Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 97
January 28, 2023
Family Never Fades
In this life of mish and mosh
Where nothing last beyond tomorrow,
Where joy and sorrow intertwine.
Strangers one day.
Friends the next as
Time creates a distant memory
Muddled in a clustered noodle,
Withered grapes left on the vine.
Family is different,
Day one to last the cast remains
A steady flow of come and go
United by a crimson bond.
Handed down through generations,
More than rote or vain tradition.
Bloodlines know no affectation of
Tomorrow and beyond.
Though reunions may be foreign,
Sad occasions of farewell,
Where kinfolk gather reminiscent of
Long forgotten escapades,
Still the song goes on forever,
And the love runs still and deep.
In a world that holds no boundaries
Knowing family never fades.
January 27, 2023
A Little Bit Off Today
Just like your Momma always said.
Maybe that midnight pizza was not
The best idea to come into your head.
Maybe that thing that went snap, crackle, pop
This morning when you first got out of bed
Was an omen of dragons lurking in shadows
Anxiously wanting their famine be fed.
Collision, collusion, confusion abounds
And Murphy’s law seems to apply.
It’s two steps forward, one sideways, one back.
Keep quiet and never ask why.
But giving up is never an option
If you want your piece of the pie.
So, you hold up your head to
Push on through the dread
Refusing to crumble or cry.
And yes,
Things might be a little bit off,
You and fate don’t quite see eye to eye.
But you’ll never know just
How much you might win
Unless you continue to try.
January 26, 2023
Where are My Glasses?
Only need them when my eyes are open.
Thankful for the 20/20 I’d
Otherwise be denied.
Pity these old eyes can’t seem to
Focus on their own
Except in dreams where my imagination
Reaches far and wide.
I see other folks my age
Stroll free and unencumbered by
The dual panes that ride the nose
Like cowboys in a saddle.
Wonder why the Good Lord chose
To have me hide my features
Behind glass and wire and plastic
As though my brain were addled.
But then, upon considering that
Sight to some has been denied,
My feckless fear of vanity
Throws caution to the masses.
Blessed to see the sunrise/sunset.
Blessed to know my loved ones faces.
Thankful for the awkward task
To ask, “where are my glasses?”
January 25, 2023
Not a Bad Life
Perfect life. It
Simply doesn’t exist.
The peaks and valleys
Trials and tribulations,
Turns and twists.
Backstepping, sidestepping,
Stepping up, stepping down,
Stepping in poop,
Stepping on eggshells,
Trying to please everyone,
To be a part of a group.
Dealing with losses and
New beginnings.
Eager to figure things out.
Trying too hard to please everybody
When no one can tell you
What life’s all about.
Hop on the ride of life’s
Big rollercoaster.
Feel every bump, every dip, every curve.
Taste the adventure of every moment.
Feel every meal
That life has to serve.
January 24, 2023
Faded Plans
Dublin and Glasgow.
Maybe even a side stop in Tuscany
Or Nice.
One more (or more) treks to Broadway
To see our favorite “Phantom” and
To dine at Sardis amongst all the stars.
No real agenda,
Just pick up and go.
Any whim, any time, anywhere our
Desires send our footsteps
To places of bold new adventures,
Tempting our fate.
Learning to quick-step, the jive and
The waltz. You always wanted to
Teach me to dance.
And yes, I know I could still
Do these things.
But where would the meaning be?
Where would the song?
These faded plans we made together
Lose their luster now
You are gone.
January 23, 2023
Pack a Lunch / Have a Picnic
Looks, to me, it’s gonna be
A good time, apple-shine, scent of pine day.
Polished and tasty,
Fresh from the
Morn’s cornucopian buffet.
Constant and steady,
No plans at the ready,
Completely at spontaneity’s call.
Go pack a lunch.
No, wait. Pack a basket,
Enough for a picnic.
To hell with it all.
Should we walk?
Should we drive?
Would we feel more alive
To set off in directions
Completely unknown?
Do we seek out a place where
The clock stops at midday
With nary a worry about
Getting back home?
We enjoy our repast
From the first to the last
As frivolous time slips slowly away.
And the treasures we found,
Both sweet and profound.
Pack a lunch.
Have a picnic.
Savor the day.
January 22, 2023
Another Day
Woke up,
Got up, business done.
Ready for another day.
Brush away the overnight
And damn the light
And the mirrors display.
And though I know
I look a fright
With bedroom hair
And droopy stare,
I fake a smile and stumble to
The kitchen in my underwear.
Coffee on.
Pills to take.
Fill a cup of each.
Socks and shoes,
A little news and
Step into the breach.
What grand adventures do await
To carry me away?
Tis grace that’s granted me
The sunrise of
Another day.
January 21, 2023
Young and Foolish
I would never have guessed that
Getting old would come so soon.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that
High School hijinks were the rule?
So clear in fond reflection are
Those carefree days of Brigadoon.
They sparkle in my memory as
A brightly polished jewel.
And you, my friend, cannot deny
The mischief of our genesis.
We were so young and foolish,
Never counting danger’s cost.
No dare of double-dog did we
Let pass without remiss.
Head over backside we would tumble
Once the gauntlet had been tossed.
Looking back and looking forward,
Reckless youth and
Feckless folly.
Lessons learned from dangers spurned
Spared our youth from melancholy.
The what and how, the then, the now
Defined our destiny.
That we survived and somehow thrived
Is still an utter mystery.
January 20, 2023
Maybe a Miracle
Whatever happened to
That side-fund we had saved
For rainy days?
Oh yes, repairs were necessary.
Bid goodbye to that outlay.
But didn’t I work extra hours
And resolve to change my ways?
Oh, yes, the medicines were costly.
There were doctor bills to pay.
The rent is due.
Utilities are soaring through the roof.
Excuses flow til I don’t know
A falsehood from the truth.
Friends are mute or
Resolute they cannot lend a note.
They seem to be in
The same sea
If not in the same boat.
No doubt these miseries will pass.
Alas, we’ll see it through.
Maybe the gods will smile
And send a miracle…
Or two.
January 19, 2023
I’ve Changed My Mind
Restless to change the ho-hum of my life.
Bored with the humdrum/doldrums that’s
Plagued for so long.
Spoke up to issue fair warning
To any who might try to add to my strife.
Nothing and no one allowed to
Silence my song.
Yesterday’s sorrows are still there,
A constant companion wherever I go.
A badge I wear pinned to my heart
Next to your memory.
And all my tomorrows are threadbare,
Fallow, unchanged, unintended to grow.
Day after day after
Long lonely day
Yesterday is all I can see.
But you wouldn’t want me to
Carry that burden,
Living my life in a haze. So,
I woke up this morning and
I’ve changed my mind
To start living the rest of my days.
