Brielle

Your dark hair
Your blue eyes like gemstones
Your laugh
Your chubby little fists
They unlock my heart effortlessly
You came to us
Like a snowstorm in August
But oh how I wanted you
I've kept you within my soul
A wish, a dream
A desire that never left
In many ways your sudden existence
Lifted me
A light on the horizon
After a long dark night spent
Tossing endlessly on an unsure sea
Your daddy dreamed of you
Told me of your dark hair
Your sweet smile
My second daughter
I want to tell you
To love yourself always
Compare yourself to no one
Even your sister
Don't let doubt cloud your vision
It will be easy to do
I know
Because I am also a second daughter
I pledge to love you
For who you are
Today
Tomorrow
And Always

- Denise Cooper Smith

Harbor

Your silted hair as rumpled
As your plaid shirt on the floor
Your chest rises and falls, rises and falls
Like swells on the ocean
You smile in the sunlight
The clouds have gone
The storm has passed
You take me in
Shelter me in kindness, humor, love
Make me laugh
Like I haven't done in ages
You hold my hand
And do not let go
I rest
In your faith
In your strength
In your arms
I come home

- Denise Cooper Smith

Thai Pizza

Thai Pizza tastes good on the tongue
Thai Pizza seeps slowly from your pores
Wafting ever so craftily
Creating an aura of stink
I'm loathe to come to bed with you
My Thai Pizza lover
If you find yourself an island
In a sea of people
Know this
The Thai Pizza has made you a pariah
A messiah of odorous proportions
Maybe I'll kiss you
In a day or two
Until then my love
I make a hasty retreat
Adieu

- Denise Cooper Smith