Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 27

Buster

Buster came to bless our souls but a short time

Early in our lives;
Just one among a litter,

Nothing special, not as I recall.

‘Bout two shades shy of adorable,

A flop-eared, stumbling, bumbling pup;

Long-tongued, face-lapping beagle hound

With a touch of bird dog wanderlust.

 

Ravenous, bottomless biscuit chaser

Eager to please when food was about.

Relentless hunter leading the pack,

Howling while others lagged yapping in tow.

Fearless protector of all his domain,

Loyal to those who belonged to his court.

Even his feline companions were cherished

When danger drew near to require his defense.

 

Buddy. Companion. Guardian. Friend.

A king in his kingdom.

A pauper at heart.

We thought that our brotherhood would last forever.

If only he hadn’t loved chasing cars.

 

I Choose Happiness

Sometimes my world gets turned around.

Seems like I’m flying upside-down,

But I never lose.

When left to choose,

I chose happiness.

 

The days go by so fast, it seems,

As I run chasing my fondest dreams.

I cast my nets

Without regrets.

I choose happiness.

 

Though dark clouds come

To block the sun

I never let it get me down.

I know that time is on my side

And fate will guide me where I’m bound.

 

There’s just one thing I have to say,

And it’s a lesson for every day.

My message clear

To every ear,

I choose happiness

A New Year/ New Beginning

Patience, Sweet Serenity,

You must learn to paceyourself.

No vacuous rules say

You must rush in ferventquest

To reign the world.

Seek instead that tinynook

That fills your heart andmind with joy,

Even now as you employ

This new beginning,

One year ending,

Opening a pristine book.

 

Much that changed

Remains the same.

Must refocus to retain

The object of thisseekers dream.

Nothing quite the way itseemed

As Midnight gives withsoft caress

The promise of Her silentkiss.

 

Blessings

No doubt the hungry heart is truly blessed

In simple way, imponderable to know.

When grants the gift to see a brand new morn,

The miracle of life is set aglow.

 

To see, to hear, to taste or gently touch her,

To know each subtle fragrance on the air

Takes pause to dance unique before her footlights

And heal the soul with gentle loving care.

 

There is no true, no false where blessing settle,

No day or night, no sun or moon to guide.

In frothy waves that rush to greet her shoreline

She fills the swell, the ebb of every tide.

 

No levy can be measured on her favor,

Nor count be known when blessings fair descend.

She knows no foe, no barrier can stop her

As she glides in weightless wonder with the wind.

 

I gaze into her humble eyes of passion

To find the wisdom in the gift she brings.

To know the selfless joy that she pays forward

And share her satisfaction…

                                     My heart sings.

 

Generations

Beginnings, oftenunremembered,

Haunt the hallways

-       Spaceand time -

Recorded in some sacredvault til

Future generations pineof

Seeking secrets distant time,

Tracing spirits left behind.

 

Archives stretched to breaking point

Begin to broach a faded past,

Each puzzle piece assembled

Strolls the footlights as all dancers have

     A part toplay,

A line to say,

Reveals the members of the cast.

 

And who am I?

And who are we?

The lessons of the future’s past,

Reflections in a looking glass

As generations hand to hand

Stroll along a crowded beach to

Leave their footprints in the sand.

 

Marathon

Youth has its own way of

         Running in sprints,

Burning the light of athousand candles,

Searching through nights abandonedof fear,

         Reaching for dreams in a million stars.

 

Humor abounds inunbridled ambition as

Taste for success addsfuel to the fire

         To quicken the pace as

         It blurs the horizon

And pushes the pack withrelentless pursuit.

 

But steps take a toll

         As the effort increases.

                  The runner grows weary.

                  Focus turns weak til

The wall of epiphanyrises and falls

And truth at last isunkindly revealed.

 

Life is a marathon

         Meant to be run so that every nuance

         Unfolds in its time.

The roses … sweeter,

         The air crisp and clean

When the race and itspace cuddle

         Close to sublime.

 

Holding Hands

A timeless couple,well-clear of four score,

Far beyond caring for allbut each other,

Out in the crisp of aclear Sunday morning,

Saunter the sidewalks asone, holding hands.

 

“They’ve been a twosomesince Christ was a corporal”,

Says Cassie with confidencelike an old friend.

“Childhood sweethearts,coupled for life.”

I smiled, then went backto my coffee and book.

 

“How do you know that?”my left hand remarked.

“We talked in the park afew times,” she replied.

“Children all gone, movedaway, some have died.

All they have is eachother; sad but sweet.”

 

He was a soldier in someforeign hell-hole, while

She wrote him letters andprayed his return,

Swearing to cling to himnow and always as he

Came limping back to her,shrapnel and all.

 

He’s slowing down thesedays, little by little.

She has to wait as hecatches his wind.

Moving still closer,patting a shoulder,

Waiting and comforting,holding his hand.

 

“That’s what I want,”Cassie sighs in a whisper.

“They’ve seen so much,had so much in their time.”

Now, in their winter, tolive in the mem’ry of

Strolling a lifetime asone

Holding hands.

Kisses

Kiss me once, then onceagain.

Let us linger yet a while

Til every thought is youand I

And we have melted intoone.

 

One heart, one mind, oneendless thought

To travel cross theuniverse,

Sweet sensationsunexplained

Where explanation holdsno course.

 

Confectioners could plytheir trade

With sweetness garneredfrom your lips,

And I am lost to ponder

That I once existed e’erwe met.

 

And all the seven wondersfail

To fill my simple mindwith glee,

And pale before the joyyou bring

With but a moment on yourlips.

 

Pause I may and pause Imust

To count the ways thatlife is blessed.

No greater bounty could Iask

Than the subtle treasuresof your kiss.

 

Hugs

Hugs are thosefree-flowing candy cane kisses

Wrapped up in chocolatemarshmallow pies.

The giving,

         Receiving,

                  The sharing,

Believing in warmheartedgreetings,

         Tearful goodbyes.

 

There’s Mom hugs and Dadhugs,

Glad hugs and sad hugs,

“Hi” hugs and “Bye” hugs

And “Have a good day”hugs.

Friend hugs and loverhugs

Under the cover hugs,

Bear hugs and comforthugs,

Tell me you’ll stay hugs.

 

Kissy hugs, feely hugs,

Send a heart reelinghugs,

Grandmother loves youhugs –

As good as it gets.

No matter day or night

They don’t know wrong orright.

Hugs give back willingly

Without regrets.

 

Another Parade

Standing quietly in acrowd

Brimming withanticipation,

Humbled by thecelebration

Soon to amble into view.

 

Politicians press theflesh

Or wave as they gorolling by.

Part-time soldiersstepping high

To carry the red whiteand blue.

 

Suddenly the calm erupts

As sirens blast andengines roar,

Banners wave andstreamers soar

While drums and buglesfill the air.

 

Flowered floats gosailing past with

Girls in flighty, frillyfare,

Jugglers juggle by thepair and

Happy thoughts raceeverywhere.

 

Joy is beamed across thesky.

Another parade is passingby.