Art by Thomas Kincaid
Courtesy of "Artontheweb"
Finding You, Finding Me ~ 1999
Lovely moon of silver-blue ~ 2001
i am a woman falling in love ~ 2002
The world is bright and harsh
And there are many implications to ponder
So I seek the path to my shaded garden
To rest, muse, carouse, and wander
The scent of jasmine and roses
Soothes all sense of hurry
I lie with the callas in the shade by the water
Which softly cools away my worry
Outside the high stone walls remains
The world with all its rules and games
So without remorse I spend each hour
Lingering on every vine and flower
Under a blue velvet sky All That I Love
With nebulous cotton clouds
Among tiny wildflowers
Far from any noisy crowds
In the near-distance the mountains rise
In this land that I call home
Only through scented fields of sage
Or a Rocky range, I roam
I am so far from everything
But close to all that I love
The pine and juniper, mesas and mountains
Red-rock canyons, and the warm blue above
Crystalline quiet
Aspen white
Icy stillness
Glowing bright
Winter chill
Fresh cold air
Breeze biting
White slopes glare
Columbine sleeping
Under blankets of snow
Waiting for spring
And warmth to grow
Creatures nestled
For winter's sleep
The forest is alive
But in slumber deep
The snow has fallen
Hushing streams
Like an arctic sandman
Sprinkling winter dreams
When the sun kissed the sky
And morning came kindly nigh
I saw Spring born in a blackbird's eye
- And my roses bloomed soon after
Children of last year's garden rise
From damp warm soils to greet the skies
Miracles unfold before my eyes
- Heralded by a sparrow's laughter
With strong hands, I work the soil
In Summer, I'm rewarded for my toil
With blossoms which Autumn none too soon will foil
- But still, I tend my garden
I embrace the warm light of sun
And praise these small miracles done
Oh, that I may never miss a single one
- All in my humble garden
Cool rain
Signals summer's slow end
The sky is gray
And sunflowers nod
The perfume of damp grass
Fills the clean air
No morning sun
Only hot spiced tea
My fuzzy bathrobe
And staring out the window
September 1999
My whole world pauses for you -
Once again, I don't know where I am.
Just you and me in a boat with neither sails nor oars, waiting -
In the middle of a dark blue-gray ocean,
Wondering what to do next.
Both of us striving to live, trying to grow -
But you child, need not worry.
My body is here to nourish yours.
My soul is here to love yours.
We may be lost but soon we'll find each other
And a way back to dry land again.
September 1999
I want to be an artist
And call the mountains home
Paint, write, and sculpt
In a log house with a hearth of stone
And cross-country ski, drive a rusted S.U.V.
Drinking in the winter white
And fill the world with my true color
Not this stark barrenness
This valley isn't me
This traffic jam isn't me
These angry people wielding worded weapons
Spilling each other's tears and blood
They are not my kind
These ringing phones are like voices screaming
Run away, run away
This place pollutes my core
I can feel it crumbling away
Like an old adobe shelter baking in the desert
While small dreams die every day
As they fade they leave holes behind
That can only be filled
By sweet, pure snow
November 1999
There is a tiny pilot light
Somewhere deep inside
A dark and quiet place in me
That I've done my best to hide
Expose this flame to wind and cold?
It would blow out, I fear
I kept it hidden away so well
I'd forgotten it was there
When one day my world turned dark and cold
I saw a faint glimmer shine
I felt a tiny warmth from somewhere
And soon discovered it was mine
I finally learned of the flame's true nature
When crisis left me lost and bare
The cold winds did not blow it out
And its light made me aware
I saw all that I had missed
In the light of my tiny flame
All that I was, pale and withered
And all that I became
Intrigued, inspired, I fed it fuel
And it revealed even more to me
I saw not only who I was
But all that I could be
With a little more fuel it glowed brighter still
There was even more to see
I finally found a safe way home
And warmed those close to me
There is a tiny pilot light
Somewhere deep inside
Every human heart and soul
That none should ever hide
February 7, 2000
Today there will be no roses or assorted chocolates
No wine nor candlelight
Life has its way of changing plans
Changing ideals and growing minds
Don't regret that this day will pass
Without the usual scenes of romance
Seen in soap opera and magazine
Orchestrated, celebrated, glorified
It's only a ritual, one day a year
But love is with me every day
It's there in the memories we already have
It's there in the dreams we are making.
It's there in the way you stood there beside me
At the top of a mountain, with tears in your eyes.
It's there in the way you stood there beside me
At my bottom and my tears didn't scare you away
It's there in the way I can search to find myself
Without fear of ever losing you
You include me in all your plans
I include you in mine
Our lives, in every way intertwined
With nothing to fear, nothing to hide
We both struggle in our common goal
No power struggles between us
Our devotion is more lasting than a dozen roses
Our friendship more sweet than chocolate
Nothing that money could ever buy
No gift could compare to or represent
The depth of feeling between us
And the gift that we have in each other.
February 14, 2000
Autumn's attire - ripples of gold satin
Nature's brilliant and seductive garb
The perfume of summer's end stirs the air
- Stirs my soul -
The aspen leaves blanket the slopes
Disrobing for silver garments yet to come
September 25, 2000
I put in the long hours
The sun rises long after I
I'm chasing down that dwindling dollar
As a storm chases 'cross the sky
My days blurred one into the other
The leaves went golden and gone
Silver snow falls on bare branches
The icy wind blasts brisk and strong
Is this all there is, I ask myself
Driving through the storm to work
Do dreams I dared just die away
Behind the walls where I lurk
These walls are taller than I
On my toes I can’t quite see beyond
The bills and the babies, the man and the mower
Gravity's grasp and the years gone
There is a beauty in me, I know
Not in my wardrobe nor in my hair
Not on my face or in my cosmetics bag
I know it's not out there
If only I could find this treasure
Hidden like a jewel in the sand
And unbury it from my desert heart
And hold it in my open hand
I walk toward the doors of my 8 to 5
Through whispers of falling snow
That melts silently on my creased brow
Just like my dreams, I know
November 20, 2000
Your secrets are an ocean
And you are an island
All I see is a tropical forest
Rimmed by dunes of golden sand
None can tread upon those shores
Nor ever forge into the trees
Nor discover the lost treasures hidden
That not even birds can see
This ocean, deep and cold
Tormented by evading tides
Batters my questions upon the rocks
While your knowledge deeper hides
On my humble ship, I will sail away
Having paused to gaze on your shore
And having learned all that I could
And knowing I will learn no more
July 19, 2001
Lovely moon of silver-blue
Setting softly in the west
Dipping into the mountain peaks
For her daily rest
The ice-cold stillness stirs
As the east blooms pink like a rose
Soft clouds illuminate in pastel hues
Snow blanketing the mountains glows
Venus winks her last farewell
To the moon as she sinks away
The sky heralds the sun's arrival
At the dawn of this new day
December 31, 2001
i am a seed awakening in the earth
And a tree standing upon the hill
i am a new butterfly with heavy wings
I am flying while standing still
i am the sun that burns your shoulders
And the snowflake melting on your brow
i am a sparrow in your net
And a lioness on the prowl
i am the water flowing through the valley
And an alpine flower clinging to the peak
i sense some unseen destination
And I'm going head over feet
i am a woman falling in love
October 30, 2002
These poems are the property of Mary Teschner, words that come from my own grey matter and my heart. Please do not reproduce or reprint them in any fashion for your own purposes.
Thank you kindly. :-)
Some graphics courtesy of Internet Explorer Web Art Resources