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TAKE MY HAND by Carol Reedy Rogero

This poem came to me as one of my adolescent students entered the classroom…

As they arrive each morning I welcome my students at the door. On this particular day, with this particular student, the very moment our eyes met I knew that something had drastically changed her world. Reflecting on my own experiences at her age and wanting her to know that I cared, I asked her privately if she was OK. She gave me only a quiet “yes” and a nod. I could only tell her I’d be there if she wanted to talk. In the end she didn’t come to me or confide in me that day, but the hard hug she gave me on the last day she was at school told me that she knew I cared.

Take My Hand
by Carol Reedy Rogero

Take My Hand
Vacant eyes
heavily lidded
with life darkening curtains of sorrow.
Emptiness
where buoys of hope should float
in the pool of one so young.
What pirate ravaged you dear child?
Who poached the cheer from your smile?
When did a ghostly shadow eclipse your hunter’s moon?
Leaving you to flounder in woe
when castles in the air should replace your despair.
Let’s walk dear one,
up a distant dune.
Take my hand and discard the veil of death.
Journey with me where distant horizons await your arrival.
With you I will share my light,
so that your true destiny of joy will no longer go unseen,
and doom will no longer blacken your soul.
Take my hand dear one,
and I will help you excise the legion of demise
that has raped you of joy.
Take my hand dear one,
as the sirens of your past
fall to their death
and angels appear,
guiding your heart back
to the place of plenty
where you belong.


Carol Reedy Rogero: “By day I’m a 6th grade public school teacher, grandmother, mother, wife, daughter and sister. By night I’m a 3am poet and writer, a traveler, just like you, walking my path, trying to stop and smell the roses, be conscious of and respectful to my fellow travelers, and read the road signs along the way.  Each day I pray for guidance (there’s where the pedestrian life and walking with God comes into the picture) to make the “right” turns, do some good, and leave no litter behind.  My happy place is by the ocean, which I’m lucky enough to live near and where you’ll find me on most sunny Sundays, meditating, practicing yoga, writing or scouring the beach for trash and heart shaped coquina. I love to read, write, travel and discover the connections that we all have with each other. I blog here, where I hope my readers find something inspirational that speaks to their heart and touches their soul.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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