How can I say thank you for being my strength when my own failed me-
for putting yourself aside to comfort my ailing spirit?
Thank you to you, who read to me from love's pages when my heart was breaking,
who made me laugh through the tears I thought would drown me.
There are no words significant enough to express my gratitude.
Your sensitivity and concern brought clarity to thoughts jaded
by pain- simple gifts that allowed a semblance of sanity amidst
a whirlwind of betrayal and doubt.
Across the miles, you reached selflessly to pull me out of
an abyss of shadows.
How can these words be felt as much as your kindness-
for your voice was a soothing lullaby that guided me
from restlessness into the dreamless sleep I longed for.
You opened arms that held me until my demons fled
and offered me companionship when solitude frightened me.
When seemingly solid foundations gave way from under
me, your friendship broke my fall.
If only you'd known, with just a word from you, my heart,
though broken and winded would have been yours.
You chose not to offer that temptation, even though
I clung to hopes you would give me a chance to give in.
Any attempt on your part to claim my love for your own
would have been an effortless success.
You stayed when I turned from you in fear-
fear of failure in attempt to be an answer to your prayers,
the complement you waited for so patiently-
fear of disappointing the perfection I saw in your eyes.
Instead, I placed my hopes again before heartache's door
sacrificing the fruition of my dreams for familiarity.
Still, you are here, listening to my song,
offering solace to my tearful soul
I'm richer for your presence in my life, in any capacity,
for the warmth felt in your compassionate embrace.
The purity of your vision and creativity awakened the dreamer in me.
So many times I was inspired by simply viewing the world you paint
with the colors of your heart.
On bended knee I called out to heaven and yours was the only voice I heard.
Please accept my humble thanks for being you.
RLT �2000
