F - Two Poems, Farther up the Road and Families

 A "treat" today, two poems!

FARTHER UP THE ROAD

Farther up the road

They say the skies are always blue

Father up the road

I hope they’re saying what is true

I’ve been traveling so long

With this heavy load of mine

Father up the road

To lay it down will sure be fine

The road stretches out before me

I’m a pilgrim on my way

Each step I take is nearer

To the everlasting day 
 

 ©2019 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved

FAMILIES
This was from a poetry prompt to take the last lines from a book I was reading.  That was John Grisham's  The Reckoning.  The last line is, "What a family," he said softly."  In the novel, the character speaking was not being complimentary to his family, but here I kept to the positive! 

“What a family,” he said softly.”

In reading Grisham’s words,
I think

of families.

We laughed with family.

Cried with them.

Kept warm in winter

sitting side by side

 near the fireplace.

Kept cool in summer

with frozen pops.

Ran through the sprinkler

 naked and screaming

on the backyard lawn.

Marked our growth on the door frame

while mother stirred the oatmeal

and laughed,

as brother stood

on tiptoe to be tallest.

Bedtime stories and tucking in,

kisses to sleep

 kisses for the hurts,

the skinned knees and heartaches.

The comfort in family.

Memories and photographs

of holidays long past

Family picnics.

Family fights

that never meant a thing.

Though miles separate,

letters written few,

 phone calls seldom made,

what binds us lasts forever.

We can all say it again,

 “What a family.”

©2019 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved