Madness....

It seems intentions cannot compete
With the madness of desire
It seems that I cannot delete
The fuel that fans the fire
It seems that I must write instead
For better or worse, forever
It keeps me sane, yet drives me mad
The love of pen and paper

Janet~
I keep telling the kids
I’m going to take a break from writing……
Soon,

Perimeters.....

But the cold, harsh truth
blew across the landscape this morning
lodging unabashedly
where it is most keenly felt............
within
The wind may blow in its wildest fury
but it cannot alter boundaries
written in stone
Words flow from a pen silently
but the perimeters of sorrow or joy
are not over-thrown
nor the laws of love and longing
borne quietly,
alone

Janet~

Black and White Night

The silence is amplified tonight
The world is a canvas of black and white
Broken here and there by a pale twinkling light
Dimmed by the falling snow
Alone is such a lonesome word
But the frosty stillness somehow stirred
And magnified that solemn word
Alone, alone, alone


Janet~

The kids will soon be home:)

Actually, after 'lively Friday'
a little bit of 'alone' is...Bliss:)

Enough..............

The pride and passions of a man
Soon lies dormant in the dust
How quick he treads this briefest span
Of trial and error, love and lust
How fickle is our greatest plan
How brief the mortal thing we trust

There is a higher goal above
Where wiser man may fix his gaze
A higher purpose for his love
A higher calling for his days
Assurance it will be enough
When comes the parting of our ways

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Please Wait......

Please wait…..says the screen as my dial-up internet
Struggles to reach its destiny
Wait……. for what? I ask, a little impatiently
Wait while the day stretches its arms
Toward the evening sky……..
While the wind in vapid charms
Croons an early lullaby?
Wait, while hearts break as love
Succumbs to early graves
Or while we fight back
Lest we become victims or slaves………..

Please wait…..wait while little baby
Grows up and flies away
And little girl becomes a lady
While I whisper….oh, please wait
Wait, as the rose-bud blooms
Weeping withered petals at my feet
And I go searching for its perfume
On a dark and lonely street
Wait, while raven locks turn white
And wisdom crowns the brow
That is now so smooth and bright
In all her dazzling youthful glow
Wait, while she will tell me
How it’s done in the today
For somehow I grew old-fashioned
In all the ‘waits’ along the way

Please wait………while life divides its portions
Of joy, sorrow, victory and defeat
Please wait, the rise and falling of the ocean
Does not wane within the beat
That marks the silent ticks of time
Upon a turquoise swell
Nor writes how far we still must climb…..
Only One can tell
Please wait……while I live, laugh, love, weep
Hold on and let go
I have hands to hold and promises to keep
Oh, please wait until I’ve told you
That I love you so

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Not So Very Long Ago....

Not so very long ago
Flowers laughed beneath our feet
Daisies bloomed white as the snow
That now lines every hill and street

Not so very long ago
Genial freedom fueled our dreams
Before the half-extinguished glow
Of bittersweet remembering

No so very long ago
Love was vague unchartered bliss
Before life's verdant ebb and flow
Revealed the bloom beneath the kiss

Not so very long ago
We wore the fancied garb of Spring
But now the fields are decked with snow
And bittersweet remembering

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Year.....

Her name doth not bespeak her guild
Her triumph and her tear
She, both tender and strong-willed
We simply call her Year…….
Just a small four-letter word
To sum a twelve-month span
Not a hint of joy or hurt
That Year doth bring to man
We ponder as we stand upon
The remnant of her veil
For soon another Year is gone
Her eye is growing pale
Upon the brink we cannot see
The hand of her successor
But she will follow faithfully
Her silent predecessor
As we, with sentimental tear
Whisper a soft farewell
She slips away, another Year
Where to, no one can tell
Her bosom bears the moments where
We wept our bitter tears
Or uttered our profoundest prayers
Releasing our fears
She carries on her pallid brow
Each kiss, each word, each sigh
For no one can retrieve it now
In her soundless good-bye
With her she takes each tick of time
That formed her every limb
From mortal visage she will climb
Into the shadows dim
Farewell to her grand victory
Farewell to cruel defeat
We hear across the rolling sea
Her echo, bittersweet
Farewell to all her fleeting gain
Farewell to all her sorrow
Never shall we meet again
Its burdens then to borrow
Farewell oh bearer of all things
Our smile, our song, our tear
The rise and fall of temporal kings
With you must disappear
As we, with unrequited dreams
Silently watch you go
Within our eye a new hope gleams
For in her leave we know
A pure untarnished Year doth wait
A glimpse of hope and cheer
And so we linger at the gate
To greet another Year

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Yes, it is a month early...
sometimes I think better
'ahead of Time'
(no pun intended:):)

Companion...........

You’re with us from the moment
We wake up at light of day
Until we’re fast asleep at night
You never go away
Sometimes you drive us crazy
And sometimes you make us sad
You torment and inspire
Leave us lonely, drive us mad

You never seem to go away
And if ever you do
Then we no longer care to live
We’re nothing without you
Sometimes you plague us sorely
And sometimes you comfort too
Our constant in the morning
Until waking hours are through

We never really see you
Yet we see you everywhere
In every little thing we do
We know that you are there
For we become what first you are
By you our hands are taught
Oh, may we keep you good and pure
For action first is Thought

Yes, Thought is with us everywhere
He is both wise and fool
But we can keep Thought healthy
With a very simple tool
To think of Jesus first of all
And other people’s needs
For action is the fruit of Thought
As Thought plants little seeds

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin