Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 162
March 3, 2021
Communication
What did you say? Please, say it again.
I didn't quite catch the last line.
Beg your pardon? Bad connection?
Oh, now I can hear you just fine.
"I'm sorry. May I interrupt what you're saying?
I have a few thoughts of my own."
So, we listen with passive intent 'til the voice
Becomes nothing more than a drone.
It's not an unusually odd situation.
It's not that we strayed from the norm.
If folks were as good at listening as talking,
They all would be better informed.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
March 2, 2021
Hoppy, Roy, the Lone Ranger and Me
I grew up on Saturday mornings,
Sitting tall in the saddle of my TV
Toting six-guns and riding the ranges;
Just Hoppy, Roy, the Lone Ranger and me.
Always the good guy, standing for right,
Looking for justice, hoping to see
All the villains get busted, given their due;
Just Hoppy, Roy, the Lone Ranger and me.
Many a lesson was learned in my youth
By keeping such stalwartly brave company.
Honor and truth were of utmost importance
To Hoppy, Roy, the Lone Ranger and me.
Who are the heroes of youth today?
Where will they learn what a hero should be?
I long for the days when it all was much clearer
For Hoppy, Roy, the Lone Ranger and me.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
March 1, 2021
Driving
Driving, to some, is a pleasurable chore.
To me, it's a pain in the neck.
Constantly taxing the mental capacity
As down the highway we trek.
Plummeting forward from every direction
To where the paths intersect;
Watching the signs and the bright signals flashing;
Each meant to guide and direct.
Struggling, straining, hoping we've made
The right turns as we try to connect.
Praying to make our intended arrival
Without getting into a wreck.
Yes, driving for some is a pastime of pleasure;
A theory I firmly reject.
But for getting around from point" "a" to point "b",
It's the method I always select.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 28, 2021
Don't Shoot the Cook
After some consideration of the menu
You order your selections one by one.
Your server writing down each little detail;
Hanging on each word until you're done.
Aiming just to please you with fine service;
Knowing fully their gratuity
Is dependent on your satisfaction,
They smile and act as pleasant as can be.
Your order quickly placed for preparation,
The cook assembles the ingredients.
Knowing full well your anticipation;
Working hard with swift expedience.
Your meal prepared by your precise direction;
Served promptly, friendly, strictly by the book.
So, if it's not exactly to your liking...
Who placed the order?
Don't shoot the cook.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 27, 2021
Cherry Blossom Smile
Show me just a little of
That cherry blossom smile.
Not too much,
Just enough to last me for a little while.
Wouldn’t want to overload
Else I be filled with wild desire and
Unable to concentrate on
Anything except your fire.
Must admit a lustful bit of
Anguish when I hear your name.
Cannot hide the awesome pride of
Knowing that you feel the same.
We are two and we are one,
And that is how it’s meant to be.
Yesterday until forever,
Lifetime is our destiny.
Every footstep hand in hand,
We face every trial,
And everything I need is in
Your cherry blossom smile.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 26, 2021
Wonderland
Follow into wonderland.
I know Alice wouldn’t mind
The company of one more fool
As she winds through her fantasy.
Riding on her magic mushroom
Hiding behind Cheshire grins,
High tea parties,
Birthday wishes,
Getting large, then small again.
Bashful dormouse taking cues from
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum Dum,
Bash heads with the Queen of Hearts
Until your tale is a conundrum.
Land of wonder
Isle of pleasure
Transport to another plain,
Transitory sanctuary,
Only fantasy remains.
Feeding souls the breath of freedom
From the humdrum daily plan.
Respite sought but for a moment,
Peace abides in Wonderland.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 25, 2021
Humpback
Oh, great lumbering peaceful giant
Hovering high over oceans floors,
Cooing the resonance of fond contentment,
Ne’er a complaint or tone of resentment,
Knowing no boundaries or doors.
Fair neighbor to all of your seafaring mates
Who abide with good comfort in spite of your size.
No enemies threaten except Ahab’s kin
From otherworld trappings again and again,
Seeking to make you their trophy and prize.
Lord of the oceans, Titan giganticus,
Hope lives for all as long as you reign.
Give us your peace so we may know our fate.
Teach us to live without sorrow or pain.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 24, 2021
Old People
There’s something to be said for growing older.
When you think of the alternative
It’s not so bad at all.
In fact it would seem sad to miss
That time of quiet reflection,
Remembering the good, the bad,
The Cinderella ball.
The burdens of the world upon their shoulders,
Though labor seems to be a slave of youth.
Quiet desperation to find harmony,
Seeking the benevolence of unrelenting truth.
Every wrinkle, every line a story to be told,
Lessons learned more valuable than solid bricks of gold,
Treasures far too precious to be ever bought or sold,
Guiding young hearts through the trials
As pangs of youth unfold.
Never doubt the force old people harbor.
To waste the knowledge of their years
Would surely be a crime.
Though youth would seek the power and the glory,
Power comes from wisdom
And wisdom grows with time.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 23, 2021
Today
Never know about tomorrow.
Can’t rely on yesterday
To catch the brass ring of forever
On this busman’s holiday.
Sweep the floor of dusty sorrows.
Cannot use them anyway.
Damn the foil of stormy weather
If it dares get in the way.
Do not be afraid to borrow.
You’ll repay the debt someday
Before the beast of leave-me-never
Comes to steal your soul away.
Even when the path is narrow
And the sky turns steely gray
Hope will rise with feathered wings
On gentle breezes of today.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 22, 2021
Roll of the Dice
Life is a crapshoot…
Roll of the dice,
Waltz-around cakewalk
Sold by the slice,
Meat and potatoes
Seasoned with spice,
Waiting for sundown to fall.
Step to the table,
Your turn to roll,
Seven eleven
Set point to goal,
Game on and gamble,
Watch it unfold,
Shoot for the top of the wall.
Paying the piper or
Rolling in clover,
Magpie or mute
Rounder or rover,
Pick up the pieces to
Start it all over,
Banking on winning it all.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
