Category Archives: Poems

Poems

Perseverance

Leave a comment

Dedicated to the thousands that invest decades toward  exploration as a human necessity!

Perseverance

I saw a bright light in his eyes
as he told me he had to leave.
He needed to follow his dream
… there was life out there!
… not “if” there was life out there,
and he would find it.
Brilliant engineer and team leader
with unbounded passion.
Not unlike a kid that says he’ll play for the Yankees
but no, much more so, with a plan and preparation,
not in the sense that you or I see.
But in a swirl of ideas, a grand quest
which makes us extraordinary.
This is the best of humanity
it is poetry, art, a higher purpose.
On the shoulders of thousands and more
to lead where few could go… to persevere.

I saw those same eyes, decades later, above a mask
In mission control and as
Perseverance touched down
I saw this light still burned bright

 

 

Poems

A Half-Million Raindrops

Leave a comment

I wrote a poem today, but I don’t like it much.  So I thought I’d write about what I’m thinking… then maybe you can tell me what you think.

I was thinking this week that we shall see the deaths in our country exceed half-million due to a pandemic that was at first denied, then for political convenience a delayed response, while science which is too often denied, still came to the rescue, to create a chance for us to weather this storm, and to enjoy the joy of a rainbow rather than the ugly arch of recent history.

Each raindrop is about 1/480th of an ounce.. a half-million raindrops is 8 gallons of water.  Imagining this much rain, enough to drown in.  A half-million deaths, is more than we endured in two world-wars and the vietnam war,  all within one year… and yet we are numb to the numbers… we cannot relate to the loss.  We see only the recovery.  The rainbow is the arch we look to… and maybe this is what makes us human, the unrelenting hope for a better future.

Well here is the poem I wrote… but I am torn about what message is sensible in this understanding… what message should I look to?

A Half-Million Raindrops

The arch of history bends
As does light through rain
And wet on our faces tends
Not in anticipation of a rain-
bow, rather tears that lends
Onto the loss of souls in the reign
Of sickness that portends
A half-million drops of rain
An eight gallon loss sends
Us swirling down the drain
As this arch surely never mends
While we seek rather in the main
The joy a rainbow arch sends

Poems

Waiting to be Found

Leave a comment

 

Waiting to be Found

How many children are like spare change
Lost wherever guardians rested
Valued only when someone digs deep
Between the cushions of safety and horrors
Of cough drops, tissues, decaying food
Of violence and poverty and pain
To be found and pulled from oblivion
And with a bit of shine, to be a value
To be exchanged for sweetness 
Of ideas of survival, of nobleness 
Of humanity and inspiration 
For those of us who never 
Knew the pangs of being lost

Poems

The Morning Commute

Leave a comment

 

The Morning Commute

Each morning they make the commute
From nesting lands toward the rising sun
Shining in their eyes and warming
Thousands of them
With their squeaks and squawks
Each and all protesting the commute
Or sharing their thoughts on breakfast
As part of their morning ritual
Only to do it all over again in reverse
Toward a setting sun
With the glory of a day being done
Still protesting their commute
Or telling of the day’s wins
As they squeak and squawk their way home
Just to do it all again, tomorrow.

Poems

Lady Time

Leave a comment

 

Lady Time

The sinews of life can seem brittle
And Time she is short and maybe a little

Annoyed with those of us
Who curry favor and fuss

About getting somewhere, being done
That we fail to appreciate, while on a run

That we are using her up, willing her speed
Until we no longer have this very need

And we find our place on the porch
Telling stories of carrying the torch

The chair cackling laughter in rhythm time
At our desires to slow, and pace our mind

So, she may choose to be a little unkind
If we have asked too much of Lady Time

 

Poems

Our New Day

1 Comment

 

Our New Day

Yesterday, my spirit was lifted
Not only by a leader
Not by the words said
Not by the glorious hope of a poet
Not by humanity we should expect of politicians
But rather the strength of our institutions
The strength of We the People
Whose will was not denied
Whose fair and wise voice
Was heard in the halls of our Capitol
Over the stain of slander
Over the crimes of the misled
For we survived the test
For we are stronger and more resolved
And we will overcome
All challenges that stand in our way
We the American People
In our New Day

Poems

Something New

Leave a comment

 

Something New

She gives a sideways glance
As she said, oh yes
To the inquiry of slumbering well

For that was then and this is now
The present and near future matter,
Not the transition to now

For the rest of sleep is a given
Unappreciated when young
But the moment of today is alive

Dreams are something of hope
Not things of memories
Easily forgotten in their purpose

Rather then the purpose of future
With the connections today
With the need of freshness

And so the question seemed
Ridiculous and obvious the
Answer, if one only knew

How to retain the view
And youthful purpose
Of every day is something new.

Poems

Two is a graceful number…

Leave a comment

 

The Dance of Two (2)

One is so stiff and very formal
Thinking it is correct and normal

The other is just another one
Along because it might be fun

Together when the music plays
Something stirs in strange ways

And one and one becomes two
But not as simply me and you

It is a wholly a number of its own
With grace of a bow now shown

With not much more than a look
Reading each other like a book

Movement in synchronicity numerical pairing
While other less handsome digits are staring

At the beauty of the melodious dance of two
That’s more than just me plus you