Prudence

In the troubled land of prudence

Where decisions often linger past

The point of senseless measure,

Let the watchful warry be.

 

Though due diligence is boon

And caution grows a welcome friend,

Deliberations bear the warning:

“Time may be the enemy.”

 

Careful is a cunning cohort to

Watch horizons,

Guard behind.

Doppelganger of forewarning,

Sentinel to peace of mind.

 

But prudence owns its useful limits

When progress is on the fly, for

Opportunity won’t linger

And it soon may pass on by.

 

Piety

Dear lord, I beg you,

Give me peace to be

The best that I can be.

I never claimed to be

The reverent poster child of piety.

 

Even though my faith is strong

And I am staunch to know my place,

The way is long and I am far from

Living in a state of grace.

 

Test me in the zeal and fervor of

My stretched fidelity until

The limits of my passion

Are revealed for all to see.

 

You may find my light to shine

With hope to spare in time and space,

Or deem my day in disarray and

In desperate need of firm embrace.

 

No matter how,

No matter when,

No matter where the road may bend,

The strength of honest piety

Can be a kind and trusted friend.

 

Persistence

Oh, no, here it comes again

Plagued by that same nagging score,

Like that fussy Fuller Brush Man 

Knock-knock-knocking on my door

Like the (ding-dong) Avon lady

Hawking, squawking evermore,

Runs around in circles like

A rowboat sculled by just one oar.

 

If I say it oft enough

Perhaps you’ll take it to be true.

Not so sure if that reflects

More shamefully on me or you.

But many pacts and promises are

Rubber-stamped without a clue

Because some unrelenting fool

Refused to drop the other shoe.

 

In truth of truth, to close a plan and

Bring it to fruition

Requires a resolute someone

Persistent in his mission.

 

Perseverance

“I’ve got this,” he said. “No worries.

We’re good.”

And he just kept going and rolling along.

I wasn’t so sure that he understood.

But then, after all, he was young and strong.

Most people would wilt tracking try after try

Until every venture was spent.

But every time he landed

Flat on his back

He got up again,

Refused to relent.

 

Driven by diligence, bolstered by stamina,

So full of moxie and grit,

No one can question his pit bull tenacity

Fully refusing to quit.

 

So often a path might be littered with trials

And peril may get in the way,

But resolute mindset and

Pure perseverance

Will offer the sweetest bouquet.

 

Patience

Waiting can be bothersome,

If not downright unreasonable

When weaving through the barriers

Of, “GIVE IT TO ME, NOW.”

 

Where comes the need? This instant need

For pleasure and fulfillment,

As though there’s cause to

Reap the crops

Before the soil, for seed, is ploughed.

 

It’s what I want.

It’s what I need,

The one thing I desire.

The new, the now, the everything

To which I most aspire.

 

But Patience is long-suffering.

She muddles through with pluck and grit,

Her stoic presence taciturn,

Although she may lament a bit

While biding in anticipation

Pondering the “either / or”.

Anything that’s worth its weight is

Always worth the waiting for.

 

Orderliness

I like your panoramic style;

It vibes of pure efficiency.

Your perfect sense of order is

Just short of austere O.C.D.

 

Your penchant toward proficiency

Implies a form of artistry

No artist’s palette has the

Gripping colors

Or the eye to see.

 

Form and fashion have a place when

Competence is on the line.

The process and routine must never fail.

And the keeper of the lamp must

Never fault to make the lighthouse shine

Lest the battered waters should prevail.

 

We yield to order as a

Safe alternative to anarchy

And so, preserve the status quo and

Keep a bit of sanity.

 

But ways and manners may contort to

Tactics quite unique, so

The wise man seeks alternatives

And thinks before he speaks.

 

Openness

Secrets are the Devil’s wasteland

Held inside the dark recesses of

An unrelenting Hell

Waiting to unleash their bane.

 

Holding back and holding on to

Enigmatic mysteries

(When only truth holds freedom’s fare)

Can only be a source of pain.

 

Mayhap there lives a smarter option

To this lost and cryptic world,

One whose prospect need not be

A grand deception filled with lies.

 

Might it be an open mind that

Leaves the hurt of guile behind

And paves the path to a peaceful mind.

The ultimate surprise.

 

Shall I listen?

Might I hear?

May I not react with haste?

To cast the die before its cue

Leaves such a bitter aftertaste.

 

Morality

They tend to dwell on

A sliding scale,

Ebbing, flowing,

Shrinking, growing,

Ever-changing, rearranging

Facts and figures to adapt.

 

But morals yield to

Fits and quarrels,

Cede to greed and

Clashing creeds til

Standards rise to

Meet the eyes and

Probity is firmly mapped.

 

We are children of

The children of

The children of “the Child.”

Following millennial traditions

As if blind.

The linchpin of integrity

Not to be defiled,

Morality is never quite defined.

 

Modesty

I used to think myself demure,

Timid, bashful, coy and shy.

No bold exhibitionist,

No proud narcissist was I.

 

Then a malady dispatched me

To the town infirmary

Where I quickly learned the drill

And lost all sense of modesty.

 

Stripped of clothes and dignity

And any pride one may uphold

I quickly learned to acquiesce and

Simply did as I was told.

 

Nurse, technician and physician

Prodding, poking, nodding, joking,

Open gown exposing flesh to passers-by.

I feel like croaking.

 

Yes, I know it’s necessary.

This is how it needs to be,

But it sure does make it difficult

To embrace modesty.

