Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 198
February 25, 2020
Helpfulness
“Could I get a little help here?”
“Sorry. Much too busy, Man.”
“Maybe you can spare a minute?”
“No. Got some place I need to be.”
“How ‘bout you? Can you assist me?”
“Mister, I don’t even know you.”
“I’m just someone in a bind.”
“Sorry. No concern to me.”
“Pardon Ma’am, might I beseech you?”
“What? Is that some kind of line?”
“No, I only need some aid.”
“Oh, stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
“Is there anyone who cares enough to
Grant a little favor?”
The silence makes a lonely mistress
In a bed of misery.
“Is there no one in my life who
I can count on not to waiver?”
“Hold on friend. I’ll lend a hand, but
Tell me, what’s in it for me?”
Perhaps I should not hesitate when
Some poor soul cries out in need.
The way life goes, one never knows,
That poor soul could one day be me.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
“Sorry. Much too busy, Man.”
“Maybe you can spare a minute?”
“No. Got some place I need to be.”
“How ‘bout you? Can you assist me?”
“Mister, I don’t even know you.”
“I’m just someone in a bind.”
“Sorry. No concern to me.”
“Pardon Ma’am, might I beseech you?”
“What? Is that some kind of line?”
“No, I only need some aid.”
“Oh, stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
“Is there anyone who cares enough to
Grant a little favor?”
The silence makes a lonely mistress
In a bed of misery.
“Is there no one in my life who
I can count on not to waiver?”
“Hold on friend. I’ll lend a hand, but
Tell me, what’s in it for me?”
Perhaps I should not hesitate when
Some poor soul cries out in need.
The way life goes, one never knows,
That poor soul could one day be me.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 24, 2020
Gratitude
I want to thank you very kindly.
Much obliged… Much obliged.
This overwhelming gratitude is
Like a cleansing breath of Spring.
Though I hate to feel indebted
I will take your gift in stride
With all the foils and burdens
Magnanimity can bring.
Can’t forget to give a shout out.
That would be rude… Very rude.
Kindness needs to be rewarded
Else we fail all sense of grace.
Never want to lose perspective,
Everything is attitude to
Quid pro quo and clearly know
You’ve put a smile on someone’s face.
Kindness never should be slighted or
Treated with trite platitude,
When it takes but a moment
To express our sincere gratitude.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Much obliged… Much obliged.
This overwhelming gratitude is
Like a cleansing breath of Spring.
Though I hate to feel indebted
I will take your gift in stride
With all the foils and burdens
Magnanimity can bring.
Can’t forget to give a shout out.
That would be rude… Very rude.
Kindness needs to be rewarded
Else we fail all sense of grace.
Never want to lose perspective,
Everything is attitude to
Quid pro quo and clearly know
You’ve put a smile on someone’s face.
Kindness never should be slighted or
Treated with trite platitude,
When it takes but a moment
To express our sincere gratitude.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 23, 2020
Grace
Grace is a sunrise glowing with soft shades of
Crimson and cream, magenta and gold,
A treasure more precious than
Diamonds and rubies with
More tranquil bliss
Than the seven seas hold.
And mercy embellishes sweet symmetry
Between bashful benevolence and
Baleful bluster
With all the allure and elegant import
The sun and stars and moon might muster.
Awash with propriety
Drenched in decorum
Lustered by dignity’s first blush of day,
The classes adore you,
The masses adorn you with
Laurels and accolades in disarray.
On point and demure
In both taste and gentility,
Grace is the difference that brightens the way.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Crimson and cream, magenta and gold,
A treasure more precious than
Diamonds and rubies with
More tranquil bliss
Than the seven seas hold.
And mercy embellishes sweet symmetry
Between bashful benevolence and
Baleful bluster
With all the allure and elegant import
The sun and stars and moon might muster.
Awash with propriety
Drenched in decorum
Lustered by dignity’s first blush of day,
The classes adore you,
The masses adorn you with
Laurels and accolades in disarray.
