Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 140

Empty Nest

This house was once a teaming, screaming,

Rowdy loud menagerie.

Sometimes it seemed a thousand feet were

Pounding floor from dawn to dusk.

At times my own voice cracked as I related

My displeasure with

The maddening annoyance

Singing, ringing in my ear.

Praying for a moment, just one

Minutes peace to calm my nerves.

Wondering if it would have been

Wiser to be celibate.

Settling disputes with the diplomacy of

Solomon. Finding commonality to

Wash away all doubt and fear.

Now there's such a peaceful calm

Surrounding every moment that

I feel as though my life is truly blessed.

And yet at times I find myself reflecting

On the sweetness of the life we knew

Before our empty nest.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Love's Consequence

You would have me change, but

I don't want to change.

I like myself.

Just the way you see me

Is the way that I intend to stay.

You keep saying you've made

Your concessions just

To be with me,

But your confession isn't what I need

To make me change my way.

 

Haven't I expressed to you

I love you just the way you are?
Wouldn't have you change a thing

Or make you sing a different song.

 

…Except for just a few annoying habits.

Oh! Such little things like

Always being late.

You know I hate to have to wait too long.

And what about the way you jump on

Every little phase or fad?

 

…Hold on just a second.

Maybe change is not so bad.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

A Lot Of Work To Do

Listen to the lovers as they

Bicker, tease and pine away

For what they haven't yet achieved

In their great quest for total joy.

 

Dreams laid often by the wayside

Waiting patiently their turn,

Battered, shattered, beaten, broken,

Like a child's forgotten toy.

 

Brave hearts will pick up the pieces,

Mend the break and carry on

With hope renewed and vision

Rising over that of lesser men.

 

Goals revised and redirected,

Spirits bolstered and renewed.

Never minding failure, finding

Favor to begin again.

 

If a dream is worth pursuing,

Always keep it within view.

If perfection is our goal,

We've got a lot of work to do.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

A Lot Of Work To Do

Listen to the lovers as they

Bicker, tease and pine away

For what they haven't yet achieved

In their great quest for total joy.

 

Dreams laid often by the wayside

Waiting patiently their turn,

Battered, shattered, beaten, broken,

Like a child's forgotten toy.

 

Brave hearts will pick up the pieces,

Mend the break and carry on

With hope renewed and vision

Rising over that of lesser men.

 

Goals revised and redirected,

Spirits bolstered and renewed.

Never minding failure, finding

Favor to begin again.

 

If a dream is worth pursuing,

Always keep it within view.

If perfection is our goal,

We've got a lot of work to do.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

"Goodnight. I'll See You In The Morning"

How many nights have I slipped in beside you

After the trials of the long day are done?

Nestling in for a well-deserved respite

From all of the cares that the world has laid on.

 

Cold winter nights where the nip of the air

Bites the covers as you snuggle close to my side,

Hearing the heartbeat, which lulls you to sleep,

Seeking the warmth that our bodies provide.

 

The cool of the spring when the windows are

Finally open and we hear the sweet serenade

Of the nocturnal creatures who lulled us to sleep

And then woke us at dawn with their vocal parade.

 

Summertime heat can be quite overbearing,

And drives you away to the bed's other side.

A quick goodnight kiss and you scurry away

Wishing the bed was again twice as wide.

 

Of all the seasons I think I love autumn

The most, when all of the world heaves a sigh,

And you start to snuggle back into my arms.

I never complain… never ask why.

 

We end each evening with a kiss and

A solemn promise; not a warning.

Touching your cheek I softly pledge,

"Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Butterfly

Flittering, fluttering all about

The garden on your silent wings,

Gathering the nectar of each

Flower's welcome bloom.

Pacing never, racing ever,

Bothering no single soul,

You dance your dance and

Weave a spell upon your magic loom.

 

And I become a witness as

You search the world in your brief time.

I watch as you emerge

Breaking free from your cocoon

In burst of brilliant colors which

Could rival Pharaoh's treasures,

And then disappear to darkness

All too soon.

Time escaping, passing by,

Watching with your painted eye,

Stopping not to question why.

Fly my little butterfly.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Starlight

The sun fades in a distant west as

Twilight caresses the evening sky

With its' gentle colors of passionate pink,

And tiny pinpoints of starlight ensue.

 

Time grows weary and all the concerns of

The daylight dim as the sun settles in

To the tree tops, resting but a moment,

Offering promises old and new.

 

…And you fill my evening well into the night,

Holding my hand as the starlight appears

To capture the Heavens, filling the darkness

With all its' abundance of elegant grace.

 

Treasures abound in the evident spectacle

Born in amazement, meant to be shared.

But diamonds and gold can never compare to

The wonder I find in your sweet loving face.

 

No matter how long I may walk on these beaches,

No matter how wondrous the luminous prize,

Nothing on Earth or on this side of Heaven can

Outshine the starlight in my lover's eyes.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Angels Weep

The raven stalks a sleepless night

As silent darkness blankets all

The landscape of a troubled world

And destiny prepares to call.

 

Truth comes hard to those who wait

And wonder far beyond the day.

The silence catches unaware

And leaves a bitter bill to pay.

 

The only solace is a trusting

That the end brings yet a new

Beginning of a better making

Freshly born of morning dew.

 

Still the heart cries out in anguish,

Passions rising from the deep.

Prayers of longing and remembrance…

Lovers mourn as

Angels weep.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Restless Seas

What mammoth creature down below

Has been disturbed and stirred to movement,

Making her waters, once calm and serene,

An angry mass of a restless sea?

 

God help us all if she breaches the surface.

Heaven forbid we should look on her face,

Her Medusa curse turning flesh into stone

In the micro-instant before we can flee.

 

Youthful exuberance might have survived it,

But that was ages and eons ago.

No longer the Captain or even the mate,

Merely a passenger caught in the fray.

 

Seeking safe harbor at journey's end,

Wanting no part of the battle ensuing,

Turning from harm and seeking a Navy,

I close my eyes and humbly pray.

 

God, give me strength to weather the battle.

See me before you in bended knees.

Help me to yield to your unbridled wisdom

As I ride the crest of your restless seas.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Finding the One

Barren waters fill the ocean

And the waves forget to roll

As tides, abandoning their schedule,

Cease to offer ebb and flow.

 

Every dewdrop sent from Heaven

Yields a taste of salty tears,

And darkness offers cover as they fall,

So no one has to know.

 

Hopeful hearts seek out their treasure

Nestled deep beneath the sands on

Far off islands waiting for the

Magic of discovery.

 

Gold-filled chests and diamond lined tiaras

Sparkle in the sun

And hearts fill with the knowing that

This is how it's meant to be.

 

Finding the one, the single treasure,

Seeking to go the extra mile,

Capturing gold at the end of the rainbow

Makes the journey all worthwhile.

 Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin