Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 255

To Give a Gift at Christmas

To see a child in wide eyed innocence
Behold a lighted tree
With garland, tinsel, bows and stars;
A wondrous sight to see.
To see the joy of a simple card
Light up a loved ones eyes;
To feel the warmth of cheery greetings
That money cannot buy;
To fill your heart with loving,
Giving all the world your best;
To give a gift at Christmas time
Is to be truly blessed.

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Monsters in the Closet

Hairy, gruesome, tall and ugly,
Lurking in the darkened hallways,
King Kong, Yeti and the Wolfman
Seeking unsuspecting prey.

Huddled deep inside my closet,
Waiting for my eyes to close,
Hungry fangs and bloody claws
Prepared to rip my face away.

Covers are my sanctuary,
Pulled up high above my head.
Shielded thus in restless slumber,
Waiting for the light of day.

Monsters dwell in darkened closets.
Do we face them?  Do we run?
In my youth I ran to cover.
Seems like only yesterday.

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Who Killed All the Dragons?

What could have happened to the hungry beasts?
The two headed, fire breathing, villainous freaks
Who stalked the poor villagers
Seeking a virtuous virgin
To dine on as sacrifice.
Was it all fantasy? Morbid amusement?
Olden day Norman Bates preying on victims
Too weak to defend themselves,
Spinning its web of entrapment
To close like the jaws of a vice.
Where are the dragons?
What is their story?
Are they in hiding?
Did they disappear?
Don't be deluded, believing they're gone.
Who killed the dragons?
No one.
They are here.

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Atlantic City

Let me at those one armed bandits...
Pull the lever...
Watch it roll...
Win a fortune... Lose a pension...
Let fly with another spin.

Place a bet and pray for seven...
Toss the dice into the pit.
Snake eyes stare back at your wallet
As you drop another fin.

Roulette table hypnotizes,
Play a number... Black or red.
As the clicking wheel winds down,
You order up another gin.

Lucky blackjack is the ticket.
Bet the farm on twenty-one.
Just another foolish gamble
As you take it on the chin.

Strolling out onto the boardwalk,
Empty hands for company.
Thinking, "Next time, maybe next time
It will be my turn to win".

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Touch

Fingertips trip gently over
Soft and supple skin,
Beckoning response to silent
Questioning, unasked.
Mystery of mysteries,
The power of perception,
Ghost of wisdom ages gone,
The phantom yet unmasked.

Teaching just to be alive,
Reaching out to rainbow's end,
Companioning with sight and sound,
Always searching for a friend.

Never getting quite enough,
No such trifle as too much,
Walking tall through lives of plenty
Savoring the things we touch.

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The Crest of the Hill

We climbed the incline slowly,
Hand in hand we made our way.
With even pace we sauntered,
Quiet pauses now and then,
Like a respite from the torrid heat
Of a midsummer day,
Just another peaceful stroll
Arm in arm with my best friend.

Now the hill has crested
Underneath our heavy soles.
The level road no longer hides
Our passions and our goals.
They all are stretched before us,
Ours to capture and fulfill.
I'm so thankful you are with me
On the crest of this, our hill.

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It Happened On Paradise Road

No one knew on that fateful night
What was going to happen on Paradise Road.
The air was stirred electric with
The heat of passion mounting fast.
Two young brave and cocky souls,
Abandoning discretion,
Set out to prove what didn't matter
To anyone but the two of them.

Who is quickest off the line?
Who is fastest in the stretch?
Which will reach the guidepost first
With seconds ticking past?
Egos stretched to maximum,
Pride their guiding father,
Betting that their lives will be
Enriched by such a whim.

Who could know?
Who could predict
How tragedy could prod and goad?
The toll was heavy on the night
It happened out on Paradise Road.

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Beauty and Splendor

I thought I had seen it all
In terms of beauty and splendor,
Of earthly delights.
Seen the leopard in chase,
Seen the Rockies... Majestic,
The span of the eagle in flight
Over fields and rivers so wide
That the other side seems
A distant memory.
Seen the simple act of
A nurturing child bounced
Upon it's mother's knee.
I've seen the Big Apple,
The towering pines,
Seen the red sun on the rise,
But none can compare
With the beauty and splendor
I find when I look in your eyes.

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Down is Up... Up Is Down

The world is downside, upside down,
Topsy turvy, overturned.
Which side? Where side? What side? Who?
Ever changing,
Nothing learned.
Bills come...
You pay.
What's that?
No way?
That's what you say.
Don't play dumb.
Sitting, waiting, hesitating,
Never knowing what may come.
Vast profusion
Of illusion,
Mass confusion all around.
No one knows which way it goes
When down is up
And up is down.

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Do You Fear the Wind?

The rustle of a patient breeze
Sighs softly through the waiting trees,
Touching every single leaf as it glides by.
Laying soft against my skin,
Who could fear the gentle wind
Rising from the fragile earth
To kiss a waiting sky?
Will you be as benevolent
When patience runs its' course?
Will you stand to face the wind
When rolling clouds amass?
Or will you run to shelter,
Fleeing deep into your cave,
When mother nature's greatest force
Begins to rise and pass?
Unseen powers drive the wind.
The breath of God is billowing,
Swirling inhales,
Angry exhales,
Twisting, falling, growing,
Tangled fears will multiply,
Foresee a bitter end as
Heads get buried in the sand.
Do you fear the wind?

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