Unfinished Plans

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Even love's good memories can hurt;
Sharply tangy and so bittersweet,
'Cause a memory is just something gone,
Of things that will never be complete.

So many things you didn't do
When you had the chance;
You still see them on that list,
A place, an act, that special dance.

And even if there's no regret
For all the times you had,
You still yearn for the should have been's
And it makes you feel so sad.

So you ache for the lost dreams
That, now, will never come true;
And you dream of just one more chance
That you know will not be given to you.

You feel the good memories creeping in,
And you try so hard to shut them away
Til you can look at them once more
Without feeling the loss and hurt of today.

Only a Mistake

BY CAROLE NICHOLS


It's the dark thoughts that torment,
Taunting the mind, forbidding rest;
In a room as silent as a tomb,
The weight, cold and heavy in my breast.

My eyes feel a disquieting burning,
I've never before been a mistake;
The description of me will not leave,
And it's so very hard to take.

My God, it's a bitter, biting thing,
How many others have walked this path?
Falsely accused, yet even the truth,
Will not alter the cutting wrath.

I close my eyes against the pain,
Trying to find some inner peace;
I can almost smell the illlusive scent
Of that place to give the hurt release.

The breakers beckon in the foam,
As I go once more to that salty shore;
With a tempting view of the horizen,
I don't have to be a mistake anymore.

This waking dream of longing,
Urges my weary soul to follow,
Join the dolphins in their gentle play
Let the tide wash away my sorrow.

My soul is tempted to give in,
The mistake of my life wash clean;
Let the sea envelope and hold me,
Eternal rest where I've never been.

Yet the mind still twists in turmoil,
For even death won't make it right;
It's a terrible thing to long for,
But dark thoughts hold the only light.

It isn't fair, and you live in hell,
My hands have been so neatly tied;
I'll be your mistake for the rest of my life,
Even when truth is on my side.

Remembrance

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Remember white, cotton clouds
Playing in a summer breeze;
Remember bittersweet kisses
Stolen 'neath the cherry trees.

Remember raindrops falling,
Invading a lover's bed.
Remember soft, sweet nothings,
Whispered at a lover's head.

Remember night's enchantment,
Sleeping flowers, smelling sweet;
Remember all those nights
As lovers, you would meet.

Remember all the love
You gave to keep him here,
And remember when he left
How you wanted him so near.

See, the clouds have darkened,
And the grass is turning gray;
The rain becomes your tears
On a cold and endless day.

The Last Dance

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Muted shadows struggle
Against the dying light;
Swaying in the stillness
Of poignent memories.
Holding but for a moment more
A dream shattered with the sun;
Ghostly smiles etched
Into faces lined with sorrow;
Grooved with eternal regret,
Tear dampened by the loss
Of something wonderful, yet fragile.
Heads bowed close, eyes clenched shut
Fast against the truth;
Hearts too wounded to continue;
Twas' but a dream,
Fading slowly into shadows,
Dying in the darkness
Of that last dance.

When I Kissed You Goodbye

BY CAROLE NICHOLS
My heart was as dark and cloudy
As was the sky on the new-made day;
There I stood in the chill and kissed you,
Preparing once more to go away.

I smiled through tears you didn't see,
Yet they threatened to fall like rain;
Drove into the morn, never looking back,
Alone, adrift, heart heavy again.

You couldn't have known how I felt;
From even myself, the truth was hidden.
But it was all there in that kiss;
Even if those feelings were forbidden.

Like a child I believed in the fairness of life;
Like a fool I believed in the goodness of you.
Your touch blinded me to the truth;
A colder heart might have made it through.

If I could have just looked inside
To read what was written in your soul,
Perhaps I could have walked away,
Left with my heart still whole.

But I placed myself in the palm of your hand,
Never dreaming you'd ever make me cry.
I should have felt it with the morning chill
When I stood there and kissed you goodbye.

Cold Feet

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

So cherished I feel here in your arms,
Protected and safe from all life's harms.
So touched I am by the love you show;
You mean more to me than you'll ever know.

Yet, my heart stops just one beat away
From giving my all, from letting me stay;
I know what you feel deep inside,
It's there in your eyes, it can't hide.

How precious I feel in your warm glow;
And I wish I could just let my heart go.
But to say the words now would be a lie,
For I'm still afraid to give love a try.

I love lying here, next to you,
But to myself I must be true.
There's a difference between love and needing;
But it's hard to see when your heart is bleeding.

To give my heart now would be so wrong,
For I still need to find just where I belong.
Yet, I promise you, now, by all I hold dear,
When I'm ready again, I want you near.

Ghosts Will Walk

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Some night in the darkest dark,
When clouds smother the fullest moon,
And the air is heavy with stormy heat,
Hinting of rain to be coming soon;
Should you stand alone in the pungent quiet,
Amid the trunks of spell-stilled trees,
The silence will talk, ghosts will walk,
Evoking long lost memories.

