Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 227

Personal Ads

I watched it as it grew from
Just a single column in the
Arts and Entertainment section
Of the local Sunday news.
I thought it at first to be an oddity
To place the Personals
In such a section, so obscure,
So hidden from the public view.
But week to week it became clear
The lonely souls were reading
As column grew to pages
'Til it quite obscured the Arts,
And it finally occurred to me
And filled me with delusion
To think there are so many
Restless, searching, lonely hearts.

All those people reaching out,
Longing for affection.
No time left for subtlety;
"In search of" ... direction.

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Canvas of Life

The artist's hand moves stealthily
From palette to board and back again;
Almost as if in a single stroke
As colors unfold on the canvas of life.

Slowly at first as the medium blends
And lays down the backdrop on which to compose
The outline, the structure of what is to be;
Brushing the texture;
Caressing the soul.

Soon are the bright colors flashing and glowing,
Going in every direction at once;
Yearning a structure to give some direction,
Seeking the meaning of what is to be.

Days become weary and move Oh! Too swiftly,
Demanding a signing; a final review.
Praying the images left on the canvas
Will serve as a lesson for others to view.

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Pieces of Peace

Every man searches for peace and prosperity;
Not always consciously; sometimes in vain.
Sometimes it's simple,
Like silent contentment,
The sweet fragrant air that billows the Earth
And follows the trail of a gentle Spring rain.

Often as not, it is more complicated
Trying to fathom the meaning of life,
Searching out goals that will somewhat relate
To the patchwork pattern
Pieced together from scraps of a cloth cut
With a dull-edged knife.

Seeking perfection in an imperfect World
Can lead only to madness, heartache and grief.
Pieces of peace...
The best we can hope for.
Take our contentment in snippets of joy
'Til the darkness of night arrives like a thief.

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The Way of It All

I'm trying hard to understand,
But questions are too numerous.
They fall so hard the weight
Is like a boulder rolling down a hillside
Giving new perspective as
I view them from a distant plain
Escaping their destructive force.

So many wheres and whats and hows
For unwary travelers of this World;
Unwittingly I journey on
Seeking the knowledge, the freedom to choose,
And that choices be forever true
To the nature of my lowly being;
To serve the right cause,
To seek the right goal.
The plot becomes clear as stories unfold.
The answers are there,
Though not always seen.
The trick is to
Question everything.

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Happiness

Happiness moves in silence 
in search of laughter’s voice.

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Passing in Review

The old ex-soldier stood,
Bared his head and dipped his eyes
In silence as the color guard
Strode step by step in grand review.

Memories flood every stream
To overflowing as the symbol
Waves unfurling in the heat
Of steamy summers' sweating swelter.

What a grand time it had been;
Days gone by when youth was king.
How much pride could one heart hold
For honor's duty gladly done?
How many lives were his to touch?
How many differences resolved?
Could he have done just a little more?
Will he find peace at the end of his road?

Forever seeking
To find something new,
Lives spent
Passing in review.

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Crying

It brings me discomfort to see people cry.
I never know how to react or respond
To the steadfast emotion so common to humans;
So deeply attached to the frailties we share.
It's so unpredictable, so like the wind;
Clouds laden with moisture
That burst at the seams.
One truly can never anticipate
What may precipitate unwanted tears
To burst upon hearts with a jagged edge,
With a vengeance to tear out our dreams.
Sadness is all around every day and
Tears are abundant to wash it from sight,
But tears alone never will take it away;
Crying will not set things right.
So, we cry for our losses...
We cry for ourselves...
We cry for the pain that we must endure.
We cry for the child who cannot understand.
We cry - because life is unsure....

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Celebrate Quietly

I sit in the darkened room and wonder,
Marvel even at the great good fortune
Now bestowed upon me
Here among the Arts elite.
Watching as the actors play the rolls
That were created in my mind
So very long ago
Now cast for all the World to see.
I try to read the mind of one who
Watches with a quiet patience
And a chuckle now and then
When the timing is just right.
I cringe when someone flubs a line.
"That's not what they were meant to say."
I wonder, when it's over will I want to
Run and hide from sight?
Waiting for the final scene...
The audience applause.
My heart then quietly celebrates;
My mind arush can take a pause.

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A Heart Breaks

You were my world at daybreak;
Shining, glowing with the amber light
That grew to passion's fiery red
Long before the morning awoke.
We thought we would last forever,
Knew our torch would light the way.
Pity that the flame concealed the
Demons lurking in the smoke.

Time can be an evil teacher
When the truth at last unveils
The colors hidden in the heart
Which, early on, were cloaked and masked.
Had we seen in the beginning
What the trek of time revealed,
We would not have made the journey,
Would not have been so sorely tasked.

All the wonders one foresees
While other roads the mind forsakes.
This path was not meant to be.
In the end...  a heart breaks.

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If it's true

If it’s true you can’t take it with you, 
leave the very best of yourself behind.

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