[Richard Justin]

TWILIGHT

After the toil and the hectic pace,
After the struggle to find my place.
After choices that were hard to make,
And criticisms hard to take,
After I see that my family's secure,
After the heartache- hard to endure,
After my strength has ebbed away,
And my mind finds solace in joys of the day,

I come to the twilight hour.

When the clamor ceases and quiet prevails,
When the pressure of work no longer hails,
When eyelids are heavy and want to close,
And I stop to reflect on the paths I chose,
When all my tasks are finally done,
When the far horizen hides the sun,
When conversation finally slows,
And the last breeze of evening softly blows,

I know peace in the twilight hour.

Then I can finally seek my rest,
Then I can focus on what was best,
Then I can relish a kindly word,
And imagine the heart-songs never heard,
Then I am soothed by a gentle touch,
Then I am thankful folks cared so much,
Then a memory can live again,
And my dream-trip can begin.

I succumb to the twilight hour.

[tlee70]

Beautiful Richard

I just love your poems. I hope one day that I can write such a peaceful poem.

tlee

[Sharon]

Absolutely gorgeous poem, Richard. I especially love the second verse:
"When the clamor ceases and quiet prevails,
When the pressure of work no longer hails,
When eyelids are heavy and want to close,
And I stop to reflect on the paths I chose,
When all my tasks are finally done,
When the far horizen hides the sun,
When conversation finally slows,
And the last breeze of evening softly blows,

I know peace in the twilight hour."

I think you are an extremely talented individual.

~ Sharon

[Richard Justin]

Thank you Tlee and Sharon, for your "kindly words". I wrote this poem early last Spring when we learned that my mother had terminal cancer. I was trying to write a metaphor for a peaceful death for her, but much of my own needs- and experiences with adoption and reunion- are just below the surface.

Rich

[AMom2Two]

Richard....

I, also, love your poems. This poem is another beautiful one that really touched me. You write with such wisdom and depth. Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem with us.
Bye