Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 81

Cascading Emotions

She held it in as best she could.

We wondered for a while

If she had really felt the loss.

We'd even seen her crack a smile

At old familiar faces who

Had come from far away

To be with her, and join her in

Her sorrow and dismay.

So many years together,

So many deeds undone,

So many storms to weather now,

She must face them alone.

She seeks out solace and comfort,

But there's little to be found.

Voices speak to soothe her but

She never hears a sound.

But when the weeping crowd is gone,

And no one's left around,

The walls of all emotions

Come cascading to the ground.

 

The Battlement

You keep your guard up at all times;

Your drawbridge tightly closed.

Your moat is filled with quicksand,

You prison self-imposed.

You hide behind your battlement,

Your parapet enforces

With cannon fire and burning oils

To use without remorse.

Your towers steep, too tall to climb;

Your walls are fortified.

Your fortress well-secluded,

You let no one inside.

Oh! Lonely soul, your sad refrain,

A prisoner's desperate song.

Until you loose your battlement,

You never will belong.

 

The Zany

We watched the zany with delight,

Putting on his downtown show.

Throwing objects I the air,

Trading insults to and fro.

Wearing colors loud and brash to

Draw attention to his act.

Smell of greasepaint,

Funny shoes,

Bangles dangling down his back.

King of slapstick, simple fool,

Extravagant buffoon.

Ludicrous reminder of

A Saturday cartoon.

Silly little clown,

Crazy comic, king of fools.

He draws his largest audience

When he throws out all the rules.

 

Yeoman's Service

After forty years of faithful service,

More than fourteen thousand days,

They finally bought the golden watch,

Pitched the party, lauded praise.

Early on he was fanatic,

Meant to set the world ablaze.

Set them on their heals aplenty;

Sudden deftness to amaze.

Now the world is spinning faster,

Seems to leave him in a daze.

Just can't seem to get his rhythm

Or comprehend the latest craze.

Time to find a simpler meaning;

Time to start a brand new phase;

Time to cash your yeoman's service

And take the mouse out of the maze.

 

Xenophilia / Xenophobia

Don't fear me if I'm different.

That difference is unique.

There are far too many people,

And no two are the same.

The look and sound of strangers

Doesn't make them geeks or freaks.

It's wrong to predetermine

Or judge too early in the game.

 

A coin must always have two sides,

And who knows where the truth abides?

 

Don't love me if I'm different.

The difference could mean harm.

Be wary 'Til you know me,

But not filled with alarm.

Be easy in your listening;

Step cautious as you go.

A stranger is just someone who

You need to get to know.

 

Wading Through the Muddle

Life can be confusing

Yet amusing with its' charm,

Quietly bemusing

Seeking shelter from alarm.

Wading through the muddle

The befuddlement creates,

Gives us cause to take a pause

Until our ire abates.

It's not complicated, agitated

As we are.

Answers come to those who ask.

They're held up from afar.

Always there for those who choose

To take the longer view.

Footpaths, ever-widening,

Open to the avenue.

 

Vagabondage

Grass won't grow between his toes.

Spite will never lop his nose.

His restlessness evolves and grows.

Doesn't matter where he goes.

He just must be a vagabond;

Stay a while and then move on.

Carrying his magic wand,

Fairy dust to feed upon.

 

Ever searching for a thing,

Something worth remembering.

Grabbing for the golden ring,

Whisking off on feathered wing.

Those who are settled must beware.

First, he's here. Now, he's there.

Walking off without a care;

Oblivious and unaware.

 

Soar you ragged vagabond

Over mountain and beyond.

Taking off and taking on,

Battles to be fought and won.

Ubiquitous Omnipresence

There are powers we don't understand;

Ever-present, yet unseen by man.

Not of air or sea or even land,

Reaching out to all its healing hand.

When the tides roll in and themountains quake,

And the page of time makes the dawnawake,

Daylight leaves a smile lying in itswake;

There for those who choose toparticipate.

 

All the powers held by the universe

Speak to any willing to converse.

Whether be for better or for worse;

Whether forward moving or reverse.

Ubiquitous in its effect;

Much too subtle to detect.

Omnipresent and erect,

Meant to comfort and protect.

 

There's a presence, quiet and strong,

One to which we all belong.

The difference between right andwrong,

Our ever-present praise in song.

Terrace View

The view from here is lovely

On this terrace where I stand.

High above the down below

I survey all the land.

There's a party going on,

And there, a baseball game.

There, two people making love

Before a roaring flame.

Over there are busy bees

Abuzz with busy lives,

Making honey from the flowers,

Filling up their hives.

Everywhere I look a flurry

Of activity.

People meeting people;

Meeting everyone but me.

Time for a reflection;

To rethink things anew.

Time to join the party and

Forsake this terrace view.

 

The Sacrifice

He stood before the altar,

Head bowed, acquiescent;

Hands out-turned, submissivelyattuned,

Ready for the consequence,

Prepared to pay the sentence

For another,

Though the cost may be his life.

Heavy is the burden he

Must bear to love another.

Cold and hard the shackles of defense.

Knowingly he gives himself.

Unafraid he stands,

Quite prepared to make the sacrifice.