Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 199
February 14, 2020
Flexibility
It’s okay.
I don’t mind.
Let’s just say, “I’m fine with that.”
Get it done and
Then move on to
The latest, greatest task at hand.
Pliable to circumstances,
I can play the diplomat to
Find a stronger middle ground
And grow to be the bigger man.
My young Turk self far less resilient,
More resistant to mad change.
My way or the cliched highway,
The mantra of pubescent youth.
But actions and experience
Becomes a tempering tool
And time a patient pundit
Plainly targeted for truth.
Life is plump with problems
And alternatives abound, so
We strive to remain flexible
Until prospects turn around.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
I don’t mind.
Let’s just say, “I’m fine with that.”
Get it done and
Then move on to
The latest, greatest task at hand.
Pliable to circumstances,
I can play the diplomat to
Find a stronger middle ground
And grow to be the bigger man.
My young Turk self far less resilient,
More resistant to mad change.
My way or the cliched highway,
The mantra of pubescent youth.
But actions and experience
Becomes a tempering tool
And time a patient pundit
Plainly targeted for truth.
Life is plump with problems
And alternatives abound, so
We strive to remain flexible
Until prospects turn around.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 13, 2020
Faithfulness
I uttered a promise years ago
To always be faithful and true,
To take all the hard times along with the good
And forevermore stand by you.
It has ofttimes been more than chaotic
On this rough roller-coaster ride,
But I knew I could always see it through
As long as you were by my side.
The years may have weathered our outer veneers,
And our thoughts may be muddled with age,
But our hearts have grown closer and stronger
With the turning of every page.
All the youngsters have flown
Into lives of their own,
No more time for the old folks these days,
And the loved-ones who mentored us for
So many years have silently all slipped away.
Just the two of us now,
No one else to take care of.
Old friends have all drifted afar.
So, we sit holding hands,
No words necessary,
And wish on our own falling star.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
To always be faithful and true,
To take all the hard times along with the good
And forevermore stand by you.
It has ofttimes been more than chaotic
On this rough roller-coaster ride,
But I knew I could always see it through
As long as you were by my side.
The years may have weathered our outer veneers,
And our thoughts may be muddled with age,
But our hearts have grown closer and stronger
With the turning of every page.
All the youngsters have flown
Into lives of their own,
No more time for the old folks these days,
And the loved-ones who mentored us for
So many years have silently all slipped away.
Just the two of us now,
No one else to take care of.
Old friends have all drifted afar.
So, we sit holding hands,
No words necessary,
And wish on our own falling star.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 12, 2020
Faith
I believe it, every word
Brim to border.
Tell me more of
Fascinations, lamentations, exultations
Waxed and wailed.
Proof is but a juggernaut
Of misbegotten certainty
Pretending to be gospel truth
When little more than fairy tale.
I don’t need your crust of credence.
I have dogma all my own to
Battle bouts of boasts and bluster
Spouting theories past reproach.
Trusting in a greater power
Gives me strength a thousand-fold
To deal with any dreaded demon
Bent to make monstrous approach.
I will lean on faith abundant
When the wind whips wild and free,
Never rail in rants of discord,
Never seek apology.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Brim to border.
Tell me more of
Fascinations, lamentations, exultations
Waxed and wailed.
Proof is but a juggernaut
Of misbegotten certainty
Pretending to be gospel truth
When little more than fairy tale.
I don’t need your crust of credence.
I have dogma all my own to
Battle bouts of boasts and bluster
Spouting theories past reproach.
Trusting in a greater power
Gives me strength a thousand-fold
To deal with any dreaded demon
Bent to make monstrous approach.
I will lean on faith abundant
When the wind whips wild and free,
Never rail in rants of discord,
Never seek apology.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 11, 2020
Enthusiasm
Whoopie! Yahoo! La di Dah.
Yippie kai aye yay, my friend.
Move aside and let me at it.
I’ve got lots of time to spend
To make it good,
To make it right,
See it through right to the end
With all the joy, all the zeal
An eager heart might recommend.
Bring that here so I can fix it,
Turn a trick with flair and zest.
There’s no need to eighty-six it.
Use me. Put me to the test.
Boost me with protracted passion,
Flowered with vivacity and
A restless sense of fashion
Tackled with alacrity.
Pumped and ready,
Get it done.
Doubt defeated.
Battle won.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Yippie kai aye yay, my friend.
Move aside and let me at it.
I’ve got lots of time to spend
To make it good,
To make it right,
See it through right to the end
With all the joy, all the zeal
An eager heart might recommend.
Bring that here so I can fix it,
Turn a trick with flair and zest.
There’s no need to eighty-six it.
Use me. Put me to the test.
Boost me with protracted passion,
Flowered with vivacity and
A restless sense of fashion
Tackled with alacrity.
Pumped and ready,
Get it done.
Doubt defeated.
Battle won.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 10, 2020
Empathy
I can feel your joy…
Your pain…
Your love… Your anger…
Grief and elation…
Your ecstasy and dark despair...
The empath extant in your air.
Looking deep into your soul,
Breathing your aura,
Stroking your brow,
Following in your broken shadow,
Mimicking your every move.
I am the master of perception,
Impervious to bald deception,
Harmonious to stealth compassion,
Sensitive to foil and fashion.
Sympathy, my handicraft,
Encompasses my fragile sphere,
Reaching beyond ethereal bounds
To esoteric atmosphere.
Borne on wings of gossamer
In darkened worlds that know no end,
Seeking nothing in return
I find a rare, a needed friend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Your pain…
Your love… Your anger…
Grief and elation…
Your ecstasy and dark despair...
The empath extant in your air.
