Category Archives: Poems

Independence Day – July 4, 2019

Why I Love America?

For in this land I was born equal in opportunity to all others
And we allow too, all who enter legally an equal opportunity
I love that we play on a field that is level and fair to all
Protected by laws and ensured by our institutions the opportunity
For education, for healthcare and most importantly security
And when there is injustice, there is a system to seek justice
That my intellect, talents, personal energy, and luck
Yes, luck matters too – for even being American is a lucky break,
Allowing me opportunity for happiness, prosperity, and peace
At least most of the time…
It is the opportunity that matters to me, not a guarantee
As a result of our sense of fairness we root for underdogs and we take care, and do our best to level the field for those who are striving to overcome disadvantages
For we want a fair fight
We feel stronger together when the weakest overcome disabilities
and succeed in their personal quests
We feel more united when we come together to help each other
Because we do care and help each other
And there is more than enough empathy left to care for others beyond our borders
Who face natural, or man-made disasters and tragedy
We give, we take care, often defend, and know we’ll eventually get out of the way
For it’s about the opportunity and freedom of choices that make us great
It is about using all our natural and human resources within the context of those democratic and independence principles that our forefathers established for us  exactly 243 years ago today, when they said:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed

And yes, our country is beautiful, with grand spaces, fertile farmland,
Beautiful mountains, protected by great oceans and endowed richly with resources
But it is our industrious people, and the foresight of our founders
Which gave us the persistence, the integrity, the rules of law, and even the vitality
To make America the greatest country in the world
But rest assured that this position is not permanently carved in granite
We must continue and renew our passion for our country,
and “government of the people and for the people” must ever be protected, while
Our rule of law must be held sacrosanct and our sense of fairness, and inclination to help others less fortunate must never wane…
For this is what makes us American, and this is why I love America.

Have a Happy Day!

 

Happy Day

Feel the cool grass between your toes
As evening arrives and your heart knows
That any day is good without bad news
And a little time to dance sans these shoes
Calming the soul and soothing the mind
Leaving all your cares far behind
Opening door to this moment’s setting sun
World turning and right here this day’s done
And far to the West where I may be
The door shows that soon I’ll see
The glow of your setting sun in time
No borders and no purpose you’ll find
Separating you and I in anything more than time
If we all find joy in music, and lyrics that rhyme
Then we all know that happy is a state of mind
One that we choose and enjoy if everyone is kind
And the open door from today to tomorrow glows
As sunset’s fade into night and new sunrise shows
That today and tomorrow is but a thought
Like borders whose definition we have wrought
From the imagination that we are somehow greater
If we define our lines clearer and straighter
Like the day knows the difference from this end
to tomorrow’s begin
And the distance between, matters not, if you send
The joy of your yesterday to my today
And we all enjoy this very happy day!

A Poet’s Quest…

 

May the Words Move You

What is the meaning you’re hearing
Poets provoke, intending emotion searing
Words have feelings, both yours and mine
Do the thoughts and feelings now align?
Feel the light breeze brush your cheek,
Does it causes a chill as you speak,
Provoking you to turn your head?
With thoughtful meaning instead
Becoming you, as you too add to the multitudes of winds
Of change, and a whirlwind of meaning transcends
The nature of feelings, to thoughts, to meanings
Adding to humanities emotional intelligence leanings
So, as you find the words that finally move you
Know that it was a poet’s dream that they do

Happy Father’s Day

 

All of Us

Dad takes care of Mom
So, Mom can worry and pray for all of us

Dad tells his stories, we’ve all heard before
But they still have a message for all of us

Mom’s eyes roll, as he chuckles at his own jokes
And we chuckle too, because it’s part of all of us

Dad still figures out how to do everything
Creative and valued advice for all of us

Discounts, coupons, everything can be repaired
So too, we save, fix and repair, it’s part of all of us

Dad taught us how to be noble and good
We do our best, as a bit of nobility is now in all of us

So, Mom, no need to worry about all of us
Because there’s a bit of Dad in all of us!

Sometimes

Sometimes, I think I’m having a sometimes moment, but then
Sometimes, I think it’s just that I’m thinking it’s one of those
Sometime moments, and
…………………………………………….. Sometimes it’s really not

Memorial Day…

Memorial Day Prayer

Flag flies bright from the porch
For those that carried the torch
Into the darkness, into the awful fight
For us to enjoy freedom and safety at night
The sacrifice, of those women and men
Who answered the call, with how and when
Not why me, not find someone else to send
And they gave all they have until the very end
It is right then, that we remember and pray
For those with the angels we memorialize today

A Poet’s Passion

 

A Poet’s Passion

I need to write
There’s something more to say
But there are things I should do
Like wrapping poems into a book

But composing is passion
Sometimes I just have to write
Sometimes I have no clue what to write
Sometimes I wonder does anyone care what I write

Art inspires, life, and poetry
I’d like my poetry to inspire art
I can see the colors in my mind
Rolling the words in my mouth
Tasting them, feeling their texture

Tell me of the children,
Not what they are doing
Or their many accomplishments
But what are they thinking and feeling
Witnessing the development of character

The mind is important cargo
In a body nourishing and protecting
Find joy in a breeze when it’s hot
A chill when there should be none
The joy of clouds when it should be clear
Even the tears of rain that streaks windows
Is that a state of mind?

Could I love more?
Should I know how?
The cup seems full,
Yet add a few more drops if you will
I’ll keep sipping from that cup every day
Feeding strength, joy and inspiration

All Stories Come to an End…

 

It Ends

They all end
They come into our hearts
With their stories and quirks
Their weakness, failures
Their fears, and redemption
The surprise of strength
The reminder of something
That is noble within them
Which is somewhere within us
These stories that make us think
Are we like them, do we like them
We are invested, so we feel
And we miss them
When it ends

A Nod to Ancestors…

Ancestral Blood

Against all odds, you survived
Traveled, or fled, but you arrived
You fought, you struggled for life
You found somehow, a wife
Knowing hunger, pain, so tired
Love, laughter, but vitally you sired
Children that carry a bit of you
Into the unknown, into the blue
Future unimagined, to someone like me
Someone you’d never know or see
What did you give to the likes of me
That drive to grow, to learn, to be
Alive and provide a path for you
To live on in my children, as something new
A blend of each generation from before
What did we learn, what future is in store
If we could prescient a collective we
Would centuries of desire, and energy be
In the blood that courses through our veins
In our minds a thousand voices, and names
The passion of survival, the wisdom of time
Driving to a brighter future, a more perfect rhyme