From the poem Daddy's Day, by Cheryl Costello-Forshey

Her hair was up in a ponytail
Her favorite dress tied with a bow
Today was Daddy's Day at school
And she couldn't wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her,
That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
If she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid;
She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
Of why he wasn't there today.
But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school,
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees,
A dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
For everyone to meet
Children squirming impatently,
Anxious in their seats.
One by one the teacher called,
Each student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
For a man who wasn't there.
"Where's her daddy at?"
She heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one"
Another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day."
The words did not offened her,
As she smiled up at her mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.
"My daddy couldn't be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing here alone.
Cause my daddy's always with me
Even though we are apart.
I know because he told me,
He'll forever be in my heart."
With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.
"I love my daddy very much,
He's my shining star.
And if he could he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.
You see he was a fireman
And died just this past year.
When airplanes hit the towers
And taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
It's like he never went away."
And then she closes her eyes,
And saw him there that day.
And to her mother's amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they say before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.
"I know you're with me Daddy."
To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far - From the poem Daddy's Day, by Cheryl Costello-Forshey

Run Away

RUN AWAY

A cold evening December last year
Strangers in a bar, not too far
A moment clicked, a weird connection,
Guitar was the word, you got my attention
One more Guinness and a prolonged midnight conversation
Over a couple of beers, soon it was cheers
Carpe Diem, Seize the Day
In the back of my mind, run away

Charming, dynamic, you a gentleman dapper
Bikes, tattooes, guitars, a thorough go getter
No sooner we were all wasted
It was time to leave
A number you persisted, I resisted
Drunk and perplexed, that was an easy give
I wanted to run away

Thoughts entwined,
Was I doing the right thing?
A date to follow, who knows about tomorrow
A simple place, fantastic evening
Great conversation,
Before we knew it,
We had each others admiration

Confused between a course in broadcast and letting love in
Is it hurt from the past, fear, or somethin’
What have I set myself for
I was running away, quite unsure
Your passion, sixth sense and imagination
Insanity so to say what I call living
Intrigued, you left me wanting to know more
Afraid, I wanted to run away

Falling in love isn’t easy they say
Women as we know it, easy prey
A wonderful feeling, the first kiss
I melt to pieces, sheer bliss

Honeymoons don’t last too long I’d say
Dunno why I want to run away
A lie, it was I never thought of you
A walk by the riverside in Clarke quay and background music of Mr. Brightside
Nostalgic, leaves me with a sigh, my fingers burning to text thou
A bizarre feeling inside

Thought I’d never see you again
Was this coincidence or just another drunken evening insane
And you apologized, I wasn’t sure
I wanted to run away
Next time we meet, the Celestine Prophecy
Faint to hear you hurt and drag yourself down some infirmary
My heart wants to help,
You asked me to stay
For fear of getting closer, my head pleading to run away

It was a bar, we were taking chances,
Never meant to go that far
May be we will go different places
A buddy is what I was looking for
Complications of the heart I quite abhor
For some people come into your life and go away
And others there to stay

For with every encounter a new beginning, a lesson to learn
And never a subsequent ending
May be we just wanted different things,
One can’t be sure what life brings
Who knows about love and like anyway
It’s worth being grateful for the things that come your way
I dunno why, I want to run away.

- Charlene Anne Rodrigues

Worth a thousand words... by Denny ORork

One might say a picture's worth a thousand words...
But, I'd have to say that I disagree
For my heart has been touched by an angel
Leaving me speechless forever and all eternity

My mortal words could hardly describe you
However, I could surely give it a try
For you have ignited my scorching flame of inspiration
And I will certainly not let it die

I could say so many romantic things to portray your beauty
A portrayal of a girl so majestic and divine
The most luscious piece of passionate fruit
That just sits dangling from its vine

Or I could say that you are the most rare of all fragrant flowers
Who gives off a fragrance that's breath-taking and oh so very sweet
A fragrance that is so intoxicating
My heart just simply skips a beat

But you know what? Now, that I think about it
I am sitting here writting a poem to a girl that I barely know
So, I guess I should put this song bird of mine back in its cage
Until its time to let it go....

Empty Arms and a Broken Heart by Mel

When I'm alone, and no one can see,
Tears form behind my eyes,
Every time you glance at me,
A part inside of me dies

Knowing it can never happen,
Knowing it can't be true,
Shatters my heart and my world,
All I want is to be with you

If I could just hold you,
Just to know you're there,
I would treasure that moment forever,
Just to prove how much I care

But I'm left with only a dream,
Left to wander - I've played my part,
I am all alone once again,
With empty arms and a broken heart.