Good Grief

Where glassy water lies between the mountains,
the sun slides down the smooth and spotless sky.
Its twin approaches from the silvery mirror
to meet it in a sweeter by and by.

A dreamer sits conversing with his beagle
and lets his feet relax upon the lake.
The canine sits resigned and free of troubles
while Charlie Brown mulls over each mistake.

I'm wishy-washy, insecure, and pensive.
I've tied my heart to someone I don't know.
My doctor is an immature enigma.
My closest friend won't let his blanket go.

My sister whines when I can't give her answers.
The music geek is hopeless and alone.
My dog knows more of life than I could hope for.
The one who calls me "Chuck" is on the phone.

The day I kick that football, I'll be stymied.
My flying kite will spark the end of days.
I've yet to lead my baseball team to victory;
they have no grounds to shower me with praise.

I always overthink life's modest questions
and get depressed when Christmas rears its head.
A valentine will never reach my mailbox.
A careless sleep will never grace my bed.

So there he sits, a young distraught escapist,
with no one else but Snoopy at his side.
Upon a quiet dock of contemplation,
he seeks to find a happiness denied.

Perhaps he seems to think his life is empty,
that nothing ever goes the way it should,
but Charlie is a champion of wisdom;
a journeyer of pure, relentless good.

Throughout the years, he'll know his fate is certain,
wrought with all the luckless turns of chance.
The little red-haired girl will never love him,
despite how much he aches for true romance.

For though he'll never find the strength to kiss her,
the angel whom he pines for in his mind,
his love will be enough to keep him happy,
sheltered in his heart, forever blind.

He's only eight, and yet he's still our teacher
for never holding back his constant pride.
The winner is the kid who fought and conquered,
but Charlie is the hero 'cause he tried.

Our confidant is noble in his failures.
His grief is good, his friendship's there to take.
Today, he looks for questions, not the answers.
He's just a lonely boy across the lake.

-ajs