I’ve fallen
to the depths
of my despair.
I must rest and
replenish my spirit,
revitalize my soul.
I will stand,
climb once more,
try to resume my life.
But first, I must sleep.
I MUST SLEEP
stand
STAND STRONG
Stand strong for me.
Your petals closed tight.
Face to the sun.
Hope in your heart.
Release your sweetness.
The perfect fragrance.
Let the dew quench your thirst.
The rain wash your tears.
Stand strong for me.
STAND STRONG
I stand alone.
Alone for all time.
No neighbors for me.
No friends for sport.
The wind thrashes.
It hits against my edges.
But I continue to stand.
To stand strong.
THE ROCKS
THE ROCKS
I wade in the cold,
Waves up to my waist.
Rocks loom before me,
Victims of the sea.
Honed to perfection,
Faces to the sky.
They stand in silence
As I join their line.
SILENCE
SILENCE
In a world of noise
Where no one is heard,
We could use some silence.
A bit of quiet.
Take a step back
And be quiet.
Watch for the response.
See the surprise.
For silence can convey
What words cannot.
A feeling or a thought
To be lost in words.
Don’t be afraid
To make your stand.
To be different.
Refusing to mouth inanities.
Be a breath of fresh air
In the violent storm.
Standing strong and silent
In the wake of it all.
A TREE
A TREE
A tree.
A symbol of hope.
Standing for freedom.
Withstanding the storms.
Arms raised to the sky.
Forever more.
Stand with me.
Give me courage.
To hold my head up high.
Solid as your roots.
Forever more.
Stay with me.
As time goes by.
Alone I stand.
No friends nearby.
Forever more.
MOTION
Motion.
The world is in motion.
Nothing stays still for long.
Life is in a constant
flux of change,
for better,
or for worse.
We can’t stop it.
We can’t slow it down.
We must ride with it.
And see where it takes us.
Each one of us has our
own journey to follow.
Where it will lead,
no one can tell us.
It has a beginning and an end.
But the middle is the unknown entity.
Something we must create
for ourselves.
Might as well enjoy the ride
for as long as it lasts.
STAND ALONE
Humans tend to stick together.
To form groups and cliques.
But what about those
who stand alone?
Who want to be different?
Who don’t want to be
part of a pack?
They stand alone.
They stand apart.
They become the leaders.
HIS PLACE
The sun begins to set.
There are scurrying sounds
as the animals prepare for the night.
But the old elephant stands in his place.
He doesn’t need to move.
He has everything he needs
right in front of him.
He keeps a watchful eye
on the other animals.
But he stands in his place.
FILL THE PAGES
Fill in the pages.
Fill the pages with
words and stories.
The world does not
have to be dark.
It does not have to be dreary.
We do not have to be alone.
We need to fill our lives with
people and events.
Stories to tell our children.
Words to light our paths.
No hovering in the darkness,
waiting for our time to come to an end.
But we need to stand in the light
and enjoy life.
It is short and precious.
But it is our right to fill in the pages.
SUSANNE LEIST 