Looking deep into your soul,
Breathing your aura,
Stroking your brow,
Following in your broken shadow,
Mimicking your every move.
I am the master of perception,
Impervious to bald deception,
Harmonious to stealth compassion,
Sensitive to foil and fashion.
Sympathy, my handicraft,
Encompasses my fragile sphere,
Reaching beyond ethereal bounds
To esoteric atmosphere.
Borne on wings of gossamer
In darkened worlds that know no end,
Seeking nothing in return
I find a rare, a needed friend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 9, 2020
Discipline
Discipline is passage that
Is ascertained – or not – in youth.
The gentle nudge from caring hands
That wheels the circle round.
The unbelieving attitude
That masquerades as hidden truth
Until the will of self-controlled
Composure can be found.
Difficult to learn the drill,
To find the will to see it through
When patronizing ne’er-do-wells
Come prancing round the May-Day pole
Taunting undue governance,
A vitriolic pill to chew,
Creating arduous obstacles
To grasping final goals.
Only after all the trials to
Bring about a fruitful end
Can day’s end leave a heart with smiles
And discipline becomes a friend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Is ascertained – or not – in youth.
The gentle nudge from caring hands
That wheels the circle round.
The unbelieving attitude
That masquerades as hidden truth
Until the will of self-controlled
Composure can be found.
Difficult to learn the drill,
To find the will to see it through
When patronizing ne’er-do-wells
Come prancing round the May-Day pole
Taunting undue governance,
A vitriolic pill to chew,
Creating arduous obstacles
To grasping final goals.
Only after all the trials to
Bring about a fruitful end
Can day’s end leave a heart with smiles
And discipline becomes a friend.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 8, 2020
Discretion
No, thank you, I’ll pass.
Temptation be damned.
Let prudence prevail
Where desire glints its spark.
Only a fool storms the castle gates
Without a plan
To get back to his mark.
Wrestle with conscience a while
If you must
In running the bluff
Between just and unjust,
And saddle your forethought
With judicious trust
While caution and tact
Write their names in the dust.
The rules of discretion ride
Cool in the air,
The scion of solicitude.
Soul of a diplomat,
Sight of a seer,
Patient, dynamic and shrewd.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Temptation be damned.
Let prudence prevail
Where desire glints its spark.
Only a fool storms the castle gates
Without a plan
To get back to his mark.
Wrestle with conscience a while
If you must
In running the bluff
Between just and unjust,
And saddle your forethought
With judicious trust
While caution and tact
Write their names in the dust.
The rules of discretion ride
Cool in the air,
The scion of solicitude.
Soul of a diplomat,
Sight of a seer,
Patient, dynamic and shrewd.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 7, 2020
Discernment
Lord, give me the insight
To comprehend the many
Dilemmas I face,
And a sense of awareness to
Wear like a friend
To keep my feet firmly in place.
Gasping for wisdom and
Searching for vision to
Foresee the end of the race, while
Winging a prayer and
Completely dependent on
Copious eminent grace.
Swift, level judgement,
My cold sober friend,
Delivered in haphazard haste,
Considered but little and
Caught in the middle
Can only bring heartache and waste.
We strive for perfection
In shards of perception
With steps we can never retrace.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
To comprehend the many
Dilemmas I face,
And a sense of awareness to
Wear like a friend
To keep my feet firmly in place.
Gasping for wisdom and
Searching for vision to
Foresee the end of the race, while
Winging a prayer and
Completely dependent on
Copious eminent grace.
Swift, level judgement,
My cold sober friend,
Delivered in haphazard haste,
Considered but little and
Caught in the middle
Can only bring heartache and waste.
We strive for perfection
In shards of perception
With steps we can never retrace.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 6, 2020
Diligence
There are no handy shortcuts
When it comes to competence, and a
Failure to commit can
Leave one sitting on the fence
Until a trifle of a trouble
Can evolve a prominence
In the helter-skelter
Swelter of the day.
With the conscientious notion
And a touch of eloquence
Moving in a constant motion
With no slovenly pretense,
Ever-tireless to attention
Brimming in self-confidence
The solution can become
An old cliché.
So, be mindful to take care
Achieving earnest excellence.
The tariff for success is
Herculean diligence.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
When it comes to competence, and a
Failure to commit can
Leave one sitting on the fence
Until a trifle of a trouble
Can evolve a prominence
In the helter-skelter
Swelter of the day.
With the conscientious notion
And a touch of eloquence
Moving in a constant motion
With no slovenly pretense,
Ever-tireless to attention
Brimming in self-confidence
The solution can become
An old cliché.
So, be mindful to take care
Achieving earnest excellence.
The tariff for success is
Herculean diligence.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
February 5, 2020
Devotion
Wonderful to know that you will
Always stand beside me.
Even more to vow
I’ll be forever there for you.
The caring and the sharing
Like the petals of a rose
Surrounding and enfolding
In a dulcet billet-doux.
The notion of emotion
Is the potion we require
For the motion of devotion
To fulfill our hearts desire.
And though we face erosion if
Trust cannot be maintained,
I would slay a hundred dragons to
Be by your side again.
You are my Penelope,
My faithful, tried and true,
And I, your brave Ulysses,
Shall devote myself to you.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Always stand beside me.
Even more to vow
I’ll be forever there for you.
The caring and the sharing
Like the petals of a rose
Surrounding and enfolding
In a dulcet billet-doux.
The notion of emotion
Is the potion we require
For the motion of devotion
To fulfill our hearts desire.
And though we face erosion if
Trust cannot be maintained,
I would slay a hundred dragons to
Be by your side again.
You are my Penelope,
My faithful, tried and true,
And I, your brave Ulysses,
Shall devote myself to you.
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
