Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 212

Fandango

What is this fancy little dance we’re doing?
Speed up. No! Slow down.
Now speed up again.
Elfishly playing emotional ping pong
Like two gangly teenagers caught in a game.

I feel like I should be passing notes in
Homeroom, subtle hints dressed in disguise,
Or having a friend tell a friend tell a friend
Til I hear that you told someone
You feel the same.

We should just silence this foolish fandango,
Accept confrontation, stand face to face.
We’re wasting time dancing round in a circle,
Time we could better spend lost in embrace.

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Prudence

Would it be prudent to
Walk away silently?
Should I back down
Without passion or heat?
Could there be consequence
Bent on inaction?
What good would become of
A velvet retreat?

I wasn’t wrong!
Well, maybe a little.
I was the victim!
But you were hurt, too.
You were the stubborn one!
I only wanted for you
To see my way.
Well, that’s nothing new.

Rethink the middle.
Retrace the path.
Prudence is practical.
You do the math.

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Liquidity

She moves downhill,
Begs no favor,
Filling cracks and vast depressions 
Along the way to overflowing, Always growing, always knowing,
Lending, giving, smothering.
Being absorbed by Mother Earth
Who only borrows for a while
Then gladly gives her back.

Nothing lives without her kindness.
Flora, fauna, man and beast
Must bow to her intrepid wisdom,
Cling to every precious drop.

And what are we without her wealth?
Only dust blown by the wind
To every corner, every niche,
Lonely souls without a shape.

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Facilitator

Make it happen, Peter Pan.
Sprinkle us with Pixie dust so
We can fly to Neverland
To dance and be forever young.

Fairy God mom, waive your wand.
Dress your favorite for the ball.
Make her magic dream come true
Til midnight’s chime at last has rung.

Teach me, Merlin. Make me king.
Help me raise this sword from stone.
Give me wisdom, confidence
That I may rule with measured hand.

Walk with me on hallowed soil where 
Once a carpenter was slain To give us hope, to give us peace,
To spread His gospel through the land.

We are vessels, every one,
Facilitators by degree,
Reaching out and letting go
To set our listless spirits free.

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Carousel

Up and down, around the magic circle
Into wonderland,
Flying, floating fantasies of
Fearless fairies flying high.
Wait for no one,
Casting eyes and casting fate
To gentle winds,
Dancing to a lively muse
Who knows no lullaby.

Newly indestructible,
Mounted on a faithful steed,
Armored in imagination,
Sally forth with shield and sword.
Slaying dragons, tilting windmills,
Rescuing the maiden fair,
Seeking justice in the end
To be its own reward.

There are cares and grave concerns
That must be brought to bear,
But only when the ride is done
Will I be forced to care.

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Nickelodeon

You were truly before my time,
But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
Nickelodeon, play for the piper,
Give them a tune as they wait for the band.
This symbol of joy placed a
Smile on the face, a
Dance in the step, a
Song in the heart of all who
Were lucky enough to have known
The nameless enchantment
Unique to her name.

I grew up later, knowing her grandchild.
Three for a quarter and
Hungry for more.
Playing the records I’d heard on the radio,
Now entirely at my command.
Driving the older crowd
Into submission,
Wond’ring what mock aberration was next.
Dancing a jig if it suited my purpose.
No false apology,
No sense of shame.

Nickelodeon, thanks for your progeny.
Who knows what wonders will shadow your fame?

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Shadows

Shadow Stalker, cold and gray,
Bend my eyes to find your shape 
Hiding from the naked light, Secrets kept beneath your cape.

Would you steal my sanity? 
Leave me here to quake and quell? Lead me down a narrow path
Into the darkest pits of Hell?

Such a fine and fragile line
Separates you from the light.
Desperate to be known to none,
Always running from a fight.

Play the reuse of your deception
While your stealth divines my fate.
Help me find your dark agenda
Before it is forever late.

Patience serves the waiting throngs
And hope is never all or none. 
For every place a shadow falls Somewhere there must be sun.

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Placebo

What was meant to be a cure
For a broken heart turned out to be
Little more than a sugar pill,
Blind faith taken for a ride.

Turns out naught was as it seemed
In your tawdry token web
Ringed with phantoms of obsession
Talking trash, singing hope.

And I believed you.
Bad mistake.
Yours was not a random cure.
Taunting me with your placebo
As the knife turned in your hand.

Now I see you in the light
And the question begs to ask.
Can a heart that’s broken twice
Find the strength to carry on?

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Escapade

Here I sit biding time
Waiting for the world to start
Revolving, solving every woe,
Spinning as it did before.

Are you here?
Are you real?
Must I steal a memory
From darkened corners, dusty rooms
Caged and sealed behind locked doors.

Shall we share abandon in
Our reckless new adventure,
Or is it just a mindless prank
Of my imagination?

Tell me that your world is true
And I’ll pick up the gauntlet,
Walk beside you every step,
No thought or hesitation.

Standing on the threshold as
You contemplate the dare,
Leap into your escapade,
I will join you there.

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Mustang

Wild and free.
Wild and free.
Storm the open range
As hooves of thunder
Flee reality.
Chase a fleeting wind that
Only you can see
Through canyons
Where no other
Dares to tread.

Untamed eyes
Detect the lies
That seek your capture,
Brandishing a lasso as
They seek their prize.
Tinged with disappointment
When they realize
The futile chase on
Which they have been led.

No one can control you
When the day is done.
Wild and free your destiny.
Run, mustang. Run.

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