By Susan Schoeffield



IMBALANCE

Sometimes, frustration
creates its own imbalance
to rational thought
LONG NIGHTS

How long are the nights
when I cry myself to sleep
alone and in love.
NO CHANGES

The next day won’t change
if you bring baggage with you
from the day before.
AWAKE

The clock says midnight.
Although my brain is restless,
my body craves sleep.
AFTERMATH

Bad love breaks apart
the way a cookie crumbles.
All scraps, no substance.
TO THANK THEM ALL

The soldier’s job is
protecting and defending.
Ours, to be grateful.
THE FEATHER

The bird flaps its wings.
A feather dances down in
a graceful ballet.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN

The cold will not stop
ghosts and goblins from seeking
treats to stave off tricks.
SEASONAL CONFUSION

A dull, dreary day.
Seasons can’t decide who’s boss.
Summer, fall collide.
REFOCUSED

Spirit is renewed
by simply refocusing
on life’s many gifts.
THE OLD BAY WAY

A Marylander
says a dozen hot, steamed crabs
need a dozen beers.
THE DANCE

A merry dance of
red and gold begins on the
dance floor of autumn.
ALLURING

The allure of fall
is its full majesty through
rich, vibrant colors.
FAILED TO FALL

For two days, Summer
tried to regain its control,
but Fall made it fail.
WITHOUT REASON

The voice of reason
does not give credence to what
we cannot explain
SUMMER’S FALL

Green cannot escape
the alteration of time
from life into death.
SEASON ON

A gentle breeze moves
summer's last remnants into
fall's golden glory.
HOME IS MY REFUGE

Branches on the streets.
Power lines down, roads flooded.
Safe haven is home.
REMNANTS OF NICOLE

Rain pours from the sky,
steadily, relentlessly.
Water takes control.
HURRICANE EARL

A storm grows at sea,
Its mighty force approaches.
Nature’s wrath unleased.
AMONG FRIENDS

A Sunday dinner
among friends and family
is the sweetest fruit.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

I’ve not forgotten
my love for haiku’s beauty.
Other duties call.

When the dust settles,
in this wondrous place I’ll be,
lost in haiku’s charms.
UNLOCK

There’s a simple key
to unlock the weight of stress:
let go and move on.
TO RELY ON NATURE

I’ve come to rely
on the sweet song of nature.
My music of choice.
I RELY ON YOUR STRENGTH

I rely on you,
as the main source of my strength
to lift my burdens.
TRUE AND FALSE

I am old enough
to know true wisdom counts more
than false arrogance.
QUIT THE ‘TUDE

Drop the attitude.
Better than all you are not.
Quit playing the snob.
INSPIRED TO QUIT

At my computer,
I learned to explore my muse
and quit the rat race.
KEEP MOVING

My life moves forward,
looking through the hour glass
to new adventures.
BIRTHDAY

Another birthday.
How quickly they come and go.
But at least they come.
LIKE A NOVEL PLOT

Just like a novel,
life can be a series of
complicated plots.
THE POUNDING RAIN

A single raindrop
gives way to a pounding rain,
saturating lives.
OLD EYES

With these aging eyes,
I find my life a rich one
through my cherished love.
AN OLD APPRECIATION

Older and wiser,
I am thankful for each day
as an unearned gift.
VACATION IN HAIKU

No pressure this week.
Nothing to do but connect
with the ones I love.
---------------------------------
Vacation, Day One,
inspired to do little else
but read a good book.
---------------------------------
A cloudy morning.
A calm, stillness in the air.
At peace with myself.
---------------------------------
A snoring Basset,
tired from his traveling,
asleep at my feet.
---------------------------------
Lynda and her Lab
take time out for relaxing,
curled up on the bed.
---------------------------------
A cup of coffee
beckons me from my nightstand
to let worries fade.
---------------------------------
The morning drifts by
like slow moving, lazy clouds,
lost within its dreams.
---------------------------------
The clear, woodland air,
the sweet sounds of the river,
renew the poet.
---------------------------------
A true laze about
has both a bed and a book
to lose oneself in.
---------------------------------
Lunch at the river.
People play at water’s edge.
A gift of pure joy.
---------------------------------
A morning shower
transforms to a sunny day.
A slice of heaven.
---------------------------------
Darkness has fallen.
Quiet through empty campground.
Fall to blissful sleep.
---------------------------------
The afternoon sun
peeks through the towering trees.
Warms body and soul.
---------------------------------
Sun gave way to clouds.
Motivation level low.
Lazy day ahead.
---------------------------------
Time with family,
unburdened by life's demands,
brings inner rewards.
---------------------------------
At the winery
tasted sixteen local wines.
Sublime decadence.
---------------------------------
Last vacation meal:
hot, steamed crabs with Old Bay.
Crustacean delights.
---------------------------------
The car is packed up.
Back to regular routines,
rested and ready.
VACATION

Rain on the window.
Gray, ominous clouds above.
Still, it's vacation!
NEW LIFE

From a humble seed,
the buds blossom in the sun
as new life begins.
DREAM INSPIRED