Ringing the mind, echos of thoughts,
That once burned with untold pain;
Buffered now by the silent midnight,
Cooled by the hint and scent of rain.
Hands can't touch, yet still they feel
A mental image the eyes can't see.
And the ghosts will walk, the silence talk,
And a prayer is said for a memory.

The Last Thing to Go

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

It's the first thing I see in the morning,
When I awaken from my slumber;
A mouth that forms a happy smile,
How long will I see it, I wonder.

For the image is here in my mind alone,
A part of all of you that I see;
The most precious part of the whole,
When those lips smiled so at me.

They formed such private words,
Which I hope were mine alone:
A special name, a unique line,
Echos now, since you've gone.

I know in time your memory will fade,
No matter how I'd like it to stay;
But like the Cheshire cat in the tale,
You smile will be the last to go away.

That smile offered such a friendship,
It said you thought I was worthwhile;
When slumber takes me again, tonight,
I know, once more, I'll see that smile.

Just Tonight

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Please, I beg you,
Don't hold me tight;
Don't speak of Forever,
Just love me tonight.
Chains that bind hearts
Often break into.
I don't want to be hurt;
I don't want to feel blue.
I've been burned by love;
Please, don't to me cling.
Let's just take this moment
And see what it will bring.

Fragile Flower

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Such a special, unique flower,
The seed was sown years ago;
Fed with wonderous dreams and hopes,
The seed did sprout and grow.

It stretched it's tiny, dainty limbs,
Touched by the warmth of a loving sun;
Grew straight and tall and proud,
Far and deep it's roots did run.

It blossomed in the early spring,
The flower, a fragrant work of art;
A delight to view in it's petaled pose,
And it possessed such a loving heart.

It was kissed by the summer rains,
The flower came to it's full glory;
Giving the gift of it's beautiful soul,
In what should have been the sweetest story.

But a flower has no protection,
From heartbreak's heavy, booted tread.
In one swift blow, the deed was done,
Her heart was crushed and she bled.

The little flower had done naught
But give all the joy it had to give;
It was trampled low without a thought,
And the fragile petals could not live.

It's broken heart was wounded sore;
Fading away, for even flowers cry.
It had just learned how to love,
It didn't want to wither and die.

But damaged flowers never heal,
They're uprooted and simply cast aside;
No one knew how unique it was;
Crushed heart, broken spirit, lost pride.

Holding to Forget

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

They danced so slow, they hardly moved;
To a sad song the band played.
Each lost in different memories,
Of love lost, and the price they payed.

Remembering the feel of cherished arms,
Treasured hearts they once knew;
Priceless smiles that lit their world,
Before their lives were torn into.

Tonight, they've hidden lingering sorrow
Under glittering lights and revelry;
Laughing, teasing, tasting the wine,
In hopes the other would not see.

The laughter is empty, like their souls,
For gone is the love that made everything right;
They hold on now in hopes they'll forget,
Praying they won't feel lonely tonight.

Both once held someone else
In the magic of love's embrace;
But now they cling to a distant dream,
And to each other in this dismal place.

When they look into the other's eyes,
They see reflections of souls so lost;
No glimpse of the light that once shown bright,
Just the glimmer of tears to show love's cost.

So they swallow a sigh at the music's end,
Swallow their pride and swallow their drink;
As they seach for a way to forget it all;
In another holding that won't let them think.

She Cries

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Fragile flowers, growing wild;
Grasped with wonder by the child,
Who in innocence doesn't understand
That it will die in her crushing hand.
Only time will make her wise,
So she feels her loss and cries.

Gangly girl growing tall;
Young mind confused by it all.
Doesn't understand the things she feels;
It will hurt her worse before she heals.
She cannot see how time flies,
So she sits alone and cries.

Young woman receiving love's first kiss;
Yearns to experience total bliss.
So she holds tight and spreads her wings,
Accepts the joy her lover brings.
Not knowing desire sometimes dies,
Face buried in pillow, she now cries.

And comes the woman now mature;
The future for her is not so sure.
Innocence and trust are all but gone,
And when she sleeps, it's all alone.
A victim of life and love and lies;
But at least she now no longer cries.

Done Too Soon

BY CAROLE NICHOLS


The darkest of thoughts, sad and hurting,
Come in the restlessness of the night;
No happy forevers, only happy for nows,
A haunting madness, of time out of sight.

Something that had no chance to die,
For it died before it could ever begin;
Searching and finding could never start,
Before it reached it's sudden end.


Dreams that were never meant to be,
Dreams that never should have been thought;
For such dreams are the whim of fate,
And the soul of fate as been bought.


All the things done too soon,
The end is loss, and loss is pain;
Masses of aching might have beens;
The priceless becomes the trinket plain.


The cost is high, the price is tears,
Done too soon, out of sight and mind;
It lives for a moment or a memory,
Things done too soon, and yet, I find...


As long as the sun rises and shines,
As long as the moonlight kisses my face,
There's hope that I'll not be done too soon,
That destiny will let me find the place...


Where even a moment will be my forever,
And I'll thank the stars for that chance,
Just to feel the love inside once more;
No matter the ending, let my heart dance...


