Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 193

Thankfulness

We set aside one day each year
To celebrate our thankfulness;
An admirable affirmation of
The blissful grace we savor.

A prayer for all the bounty and
The blessings, softly offered up,
Before a feast of plenty gives me
Cause to seek His favor.

Grateful for the joyful comfort
In this crazy, karmic world,
Hopeful for a bright tomorrow
Fanciful with filigree.

Crazed to praise the hand of fate
And faith that makes things possible,
Knowing that the love I give will
Find its way back home to me.

Makes me wonder wistfully
As I saunter life’s highway.
If ‘tis comely once-a-year,
Why not be thankful every day.

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Temperance

“Everything in moderation,”
Cites the model of restraint,
Dubbed the perfect archetype of
Self-denial and temperance.

Admirable, this stoic manner,
This symbol of sobriety
Sacrificing satisfaction for
Excessive vigilance.

In the mastery of forbearance
I confess a fatal flaw that
Leaves me less than perfect
In the realm of prohibition.

I am no teetotaler
Pledged to master and abstain,
Though I fall far and fair removed from
Blatant breakout exhibition.

Finding absolute control and
Tempered-tough discretion is
More than just a pastime.
It’s a permanent progression.

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Tact

It isn’t always what we say,
But how we choose to say it
That stokes the fire and
Raises ire to levels meteorical.

A careless choice of adjectives,
An ill-advised inflection,
A query spit in anger and
Regarded unrhetorical,

Every situation, conversation,
Clash or clumsy quarrel
Wields a double whetted sword
On puzzling possibilities.

And prudence pushes pause if
We are anchored analytically to
Find the peerless pressure point
Where every advocate agrees.

So, I will parry not to judge,
But gently speak with suavity,
Conversing with my fiercest foes
In echoes of diplomacy.

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Steadfastness

Staunch and steady as we go,
No matter how the gruff winds blow,
We cruise the archipelago of
Intimated dreams.

Steadfast to a certainty
Befits the peerless pedigree
To claim the crown of loyalty
In pattern, plans and schemes.

Where will your devotion land when
Time grows nigh to make your stand?
Will your veracity withstand the
Test of ice and fire?

Shall constant vigil rule the day
And swift allegiance show the way?
Or shall temptation carry sway
To curious desire?

Faithful to the very end
I vow to be your fervent friend.
Worldly, wary, tried and true
We waltz the streets of Xanadu.

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Spontaneity

Sometimes on impulse,
No more than a whim,
Rides wonderous, uninhibited joy.
Singing an anthem of improvisation,
Off on a lark like
A child with a toy.

Discrete inclination comes
Mooching on musings,
Pensive with longing but
In want of sense.
Left unrestrained to
Ad-lib its abandon
Can fly on a scheme
Beyond expedience.

But tasking a tendency
To moderation and
Pinching it short of extreme,
The natural course can
Become a resource
Eclipsing the heart’s fondest dream.

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Sincerity

I am the purveyor of
Outright goodwill,
As honest and heartfelt as
Sacred confession.

With genuine candor and
Perfect veracity
None may refute my
Unfeigned intercession.

Prophet of probity,
Merchant of modesty,
Agent of earnestness,
Tradesman of truth,

I am the guardian,
I am the lion,
I am the conscript of
Pubescent youth.

Authentic in ardor,
Impartial in view,
Straightforward in discourse,
Majestic in might,

Safe and reliable,
Simple sincerity
Owns the cognition to
Do what is right.

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Simplicity

Easy is a trick trap door
That sinks to shadows dark and deep.
And though it may seem effortless
It makes a promise hard to keep.

To be the sum of many parts
And know the answer plain and pure
The keeper fills his goblet with
Enlightenment to long endure.

Thus, the gift of foresight lends itself
To shrewd sagacity and
Shreds the bolts of burly cloth
To threads of soft simplicity.

Brave to dwell in austere comfort
Cloaked in spartan modesty,
Dancing nigh to innocence,
Sustained by practicality.

Unpretentious,
Minimal,
Void of complicated toil,
Feeds the need to simplify,
To sow and grow
In fertile soil.

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Silence

Lulled to stillness,
Taciturn…
In silence.
Hushed in quiet meditative peace.
Muted to a wistful world…
Of silence.
Joyful for rare sensory release.

Praise the calm of zephyr winds…
Sweet silence.
Breathe the smooth, serene tranquility
Enclosed inside the soundless
Stealthy grotto of
A mind allowed to wander
Fully free.

Stifling the rumor’s road…
To silence.
Vicious innuendo born in Hell.
Better to stay speechless
And unknowing, and
Let them rest where
Lonely secrets dwell…
In silence.

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Sensitivity

Guys are not allowed to bare
Stark signs of sensitivity.
No hearts and flowers,
Tears or fears to
Scratch their petrified veneer.
It preys upon the notion of
Severe perceptibility from
Simple-minded sycophants who 
Relish just to taunt and jeer.

Truth is, guys, you’re not so tough,
And it’s okay to shed a tear when
Burdens of a fearsome world
Come crashing like a hurricane.
And pathos does not beg for pity
When emotions intercede to
Bring about a fit reaction
Mitigating potent pain.

Feelings are not bandits bent on
Stealing masculinity,
And empathy need not be vilified.
For as we bend to aid a friend
With simple sensitivity
Both dignity and pride are multiplied.

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Self-Sacrifice

Easy to say, yet
Too distant to know that
So many who went
Did not return home,
Falling victim instead to
Self-sacrifice, 
Lost to the twilight
Of bleak catacombs.

And none can imagine
His unselfish loyalty
Save for the brothers who
Stood by his side,
Who tendered their service
In liberty’s kinship,
Carried her banner
With honor and pride.

He asks for no pity,
Not tributes or tears,
He charges no onus to
Kismet or fate
For he knows retribution
Aligns with the ages,
Arrayed at the aperture of
Heaven’s gate.

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