by Bertie Koller

sleep dear child
child of snow
where did you come from
where will you go

day bright with light
night dark with none
we have the moon to guide us
should we lose the sun

sleep dear child
child of cold
you are a wonder
beauty to behold

this life before you
may it be long
bitter with heartache
& sweet as a song

sleep dear child
child of snow
where did you come from
where will you go

by Bertie Koller

I am sorrow
waiting for a dream
to gather up my pieces
& toss them in the stream

with curling toes
& swirling woes
where I am headed
nobody knows

I am laughter
drinking with a friend
where night becomes day
the darkness will end

with wet lips
& swaying hips
she fills with love
her goodnight kiss

I am everyday
& everything
water for your thirst
a bell for you to ring

with whatever
& whenever
in sun & rain
& any weather

mb
like a graveyard holds the dead

I’m haunted & I’m lonely
just hoping to survive
swimming from a shipwreck
on the ocean of your eyes

hold me like the book holds the page
like poetry warms the heart
like curtains close the stage

by Bertie Koller

grey skies & no wind at all
the table set for two
a candle burns at both ends
amber rose & blue

hold me like the puddle holds the rain
like the shadow hides in darkness
like fire consumes the plain

laughing at the sorrows
knockin’ down the door
drinking mead from glasses
just as fast as it will pour

hold me like the highway holds a dream
like the stars hang forever
like coffee swirls with cream

there’s something in you sweetheart
strong as any bear
just as wild & as crazy
lurking sweetly in your stare

hold me like the oven holds the bread
like a child in the womb
like a graveyard holds the dead

I’m haunted & I’m lonely
just hoping to survive
swimming from a shipwreck
on the ocean of your eyes

hold me like the book holds the page
like poetry warms the heart
like curtains close the stage

by Bertie Koller

in loose fitting dreams
by the light of the moon
silver sharp & still
he nurses his wounds

cold fingers work quickly
on the strings of the soul
as his heart pounds to fill
the flesh full of holes

& blood stains the highway
where an animal died
a victim of progress
caught in the lights

the stars begin to fade
into dawn one by one
as he struggles to embrace
what he has become

a creature losing sight
of a world he once knew
& as it slips away he finds
himself slipping too

& blood stains the highway
where an animal died
a victim of progress
caught in the lights