Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 107

Out of Sight

Where can I go to hide out of sight

So no one will witness the tears I suppress?

Tears so unmanly, exhibits of shame,

Not meant for viewing in open display.

 

Keep me in shadows away from the light.

Spare me the duty, the need to confess.

Finding a scapegoat to shoulder the blame.

Wanting so desperately to get away.

 

Reasons aplenty abound for such flight,

Though reason of common sense loudly protest.

No one can understand what’s in a game

Where everyone loses who chooses to play.

 

Don’t give me grief, for I have the right.

I’m a participant, not just your guest.

The hurting will end and I will lay claim

To the beautiful prospect of a new day.

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Bless You

May the favor of the living

Ever shine upon your face.

May the mercy of forgiving

Spin its web around your heart.

May the one who sits on high

Fill your spirit with His grace

And bless you with a confidence that

Never shall depart.

May you always find good fortune

As you journey down life’s road;

Any sorrow you encounter

Be no more than you can cope.

May you always see the positive,

Accentuate the good,

Keep the fire burning brightly,

A lighthouse yielding hope.

You alone can make a difference

If your heart is chaste and true.

Send your blessings out into the world.

They will return to you.

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Trekking the Stairs

Thirteen agonizing landings,

Obstacles to need,

Between me and where I need to be.

Thirteen up and thirteen down,

Time and time again.

How many times?

How many hours?

If I only had a nickel…

Find me strength to make the journey.

Find me breath for one more flight.

Blessed that I don’t make a misstep 

And become a casualty.

Lord, take that blasted second floor and

Level it to closer ground

That I might lose these Devil stairs

And keep my sanity.

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My Front Porch

Just sitting here watching the world go by,

Me and my front porch.

Whittling time, chewing people pie,

Swallowing with delight.

Maybe a book to speed time along

Or fill in an empty space,

Sipping my unsweetened lemonade

In between people pie bites.

I spy as a robin peruses my lawn

For manna to feed his brood.

A little gray squirrel tiptoes up my steps

For handouts I gladly dispense.

Somewhere aloft and out of sight

A raven blares in dismay.

Curdling cries of ‘nevermore’

To make the bravest heart wince.

Soothed by wind chimes, a gentle breeze

Precursors a quiet rain,

And I settle in, content once again,

Monarch of my domain.

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Long Drive

Where does this highway meet its end?

This endless serpent of concrete and asphalt

Is strangling, constricting every

Mass of tissue, every bone.

 

Pervasive boredom leaps to mind.

I’ve made this trip a thousand times and

Every one is like the last.

I could do this in my sleep.

 

Warnings on the radio, another detour up ahead.

Do I find an alternate or take my chances with delay?

Do I play the stop and bop or

Zig the zag with traffic tag.

 

Another lane jockey scurries by,

Zipping in, zipping out without a signal,

Without a clue.

Oh, where are the Smokies when you need them?

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Who Do You Want To Be?

Everyone wants to be a hero.

Who do you want to be?

You could have a million

Storied moments to relate.

Choose a scene to make your entrance.

Save the day again before you

Fade into a distant sun

And memory decides your fate.

 

Just beware that memories are short,

Victim to perception,

Matters of convenience often

Measured by degree.

So be sure to know the cure

At your dreams inception and

Enjoy the ride when you decide

Who you really want to be.

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Walk on Water

Maker of miracles,

Wizard of wonder,

Hero of hope who can

Walk on water.

Arch our amazement,

Ascend to its apex,

Bridle benevolence to

Peak your praise.

Those in the throes of a

Weakness to worship

Bend without breaking to

Kneel on one knee,

Wondering when you will

Suddenly sink in

The dastardly depths of your

Self-imposed sea.

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Movie Stars

Streaming strips of celluloid,

Heroes in a can.

Lifestyles played out in a box

For all the world to see.

Millions cry delirious

To be the biggest fan,

A fantastic fanatic of

Frenetic fantasy.

Who made all these movie stars?

Why are they so special?

Is it not superfluous that

They exist at all?

In the grander scheme of tribulations

We must wrestle,

They won’t get a single

Curtain call.

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Girl of My Dreams

All through the ages artists have struggled,

Poets have sought to recreate

The unknown essence in your eyes,

The one thing time can never erase.

Gentle nuance softly caressing,

Yielding to innocence,

Lost in your arms.

Playful obsession, teasing and tempting,

Giving and getting in equal repose.

Fortunate one to feast at your table,

To taste the champagne of your sweet supple lips.

Bathed in candlelight flickering softly

As feathery fingertips lightly caress.

Touching my soul in its deepest recesses,

Raising my body heat to fever pitch,

Teasing and pleasing til passion is sated,

Fires abate, only embers remain.

My sweet Juliet, Helen of Troy,

It was you taught Mona Lisa to smile.

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Seasons

I’ve watched you as the years roll by

Season leading into season.

Springtimes gently yield to summers,

Winters following the fall.

Gracefully you’ve kept your promise,

Step by step you’ve held my hand,

Walking every millimeter with me,

Scaling every wall.

With me as the blossoms sprouted,

With me in the heat of passion,

With me as we harvested the

Bounty of our growing vine.

Now as days are growing shorter

Let me linger in your eyes,

Kiss your lips, your honey hair,

Let me mellow in your wine.

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