David T. Kerry

FRUSTRATION I exist in a spiritual woodland A forest so dark and dense There are no paths, there are no signs A world devoid of sense. Life's cosy veneer of immortality Has been stripped off every tree And life's raw vulnerability Is exposed for all to see. I try to make some progress But which way do I go? I battle hard through every day But still there's nought to show. Each path I cut, leads to a tree Each tree leads to one more Where is that forest clearing Where is that elusive door? I look above for signs of hope But trees block out the light My days are filled with darkness My nights are fuelled with fright. A ray of light sometimes breaks through A weak and pallid ray No sooner have I felt its warmth Than night eclipses day. Where does the forest edge reside? Where do the trees thin out? At least I'd have a fighting chance And someone may hear my shout.

To my precious little sweetheart, Claire Share my pillow - share my dreams The void you left is dark and wide Your presence is no more, So come to me in dreams sweetheart I’ll leave an open door. Speak to me my sweetheart In whatever way you can, Break this silent nightmare Bridge this unlit span. Smile for me my sweetheart That smile so broad and wide, Ease the pain within my heart And make the tears subside. Hold me close my sweetheart Let me stroke your hair, Let me kiss you better Let me know you’re there. Laugh for me my sweetheart Lighten this dismal strife, Remind me how your crazy ways Brought sunshine into life. So rest your head my sweetheart Come share this pillow of mine, Whisper those words I need to hear To let me know you’re fine. © 2007 by David T.Kerry www.windowpains.org

Hi Janine, Sorry about delay in replying, I now realise that somehow the e-mail notification box had become unticked? Anyway, many thanks for taking the time and trouble to respond to my submission, and for your kind comments. I'd never heard that expression 'Beautiful sorrow' before, but I too find it quite a poignant phrase. Thank you once again. Best wishes - David www.windowpains.org

Having returned from the mortuary to identify the body of my daughter, I sat in her room and wrote the following poem. I hope you like it. Her room is still, the pillow bare Where hopes and dreams were born, No sun kissed cheeks, no golden hair To lay upon ‘til dawn. The mirror mourns with tarnished bloom No beauty to reflect, A smile so warm and radiant No one could reject. Her desk a tribute to hours of toil Her lamp no shadows cast, Ambitions set and almost met Now vanished with the past. Her fragrance drifts with weakened pulse Bringing comfort to those who seek, Clothes held tight and cradled close Against her mother’s cheek. Silent tapes no longer breathe The rhythm of life and dance, If only God would free her And give her that second chance. David T.Kerry www.windowpains.org

Hi Maylissa, Thank you for your interest in my site. The address is correct, but as has been suggested by someone with more computer knowledge than me, try including the prefix http:// in the address, so as to read http://windowpains.org Best wishes - David

Hi all, Many thanks to all of you who took the time and trouble to comment on my poem. It really is appreciated. Thank you. David T. Kerry

My daughter died at the age of twenty, having succumbed to the temptation of drink and drugs. In the eyes of the world she was an adult, but to me she was still my precious little girl. During that first year following her death, I wrote almost forty poems, which describe my attempt at coming to terms with her loss through the medium of poetry. This is one of them, called 'How do you do?' How do you describe an empty heart Or a mind that will not sleep? How do you measure the depth of pain Or the volume of tears that weep? How do you find new direction When life's compass has no reference points? How do you energise listless limbs With death's arthritic joints? How do you see the future Through a lens of opaque glass? How do you reconcile her name On a plaque of tarnished brass? How do you rekindle interest In a life that was complete? How you overcome loss and pain And the desire for social retreat? How do you explain to those you know The pretence that you have to project? How do you smile when expected to But your facial muscles object? How do you trust a God you once knew Or the power of goodness and prayer? How you put your faith in his hands When those hands threw the switch of despair? How do you absorb the colours of Spring Through eyes that see only black? How do you control the endless pain Of wishing she was back? For those interested in the other poems I wrote, please visit my website at www.windowpains.org David T. Kerry