The large blue teapot,
Used for special occasions,
And platters of cakes;
A gathering of friends
Sharing stories, sharing lives.
Inheritance squandered and strewn, appearing to discard his lessons of life,
He became a wandering fool, starting over again and again,
The destruction left in his wake, seemed to leave him nothing but torment and strife,
But lessons learned along the way, secretly were stashed and kept by him,
Now with greatest potential, finally he commits to redemption,
Believing it essential, to share the knowledge of what he has learned,
Our hapless fool now sets out, to design a most worthy commission,
Which would finally allow, him to teach these lessons he has discerned,
But now he knows he has gone, long past his last December,
He’s seen far beyond, what any man should ever see,
Now he knows much more, than he cares to remember,
For this life-long tour, defined who he has come to be,
He is a transient soul, never wary or vigilant,
Yet ever watchful he grows… in the knowledge of his quest,
But now is history, and the future is eminent,
Life’s still a mystery, and he didn’t try his best,
Where are his straws to grasp, and firm ground to stand upon,
Should he be called to task, for that which he should or shouldn’t have done,
Where is the ambition, he should have had all along,
Just what was his mission, and would he have learned a different song,
Answers can be all too easily found, once you have past your last December,
But how can a sage’s logic be sound, as all of life’s lessons slowly fade away,
And will he actually care, once there is much less to remember,
As he has less and less to share… ignorance is bliss and this is where he will stay.
So where does a December go, should you forget Spring, Summer and Fall,
The stark cold winds begin to blow, hope is all but gone and prayers are hard,
Might grace be found and faith rewarded, once there is nothing you can recall,
Life’s passions no longer recorded, life’s last cruel and hard lesson plays its card,
By keeping all doors open, he appeared the accidental sage,
Holding the keys to wisdom, but the door opened a touch too late,
For all he can remember, these lessons far too precious to trade,
Now past his last December, sadly we watch his redemption fade…
what do you find in
in the crow’s warning
in its infuriating raucous
knowing caw
hissing vile accusations
disturbing sweet songs
violating the wind
I do not need nefarious counsel
from such rude
and unwarranted
disruptions of nature
you darken the light
only as a reminder
screaming
demeaning
the moments that would have
served me better
were you not there
your sable sculpted silhouette
exits so nonchalantly
a rustling winged adieu
as if your presence
was actually accepted
never tell a fool
what she already knows
do not tempt the dark side
of what true light owns
one feather lingers
being pulled this way and that
just a marionette …
now who’s afraid of that
approx 13 minutes
for Matt's contest
Last Thanksgiving,
the turkey was nice and fat;
folks all came from miles around,
the dogs even chased our cat!
the ladies were in one kitchen,
we knew there'd be a battle;
the guys watched football in the den,
like drunken hybrid cattle!
here in this recliner,
sat our uncle ben;
with cold lumpy buttermilk
hangin' from his chin!
"DING DONG!"...goes our doorbell,
more cousins to say the least;
ain't it funny how everybody's suddenly kin,
when it comes to a Thanksgiving feast!
cousins jerry, george, ronnie, and pete,
jane, marsha, anna, and flo;
some of these fools i never heard of,
most i didn't even know!
with elbows on the table,
no one bothered to pray;
it was gluttony on the bounty,
oh, what a Thanksgiving Day!
the turkey was completely devoured,
what happened to our hams?;
all i could do was shake my fist,
and utter a vicious..."DAMN!!"
when all the horders departed,
we thanked God they were finally gone;
i opened my door to discover,
somebody barfed out on our lawn!!
a guest list of twelve,
had somehow doubled in size;
our household was a total wreck,
we couldn't believe our eyes!
this year we'll be prepared,
no one's gonna pull our spirits down;
we're hangin' a sign on our front door,
SORRY!... WE'RE OUT OF TOWN!
Glad,hedonistic lad;
Delighting in delectations,
Amusing affectations,
Posturing pretension
with ogling ostentation!
Professing pleasure seeking
Confessing,leisure leaning.
Reputation so revealing,
Passe peer appealing!
Performing,extroverting,
Showcasing,demonstrating,
Superficial and artificial;
Pleasure without measure.
Sad,sad,sad ! Hedonistic lad!
darkness turns to light,
gracious star illuminates;
beauty of your love!
