Life and Death

LIFE AND DEATH

Where will my life take me

if I stay on this track

Direction in my life I really do lack.

Two kids, a husband two cats and me

A house, two cars and a shady tree.

Is there really any meaning in this life of ours

Or are we just here, then we’re gone with no powers.

Where do we all go when we die after all

We’ll just never know til we happen to fall.

So does our life matter, I mean what’s the point?

We’re here then we’re gone, it’s all a moot point.

Death just causes so much pain

At the funeral God was crying so he made it rain.

If no one gets too close then you just die,

And no one will cry.

So that’s better you see

The less friends I have the less that will mourn me.

If I just hide inside my brain,

I won’t cause others any pain.

They won’t feel pain or sadness or loss,

They will just go on with their lives, with a toss.

So what I feel should just stay locked up inside,

That’s how mom lived, then she died.

With self expression comes so much risk,

People might not like me, tisk tisk.

It’s safer to just go along,

Then to open up and sing your own song.

Just go with the flow, don’t make a wave,

That kind of life is only for the brave.

My Story

MY STORY

Going to work, day after day,

For 13 years my life was that way.

I made lots of cash, had so much fun,

Pretended that money was priority number one.

Had lots of friends, went out on dates,

Danced at the clubs, searching for mates.

He came to my door, a blind date once again,

We played pool and drank wine,

became more than friends.

Work became a chore,

I wondered if there was more,

Life seemed to be passing me by,

I needed something else to try.

A child, I thought, would make the discontent go away,

Would give me a focus, a reason to get through the day.

So I had a baby, and became a mom,

Should we name him Marvin, Boris or Tom?

The first few months were scary and long,

Tired and in pain, I still sang him songs.

I stayed home for awhile,

so I could watch him get big,

Take his first step, pick up his first twig.

Drink from a cup, say his first word,

Play with the hose, chase after a bird.

Then I got lonely, bored and depressed,

I felt really sad, like I needed a rest.

I felt like a failure at being a mother,

I wanted my freedom back,

not taking care of another.

How will I manage, maybe working part time,

But daycare costs money,

should I just make up rhymes?

What should I do to balance my life,

I want to do more than be a mother and a wife.

I want to be a famous actress,

be the best at something,

But my child comes first,

so will I become nothing?

Never a singer, a dancer, a designer or a star,

I’ll always just be here, just exactly who I are.

So maybe I’ll pretend, if only for one day,

That when I sing for Jason,

I’m auditioning for a Broadway play,

I’m acting like Demi Moore,

when I’m rolling around all over the floor,

And that to my little boy,

I’m the biggest star he’ll ever see,

His eyes and smile tell the story,

and that’s enough for me!

Lori , 6/96

Poem to my Laser Surgeon

Poem to my Laser Surgeon

2003

For 30 years, I could not see,

With glasses or contacts, I had to be.

Groping for those glasses in the morn,

What time is it? I’d say, so forlorn.



Swimming, diving, it all was a chore,

I could never see the sand at the shore.

It all was so fuzzy, the world was not clear,

Then there was LASIK, but I had some fear.



Would it work? Was it safe? How would it turn out?

What was all this fuss about?

Cut my eyes? With a laser? No, it could not be true,

I was scared, I was nervous, but it was something I had to do.



I went to three doctors, they all said PRK,

Then I saw Turner, he did not have much to say.

Except, yes, I can do lasik on your eyes,

Well, you can just imagine my surprise.



OK, I said, let’s do it today!

I’ve been waiting for years,

We set an appointment in May.



I came in, settled down, and sat in the chair,

I waited my turn, they put a cap on my hair.

Then I went in and laid down on the table,

I stared at the light, as best as I was able.



After 10 minutes, I got up and was shocked,

I could see the wall and the time on the clock!

I felt so elated, so overcome with joy,

I wanted to shout to the world, I can see! OH BOY!



I went home, right to bed, and when I awoke,

It was true, my eyes worked, it was not a joke!

My life has been changed forever thanks to you,

Sometimes I can’t really believe that it’s true.



Saying “Thanks” just didn’t seem to be enough,

So I made this collage, full of paper and stuff.

I hope you enjoy it, it shows many eyes, Being cleared of the blur, we can now see the skies

Family Poem

2000

Another year gone by, my how the time does fly.

This year was great, we had some fun,

The kids are keeping us on the run.



Jason turned 5, he is no more a little tyke,

He can now tie his shoes and ride his bike.

He lost two teeth, under his pillow they went,

The tooth fairy lives on, the money is already spent.

Gameboy, and Chuckee cheese, these are his favorite things,

And riding his scooter, and swinging on swings.

And playing with Kevin, we must not forget,

And playing soccer and swimming, and jumping on the trampoline net.



Kevin is almost 3, and out of diapers…WHOPEE!!!

He keeps up with his brother, but wears out his mother.

Kevin likes to paint, and play Batman with his friends,

When Kevin is in the room, the activity never ends.

He is very cuddly, and smart you can bet,

He’s the cutest kid I have ever met.



Next is Bruce, what news can I tell,

We went diving this year, in Pulau and Cozumel.

It’s been twenty years since Bruce left Bucknell,

He went to the reunion, so many stories he could tell.