And I'll not regret the course I took,
I'll harbor no ill if it's too soon done;
The time of my love might be but a flicker
But to feel it again, means I have won.

You Love Me

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

The words fall with full feeling,
Like gentle rain, from your lips;
Brushing like the softest of feathers,
As I trace them with my fingertips

I can only gaze at you in wonder,
For it's only just now I realize,
Those words are pouring from your heart,
They're shining brightly in your eyes.

You love me with all your heart;
And I receive it with joyful sadness.
I can only love you with all that I have,
To linger here would be pure madness.

I feel myself yearning to open up,
To feel what you feel once more;
Yet as lovely as you make me feel,
I can't open up that final door.

But I'll cherish your love for me,
Do my best to be worthy of you heart.
I'll take special care to do no harm,
And pray for the day I feel love start.

Point of No Return

BY CAROLE NICHOLS


When all the dreams you've dreamed,
Are shattered and scattered on the wind;
The pieces left are naught but dust,
That would take too long to find and mend.

When all your hopes become hopeless,
And your heart is broken beyond repair;
When you hurt so bad you cannot cry,
You find yourself too numb to care.

There is a tragic place you reach,
The mind decides it's all futile yearning;
It makes you give up on life and love,
You reach the point of no returning.

Your soul embraces the empty void,
As you say goodbye to all that was dear;
Then the blood shall cool in a forsaken heart,
For the point of no return is here.

Silent Screaming

BY CAROLE NICHOLS


Rooms and hallways, empty of life;
Remnants of curtains, tattered and torn.
No light to offer that tenuous warmth;
Silent as the womb of the yet unborn.

Musty, dusty, abandoned by all;
Damp faded colors staining the walls.
Leaving faint imprints of yesterday;
An aching loneliness the memory recalls.


Once there was sparkle and laughter;
Hope ran rich in the veins of the home.
With a flick of a switch the light went out;
Leaving naught but an echo of being alone.


And the memory can be a bitter pill;
That clenches the gut in a rousing pain.
For the house that held your heart and soul,
Is lost and forgotten, silent screaming again.

Losers in the Game

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

From the deepest chasm of life's pits
Comes a searching finger of query;
A meager soul seeking to rest,
Longing to ease a heart, love weary.

Slipping into the shadows of doubt,
The wind echos mournful sighs;
Not a place for one still with hope,
No matter how much the heart cries.

Into the garden of forgetfulness,
Statues there with no feeling;
Barren and bleak, no life inside,
No place for dreamers needing healing.

To the mountain high of memories gone,
Hearts there coated with gilded sorrow;
Time is forgotten, minds are blank,
No place for one with hopes of tomorrow.

Follow the endless river of tears,
Unable to soothe the thirst of the soul;
Till all hope drowns in bitter sorrow,
No place to make a broken heart whole.

When heart and hopes and dreams are shattered,
Where does one go to ease the pain?
When faith in yourself has been shaken,
How do you start to believe again?

This game of love is not often fair,
There's no reward for the losers;
It's a game of chance, a lot of luck,
There's a fine line tween givers and users.

There's no place for those who love alone,
Unless you call it a living hell;
And it takes so long to climb out of that pit,
It makes you regret you ever fell.

You Had No Right

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Love....you had no right to come to me
If you didn't plan to stay;
Never should have touched my heart
If you planned to go away.

Love....you had no right to make me feel
As if my world were right;
Should never have gently touched my lips,
Should never have held me tight.

Love....you had no right to make me sing
If the songs were going to turn sad;
Shouldn't have given sweet memories
If they were going to turn bad.

Love....you had no right to let me hope
That on your wings I'd fly;
Shouldn't have let me laugh and dance
If you knew that I would cry.

Love....you had no right to smile
When you saw the child in me set free;
That impulsive, daring, trusting sprite
Who let me be what you wanted me to be.

Love....you had no right to turn away
And leave me here, all alone;
The empty nest that once held my heart,
Is calling now...Love, where have you gone?

Dance of the Fire Flies

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Dusk creeps upon the evening air,
Melting the sky in a purple hue,
The fire flies dance in shadows,
As I lie here thinking of you.

In the twilight, all alone,
In the coolness of the grass I hide,
Reaching for the tiny flickers of light,
Wishing you were here at my side.

Like the fire flies, you danced upon my skin,
With you, I flew for a while,
I lay in the grass, watched you glow,
And I gave all I owned for your smile.

I wonder where you are tonight,
In what haven you linger and light;
A sigh tumbles forth as I watch the dance,
The shadows fall into night.

Memory in Velvet

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

When all the world is velvet soft,

When time stops to rest for awhile,

With eyes closed, I gently reach

And try to touch your smile.

When I'm surrounded by the clouds,

Where all my good dreams stay,

All I can hear is a low-keyed laugh,

Before the wind steals it away.

I search and search this velvet place,

Trying to grasp that missing part

That belongs in the empty chamber

In what is left of my heart.

Yet all I can see behind closed eyes,

Is the smile you gave to me,

I hold it close, this precious gift

Because this smile for me was free