On point and demure
In both taste and gentility,
Grace is the difference that brightens the way.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 22, 2020
Gentleness
No one should ever need to avert
That tenderness, that sweetness
Of nature, that curry of favor…
That gentleness.
In the calm gentle soul
Rests the mover of mountains,
The prophet of reason,
The emblem of hope.
Bartering discord with steadfast demeanor,
Countering armor with soft eiderdown.
Whispers of wisdom that echo like thunder
Til storm clouds disperse and
The walls tumble down.
Bandits and beasts may
Run roughshod with ignorance
Brandishing bayonets meant to impress.
But souls without kindness are
Doomed to destruction,
For life has no honor
Without gentleness.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
That tenderness, that sweetness
Of nature, that curry of favor…
That gentleness.
In the calm gentle soul
Rests the mover of mountains,
The prophet of reason,
The emblem of hope.
Bartering discord with steadfast demeanor,
Countering armor with soft eiderdown.
Whispers of wisdom that echo like thunder
Til storm clouds disperse and
The walls tumble down.
Bandits and beasts may
Run roughshod with ignorance
Brandishing bayonets meant to impress.
But souls without kindness are
Doomed to destruction,
For life has no honor
Without gentleness.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 21, 2020
Generosity
Some say the givers lot in life is
Often one of sad submission;
Always give, never take can
Make a lonely wayward waif.
Whether friend or foe or stranger
Reaching out with optimism,
Giving time or toil or riches,
Anything to keep them safe.
But givers have a secret motive
Takers never realize,
One that leads to vast rewards
That can’t be cyphered by their size.
Every gift the giver makes
From bold benevolence and grace
Leaves beads of bounty in its wake
Enfolded in a warm embrace.
The truth of generosity is
Written in the wind.
The more we give
The more we live
To reap its golden dividend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Often one of sad submission;
Always give, never take can
Make a lonely wayward waif.
Whether friend or foe or stranger
Reaching out with optimism,
Giving time or toil or riches,
Anything to keep them safe.
But givers have a secret motive
Takers never realize,
One that leads to vast rewards
That can’t be cyphered by their size.
Every gift the giver makes
From bold benevolence and grace
Leaves beads of bounty in its wake
Enfolded in a warm embrace.
The truth of generosity is
Written in the wind.
The more we give
The more we live
To reap its golden dividend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 20, 2020
Frugality
The frugal individual may
Oft be viewed as miserly
Up to the brink of stinginess
When point and place are misconstrued.
Truth be known, frugality may be
A precious asset with the
Value of economy
Meticulously viewed.
This I want and that I need,
But these I can’t afford.
So, I must skimp and scrape and save
To claim my just reward.
Then, just when I have reached my goal
So resolutely gleaned,
Some unexpected crisis comes along
To smash my dream.
So, I shall strive to live in thrift
And stash my cache away
And let it grow
For no one knows
When comes that rainy day.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Oft be viewed as miserly
Up to the brink of stinginess
When point and place are misconstrued.
Truth be known, frugality may be
A precious asset with the
Value of economy
Meticulously viewed.
This I want and that I need,
But these I can’t afford.
So, I must skimp and scrape and save
To claim my just reward.
Then, just when I have reached my goal
So resolutely gleaned,
Some unexpected crisis comes along
To smash my dream.
So, I shall strive to live in thrift
And stash my cache away
And let it grow
For no one knows
When comes that rainy day.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 19, 2020
Friendliness
Everyone can use a friend
To be there at the end of day.
A hand to hold,
An ear to bend,
A warm safe-harbor hideaway,
A champion ready to defend
In situations, come what may
With ready-made advice to lend
That answers like a ricochet
To hit the mark,
Lift the darkness
Setting old wounds on the mend,
Making new roads,
Speaking lost codes,
Babble no one comprehends.
Every seeker needs a shoulder
When the weight of worlds descends.
Truth be told, in leaves of gold:
To have a friend
You must be a friend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
To be there at the end of day.