A solid night’s sleep.
No end to accomplishments
inspired by dreams.
TO REST

To rest in slumber
releases the daily stress
and soothes a full brain.
SLEEP DREAMS

Floating through my head
are vivid, colorful dreams.
Heart and mind asleep.
POETRY MAGIC

I see a blank page.
By magic, thoughts become words
which become poems.
MAGIC OF LOVE

My center of life
revolves around the magic
in the love you give.
TO YOUR HEALTH

I wish you, my friend,
a speedy recovery.
My prayers are with you.
LACK OF SLEEP

What I lack is sleep.
Thoughts and plans race through my head.
Eyes wide open.
TO LACK NOTHING

When I am with you,
the world is full of promise
and I lack nothing.
FADING DARKNESS

When you force a smile,
a light overcomes darkness
and offers new hope.
GLIMMER

A hint of summer
fills the air with warm breezes.
The golden sun smiles.
KIND EYES

Your eyes are kindness
in their gray pools of comfort
where love overwhelms.
A KIND HAND

I give you my hand
to lift you when you’ve fallen
and see no way up.
NATURE RULES

Thunder and lightning
combine as a reminder
that Nature’s in charge.
GROWTH HELD BACK

The grass doesn’t grow.
Dandelions and crabgrass
overwhelm the blades.
MY SUCCESS

Success is defined
as achieving desires.
You are my success.
EMPTY TREASURE

There is no success
without family and friends
to share it with you.
AT JOURNEY’S END

Leaves cling to the trees
until nature sets them free,
their journey now over.
THE SUN

The warmth of the sun,
becoming one with my soul,
makes it own poem.
THE WORDS I WRITE

I write what I do
because love is what drives me
and you are the words
HEART OVER FEELINGS

To write is to hear
what the heart tries to tell us
when we feel nothing.
IMAGINE NO YOU

Imagine me lost
without your love in my life,
to never be found.
WITHOUT DREAMS

If I had no dreams,
the words that flow from my pen
would fade from the page.
OUR HOME

Here within these walls
is the perfect blend of us,
creating our home.
WATERLOGGED

Hot water heater
bursts like a raging river.
Backyard is flooded.
CONTROLLED LOSS

The loss of you hurts.
Memories control the pain
when good outweighs bad.
UNTIL LOVE

I once felt alone
in the most crowded places
until you loved me.
THE GARDEN’S PRAYER

Let the sun and rain
restore the beauty sleeping
beneath my soil.
SPRING'S WONDER

The wonder of spring
excites the faded blossom
with promise of life.
FREEDOM SINGS

The song of freedom
can be sometimes hard to hear
when we don’t listen.
MORNING MIST

Eerie images
enshroud the mountain campground.
Rolling fog abounds.
NEVER ENOUGH

There’s never enough
happiness to go around.
Smile for what you have.
LOVE’S PEACE

Silence between us
has never been a bad thing.
Love’s tranquil quiet.
MOVING FORWARD

Daylight Savings Time
puts winter’s wrath behind us,
giving birth to spring.
WITHIN YOU

Love is what I see
when I dare to imagine
the beauty in you.
DREAM UNREALIZED

They dream of stardom,
live but for fame and fortune,
drown in despair’s pool.
WINTER WHITE

Too bright for my eyes.
The snow mounds grow to new heights.
Too white and too cold.
WHERE I’M GOING

Where am I going?
Through nature’s gift of beauty,
I go home to peace.
THE RED ROSE

Mr. Lincoln’s rose.
A vivid, red reminder.
Blood shed for freedom.
SOARING

A dream cannot soar
if you clip the wings needed
for successful flight.
LIFEBLOOD

The candle wax melts,
drips down around its edges,
remnants of its life.
THE WORDS SPEAK

The words from my pen
speak of earnest devotion
when they speak of you.
SUMMER BREEZE

A light, summer breeze
envelops me in its warmth
and comforts my soul.
HUGS

Two arms around me,
wrapped in life’s great desire
to feel connected.
MORE SNOW

Snow is falling down.
Soft, white flakes sail through the sky.
I’m tired of it.
FIRE

Dancing in your eyes
is the blaze from your passion
burning in my soul.
CABIN

Cabin in the woods.
Fireplace alive with flames.
Smell of word burning.
RIVER FLOWING

Like a river flows
on to its destination,
your love flows through me.
TRAVELING HEART

Love travels freely
from one heart to another,
pure and unblemished.
CRUISE

The ship leaves at noon
to distant, exotic lands.
Warm sun and no snow.
LOVE SOUNDS

My ears hear sweet sounds
spoken softly through your heart.
Therein lies true love.
FURRY FRIEND

Silly smile, tail wags.
Love penetrates from those eyes.
Unconditional.
BRIDGE ACROSS THE AISLE
(One Can Hope)

They’re building a bridge.
Politics take a backseat
to find common ground.
DESIGN

In all that we see,
His design is well planned out,
and we are enriched.
NURTURING

My withering heart
blossomed like a spring garden
tilled by loving hands.
LOVE DEFINED

From this poet’s eyes
defining love is easy.
I just look at you.