Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 30

Happy Birthday to Me

Oh great!

Just what I need,

Another reminder – Timeswiftly passing –

Alas, once again toreflect on the ages

And celebrate “Me” withcards, cake and candles.

 

Well-wishers? Abundant.

Amazed that I’ve enduredthe quest,

Survived the test offather time.

Methuselah, beware.

Your record in jeopardy.

 

Don’t mind really.

Just another year older,

Thankful for the chanceto see

The dew drops of a brandnew day,

Sit quietly with the oneI love

And reflect on myblessings,

Memories collected,

And to know with acertainty

That life will continue

Long after I shed thismortal shell.

 

Are We Cold Yet?

It’s there

     In the air,

You can sense the hawksweeping.

Soon,

     Very soon

It will wake from itssleeping

To bite and to nip

To claw and to rip

To haunt and to halt

In its bone-chillinggrip.

 

Good sense says to hide,

To keep safely inside

Secure by the fireside

To weather the tide.

But fate bids me go

On my trek through thesnow,

And suffer her wrath

As her glacial windsblow.

 

And the taut winterbreeze

Brings the strong totheir knees

As autumn surrenders

To deep winter’s freeze.

 

All That Is Good

All that is good,

Letit come to me softly.

I will embrace it witharms open wide,

Sharing its essence athousand fold,

Spreading its gospel tograteful minds.

 

If it means harm,

Letme face it with honor,

Searching the undertonesliving below

So I may mute thethundering voices

And quell the torrentthat rides stormy seas.

 

We are but brief

         To move through the cosmos,

A wink and a blink in thefootnotes of time.

No time to waste on thelost angst of demons.

Focused and fixed andanxious to find

All that is good.

 

…And It’s Christmas

It’s reindeer onrooftops,

It’s cocoa and cream,

It’s dewdrops andgumdrops

And sugarplum dreams,

It’s carolers caroling

Sounds of the season.

Do-gooders doing good

For no good reason.

…And it’s Christmas.

 

It’s Santa and elves

Waiting perched at themall

With Eddie and Adeline

Watching in awe,

It’s crimson and candycanes,

Emeralds and diamondrings,

Lollypops, presents and

All kind of wondrousthings.

…And it’s Christmas.

It’s angels with halosand

Good will toward men,

A grand celebration of

Family and friend,

It’s eggnog andcandlelight,

Star-topped treestwinkling bright,

Praises to Heaven thatecho the night.

…And it’s Christmas.

 

And Well They Served

To stand on unfamiliarsoil,

Stranger to the localcustom,

Sent in blindness void ofreason,

Purposed only to defend,

 

Cautioned not to questionorders,

You are but a puzzlepiece.

Higher forces guidedecisions.

“You will thank us in theend.”

 

Settling into yourmission,

Studying a hated foe,

Never knowing what mayhappen

When and if the mortarsfly.

 

Stealthily behind yourweapon,

Senses climbing to apeak,

Ready to defend yourcomrades,

Question not the reasonwhy.

 

Grateful when the fray isover,

Though you’re weary tothe bone.

A needful nation sent youthere.

A thankful throngwelcomes you home.

 

Falling for Autumn

Daylight recedes andnight lingers longer,

A lazy sun lowers her arcin the sky,

And summer relents on herbrutal endeavors,

Yields to the softness ofcrisp autumn dew.

 

Earth tones of red andgold burst with a frenzy

Flooding the eye withbountiful treat.

The fresh chill ofmorning makes night covers snuggle

And daybreak awakens abright orange hue.

 

Pity to those denied yoursweet treasure,

Who never bear witness toyour vibrant show,

Charting your change withchameleon candor,

Rushing the senses withvisual bliss.

 

Signals of change as anew dawn announces

The turn of the term,

The passage of time.

I pray that in Heaventhere still will be seasons

So all may find favor

In sweet autumn’s kiss.

 

Dear Dad

White knights are hard tocome by these days,

So often blemished ormisaligned.

But shortsighted memory

Is always forgiving

And the foresight ofhindsight so often is blind.

 

So I never flinched asyou donned your armor

And rode out to battlewith dragon or beast.

Against famine and foeyou defended our castle,

Returning the bounty,

Providing the feast.

 

Relentless, tenacious,untiring in effort,

Your fortressimpenetrable, or so it seems.

But I see your heart,taste your will,

Touch your feelings,

See through your eyes asyou strive toward your dreams.

 

Often profane,

Ready to ire,

Firm when the situationsdemand,

Yet soft as a feather

And quick as a heartbeat

When favors have need of ahelping hand.

 

When I needed a hero

You took the stand.

 

Remember

On foreign fields to casttheir fate,

Prepared to fight,

If needs, to die,

To keep the evil from ourdoor

And halt the plague oftyranny.

 

No need to question orconspire.

Orders firm.

Duty clear.

Against the devil hoardsthey stand,

Defenders of the proudand free.

 

And fear is not a luxury,

Though danger stalks withevery step,

As brave hearts stand andfight and die

To keep a trust,

To save the dream.

 

So we remember what theydid.

With reverence weinscribe their names

In stone and steel

And in our hearts

So they shall never beforgotten.

 

Mother

She was

     And is

My most treasured memory,

Instilling all that isdecent and good.

Gentle hands

     Gentle soul.

Gliding through life ongossamer wings.

 

Wise in her measure, she

Spoke without judgment,

Softly, quietly, never inanger,

Unless in defense ofthose she called

Family,

In which case she fought

With the heart of a lion.

 

Always near

     In spite of the distance,

Always dear

     To those she adored,

Playfully childlike

     Without being childish,

Quick with a smile

     Or a soft-spoken word.

 

Mothers are jewels,

Honored and precious.

Keep them forever.

You only get one.

Survival

Please, Lord, leave thishouse untroubled,

We who serve you humblyplead.

Knowing well yourfaithful promise

We shall follow where youlead.

 

Heralds rise to sound thetrumpet,

Blast a warning all mustheed.

Close the door and

Light the candle.

Hearts in faith neednever bleed.

 

Safe within thissanctuary,

You are surely all weneed.

Nothing to bring shameupon us,

No concessions toconcede.

 

Faith denies allpessimism.

Hope springs forward fromher seed.

Onward withdetermination,

One day soon we shall befreed.