Silent Burden

I have to wonder
how many suffer mutely
their aching burden.

Reluctant to speak,
deterred by fear of reproach,
they keep to themselves.

Sometimes it is I
hushed from expressing freely
just how bad things are.

Testing Fortitude

Life can turn into
Olympic trials to test
fortitude and will.

To give in or not,
to insist on finding joy,
life will test all that.

Am I foolish for
being cussedly stubborn
in not giving up?

Renewal

Lightly gliding through
the dancing quivering leaves,
a breeze whispers hope.

Gentle and graceful
verdant boughs sway easily,
permitting passage.

These tidings of hope
affirmed through spring's renewal
lighten my spirits.

A Bare Truth

The social landscape
increasingly thinned and pruned
risks looking barren.

Physical hardship
overwhelms our intentions
to remain social.

Loneliness creeps in
stealthy and unforgiving.
Sadness may join in.