Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 29

Growing Old

“You’re not growing old,”she said.

“You’re simply growingbeautiful.”

I smiled and hugged herwith my heart

And placed a kiss uponher cheek.

To be so young – soinnocent –

And yet so wise beyondher years,

My eyes stay tears

As memories flow

To fill my simple mindwith joy.

 

Fleeting summers come andgo

So quickly in amoon-kissed sky

As subtle scents oflavender

Give yearning pause tosunset’s glow.

The mirror grieves afaded past

Of tears and laughter –

Understood.

If only I could keepthose precious

Diamonds througheternity.

 

Be still, my sweet.

Be brave.

Be bold to

Relish the joy of growingold.

 

Ice Cream and Cake, Candles and Clowns

Come to my party, please,

         Help celebrate.

The invite will tell you

         The time and the date.

You won’t want to missthis.

         It’s gonna be great,

Guaranteed to erase allyour frowns.

 

It’s prizes and favors

         And candy, all flavors,

With singing so loud it

         Disturbs all the neighbors.

Where fun lasts forever

         And everyone savors

The ice cream and cake,

         Candles and clowns.

 

And after the ice cream

         And cake are consumed,

The candles blown out,

         The clown danced ‘round the room,

The bloom of excitement will

         Fill every pore,

And a wrinkle of memory

         Lives evermore.

 

Let’s Get Together

Enough is enough

     -Is enough –

Is too much.

Patience and common sense

Running amuck.

Lit up in firefight,

Caught in the crush

By her saber –

     Cut to the bone.

 

Sudden explosion

     Trembles the ground

Mocking the silence –

     World upside down til

Cymbals crescendo

     And I look around

          To find myself

Lost and alone.

 

One might imagine

     A world without hate

Where patience evolves

     And all celebrate

Diversity’s beauty.

 

It’s not too late.

Let’s get together.

     Let’s get it done.

 

Champions

Champions come in allshapes and sizes,

Every color the rainbowimagines,

Reaching for stars in afar distant galaxy,

Braced and prepared forthe battles ahead.

 

Rising from underdog,

Capturing moments ofuntold adventure

With banners unfurled.

Aware of the fanfare butunfazed by fame

From a frilled flock offollowers

Riding the wave.

 

Pulling on bootstraps,

Constantly focused,

Flaunting due diligence,

Always prepared.

Riding the wind on thewinged steed of glory,

Humble in victory,

Grateful to win.

 

The Winds of Change

Seasons come,

     Seasons leave,

Rides the cresting windsof change,

Carries proud her sweetbouquet,

Feasts on a chameleonmoon.

 

She speaks with fervor,

     Flaunting favor,

 Dives and drives the heart to fever

Til the rushed andflushed

Believe her maddeningcrush of platitudes.

Banking off her promised boon,

The soft caress of hersweet tune,

The mesmerizing mantraswoons

A ripening of attitudes.

 

But time keeps marching,

     Never still.

Seasons shift andrearrange,

And Mother Earth, herarchitect,

Breathes life into thewinds of change.

 

American Made

Hong Kong, Taiwan,

India, Japan,

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,

Paris, Pakistan.

Leaps and bounds thetrend resounds,

Increases every day.

Wondering why productsdon’t say

Made in U S A.

 

Bedfellows in politics or

Just good business sense.

Doesn’t seem to be a wayto

Build a strong defense.

Shouldn’t be thisdifficult to

Find a place to trade

Where the label proudlyindicates

“American made.”

 

Sure, it’s cheaper,

That’s no sleeper.

Can’t compete with that.

But the secret, hiddendeep,

Comes slinking like acat.

Tucked inside the silentstorm

A deeper price is paid.

Shelter dwells insidethese words –

American made.

 

Don’t Be Afraid

The winds of chance flyswift beyond the clouds

To carry seeds ofchallenges ahead,

Til buried deep infurrows plainly plowed

They languish inuncertainty and dread.

And every whisper fallingon their ear

Lends warning of thedangers yet to come.

Foreboding foils offeckless, freakish fears

Are birth to caution,leaving reason numb.

As aimless arrows allaround ascend,

Like willow branchesbending without harm,

Fair truth becomes amelancholy friend

To battle with the liarsof alarm

Epiphany – at last fairransom paid –

Speaks softly in my ear,“Don’t be afraid.”

 

Making the Grade

Year after year ofbrain-stretching agony

Bending the limits oftempered endurance,

Tables and intos andplus-minus posers

Til X becomes Y becomes,magically, Z.

 

Long-winded tales filledwith dates and dead people

Wasted on battlefieldsfar, far away.

Stories of Camelot,Sherwood and Hannibal

Camped beneath bed sheetswith flashlight in tow.

 

Cries of rebellion foruseless assignments

Fall on deaf ears, gocompletely unheard.

Oft being quoted, “Oh,you’ll thank me later.”

Though never quite clearwhen this “later” occurs.

 

Days wrought with dreadof those sheets lined with questions,

Problems and essays andmultiple choices.

Waiting for marks throughunbearable agony,

Never quite sure…

Never quite sure…

 

Time marches sidewaysthrough twelve years of prison,

Forced into labor til alldue is paid.

Finally, time boldlysteps to the future,

Silent and thankful formaking the grade.

 

Charade

Who is that hiding behindthe mask

Of civility?

Claiming to understand

As the flames ofmisfortune

Come searching, seeking.

 

You shall not touch myshining

White armor.

My inoculation againstyour wrath

Yields me immune to yourfoul breath of fire

Though you aspire todrive me insane.

 

Speak not of frailty

Nor meekness of purpose.

Waltz proud and loud

Marching out, unafraid,

Brandishing sword andshield,

Searching for dragons,

Tearing down walls

To unmask the charade.

 

The Wedding Vow

Hopeful hearts hurry tocapture the moon as

Melodies dance to awillowy tune and

Feathery clouds dare thedaffodils swoon

As two become one lifetogether.

 

Avid adventuresaudaciously dared with

Singular passionswistfully paired and

Coveted secrets becomesecrets shared

Through serene orcalamitous weather.

 

Giddy with glee, just awayfaring child

Awaiting the instant shewalks down the aisle to  

Gracefully honor themoment with style.

Now is forever.

Forever is now.

 

Promises made with thewarmth of the sun

Enfold and enchant,blending two hearts in one.

One chapter closed, a newone begun as

True love embraces ourwedding vow.