Faith

Faith wraps a mantle of vitality around my caregiver  shoulders.

Patience, the horizontal weft of everyday moments,

eases the tension of the warp when anxiety threads its way

on a seemingly difficult day.

A quiet prayer calms my spirit as I hug him,

knowing that love will pacify.

I look into his eyes, recalling past days

when family and adventures were skeins of memories.  

His colorful thoughts fade from the present,

hanging like loose selvage from life’s tapestry, 

muted patterns with a patina of grace,  

woven by God to grant serenity.

Ann Favreau is a retired educator who lives in Venice, FL.  She is a member of the Florida Writers Association, Florida State Poets Association and President of the Suncoast Writers Guild in Englewood.  She has self-published six books.  Her newest poetry collection The Dementia Spiral (2024) received a semi-finalist award from the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards.  Ann makes presentations to local women's groups and loves sharing her work with others.

The Debit Card of Hope

Put hope in your back pocket

Along with the credit cards of life.

It’s a debit card of renewable love

Filled by God, family and friends.

Whip it out in times of stress.

Look upon its mirrored surface

And view the wonder of you.

Then rub the spirituality into your soul.

It’s the real cash of fulfillment.

Take hope with you 

On your lifelong journey,

The currency of stability

That purchases inner harmony.

Ann Favreau is a retired educator who lives in Venice, FL.  She is a member of the Florida Writers Association, Florida State Poets Association and President of the Suncoast Writers Guild in Englewood.  She has self-published six books.  Her newest poetry collection The Dementia Spiral (2024) received a semi-finalist award from the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards.  Ann makes presentations to local women's groups and loves sharing her work with others.

The roaring waves

In the roaring waves,

this ship is trapped,

pushed                back—

the hull wonders whether

the keel would kneel,

not strong enough to hold.

It shudders at the thought

of capsizing,

buried in depths unknown,

immobilized—

nothing in sight.

In the roaring waves,

the ship finds power to sail,

as the rudder pushes                      on.

Sinking, it thinks,

would be better than waiting

forever

at a deadly calm sea,

where the wind’s long gone,

without air to breathe.

It cruises forward

unsteadily

with a broken compass,

and a dream to dock ashore.

In the roaring waves—

this ship finds dread.

In the roaring waves—

this ship finds solace.

Jiji Lubis is a journalist, news editor, and columnist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. An occasional hermit with seven cats, she writes poetry as a therapy for her prolonged mental health battle. Her poems have been by *82 Review, Sage Cigarettes Magazine, Messy Misfits Club, and Raven Muse Magazine. Her Instagram is @ink.trospective.