Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 72

Breakwaters

Staring out beyond thehorizon,

Past the breakwaters of

Souls lost at sea;

Stories abound of lives

Filled with adventure,

Of poets and pirates

And slaves of indenture,

Monsters and mutinies,

And dark mystery.

 

Shelter and safety out ofharms way

Abides in the harbor,

Lives on the shore.

Aweighing the anchor belaysevery caution,

Reeking of danger

From every direction,

Permeating every pore.

Such fools, the land-lubbers,

Playing it safe;

Denying the ocean spray

Pounding their skin.

Praying the moorings of

Pristine white harbor

To coddle their comfort

As they yearn in silence

Watching with longing

The ships sailing out.

Watching in wonder

The ships sailing in.

 

When Will It End

It builds in silence

Like a wake...

A teardrop shed,

A moan, a sigh...

The dreadful quake of amuffled cry

As emotions burst into openflame

And the circle breaks

To a world of dread,

As the Serpent comes to

Lay his claim.

 

We leave this life

In a silent rage,

So unsure yet

Longing for more

As we leaf through the book

Reviewing each page,

Wistfully hoping the

Final score

Will prove us worthy

Of a second look.

Not really sure what made itbegin...

Life's fatal question:

"When will it end?"

 

A Voice on the Radio

I fell in love at seventeen

With a voice who's face I hadnever seen,

Echoing quietly, soft andserene

On the airwaves traveled amillion miles

To touch my soul with angelictones.

Speaking in voice so muchlike my own;

Whispering softly for my earsalone.

Soothing contentment...

Tickling smiles...

 

Where can nostalgia tempt usto go?

Seeking the joy that we knewlong ago,

Harboring secrets that no onecan know;

No one may enter our privatedomain.

 

Wild beasts may beckon tobreak down our door,

Serpents may slither acrossbarren floor,

Gluttons may hunger... Longingfor more,

But settle for silence...

As memories remain.

 

Search and Destroy

You were on a mission,weren't you?

You knew from the start

Where this roadway would end.

You sought me out bringingwild abandon

To the table to serve asdessert,

And I was swept up on thiswild Carney ride.

Breathless and helpless tocall to a halt,

We punched every ticket 'tillong after sunset

Never believing the fairwould shut down.

But you never stopped seekingnew rides to venture;

New thrills and spectacleswere your demands.

Never content to just sitclose and snuggle,

Never enough to just walk holdinghands.

So sad you never could learnlove's contentment.

Too bad your fickle heartcouldn't be coy.

I'll not participate.

I'll not be party to you onyour mission

To search and destroy.

 

I Found It in the Dictionary

Prophesizing visionary

Praying hard for luminary

Foresight to the tertiary

Limits of your goal.

Ever seeking sanctuary,

Running from incendiary

Passions that could crush thevery

Essence of the soul.

Nodding off to Sprite andFairy

Cold and dark as January;

Sailing on the tributary

To an open Sea.

Every micro capillary

Plays the tune both sad andmerry

From conception 'til theybury

And we cease to be.

Playing the reactionary

Found in Webster'sdictionary.

 

Canvas of Life

The artist's hand movesstealthily

From palette to board and backagain;

Almost as if in a singlestroke

As colors unfold on thecanvas of life.

 

Slowly at first as the mediumblends

And lays down the backdrop onwhich to compose

The outline, the structure ofwhat is to be;

Brushing the texture;

Caressing the soul.

 

Soon are the bright colorsflashing and glowing,

Going in every direction atonce;

Yearning a structure to givesome direction,

Seeking the meaning of whatis to be.

 

Days become weary and moveOh! Too swiftly,

Demanding a signing; a finalreview.

Praying the images left onthe canvas

Will serve as a lesson forothers to view.

 

Pieces of Peace

Every man searches for peaceand prosperity;

Not always consciously;sometimes in vain.

Sometimes it's simple,

Like silent contentment,

The sweet fragrant air thatbillows the Earth

And follows the trail of agentle Spring rain.

 

Often as not, it is morecomplicated

Trying to fathom the meaningof life,

Searching out goals that willsomewhat relate

To the patchwork pattern

Pieced together from scrapsof a cloth cut

With a dull-edged knife.

 

Seeking perfection in animperfect World

Can lead only to madness,heartache and grief.

Pieces of peace...

The best we can hope for.

Take our contentment insnippets of joy

'Til the darkness of nightarrives like a thief.

 

The Way of It All

I'm trying hard tounderstand,

But questions are toonumerous.

They fall so hard the weight

Is like a boulder rollingdown a hillside

Giving new perspective as

I view them from a distantplain

Escaping their destructive force.

 

So many wheres and whats andhows

For unwary travelers of thisWorld;

Unwittingly I journey on

Seeking the knowledge, thefreedom to choose,

And that choices be forevertrue

To the nature of my lowlybeing;

To serve the right cause,

To seek the right goal.

The plot becomes clear asstories unfold.

The answers are there,

Though not always seen.

The trick is to

Questioneverything.

 

Passing in Review

The old ex-soldier stood,

Bared his head and dipped hiseyes

In silence as the color guard

Strode step by step in grandreview.

 

Memories flood every stream

To overflowing as the symbol

Waves unfurling in the heat

Of steamy summers' sweatingswelter.

 

What a grand time it hadbeen;

Days gone by when youth wasking.

How much pride could one hearthold

For honor's duty gladly done?

How many lives were his totouch?

How many differencesresolved?

Could he have done just alittle more?

Will he find peace at the endof his road?

 

Forever seeking

To find something new,

Lives spent

Passing in review.

 

Crying

It brings me discomfort tosee people cry.

I never know how to react orrespond

To the steadfast emotion socommon to humans;

So deeply attached to thefrailties we share.

It's so unpredictable, solike the wind;

Cloudsladen with moisture

Thatburst at the seams.

One truly can neveranticipate

What may precipitate unwantedtears

To burst upon hearts with ajagged edge,

With a vengeance to tear outour dreams.

Sadness is all around everyday and

Tears are abundant to wash itfrom sight,

But tears alone never willtake it away;

Crying will not set thingsright.

So, we cry for our losses...

We cry for ourselves...

We cry for the pain that wemust endure.

We cry for the child whocannot understand.

We cry - because life isunsure....