Austin Belanger writes

The Stone Wall

In my flannel jacket,

Beside the stone wall.

The wind is still blowing,

And I'm watching it all.

The damp smell of leaves,

All around my fav spot,

And each of them crunches as I sit,

And drift off in thought.

Blazing fire reds,

And the bright golden hue,

Remind me of good times,

...And bad...

Once younger,

With you.

So I smile with a tear,

As I reckon the year,

But I'd do it again

With you my good friend.

Autumn so fabulous,

The woods are now cool,

But my heart still believes,

In us,

And I'm still your fool.

Austin Belanger writes

Awakening 

Once I cared what you thought!

With insecurity, I fought,

Never seeing any good within me.

Once I valued your opinion.

Words that once defined me

Were the cords within my soul

That you used to bind me.

Once I sought out

What you thought.

Fraught with insecurity,

Your obtuse view

Of what was true.

Never seeing my youthful purity,

A child who valued

Your opinion.

Your words once defined

The cords that held my soul in

And never let my dreams win.

Once I cared what you thought.

Fraught with insecurity,

I walked toward my eternity.

Uncertain of my place,

Blankly staring at this face

Within a mirror.

I still pace,

Having conversations with myself

Over what I’ll tell you when I'm ready - 

When my hands are good and steady,

And I know that I can stand

All on my own.

The face I see is broken.

Its eyes are red and sullen

From salty tears and failure.

But sadness is giving way,

For anger festers shallow,

Just below a heart that’s fallow,

So ready for a change,

Some seed to rearrange this misery,

And give

A reason to change and live.

The Man in the Mirror -- Suzanne Marie Leclair

Austin Belanger writes

Coffee and Reminiscence

I sit at my cluttered desk,

A representation of my hidden mind,
Thoughts remembered in a cacophony of synapses firing.
There are no witty remarks today,
Nor sarcastic prose,
Only my coffee and memories.
Through the din,
One light shines.
It is the light of a smile
That once guided me out of the storm.
You have left the lighthouse now,
It will never be tended by another.
But so strong was your light
That it is seen in your absence
And by your memory.  

My journey has missed
Many a jagged end upon the shores of reality.
Thank you and be blessed,
My light.
For though I miss your radiant glow,
I only wish for you to shine forever.