Dependency

You are my dependency 

While I can live autonomously 

There are quite real feelings 

Nearly entirely dependent on you 

I know I am lovable and loved 

But, no one loves me like you 

I am friendly and have numerous friends 

Still, you are my dearest friend 

You are my closest confidant 

You are always my nearest shoulder 

You are, as ever, my heart and soul 

You are the yesterday I cherish 

You are the present in which I reside  

You are the future for which I hope 

Together or necessarily apart 

You are as close as my heart 

Your presence carries me aloft 

You make the unbearable manageable 

You are my haven 

You are my hideaway 

In the hardest of times 

You are my softest spot 

You are my comfort 

Your casual touch revives my spirit 

Your lips reinvigorate my soul 

The beat of your heart echoes within me 

You are my completion 

You are my dependency 

You are my ‘Valentine’ 

Ron Simpson Jr. 

February 14, 2025

Dreams

Don't lose sight of your dreams 

Sometimes, 

there are circumstances 

beyond your control 

These circumstances 

can cloud the future 

There may be times 

when it is hard 

to see your dreams 

through the haze 

Rest assured, 

They are still out there, waiting 

They are still part of your destiny 

You may be going through a rough patch 

You may feel you are lost in tall weeds 

You may be wandering 

it may seem aimless 

Understand 

there are countless paths 

that can lead to your goal 

Set your sights on those dreams 

Hold to the place where you saw them last 

You will find your way 

Don’t be in such a hurry 

Stop 

Breathe 

Relax 

Dream 

© Ron Simpson Jr. 

January 31, 2025 

Not Unnoticed

The day came and went 

The sun rose and set  

We went about our day 

It seemed, outwardly, to be 

Just another day

Not for nothing 

But the day was significant 

On that day, eighteen years ago 

You walked from mortal to immortality 

You opened one door and closed another 

We marked that passing 

With songs and tears 

We spoke of events and memories 

We held tightly to happier days 

We commemorated your life and work 

In the years since 

We have marked the day 

As is often wont to be done 

We have written poems 

Talking about our thanks and loss 

While the day and events that transpired 

Are forever etched in my memories 

They will go with me into my eternity 

Even writing this, I can see them unfold 

As if they are as fresh as that day 

This year I will remember your beginning 

I will celebrate the day of your birth 

Above the day of your passing 

I will mark the day differently 

Than in years gone by 

I don’t know exactly what that means 

Perhaps grief has ran its course 

Perhaps that burden has abated 

Maybe it’s just time to think about gainings 

And it’s time to release the thoughts of loss 

Regardless 

I choose to hold to the fullness 

I let go of the emptiness 

Thank you for being in my life 

Thanks for being a great father 

Thanks for being a wonderful mentor 

Thank you for being an example 

Thank you for being not unnoticed 

© Ron Simpson Jr. 

March 9, 2025 

Reverberations

I can still feel them 

The reverberations 

Of countless words 

Deeply in my life 

Words of unending love 

Words of raging anger 

Words of deepening joy 

Words of transcendental sorrow 

Reverberations 

Some bouncing harmlessly 

Around the periphery of life 

Others tearing through 

The underbrush and hedges 

Caressing gently 

Pounding torrentially 

Moving in confirming waves 

Shredding like a hail of gunfire 

All these words 

Words in and words out 

Continual 

Relentless 

A marching army 

Building 

Destroying 

Tearing 

Repairing 

Bringing life

Carrying death 

Bearing healing 

Bestowing havoc 

Bring your words

High with reverb 

Trigger-happy 

Malicious or benevolent 

Consider the end 

The final effect 

The power 

The reverberation 

© Ron Simpson Jr.

July 3, 2024

Death, As Usual

 Death

As Usual 

Nearly eight billion people 

I am merely a speck in this vastness 

My circle of contact 

Is around a thousand 

Still, just a speck 

In the abundance of life 

Teeming upon the earth 

With four point three births 

And two point zero deaths 

Occurring every second 

Someone somewhere 

Is experiencing the joy of life 

As well as the pain of death 

As usual 

It is not my aim here 

To minimize 

The tragedy of death 

Or to trivialize 

It’s accompanying grief 

Quite the opposite, in fact 

I am seeking to point out 

Death is integral to living 

To never lose is never to love 

To never care is never to grieve 

To never love is never to live 

And to quote JM Barrie 

“To live will be an awfully big adventure”

So, live 

Love 

Care 

Make friends 

Lose 

Hurt 

Weep 

Grieve 

As usual 

Do not be swallowed 

By the looming vastness 

Live raucously as a usual state

Love recklessly as a normality 

Do not be consumed 

By death as usual 

Shine your light 

Share your voice 

Write your words 

Sing your songs 

Feel your emotions 

(All of them) 

Live your uncommon life 

Express your unique passion 

Be Extraordinary 

As usual 

© Ron Simpson Jr.

May, 25, 2024