homework happens

©2009-Art Belliveau

unintentional muse

unintentional muse

simply talking to you
sometimes
simply thinking about you
replenishes the well
and makes me more able
to allow the words
to flow freely
from my fingers
to the page

©2009-Art Belliveau