About his exciting life, painting doors and putting in a skylight,

And reading bedtime stories, and being woken up at night.

Yes the life of a dad is full of adventure and fun,

Bubble baths and playing catch, will we ever be done?



Now it’s my turn, to tell of my year,

I have not accomplished a lot, let me make that clear.

I worked a little, and played with the kids,

I wrote some poems, and some art work I did.

Volunteer in the classroom, swimming lessons and more,

I’m a soccer mom now, that’s for sure.



We want you to know, that all through the year,

We think of our friends, and wish you were near.

So Happy Holidays to all, and to avoid another election this bad,

When you vote next time, poke out the whole chad!



And don’t forget to call if your on the west coast!

Passion

2002

Pour out your heart to me

Ask me anything, I will answer

Swear you won’t hold anything back

Share your most inner thoughts

Invite me into your heart

Open your soul to me

Never let me go.



I want to share my soul with you

I want us to be one.

I want to love you with all my being.

I want to look into your eyes and see all the possibilities

I want to be connected to you in the deepest way

I want to feel free to let loose

I want wild, crazy, the outer limits, I want to the world, I want to scream, to laugh to cry as one.

I want life, joy, laughter, happiness, love, and tears, calm and peace.

I want passion, as tall as the mountain, deep as the ocean, limitless as the sky, big as the universe.I want to share my soul with you.

Poem for Oprah

Oprah’s Gift



You are one of a kind, you are changing people’s lives,

I hope that one day, I can give you a high five.

The message you are sending, to all of us out there,

Is that we can live our dreams, if only we dare.

We just have to search our souls, and allow our spirits to fly,

It only takes desire, then we can stop living a lie.

Just knowing that other people, feel exactly like I do,

Makes me realize I can change, that I can be joyful too.

I now have the strength to move ahead,

To reach into my heart and not my head,

I now feel excited to get out of bed,

My soul is on fire cuz now it’s being fed.



So thank you dear Oprah,

You’ll always be special to me,

You’ve given the world a gift,

You have set us free.





Lori Krein

October 15, 1998

Motherless Daughters Group

Motherless Daughters Group

2000

On Monday nights we all did meet,

We walked into the room and took a seat.

We looked around, strangers at first,

Then we started talking,

And the dams did burst.



Sometimes it was hard,

To get ourselves there,

The issues were so tough,

But once we did,

Our souls we did bear,

Even though sometimes it got rough.



We talked about our moms,

About love, about loss,

And how glad we were,

That our paths had crossed.



We all needed to talk,

To share some of our pain,

We all miss our moms,

As we walk down life’s lane.



We listened, we hugged, we laughed and we did cry,

We took a deep breath, and then let out a sigh.



Maybe now that we’ve shared some of these thoughts,

And found others who feel as we do,

We can help each other through the rough days,

And to our feelings we can be true.

Poem for "The Benefactor" show

Applied for the Show The Benefactor

2004



What would I do for a million dollars you ask?

Well almost anything, just give me a task.

There is one thing I hate and that’s snakes,

I would let them crawl on me, if that’s what it takes.



How would a million dollars change my life? I know how,

I could teach art to troubled kids, and I could start that right now!

Art is a way of expressing anger, pain or fear,

It’s better than beating someone up, on that I am clear.



Art was the only thing I ever felt good about,

But these days art is seen as something extra, so many miss out,

I want to share this passion I have, and tell all those politicians out there,

“Don’t cut the arts, this is something you should spare!

These kids need a way to create beauty every day!

They have so much to express, they have so much to say.”



This money would help me reach kids far and wide,

I hope you will call me, let your heart be your guide.

I would do anything, except maybe eat critters that are still alive,

I haven’t done something like that since I was five!



Thanks for your time, I hope my message is clear,

So many kids are living in fear,

I want to give them a way to feel good inside,

Making art will give them a sense of pride.

Friends Poem

Friends

A friend to me is someone who,

You can call when your feeling sad and blue,

You can tell them anything and they won’t judge you,

They make some soup when you have the flu.

They’ll stick by no matter what you do,

Friends are the best whether old or new.

I have so may friends they’re all so special you see,

I hope only that I give to them, A fraction of what they give to me

Lori Krein 2004

Poetry 2

Emotions



Emotions live within us all, they make us rise, they make us fall.

We all have feelings, good and bad, some are happy, some are sad.



Our feelings live within our soul,

If we don’t let them out, they might make a hole.

For feelings are meant to be shared with others,

With our friends, our kids, our sisters and brothers.



Love feels so good, to give and to get,

Love is just endless, on that you can bet.

And peace is so calm, like a smooth lake at dusk,

And quiet like the mountains, it smells like musk.



Happiness and joy makes us smile ear to ear,

It’s like playing with a puppy, or petting a dear.

But along with good feelings, sometimes we might find,

That we feel sadness or pain, but I really don’t mind.



Cuz I know that after the sadness goes away,

I’ll feel good again, it will be a new day.

Those feelings of grief or anger or rage,

Are gone, then I can start a new page.



So embrace all your feelings,

The good and the bad,

Don’t push them away,

You‘ll end up being glad!!!



Lori Krein

2000