Once my daughter was distraught
Life seemed confusing
Questions were many
Joy was gone
And tears ran down her cheeks
Like rain from the clouds
I wanted to help her
I asked her what I should do
She said sit next to me mom
Don’t leave me alone
I sat with her
We talked a little
I tried to console her
But later she told me
I left too soon
She said she needed me there
I asked her what for?
Just to be with me mom
So I wouldn’t feel alone
Loneliness is the worst thing
During hard times
26 January 2019
Chocolate cures everything
A broken heart
A bad mark
A bad day
A nasty month
Chocolate melts in my mouth
And for a moment
My worries are gone
All that remains
Is the rich taste
The soft texture
The amazing smell
Chocolate makes everything better
A hectic day
Problems that come my way
Feelings of sorrow and confusion
Wondering about the solutions
It’s temporary, this feeling of relief
But it’s worth every calorie!
April 19, 2007
What does love mean
After the initial giggles and butterflies?
What does love mean
Besides a huge emotional upheaval
That changes one’s life?
What does love mean
Besides the pain of separation
And joy of reunion?
What does love mean
Besides laughter and happy times?
It means I’ll love you despite your shortcomings
Because I have those too
It means I’ll hold you when you cry
Because that time will come
It means I’ll walk along side you on the stony path
Life is full of those
It means I’ll catch you when you fall
Because you might
It means I’ll sometimes put you before myself
That I won’t get my way each time
It means I’ll problem solve and compromise
That I’ll be your companion for life
Love means I’ll work on our relationship each day
Because love needs nourishment
Love means we will walk this path together
Hand in hand, side by side
February 5th, 2018
Shiraz
My childhood
My early teens
Traditional Persian music
An underlying sense of sadness
That’s what the music evokes in me
I don’t know why
Somehow I associate it with
Melancholy
Despondency
Something somewhat tragic
Maybe there is a sadness in the
Voices of those who sing
Maybe I just remember sad things
People living difficult lives
Not reaching their potential
Being deprived of freedom
So much wasted potential
And yet they sing
They carry on
What choice have they after all
January 26th, 2018
Yes, one feels helpless and sad
One feels out of control of one’s emotions
One feels weary and anxious
But the worst part is that passion dies…
One’s zest for life
One’s zeal to start projects and carry them through
One’s energetic nature and optimistic way of thinking
All of these things fall by the wayside
And when I see someone speaking passionately about a subject they are invested in
I wonder why they can do that and not I
I wonder where my energy and fervor went
Where my desire to create and build something new went
Where my joy of being productive went
And I mourn the loss of passion
November 22nd, 2017
Sometimes emotions are so overwhelming
I don’t know what to feel
Should I be sad?
Should I be shocked?
Should I be astonished?
We put our faith in our fellow man
But so many times someone betrays that trust
And shatters the image we had built in our head
Then we have to readjust our understanding of reality
Perhaps we become jaded
Perhaps we become angry and frustrated
Perhaps we question the existence of justice and hope
But this state is not a healthy one
Hope is essential
Trust is essential
Faith that goodness exists is essential
Of course the hurt feelings will stay for a while
After all, we are not machines
All we can do is stay positive
Surround ourselves with good friends
And keep doing things that are worthwhile
Everything else is bound to work out
Because there is justice in the world
And even though some people try their best
To obliterate it, they won’t succeed
Justice will prevail
And light will overcome darkness
In the final analysis!
Lida Berghuis
September 9th, 2015
Speak your mind…
Say what you mean
Mean what you say
You’ll be happier
And others as well…
Hiding your emotions
Hiding your concerns
Is not a sign of consideration
And kindness
It’s a form of deceiving others
And yourself
When you pretend to be happy when
Your’s sad
You’re wasting a lot of energy
Keeping up the facade
When someone says something hurtful
And you remain silent
You’re hiding your emotions from them
So, speak your mind
With tact and care
Because you don’t want to hurt others instead
But speak your mind
Live out loud
It will serve you well in the long run…
Lida Berghuis
August 6th, 2015
Isolation and loneliness
Like a cancer spreads
The effects are gradual and invisible at first
But eventually manifest themselves
Isolation and loneliness
Don’t seem so harmful at first
But over time they do damage
To our souls and hearts
Isolation and loneliness
Not how we are meant to live
Independence is over-rated sometimes
Contact and compassion what we need
What heals
A smile, a warm touch
A healing medicine
‘How are you doing, are you all right’
Shows we care, helps us connect
Sometimes this is all it takes
To rescue someone from the grip of awful thoughts
Sometimes this is all it takes
To give someone hope to go on
Isolation and loneliness, weakens and saddens
Contact and helpfulness, heals and gladdens!
Lida Berghuis
January 11th, 2015
A brilliant smile on my face
Only if I felt like that inside
Too hard to share my pain with others
I put on a happy front
Acting happy, feeling sad
Acting like everything is fine
What you see on the surface
Does not reflect what’s inside
Acting happy, feeling sad
Cannot share the turmoil within
Too much to explain
What would I say?
It’s easier just to smile
Acting happy, feeling sad
An actress in my own life
But the script was not written for me
I’m writing it as I go along
Acting happy, feeling sad
Feeling unauthentic and unreal
Tired of putting on a show
There is no joy in this smile!
Lida Berghuis
*This poem was written a while back when I felt down.
It can apply to other situations in which we hide
our true feelings from others.
We think we are only lovable
When we are happy and all is fine
We think that others want to be around us
Only when we laugh and have fun
But in reality
Our true friends will love us even more
When our days are dark
And our emotions are low
They know we’re in pain
They know we don’t choose to be sad
They won’t abandon us
At times like that
I’ve been there too
Felt like that
Felt like I’m only lovable
When happy and glad
Felt like my tears would turn people away
Felt like my frown would bring them down
But those who loved me
Showed me I was wrong
They stood by me…
They held my hand when my hope was gone
When my days were cloudy and dark
I came to realise that we all have ups and downs
And the downs are what can bring us closer to those we love
We may feel not lovable at those times
We may wonder what’s wrong with us
We may be impatient with ourselves…
But not so our friends
They will love us back to health
They will give us a reason to go on
That’s what true friends are for
For happy times
But more so, for sad times
Lida Berghuis
November 26th, 2013
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