A hand to hold,
An ear to bend,
A warm safe-harbor hideaway,
A champion ready to defend
In situations, come what may
With ready-made advice to lend
That answers like a ricochet
To hit the mark,
Lift the darkness
Setting old wounds on the mend,
Making new roads,
Speaking lost codes,
Babble no one comprehends.
Every seeker needs a shoulder
When the weight of worlds descends.
Truth be told, in leaves of gold:
To have a friend
You must be a friend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 18, 2020
Fortitude
Coach says, “Gotta gut it out, Son.
Show me your grit and will to win.”
“Coach,” I say, “I give a hundred percent.”
Coach says, “I want a hundred and ten.”
Fortitude.
I’ve been knocked down a thousand times
In life’s pugilistic warfare,
But I always rise, although battered and bruised,
So, assailants be warned and beware.
Attitude.
Fear is a bastard that kills dignity,
But I’ll never yield to his dare.
I’ll muster the mettle to overcome and
Give thanks through the power of prayer.
Gratitude.
Bracing against the impending storm,
Fully aware and adept.
Ready to rebuild again and again.
Promises made.
Promises kept.
Fortitude.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Show me your grit and will to win.”
“Coach,” I say, “I give a hundred percent.”
Coach says, “I want a hundred and ten.”
Fortitude.
I’ve been knocked down a thousand times
In life’s pugilistic warfare,
But I always rise, although battered and bruised,
So, assailants be warned and beware.
Attitude.
Fear is a bastard that kills dignity,
But I’ll never yield to his dare.
I’ll muster the mettle to overcome and
Give thanks through the power of prayer.
Gratitude.
Bracing against the impending storm,
Fully aware and adept.
Ready to rebuild again and again.
Promises made.
Promises kept.
Fortitude.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 17, 2020
Forgiveness
I’ll not ask for your forgiveness
For transgressions on my part.
The edict of exoneration
Only counts if from the heart,
And must be given voluntarily
For motives to have weight,
Else the level of malevolence
Will only tend to escalate.
Can’t expect you to forget, as
Memory casts shadows long
Upon the road to resolution
In the realm of quietude,
And all reprieves need be recorded
In the strains of evensong,
But forgiveness lives in grace and
Offers peace in solitude.
All the pain,
All the bane,
All the strain required to live
And function in a maddening world
Evaporates when we forgive.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
For transgressions on my part.
The edict of exoneration
Only counts if from the heart,
And must be given voluntarily
For motives to have weight,
Else the level of malevolence
Will only tend to escalate.
Can’t expect you to forget, as
Memory casts shadows long
Upon the road to resolution
In the realm of quietude,
And all reprieves need be recorded
In the strains of evensong,
But forgiveness lives in grace and
Offers peace in solitude.
All the pain,
All the bane,
All the strain required to live
And function in a maddening world
Evaporates when we forgive.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 16, 2020
Forbearance
The mastermind of fortitude,
Restraint and self-control
Sees a world of possibilities
In choices to be made.
Committed to consideration
Where all sides get an equal eye
And patience is a sleepy sloth
Who treads the tangle of tolerance.
And all is a matter of attitude,
Of knowing when to halt and hold,
Of reading the sighs and subtleties
And waiting for the flap to fade.
No need for angry altercation
When respect will edify to
Cut a clearer, broader swath and
Lead the way to deference.
Sweet forbearance, take my hand
When passions winnow high.
Give me pause to find the cause
And softly
Simplify.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Restraint and self-control
Sees a world of possibilities
In choices to be made.
Committed to consideration
Where all sides get an equal eye
And patience is a sleepy sloth
Who treads the tangle of tolerance.
And all is a matter of attitude,
Of knowing when to halt and hold,
Of reading the sighs and subtleties
And waiting for the flap to fade.
No need for angry altercation
When respect will edify to
Cut a clearer, broader swath and
Lead the way to deference.
Sweet forbearance, take my hand
When passions winnow high.
Give me pause to find the cause
And softly
Simplify.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
