Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 133

IN GOD'S NAME, AMEN

...Amazing what we humans do

And blame it on religion;

The way we take the word of God

And stretch it to our purpose,

Bending every syllable, each paragraph

And page to make the

Truth unrecognizable,

To rationalize our goals.

 

Just see how faith keeps changing

To suit the current times;

Sad reflection of our mores,

And not a guiding light.

Nations grow intolerant,

Perched high on their beliefs,

And, in God's name, prepared

To make a fight.

 

The God of my religion

Is compassionate and kind,

Tolerant and giving to the end.

And when I offer up a prayer

No enemies are mentioned;

Only thanks for what is given...

In God's name, Amen.

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HONESTLY

Honestly!

You'd think they'd never seen

A naked picture before.

Honestly!

Such prudish inhibitions

Make me wonder if they live

On this planet drenched in worldliness,

Seething in its seamy side,

Mass proliferation of the airways

And the media.

 

How could it be missed?

How could they be so blind?

How can they fail to deal with

The blitz of heart and mind?

Honestly!

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WORK ETHICS

Many a lesson I learned from my father...

Like when to be strong;

When it's proper to cry

For a man grown mature in his

Nurturing ways;

How to put dignity into our days

Which are labeled and numbered

'Til fate plays it's hand;

How to put back what we

Take from the land.

But by far the greatest lesson of all,

Taught by my father's example to me,

Was that work is a privilege,

Not a labor,

Nothing in life is for free.

Those who are hired by those willing to pay

Have a contract, a promise to fill,

And no one should need to look over your shoulder

To make sure you're paying the bill.

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FOR WHAT WILL YOU FIGHT?

This is my home; this small strip of Earth.

This is my property stretching from here

Down that pathway to there round and back

To this spot. It may not seem much, but

It's all that I've got of this planet

Where humans divide territory

And mark it with deeds filed away

In some vault.

 

This is my family. These are my friends.

These are the people held dear in my heart.

These are the lessons I've learned from

Acquaintances, shared expectations of

Being a part of the larger equation

Whose total is strong.

They are my people.  Here I belong.

 

This is my truth; my heart-felt belief,

Drawn from experience of all I have known.

Truth ever-changing, maturing with time,

Always growing, but never full-grown.

Dare we conflict with the truth of another

Whose pathway is just as sure

His truth is right?

Are we combatant?

Do we retreat?

Be honest.   For what will you fight?
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OLDER AND WISER

Growing older is not so difficult...

Not so different from youthful exuberance.

Steps may be slower...

Stairs may be higher...

Nights may be shorter...

Muscles may ache where

You never knew you had muscles before.

Physical tasks may be more of a chore.

 

But one learns to compensate,

Brain over brawn.

Pain is a teacher you both

Love and hate,

And patience becomes a constant companion

Who compensates freely

Those willing to wait.

 

Like the willow who bends,

Growing tall by the waters,

Biding the years, taking all in it's stride;

Older and wiser,

Weathering winter,

Seeking tomorrow

With arms open wide.
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SUFFER THE CHILDREN

I stood in line at the grocery counter

Where mother and child were just ahead.

This small supple mass of flesh and lung

Which moments before was announcing his ire

For the whole world to notice that

Something was wrong,

Some great injustice was being done

To his discontent, so he pierced the air

With nerve wrenching wails,

Which his mother apparently could not hear,

Or did she ignore?

Could she be the only one in the store who...

Of course not. How silly.

She's just on to his game.

Patience has conquered, at least for the moment.

 

And now he sits... Suddenly shy...

Tilting his brow... Avoiding my eye.

What is he thinking? If thought is a pattern.

What is he learning from this days event?

 

I wink as his view shyly shifts my direction.

He lowers his eyelids, confused for a while.

He glances at mother, and then back to me...

One more wink, and I capture a smile.
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GRAND OBSESSION

North star... Polaris... Guiding light;

Rudder and wheel... The wind in my sail;

Holding my ship on a steady course...

Never to deviate...

Never failing to be there

Beside me when others forsake;

Always giving much more than you take

In this dream we term life;

This magnificent dream,

Gliding serene

Leaving joy in its wake.

Is there any wonder I need you so?

Is it any surprise that we've lasted this long?

Is it grand obsession that holds us together,

Or simply the comfort in love grown strong.

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PASSIONS

Rising, as mist from a white frozen lake,

As a scorching Sun sears its soft supple flesh.

New Spring morning awakening senses,

Calling, beckoning, pleading its' case.

Crisp and clearing by mid-day and yet

Lingering quietly, memory pacing,

Recalling the freshness, the dewdrops on daffodils

Dancing as daylight escapes from its' hold.

 

Fingers tap softly on silky smooth shoulders,

Patiently waiting for hopeful reaction.

Pictures encapsuled in memory mindful of

Each minute detail I find in your face.

Tasking this creature who dwells here inside of me.

Dare to confront what I know cannot be.

Lord, give me strength to be perfect in battle.

Passions run hot until flesh is stone cold.

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Last Love

You were not my first love

But, if fate is kind,

You will be my last.

Let us then grow old together

Counting seasons wrapped

Inside each other's arms

Listening to the music that

We know so well.

Hold hands and strolling

Along beaches in our autumn sun,

Watching as the seagulls work

Their magic with the wind

And wondering what secrets

Lie beneath the sands along the shore.

We are two,

Yet we are one.

Bound in spirit, heart and soul.

Heaven smiles on earth below

To bring together our last love.

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Wishing on the Stars

I stand in the splendid darkness,

Head tilted back until vertigo threatens

My balance,

Counting the stars in an endless sky

Till I finally realize I can't

Count that high.

Standing in awe under heavens great canopy,

Gazing in wonder at pin points of light

That visit my eyes after eons of travel

Offering universal delight.

Stars give up wishes much like Aladdin's

Genie, grateful at last to be free.

I have but one wish to make of the heavens,

A wish that will bring your sweet love

Home to me.

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