Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 32

Innocent

Sitting inside this prison cell,

No walls, no bars, no locks or chains,

No prison guards to walk the halls,

No other inmates to share my grief.

 

Bound and confused by some unwritten code

That gives you the right to lay judgment on me,

To leave me in torment of unending measure

Willing to grovel for one simple glance.

 

You turn no ear, offer no reason

Though it appears I have done nothing wrong.

And while I am gathering my resolution, you

Simply fold your tent and walk away.

 

Where is the justice in your court of passion?

Show me the weight that will balance the scale.

You are the jury, judge and prosecutor with

No breath allowed from my advocate.

 

Tell me what I need to do for your favor.

Retrace the answers to questions unasked.

I am no more than an innocent fool

Guilty of loving you…

                                     Nothingmore.

 

Gargantuan

Big, large, massive, huge, 

Enormous, super-size,

Far too much envisioning  

For one sweep of the eyes,

More than stretched imaginings

For one who seeks the prize,

The Holy Grail,

The grand gargantuan.

 

Held at birth, but never since;

The burden far too great.

Height and girth expanding,

White rabbit running late.

Hyper drive extended

Ever running toward her fate.

No one dares deter gargantuan.

 

Bolster her foundation so

Her shelter may endure.

Nurture her through illness.

Help her find a cure.

Many seek,

Many find her heart so kind and pure,

This noble one,

This grand gargantuan.

 

Diatribe

Where in the heck has decency gone?

Who the devil do you think you are?

See, I could have said hell

Or even the f-word to show my displeasure,

Express my case.

But I choose demeanor

Instead of demeaning the question

With rhetoric’s unsavory flavor.

 

Stand on my soap box and

Rant until dawn, til

The silent Gestapo comes,

Hauls me away,

Places my poor shackled bones

In their prison

Muting my diatribe to hungry ears.

 

But I won’t be silenced.

My song will continue to

Ring past the walls of

This Gulag existence.

And you. Sir, should tremble

At your day of reckoning,

The day that the pendulum

Finds its way home.

 

Erotica

It’s everywhere. You just can’t miss it.

Turn on the TV,

Open a book,

A magazine,

It’s even plastered on billboards

In every direction your eyes turn to look.

 

Not that I mind.

Plus years have taught me to

Pick my poison in meager amounts,

Control the urge to

Act out in passion,

To dance round the fire

So the heat really counts.

 

When I was younger

I lapsed into overdose

Kicking and screaming,

Could not get my fill.

But now I am calm.

I take it in stride as

I stroll the far side

Of erotica’s hill.

 

Eloquence

Sit me down near the foot of the stage

So that I won’t miss a single syllable

Baked and awash in such dulcimer tones

That my ears are golden to know their favor.

 

Feed me words that trill as they thrill me,

Fill me with gushes of bubbly froth.

Take me away to the hills of Nirvana

Where sweet fruit and honey will be mine to savor.

 

Lift up the room. Bring it up past the summit.

Ride on the clouds til the air becomes thin

And the crowd becomes giddy with anticipation,

Hoping beyond hope the ride will not end.

 

Teach me your secret. Take me to task.

Where can I learn what you wear as a gift?

Eloquence finds you, even defines you

Riding the crest of a vanishing wind.

 

Precipice

Standing on the edge looking down…

Down.

Down from this lonely ledge to the ground

And around…

Aware of every sight, every sound to abound,

Waiting for the anger to subside.

 

Step from out of nowhere to the fire…

Fire.

Heap the heavy logs high upon the pyre

Kindling the beast of hard desire in the mire

Where the cradles of calamity collide.

 

Don’t push… for I will surely fall…

Fall…

Fall to clinched jaws that are prone to gnash andgnaw.

Flashed by danger, haunted, shocked with awe,

Never knowing why I am to blame.

 

Mercy. Please have mercy on my soul…

Soul.

Set your price and let me pay the toll.

Do not toss my weary bones into your dark dank hole.

I am not, should not be your final aim.

 

Canyon

Who lives in this canyon

So dark and deep

Where ancient waters carved

Fortress walls?

It seems to cultivate

Gardens of strangers,

Vagabond players who camp,

Then move on.

 

I used to know every soul

In this valley

From high on her ridges to

Way round the bend.

But time takes its toll

As we roll ever forward,

Leaves only memories

To build upon.

 

There will be moments,

Whether here or hereafter

To recount the reckoning,

Review the views.

Patiently waiting alone

In this canyon,

No one to talk to…

Nothing to lose.

 

Epilogue

When my epilogue is written

May the words come trippingly

From silver tongue and ruby throat

To drench the roses with their honey.

 

Gather all my fateful friends,

My poor relations, seldom seen,

Telling tales from memory,

Both bittersweet and funny.

 

I’ll not be around to hear the

Sweet melodic undertones, the

Ticking, clicking metronomes

That chant my eulogy.

 

Rather I’ll be on my way to

Better days and better ways,

To claim my spot at Heaven’s gate

Where spirits all run free.

 

And I’ll see you again someday

Far beyond that final hill

Where we will spend our fond forever

In a land where time stands still.

 

Belligerent

Primed and garbed in restless armor,

Always ready for a fight,

Self-assured and double-strong,

Never wrong,

Forever right.

 

Not a soul can match your fervor.

No shield can fend your attack.

Breach the line to capture glory.

No regrets,

No looking back.

 

Won’t take crap from anybody.

Far more prone to dole it out

With a shout of bold pronouncement

Leaving not the slightest doubt.

 

Be the beast.

Be the hero.

Step into the victor’s zone.

Carry all the consequences.

They are yours…

Yours alone.

 

Fandango

What is this fancy little dance we’re doing?

Speed up. No! Slow down.

Now speed up again.

Elfishly playing emotional ping pong

Like two gangly teenagers caught in a game.

 

I feel like I should be passing notes in

Homeroom, subtle hints dressed in disguise,

Or having a friend tell a friend tell a friend

Til I hear that you told someone

You feel the same.

 

We should just silence this foolish fandango,

Accept confrontation, stand face to face.

We’re wasting time dancing round in a circle,

Time we could better spend lost in embrace.