PATCHWORK

                There it is, behind the mask, behind the painted smile.
               The slow blink of sadness - the want of rest for awhile.
                Do you see the pain from so deep within?
               As though happiness had never been.
                Look at the very depths of the soul
                Where once there was a heart, solid and whole.

                       Now watch the tattered pieces of heart
               As they make a patchwork from the torn apart.
                 Such a fine thread being used for the mend,
                   May it be strong to last forever on end.
       Let this fine thread make knots that are strong
                 So this patchwork heart may again feel and belong.

                                                                 Robert N. Blair
                                                           (12-4-47 to 6-10-98)