Poems by Kathy Russell

Who am I?
You think you know...
Behind this mask of a
smile is a desperate heart
hiding tears flowing, slamming
against the walls of my heart
like the rising waterscapes on a stormy day.
You think you see me for who I am,
but I allow you only to see who I wish I were.

I asked him where he was going,
And he said that he didn't know.

Then I asked him where he came from,
And he said, "Who wants to know?"

And I wondered a lot about him
As he turned and shuffled away.

And he walked with a stoop and a stagger,
And his hair was long and gray.

And I watched him fade in the distance
Till I turned at last to go.

And I knew not what his name was,
And I guessed that I'd never know.

Till the moon came over the mountain,
And the stars came out to play,

And I saw through the haze of moonlight
This figure all bent and gray.

And he came and he stood beside me.
For a moment I felt his breath.

And he spoke in a muted whisper,
And he said that his name was death.

And he said that he came from nowhere,
That he had no place to go.

Not that it really mattered.
Just thought he'd let me know.

She rode on my wings,
shared her dreams,
and lit my life with such a glow.
I was her protector, teacher and friend,
and will be her mother until my end
I made a lot of mistakes not knowing the cost in the end,
I never intended to hand down the same shoes my mother handed me,
but I see that is what I did
and crushing all her dreams.
It has been over four years since we have last spoken,
but never a day passes that I don't send my love to the stars above,
and ask for an angel to open up their wings
and take my place and guide her to follow all her dreams.
She will always have a place in my heart that will never be replaced,
This is how a mother's love was always meant to be.
I hope that someday our paths will cross again,
and I can hold her in my arms
and tell her I understand better than she could ever know
I understand what I did in passing the shoes to her.
If I could take it all back, believe me I would.
But for now it's out of my hands.

I never knew that I would love someone the way I love you.
You have opened the door to a new and exciting life
that I had never imagined could be...

My days are not empty with you by my side,
and my nights are not as dark with you in my life.

You bring me flowers and leave me love notes.
You make me laugh with your funny jokes.

You hold me close in your arms when things seem tough.
You lend me your shoulders with my heavy loads.

You whisper I love you when you think I'm asleep.

The miles may take us far apart,
but we leave each other the love in our hearts. 
Never a night is missed to say I love you.
The minutes turn to hours and then into days.
I am so thankful you, my love, came my way.

I will walk slowly through this day;
I leave what is not needed behind from yesterday.
I will treasure all the knowledge to move forward.
What I do today will not change or erase the past..
I move on knowing that today I will do differently than before.
If I fail, there will be another tomorrow and a future tomorrow for hope..