Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 83

The Juggler

From ancient times

In jester's court

The juggler brings his fame.

Honing art in bold display,

Never knowing shame.

Whether played for king or pauper,

The act remains the same,

Treating life as entertainment;

Living just a game.

Spheres and clubs go flying

As if suspended in mid-air.

The juggler takes no cue except hisown.

He wouldn't dare.

To let his mind go wandering

Would bring him to despair.

He must focus, concentrate

On what's before him there.

And now the show is over.

Onlookers drift away,

As those appreciative toss a coin

To make the juggler's day.

 

Double Helix

Twisting down to wrap around

And double back again,

This way, that way,

Your way, my way,

Ascend to descend.

Bubbling up and over / under,

Always in repeat,

Catching glimpses from the past;

Deja vu in heat.

Life is just a double helix

Wrapped around its core.

Spiraling its victims

To leave them wanting more.

 

The Ladder of Success

Corporations give us ladders as ametaphor,

Expecting us to climb up to the top.

The lower rungs are wider withoutmuch incline.

They have to be. They bare a heavycrop.

The chosen few allowed to pass

Quite often step on fingers

Causing them to lose their grip andfall.

Callously advancing, passing thosewho are descending,

Unaware the meaning of it all.

 

Life is not a ladder, or at least itshouldn't be.

The path ahead should be a levelplain.

Ladders are for suckers, a mind trap fordepression,

A willful predilection for disdain.

You can keep your ladders;

Leave them stored in your garage.

I prefer to live my life content

Knowing there is no regret, noapologies,

And no trespass for which I mustrepent.

 

The Well of Passion

How often can the well be drawn

Before it comes up dry?

How deep the waters?

How full the pail?

What do you measure by?

If passion be a seamy thing

Distraught by lust or greed,

No mortal mind can save a heart

Inbred without a creed.

Passion with compassion is the

Path that makes us great,

But life without compassion

Is the breeding ground for hate.

 

Doctor Says

Doctor says, "Diagnosis lookinggrim."

Doctor says, "Hope for survivalvery slim."

Doctor tries not to go out on a limb,

But there's something; something I'mnot telling him.

When survival is dependent on merehope

And physicians have begun to graspand grope,

There is one thing, short of tyingnoose in rope,

That can save you, that can help youdeal and cope.

It's faith. Faith in something; anything;

In god, or you, or someone else

On which your hope can cling.

Faith in someone from your past who'sworth remembering;

In longing for tomorrow, to see whatit may bring.

Many are the souls whose faith

Has brought them from the brink.

When mired waste deep in sinking sand

They just refused to sink.

They found a someone deep inside,

Someone they never knew,

Who brought them hope to savethemselves

And start their lives anew.

 

Every Sight / Every Sound

Every sight I see,

Every sound I here,

Every touch I feel

With my fingertips,

Every taste of life,

Every scent of fear,

Every word that rolls

Across tongue and lips

Is a signaling

Of what life's about;

All the wonders

Given each to know.

It is ecstasy,

Or it's meant to be,

Not to be beleaguered

By events of woe.

So, it is to live.

It's our daily task.

Looking on ahead,

Unafraid to ask

About something new,

Something far away;

Living life in wonderment

Every day.

Dare To Dare

All are challenged. Few respond with

Bold, resounding, quick resolve,

Throwing caution out the window,

Stepping deftly to the fray.

Leading by example to the

Edge of rational reason;

Holding high the banner

And a torch to lead the way.

Here's to those who knew enough

And felt enough to care.

Let's raise our glasses in a toast to

Those who dare to dare.

 

Screaming Into the Wind

You simply can't be heard

If you are screaming in the wind.

Your words will only leave your lips

And double back again.

Like casting out your nets

To have them land upon the shore,

Catching only sand and shell;

A fitful futile chore.

Better not to scream at all.

Better to convey

Messages we need to send

In a more subtle way.

We are known by our example;

A fact on which you can depend,

And it's foolish to go screaming

Loud into an angry wind.

 

Legacies

What we leave behind us,

And what lies up ahead

Are the things upon which

Legacies are made;

Building blocks upon which others

Formulate their plans;

Lasting memories that never fade.

Legacies to act as symbols,

Torches in the dark,

Carrying the dreams and hope

Of what we come to be.

Shame and pride are intertwined

With anger and compassion;

Both cross and banner

For humanity.

Looking down from high atop

The mountain range of reason,

Scanning all resources one may see,

Honesty must bring us to discuss

And to discover

Exactly what our legacy should be.

 

Meltaway Heart

Oh! Poor poor fool with the meltawayheart.

We caught you crying again.

So foolish to give yourself away

So quickly, completely, so easily.

There's nothing quite as saddening

As unrequited love;

A storybook whose end you long tochange.

That devastating blow that only comes

When you reveal your heart to learn

That you are nothing more than friends.

It makes you swear that next time,

If a next time there might be,

Will be different,

Will be better,

Will be sane.

But comes along a giving soul

Who makes you feel at home,

And your heart can't help

But melt away again.