Behind closed doors - a Civil War,

Between my heart and mind;

God forgive me for my sins,

As I leave this world behind.

On Tender Thought

On tender thought
I think of you
Your kind heart
Your words so true.

A personality
You often share
Your great love
And time you spare.

Your sweet spirit
Soft spoken word
Your great presence
I’m pulled toward.

Now I must ask
On tender thought
Don’t stop sharing
Your kind heart.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2004

Copyright ©2010 Randa Lee Hanes

The Blue Jays sing a song of Earth

The Blue Jays sing a song of earth –
But not as beautiful as mine
I look out the window and spring is gone –
But Summer will come in Time.

Yet Summer will leave
And Fall will come bringing Winter Along –
The Flowers will die – Leaves will fall –
Killing the Blue Jay’s Song.

The Cardinal Reds and Blue Jays come
They’ll fight for Sea and Land –
Like so many years ago –
With the British and Americans.

Now the Thaw has come
And the Birds are Back –
Some have Died – Some have been born –
The Song of the Blue Jay’s is Back.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in the style of Emily Dickinson in 2004

Copyright ©2010 Randa Lee Hanes

A Drummer's Song

The drums roll
The symbols crash
The bass’ pound
A drummer’s song.

The timpani sounds
The snares beat
The bongos tap
A drummer’s song.

Without the drummer
The band would die
So don’t ever forget
The drummer’s song.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2003

Copyright ©2010 Randa Lee Hanes

Irish Hills

The music rings
Through Irish hills
Fiddles, guitars, and banjos
Through lakes, streams,
And riverside mills.

Oh, the Irish lad
Sings the fiddler’s song
And climbs Irish hills
As the day is long.

The song of the drunken
Young Irish man
Is foolish and dumb
With rum in hand.

Upon the very top
Of an Irish hill
Is the Blarney Castle
With stone kissing will.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2003

Copyright ©2010 Randa Lee Hanes

Grandpa

I remember some things about you
Like your face and m&m’s
Your little house and wiener dogs
And other odds and ends.

My heart is full of love for you
I never will forget
I didn’t get to say goodbye
My parents still regret.

Someday I’ll tell my children
How good you were to me
Their great-grandpa Ronnald Hanes
Was the best grandpa he could be.

~This poem is dedicated to my Grandpa Hanes who died when I was 5 years-old.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2004

Copyright ©2010 Randa Lee Hanes

Grandma

You sent me home
After spoiling me rotten
You’ve passed on
But you’ll never be forgotten.

Homemade cookies
Candy and food
They always brought me up
No matter what my mood.

I look in the mirror
And see you there
But I could never be like you
With any small prayer.

I’ll love you forever
And miss you ‘til we meet again.

~This poem is dedicated to my Grandma Hanes, who died when I was 8. Her birthday is July 26th.


Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2004

Copyright ©2009 Randa Lee Hanes

What Happened That Day

What happened that day
Makes me ashamed
In the dead of night
A call came in.

What happened was
The lights went on
I woke up
And my mother came to me.

My dad was on the phone
My sisters still asleep
Twelve forty five
And I fell down crying.

My tired eyes couldn’t close
My parents left
And I felt all alone.

I laid in bed
With my head on the pillow
I was crying.

One o’clock, two o’clock
Three o’clock went past
Almost asleep
I turned my TV off.

Suddenly another call
I said “hello”
My aunt answered
I was wide awake.

I put down the phone
Walked into my room
And fell back into bed.

I laid in bed
With my head on the pillow
I was crying.

Six o’clock came
My movie was over
I took a shower
And sat in a chair.

I turned the TV on
The Muskegon news
Yet it didn’t show
What I wanted to see.

I fell asleep
Eight o’clock came
My parents came home
And put me to bed.
At one o’clock
I woke up
Went into the kitchen
And got something to eat.

We jumped in the car
And came to Whitehall
We stayed at a friend’s
And I slept all night.

Five days had passed
At the Sorenson’s house
I got all dressed up
And jumped in the car.

A big lady stood up
As intimidating as she was
She started crying
And I cried with her.

A stoned lady stood
In front of the room
“You say you know me
But I don’t know you.”

She kept saying those lines
Over and over
I tried not to laugh
But I couldn’t help it.

My uncle was dead
And I never knew
How much he meant to me
Until he was gone.

~This poem was written within a year of the death of my Uncle, Edward Hanes. He died July 24th, 2002 on his motorcycle, getting onto US 31 in Muskegon. We hadn't seen him in over 2 years.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2003

Copyright ©2009 Randa Lee Hanes

My Life

My life has gone by
On a zigzag line
I’ve hit every corner
And seen every sign
But not been able to
Go in a straight line
And I’ve not been able
To find a purpose that’s mine.

My life is in shambles
With mistakes and more
My family is not happy
Because we are poor
We’ve made it through everything
We are aching and sore
Our hearts are slowly dying
There’s no blood in our core.

I stumble and fall
And see all that’s behind me
And remember the suffering
The Lord once did see.

My life has gone by
On a zigzag line
I’ve hit every corner
And seen every sign
But not been able to
Go in a straight line
And I’ve finally found
A purpose that’s mine.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2002

Copyright ©2009 Randa Lee Hanes

My Home

My home is a haven
A place to keep warm
A shelter overhead
When there is a storm.
My home is a house
A house of the Lord
A place to stay safe
With no guns or swords.
When I feel sick
Lonely or sad
It's a place to feel comfort
Even when I feel bad.
My home is a haven
A place to keep warm
A shelter overhead
When there is a storm.

Randa Lee Hanes
Written in 2000, Published in 2004
Also Featured on Poetry.com

Copyright ©2009 Randa Lee Hanes