Jody Kuperavage THUNDER AND LIGHTNING Black skies, rumble in the distance Wind swept trees with no resistance Throughout the valley, a thunderous sound Echoing between mountains, dead silence found Rolling clouds, the storm brews wild Flashes of white, flickering so mild Clouds part, make way for a jolt Streak of lightning, electrifying bolt Power, full force, the storm nears A savage peace contemplating fears Tie down my soul, for it not to join in Yearning to dance with the thunderous din Jagged lightning, my name it is calling Brilliant show, shooting sparks falling Mother Nature's fury takes captive my heart A prisoner to her beauty 'til its depart Soar through the sky, I long to fly Feel the freedom of the storm's cry With passion, I praise thunder and lightning Cleansing my soul with its rain, enlightening As the storm dies, I fade in its dust Thunder and lightning, its reverence I lust Copyright 22nd May 2000. Jody Kuperavage	Shannon Wendler SONG OF PEACE Where is my angel as I cry As I pray in the darkness so cold Where is my angel as I pray into the night The fall has set in the leaves are falling At night I dream of a quieter place In my days I hear my fear calling I can hear her sweet soft voice, I can hear her whisper in my ear I can hear her laughing when I am crying I can feel her touch when I feel fear Sweet angel come carry me away Far above the clouds Let me feel the cool breeze When I feel those doubts High above the rest of the world I can see only you Please my angel of mercy take it all away Everything in this world I ever knew Let me lie down and rest in your wings As I go to heaven A song of peace I finally get to sing   Copyright 10th November 1996. Shannon Wendler
Mollie Fletcher COLORED WONDERINGS colored wonderings and i'm looking in.. on the outside of a stained-glass window, my breath making clouds to block the sun painted in the glass.. did i only dream those colored days, filled with the brightness of new experience and you? was it only a picture made from the colored sand of my imagination? what would my fingertips touch if they could permeate the cold beauty of these painted scenes? would you be waiting on the other side? or were you simply a single shining figure in my stained-glass window? Copyright 10th January 2000. Mollie Fletcher	Ross H. Bruce I TOOK IT FOR GRANTED I took it for granted that you shared me your life Our visions and dreams never had intertwined. I took it alone the glory and success And gave you the pain and the debts that were mine. I took it for granted the love that you gave And made you act silly and I never cared. I took advantage of the weaknesses you had And made you cry and pout, inside and out. I took it for granted that you have a soul The name I called you no one can bare. I took it and took it until nothing is left Except your heart's willingness to survive. Now the tide has turned around and my soul tears I'm sorry my darling, I'll mend your heart once again.   Copyright 14th November 1999. Ross H. Bruce
Maxine Fitzpatrick THE ELF ON THE SHELF T-here is an little green man, H-ere on the shelf; see him if you can. E-very night he’s there for me, E-very night he dances with glee. L-aughing and smiling is he, F-for no one else-only me. O-h if only I could show him to you, N-eat and cute a cuddly too. T-here he goes---to the other side, H-e’d better watch out and not with objects collide. E-lfs are so funny and green, S-howing off just to be seen. H-emakes me laugh out loud, E-rasing my fears and dark gloomy clouds. L-oving me just as I am, you see, F-rolicking and just and only for me. Copyright 26th January 2000. Maxine Fitzpatrick	Sarah Gotadoro BALETMOORE GREEN It was a cold dark night on Baletmoore Green As a poet sat with a gem that gleamed He looked at the gem with piercing eyes And he saw the wonders of the beautiful skies The skies he saw were a beautiful blue The people he saw looked just like you The people were crowded inside a house And in the house they were watching a mouse The mouse had wings and he fluttered by Reaching towards the beautiful sky And the piercing eyes that watched the mouse Were the eyes of a poet inside his house It was a cold dark night on Baletmoore Green As a mouse fluttered by carrying a gem that gleamed   Copyright 1996. Sarah Gotadoro
Dominie Bennion WINGS Immensely curious I stand at the ledge and peer over brush rock with foot and there it tumbles down and down My stomach tumbles too at the very idea Immensely intrigued though I try another and realize no sound, not a sound to it's fall not a rumble nor clatter but soft and well met on it's descent Immensely impressed so I put foot over and then another and spread my wings Copyright 15th December 1999. Dominie Bennion	Patrick Mpedzisi EDEN DAYS Alone I summon remembrance of light Those seasons of joy and shared happiness Harmony was the tune in living sight And love a poem to vanquish all distress The colours were joyous as in my dreams Bright with love, peace, laughter and gratitude Of scarlet, and of amber, and of green Of all virtues in equal magnitude On countless journeys my mind does venture, Returns with memories, sweet as nector Of Eden and it's sunshine with vigour How I curse the harshness of this shower Oh...the days in Eden were fine, so fine Shall they return when the sun starts to shine? Copyright Patrick Mpedzisi
Joveac A BEDTIME STORY Soft wooly Blankets Fat teddy bears Rainbows, Unicorns Saying your prayers Flannelette PJ'S Done up to the chin Reading of stories Tucking you in A kiss on the forehead A brush on the cheek A poke in the stomach A smile and a wink Two silhouettes crammed Into one inch of light And the last thing you hear is I love you, Goodnight Copyright: Joveac ( Joseph Martin )	Jonathan Finch THE OLDEST WOLF On the darkest night, from the deepest hell The Beast will come to town with fur of fire and eyes of the damned He will come to hunt you down Holding the key to a world of pain And none to the rising dawn Never to stray from His faithful path The slaying goes on and on I'm warning you Hold your eyes to the truth Don't listen to his terrible cries It is He who scorns, He who keeps laughing Is the one who never dies         Copyright. Jonathan Finch
