My brain is clever, smart, and wise,
But it scrambles words;
Thoughts elude the memory bank.
My demise, the eyes,
So weak and slow,
Delude the mind.
Letters dance a charming
Gait across the page and preclude
The sweet accord,
Thus alarming the senses.
Frustration exudes!

Source of Inspiration for Dyslexia
“Dyslexia” may be a strange poem for a book entitled “Labours of Love”.  However, this malady, which I was diagnosed with as a senior in college, turns normal tasks into labours of love.  What a relief it was to learn there was a reason why I many times did not perform to the level of my classmates when I knew I was just as capable.  I never allowed my dyslexic son to use dyslexia as an excuse not to perform to the best of one’s ability.  It might be a daunting task, but the end results are worth the effort.  Therefore, I dedicate this to my son, Heath, a dyslexic who graduated with a PhD in Psychology and an MBA, and is head of the Primary Care Unit in a VA hospital in Florida.  His achievements have been a great source of pride and inspiration to me.  We can do it, huh, Kid!
Dyslexia was published in Labours of Love, Noble House, London, 2005.

With golden fingers the sun disturbs the dark.
A gradual hint of light invades the clouds.
The world’s long silence is broken by the lark,
Who clears his throat and sings his song aloud.

Coral fingers tickle blue, gone purple.
Moments flee; the fingers pale, then retire.
Vast power fading, intense light heightens
The hues of dusk, grasping for lost moments
Of the day.  No beauty is held in time.

Source of Inspiration for Texas Sundown
I try most evenings to slow down to enjoy a gift from our Creator.  Sundown, the daily, one-of-a-kind display of power and color never cease to awe and amaze me.  When asked once how I came up with the color palette for my Florida home of corals and purples, I admitted that it was not an original concept rather an inspiration from the “ultimate decorator”.  
Texas Sundown was published in The Best Poems and Poets of 2004.

The saucy sun shimmied and danced on the sea,
Glistened, and teased, and beckoned to me.
Come, my friend, you know you want more.
You’ll not sate desire if you stand on the shore.

The Lady, the sea, sent her winds after me,
Haunting and howling her endless plea.
Come play with me and I’ll grant your wish.
I’ll calm the waters; the trade winds I’ll hush.

You know what I want, Lass, there’s no need to wish,
To go several rounds with a great fighting fish.
Strapped to the chair, feet planted in the stirrups,
We’ll wrestle past hours ‘til one of us gives up.

No sooner the thought gushed from my mind
Than a great fish jumped up and ran with my line!
A fighter he was, indeed he was fierce.
We fought ’til my muscles, taut, brought me to tears.

A victory I sport o’er this denizen of the deep,
And my Lady once more entices me to keep
Our rendezvous in this paradise of blue
To dance in the sun while the wind moans and coos.

A void, a vacuum, a ship with no sea
Imprisoned in a bottle, no future there be.
Black visions, gray memories of horrors untold,
Awaken, shackled to a floor damp and cold.

Tossed and churned on this ship with no sea.
No escape from the bottle, no air to breathe.
In my head waves crashing. The storm won’t subside.
No beacon of hope.  No where to hide.

No hope for return on this ship with no sea.
Tormented, anguished, down on one knee,
Cry to the Father,” Oh Lord, Help me! Please!!
Escape from the bottle and this ship with no sea!”

My God, my ship!  Now sails on the sea!
Free from the bottle! God lifted me!
The white foam, blue water, a new course I steer
With God as my Captain, my ship will not veer.

My ship now sails on this blue water sea,
The ship’s log, the Bible, the Father and me,
Storms will blow, and batter my sails,
But with God’s love and blessing, my life will not fail!

Source of Inspiration for The Ship With No Sea
Tim, an alcoholic for 20 years, regained consciousness on the floor of the county jail.  He thought he had lost it all – family, home, job.  But he struggled to his knees and begged God to “take this alcoholism away from me”.  From that moment, God lifted Tim’s ship from the bottle and set him on a sober course.
The Ship With No Sea was published in Poetry’s Elite, The Best Poets of 2000.