Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 131

MONEY, MOOLAH, DOLLAR BILLS

Would it be trite for me to say that

Money is of no importance?

After all, we must transact

The basics of society,

And since the sense of simple barter

Is antiquated in our time,

Seems little else is useful in

Acquiring life's necessities.

Sad that it's become the driving force

Of all ambition's quest.

Sad replacement for the values

Honor gave nobility.

Graven image placed on altars,

Worshiped as a god on high,

Crass excuse, when all else fails,

For loss of sensibility.

Would that times were simpler,

When hope lived steadfast in each heart,

And life was not a mockery of

Blaming others for our ills.

When the art of living off the land

Was still a possibility,

And life was not a cutthroat game of

Money, moolah, dollar bills.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

WHY DO I WRITE?

Weaving lace with words and phrases

Is a craft I've known since childhood.

Finding subtleness in language;

Romantic eccentricities.

Twisting metaphoric diction

As the ink flows onto page,

Filling, flooding, overflowing-

Miles and miles of deep emotion.

New twists.,

Old twists,

Trite distinctions,

Flavoring, savoring conversations

Dulled by enigmatic charm.

Afraid to harm linguistic manners,

Searching, striving for the next

Euphoric phrase meant to impress.

Never quite as comfortable with

Confrontations face to face.

Preference yields to empty pages

There before me to complete.

Conversations live but moments.

The written word knows no defeat.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

A FEW MORE DAYS OF WINTER

The ground hog has performed His task,

Prognosticating Winter's slow demise

Into a kinder gentler forum

For the weather-weary.

 

Days begin to show more hope as

Sunlight tends to linger more

And skies of Winter gray begin to

Shed their mask of dreariness

To shades of blue and puffy white,

Riding on the wind of change;

Looking to be rid of frost,

To chase away cruel Winter's bite.

 

Unpredictability seems

More the norm than usual and

No one knows what new surprise

Is waiting with the light.

 

Nodding off at evening wondering

What tomorrow's light may bring.

A few more days of Winter

'Til the sweet respite of Spring.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

THE QUESTION

He had no idea he'd be asking the question.

It came as a shock;

A total surprise.

As if someone else's voice was escaping his

Lips, taking control of his mind.

 

Some haunting ancient apparition

Entering into his thoughts,

Guiding to a new commitment;

Two hearts deeply intertwined.

 

Now the night is deftly quiet.

Everything to say is said.

Except for one last burning issue

Which has waited patiently

For conversation's intersection,

The perfect point of interjection,

From his soul escapes the question,

"Darling, will you marry me?"

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

MOTHER... PACING

How many evenings yesteryear did

I stretch deep into the night?

Burning off the energy which,

In those days, seemed without bounds;

Bending rules with laughter until

Daybreak nearly caught me in the act

Of cheating tender sleep.

I tread on stony ground.

 

Time was nothing way back then,

And night was merely lightless day.

My candlewicks were double-edged

As Mother paced the night away.

No lectures or conjecture when

My footsteps tiptoed past her door.

Three simple words, "Are you alright?"

No need to question any more.

 

But I could see the telltale signs,

The lines of worry hid from sight,

The deep concern she tried to mask;

Mother... Pacing through the night.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

SIBLINGS

Lord, have mercy on the only child

Who's never known the discovery

Encamped within a combat zone;

The thrill of sibling rivalry.

The crazy love / hate dinner date

That dances unromantic circles

'Til it forms a bond so strong

That pry bars cannot separate.

All too often goes unnoticed;

Pity when it goes unsaid;

Pride -  Or simple foolishness stands

In the way 'til it's too late.

Even though the miles between

Grow distant with the passing years,

The bond remains in memories so

Intricately intertwined

That time cannot erase the easeled

Portraits of our youth.

The sun-drenched grapes of yesterday

Mellowed sweetly in the wine.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

HOME

What better place to go....

When the trials and tribulations

Of the helter skelter day

Have led you to a state of weary

Far beyond all normal bounds;

Frustrations climb the highest peak

To strangle reason's lifeless bones,

And screams build up inside your

Spinning head until it reels,

What better place to go to than to home.

 

When boundless joy has entered

And laughter echoes memory's walls,

The music and the dance drain

Every ounce of energy,

The smile still lingers, whispers softly,

Speaks to every pore,

And life is good

And living fine

And peace resides within,

What better place to go to than to home.

Home is where all hearts reside.

Home is somewhere deep inside.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

LOVE LETTERS

I can't believe you kept my old love letters;

Tucked away in a box like some forgotten treasure.

I scarcely dare to think "Who was that young

And daring fool

Who spread himself so unabashedly,

With such full measure;

Who opened up so blatantly

The secrets held inside

And spread them out onto the pages

For just your eyes to see."

All the private hopes and dreams;

Desires to be fulfilled;

All the dreams which we both knew

Were somehow meant to be.

We were young and we were foolish

Filled with floods of youth's desires,

Warmed by longings, fueled by hope,

Hearts ablaze with passion's fires.

Now you sit there on the floor

Reading every single line

As if it were the first time through.

All is new as you relive

Each paragraph as they unfold

To kiss a tearful eye...

And I, your silent sentinel,

Am left to wonder why.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

I TRULY BELIEVE...

...and these things I truly believe.

...that the sun will arise in the morning

To caress the essence of midnight dew.

...that the trees grow much taller than I am.

...that the robin's song is always new.

...that the heavens are drenched with an artist's pallet

When evening's sun sinks low.

...that you and I are forever, and that's

All that we need to know.

...that the children are our future.

Teach them well.

Give them heart    

Show them truth.

All we are upon reaching adulthood

Are the things that we learned in our youth.

...that the yearning which comes from inside of us all

Is the passion, which shows us the way.

...that the caution which bids us  to strive to survive

Gives us pause to reflect and obey.

...that my life would be hollow without you.

...that it's meaning would soon fade away.

Facing east, we both search for the sunlight...

Side by side we await the new day.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin

DARK SECRETS

Every closet is filled with secrets,

Shadowy ghosts from a distant past

Kept locked away from prying eyes

As though revelation will destroy

The pristine perception we serve up as image,

Not wishing to show our seamier side,

Not wanting the world to think too unkindly

The fact that we may have something to hide.

 

Where do secrets go when unspoken?

Why do we utter in whispers so low

That only one set of ears captures their caption?

Why speak at all if no one should know?

 

The truth of the matter...

The proof in the pudding...

The secret of secrets is

Hidden like gold.

Secrets... Dark secrets

Are only a myth,

And no one knows of them

Until they are told.

 Lulu Storefront: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dsmartin