J. G. Piper (DON'T) RUN AWAY When I was young I didn't care 'bout the past, Cause in my heart I knew I never find it. Sometimes all I see are childhood memories, That was abused in the world I live in, Y'know that with all the changin' seasons, I can never love ya the way I used to, Don't run away, run away, Y'know that with all the loaded guns, It's hard to walk the same way I used to, Don't run away, run away. Don't need ya eyes of hell, When you got no-where left to fall, I wanted to last but in the end got burnt and left alone. When I was young in my heart I believed it would all last, But don't ya know it's dangerous livin' in your heart. Sometimes all I see are faded shadows of time, That is forever changing in the world we die in, Y'know that with all the estranged lives, It can never be the way it used to, Don't run away, run away, Y'know that with all the broken hearts, It's hard to believe the rain won't hurt like it used to, Don't run away, run away, When I was young I didn't care 'bout the love that remained, Cause in my heart I knew I never find it. Copyright 2000. "alias" J G PIPER	Joseph Salyer BEAUTIFUL IS A SAVANNAH SUNSET There's something about the clouds right before sunset that conjures up all the dreams of when I was young and in love for the very first time the memories of my first kiss the innocence we all miss holding hands, happy smiles walking barefoot on sandy tiles and the sound of the waves softly rolling to shore if only I could go back to the time before innocence lost under orange sherbet clouds of a perfect moment in a perfect memory of a love, lost that will never be       Copyright. Joseph Salyer
Connie Marcum Wong KO 'OLINA White coral in the sleepy lagoon Peeps its head above the water In the mid day afternoon Sand as white as snow As it meets the waters edge My heart bursts with joy As our wedding vows we pledge For in this lovely little chapel That over looks the sea Our hearts are joined together For all eternity Copyright March 2nd 2000, Connie Marcum Wong   Veera Sin Ramses LAST SUMMER'S DAY Today i let down my older guarded shield, Of passage that never let me love, But i still lay apart from frail, But with your emotions female, Can u tell, Legs of glass rippled over,  Pleasant premiers in perfection to a perfectionist, Can your breath reroute to follow, Staggering hand movements of gipsies, For my lips let out melodies, Of century's summers, To feel your presence forces me upon knees, And changes my emotions of fury,  To decline in mind with the slightest, Premonitions to let off my essence in blessings to ease, In breaths to breeze, Eyes of excellence, So i remained still to be, But with questiones asked, Will u remain with me........... Copyright: Veera Sin Ramses	Pamela Carvajal Drapala NANA LUZ (A Living History and Tribute) Our children, our beautiful children seeing them grow into adults made Tata and me so very proud. Tata and I were moving to San Francisco from Mexico to find gold. However, our old jalopy broke down at the Colorado River near Yuma. I said to Tata, "Why don't we stay in the small town near the river"? That town was to be the place where our babies would grow strong. America would be the place where our babies would earn an education. Tata worked so hard and I, washed, cleaned, and prepared my specialties, like fresh strawberry juice, home grown spinach, prickly pear vegetables, and fried rabbit that tasted just like chicken, mmmm, so delicious. Our babies grew up so fast in the small town of Yuma, Arizona. I saw them working so hard to earn money for clothes and supplies for grammar school, junior high, high school, then the university. How proud we were to see that they had become educated adults with degrees and with lovely families of their own. My Vincente, my sweet Vincente, he was a special child. He was an entrepreneur before the word was popular in the American language. At a very young age, he would sell newspapers, and any goods that were left behind after a train had been derailed. He would sell the goods to his friends for a small fee. He was such a smart boy. When Vincente was about 25 years old, he brought home a young girl, Carmen, that was soon to be his wife, for an early dinner. We had a fine looking duck that we had raised from a ducking. I felt I would honor this young girl by preparing the duck for supper. So, I killed it, removed its feathers, and prepared it in front of Vincente's date, and served the beautiful duck to her at the table in front of our family. Carmen would not eat the prized duck, and I do not know why. So, I fixed the young girl a plain chicken instead, and we ate the fine duck. When Vincente and Carmen married, I was the proudest Momma. Now, I would have more grandchildren that I would teach how to raise rabbits and ducks and serve them properly to their guests. Vincente and Carmen had a beautiful baby boy. He had olive skin like me, dark thick hair, and was so beautiful. This baby was definitely a Carvajal! During my life, I saw President John F. Kennedy in office. I saw many Roman Catholic Pope's come and go. I heard the Roman Catholic Mass change from Latin into English, however, I could only speak and understand Spanish. Ah, life in Yuma was good to us, and I am glad that Tata and I broke down at the small town by the Colorado River. And best of all, Tata and I never really died. We continue to live through our descendants, for they are the flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood. Copyright 17th June 2000, Pamela Carvajal Drapala