~~~~~~~~~~
supreme above all;
your creative beauty shines,
everlasting star!
~~~~~~~~~~
opens heaven’s gate,
guiding star shines for my feet…
walking the right path!
~~~~~~~~~~
The Bride to be, first upon the red planet
To lead a force of three among rocky pits
Cloaked in brilliant white, face of golden glass
Upon the face of the god of war she now sits.
The first big family vacation, it was all so new
Mom found a dream ranch, a so-called “dude”
The kids were so young, a daughter not yet two
Our son only four, wanting to ride with the crew
Rafting, riding, and a real Mountain Man too,
This vacation was a hit - who knew?
As the years go by, we’ve made many friends
But over time this special week transcends
As families grow, things change
It can’t be helped, not really strange
Truth be told, our hearts aren’t ready
To agree on a change, on that we’re unsteady
Because memories are priceless, we’ll soon not forget
The ranch rodeos, Fat-Bat baseball games, and the brunch ride silhouette..
Of our annual family picture on a mountain out West,
Every year showing our kid’s growth, we are very blessed
It’s not with sadness that I write about when this might end
For it will surely open up a new door or trend
For as long as your heart, your family, and your thoughts don’t scatter
Where you go on vacation really doesn’t matter
Beach, mountains, wherever, one really shouldn’t mind
As long as you’re together, the time spent can be sublime
Oh, there are gripes, moans, and argument; it’s part of the quest
But I wouldn’t miss it, for who would have guessed
That in time as with all things, it too will naturally end
As children grow up and add their family blend
But If our good fortune continues we’ll be part of what’s next
In the knowledge that our time together is a gift not a test
I still see beauty in the world
despite its ugliness.
I still see love in the world
despite the hatred.
I still see hope in the world
despite the despair.
I still awake in the morning
and breathe fresh air.
I still walk on a beach
and feel the wind in my hair.
I still marvel at the ocean
and its tidal symmetry,
yet I still weep at the sadness
of today's society......
Its selfish materialism and
lack of care........
Its hatred and murder,
and its unwillingness to share.......
yet I still see beauty in the world:
it shines with the sun,
I still see beauty
when wild horses run.
I see hope fading, packing up to go.
Fed up of waiting,
oh stay hope, stay. Just one more day?
Don't go away,
For I'll still see beauty in the world
come what may.
All that remains…
Silence rests on dust and gloom,
Upon her head rests the old heirloom…
As I grasp the hat in shaking hands,
I gaze upon the picture,
Framed upon the stand…
Her smile as bright as,
The gleam in her eyes…
Her head tilted back,
Looking from under where the large brim lies…
The photo is cracked,
It is wrinkled with age…
I remember that chapter in our life…
It was written on,
The very first page…
Her T-shirt thin,
Leaving breast to bear…
Her jeans were faded;
Ripped here and there…
She loved nothing more,
Than the common place;
Never could do with ruffles and lace…
But the hat was sacred,
Somehow it fit right in…
It served to shadow her features;
To hide her mischievous grins…
Now those times are gone;
My lady at rest…
All that remains are:
A picture,
Some jeans,
A shirt,
And
The Hat in this chest…
There's a certain edge of chill in the mornings
And the angle of the sunlight betrays the passing of the year.
A few pioneer leaves have changed already,
Harbingers of an encroaching winter.
And in some odd way I am weary of wariness –
Alert to signs and possibilities,
A prompting to keen diagnosis
And then fulsome plans
Based upon some futile prognosis
Of what to do
And needs be done.
I think this time around I'm not going to try so hard
And just let time and things unfold as they will,
And just simply be.
I don't have anything to prove anymore,
The score of battles lost and won,
Struggle endured and mistakes made
Have been tallied enough.
After a while it all seems to be keeping score
Because that's what we've always done
And how we do things.
It is Autumn,
The time of fall. So one last look back,
Brace ourselves for winter
And carry on.
I can't forget you,
lose you,
block out your face.
As much as I loved you,
I want you to be ocean's away.
You seem to haunt me,
taunt me,
take my breath away.
I just want you
to slowly fade.
I am taken
by something
so much better than you.
My God,
My Prince,
this one love true.
I am praying
and saying
please make me sleep
So you are fading,
losing,
your grip on me.
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