Roland

Tags

Loss, pain, Poem, poetry

The swiveling Arizona heat and orange blossoms circling in the reflection of your eyes.
Thank you for taking us to the heat of the desert in Oliver, Canada.
The consistent energy of your persona; the honesty that surrounded you.
When you spoke, it was of purity, good intention and will.

You loved her passionately; and you now watch her, with honour—from every single sky.
Roland; a name meaning “famous of the land”;
How fitting for a man of true brilliance that extended far beyond his love of nature.
Stoic you were; and stoic you lay to rest.
They all sang in glorious harmony; I am sorry that I could not, and that I could only cry.
I will miss your voice… I promise that in writing, I will always try.

— T. D. O’Grady

Dedicated to my great Uncle Roland. Thank you for being the champion of my true passion and for believing in me. I will miss you terribly. No words can truly explain the feeling.

Wishes in the wind

Tags

children, inspiration, life, Mom, mother, Poem, poetry

We walked along the train tracks
And blew wishes from the dandelions.
She sang about bluebells and held buttercups under my chin.
She was my favourite companion.

The school bell would ring,
And out I would run.
And there waiting in the field for me
Was none other than my Mom.

She’d ask, “Should we go along the tracks today?”
My answer was always, “Yes.”
And off we would go, without much thought.
Blowing wishes to our hearts content.

I’d walk along the rail, sometimes quite far ahead.
And as I grew up, farther away I’d go,
But one thing I always knew:
Even if not in sight, my Mom was always with me; that’s forever true.

T. D. O’Grady

Alone in the Dark

Tags

Loss, love, Poem, poetry

It must have been another life
When I believed in truth.
When I felt invincible,
As if there was nothing I couldn’t do.

It must have been a dream
When we shone flashlights at the stars.
More simple times, oh so young;
Now that memory is so far.

Sometimes I forget who I am;
Who is this Ms. Dawn?
Sometimes I get so lost in thought
So much has gone so wrong.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this…
I tell myself at thirty two.
So many people I loved are dead,
And most often, I think of you.

He doesn’t always look at me the same way;
and that I cannot blame.
I don’t know who I’ve become,
Nothing seems to stay the same.

I used to believe I had a purpose;
That I’d make a significant & positive change.
As I age, it’s a struggle to comprehend
That gone are better days.

— T. D. O’Grady

Reflection on Mother’s Day

Tags

love, Mom, mother, Mother's Day, Parenting, poetry

An infinite gaze of love and understanding,
At times, no words needed to be said.
A heart that is overflowing,
A feeling that’s impossible to fully comprehend.

Time keeps ticking, and youth disappears.
In adulthood, life moves at a rapid pace.
When I hit walls that I can’t break,
In her arms is where I’d feel most safe.

To know that there’s nothing I could do
To make her give up her belief in me,
Is to know that I must keep going
As she raised me to be the best I could be.

My mother is my heart; my mother lives in me.
I see her in the mirror; I see her in my dreams.
Her happiness is pure beauty; her smile moves mountains.
Our love is raw and true; hearts overflowing like streams.

— T. D. O’Grady

Dedicated to all women who provide the love and care for children, and most importantly—for my Mom this Mother’s Day—Lorraine Annette Linquist. If there were more people in the world like you, the world would be filled with much more love.