Author Archives: janetlandis

I lay in naked wonder, At how the fractures in my sometimes troubled relationships, Have been repeatedly healed with love. At how I have sometimes limited my grief, Afraid of it’s unknown depths. At the comfort fellow creatures of paw and hoof, Have offered unconditionally. At the awe of each precious unfolding moment, Gone beforeContinue reading “Wonder”

I held his hand Through diagnosis and sorrow I held his hand When others weren’t there I held his hand Never turning away. I held his hand And I hold it now. I will always hold his hand.

I dream of finding you, Lost to the riptide of time, And circumstance. My dear one, my son, Who brightened everyday with your smile, Your laugh, Our shared tears. It is no wonder I cannot sleep, Still hear the relentless pulse of the monitor, Still on guard, Always on guard, For what could go wrong,Continue reading “Finding you”

What is more than we can bear? For we have no choice but to go on. Trauma, violence, loss. Holocaust, genocide; and yet we must live. With horrible truths, More horrible than we should experience. Each loss is still a loss. Each heartbreak, still the raw and tender ground of being. I don’t know, don’tContinue reading “More than we can bear”

I’ve thought and thought, Trying to find words for the ineffable. I don’t hold with deities And yet, I pause, when thoughts of you Come to my mind, Because goddess, you are. Simply and without pretension. Living things, Spring forth at your glance. Knights and kings would throw themselves at your feet. Just for being,Continue reading “Darling daughter”

I am afraid to sleep One of so many Terrorized by night By letting go To find horrors beyond imagining lived on other shores And in our dreams become real, as they should As in the waking lives of our kin. Who only wish it was a dream.

Worse than tides That can be predicted On moonrise or set They have no reason And that distresses For on what do they depend then? Nothing so certain or sure Willy nilly, irrational Yet they are so very human. What are we, really, without them?

What if caring for you is the best I’ve ever Done? What if holding your hand, standing nearby while they inserted invasive but critical lines, is the best of me? Then really, what is left of life. Your siblings can access resources you could not. They may founder but don’t have to fall. I missContinue reading “A moment in time”

Do you know her? If not, you’ve missed out. She is light and grace, Devoted to beings who can’t speak. But she comes to me, After all the days and nights I left her. Generous and kind, The woman depended on, To hold the frightened dog or cat. And she holds her mother as well.Continue reading “Do you know her?”