 

Moderation

Anything… Everything…

All good things in moderation.

Songs we sing,

Food we bring

In austere consideration.

 

Worrying… Flurrying…

Hurrying to reach the end while

Mothering and smothering 

In ways no one can comprehend.

 

Gluttony says to me,

“Have your fill. Enjoy temptation.”

But the relish of ambrosia

Wields an untoward consequence.

 

Staving cravings, not so easy,

Tested by such sweet sensations.

Desperate for overkill to

Acquiesce to common sense.

 

Less is more

For what’s in store, and

Greed is need when unrestrained.

And why must we

Feint debauchee

When beckoned to abstain.

 

Mercy

In a world of second chances

It should come as no surprise

The bridle of benevolence should

Lead the way to a proper pause.

 

Concession comes much easier when

Views arise through other’s eyes.

And quarter seems more likely given

To a foe of noble cause.

 

Mercy is the silent seer

Whose ending anger cannot see.

The power of forgiveness gives

The giver infinite release.

 

So, let us then give ken to mercy,

Hail to grace and clemency.

Let the shine of tempered pardon

Be the paradigm of peace.

 

Whereas we decry a lie,

The truth is oft misunderstood.

Though the outside blurs to black

Inside there may still be good.

 

Meekness

I have no desire to inherit the earth.

This sheepish docility gives me no peace

In a dog-eat-dog fantasy

Waiting to pounce with the

Sureness of sunrise that springs from the east.

 

Yet modesty does claim

The poise of enlightenment,

Tendered with reticence,

Braced by a pause,

With feathers unfettered and

Voice clear and calm, 

Alert and proficient to

Sidestep the beast.

 

But don’t confuse meekness with

Gestures of weakness

When mortals demure from the norm.

You may be surprised by

The fire in their eyes

When the table is set for the feast.

 

Magnanimity

It is an altruistic breeze that

Ferries streams of charity,

A bountiful calliope of open hospitality.

And shades of magnanimity give rise

To generosity til I am you,

Til you are me, a blending of humanity.

 

And wisdom grows what kindness sows

To flourish in the afterglow.

For Heaven knows ‘tis apropos

To measure beyond quid pro quo.

 

To view the show from high plateau

And watch the goings-on below

Where fire and ice trade lethal blows

And never flow simpatico.

 

The heart and mind reach far beyond

The premise of a magic wand,

So all may bare their pedigree

In waves of magnanimity.

 

Loyalty

Forty-seven years should count for something.

Forty-seven precious years of staunch fidelity,

Support and devotion to you, my one and only,

A constant, steadfast case of loyalty.

 

I’d like to say we’ve had a pretty good run,

More than many,

More than most. More to come.

Want so much for us to age together,

And this is much too soon.

Much too soon.

 

You have been my one true life companion,

And I your ever-faithful devotee.

Through shifting tides we’ve

Traversed restless oceans

And stood our ground with fierce integrity.

 

And I will be there when the battle’s over

To take your hand and keep you safe and warm.

A loyal friend, a faithful true companion

Offering calm shelter from the storm.

 

Love

Arrives with unexpected ardor,

Glows in multi-colored lights.

It fawns and flairs with fragrances

That rise and fall in symphony.

 

Where it dwells is veiled in secret

Else we taste its origin of

Sweet repose, gentle breeze and

Heightened ambiguity.

 

I suspect that when it tumbles

Mountains crumble to the sea,

Obstacles retract, expand in

Aspect of fragility.

 

Only know that as it grows

In nurtured fields of sacred trust,

All delights within the heart

Reciprocate in harmony.

 

Hate and discord scar the soul with

Emblematic agony.

Only love and simple grace

Can lead the way to ecstasy.

 

Knowledge

Wisdom knows no magic bullet,

Instant access or easy trail.

It grows along a thorny path

With walls and fences to encroach.

 

And knowledge breeds the building blocks

That rouse the march to clarity, and

Experience, the bitter pill, is

Sage savant beyond reproach.

 

With starts and stops and two treads back

On stairs and steps and stumbling blocks

To leap and learn through trial and fault

And make the puzzle pieces fit.

 

Growing exponentially to

Feed the need of will and want,

Knowledge is a paladin

Whose universe is infinite.

 

Knowledge waxes on through time

Where insight marries reason,

And we are mete more than fair share

To learn in our brief season.

 

Kindness

Kindness is a gentle friend

Whose silky voice floats soft to soothe

Disquiet ears, comforting

The troubled flesh, the hardened core.

Owning nothing, giving all to

Reach across the great abyss,

Heading every utterance,

The plaintive cry of those in need.

 

Kindness claims no bounty, asks

No ransom, wage or tariff fair,

But offers bounteous rewards

Immeasurable in currency.

A caring word, a hand to hold,

A cherished heartfelt memory.

The simple act of being close

For one whose ship has lost its sail.

 

Kindness keeps no score on grace,

It seeks no recompense,

But bathes itself in tolerance

And willful charity.

And if in giving time is lost,

It will be time served well

To reap the golden gain of its reward.

 

Justice

Right is right and

Truth is truth but

Justice knows no earthly bounds.

Like eagles high above the fray

With vision far beyond profound

It searches with integrity to

Find a common middle ground

And give a sense of order

To the plan.

 

Life holds no fairness guarantee,

Though karma forms a welcome friend

In evening the field of play

When broken lives are on the mend.

And kismet rides a golden steed

To slay the dragon and defend

The innocents who cannot

Take a stand.

 

But justice wields the final sword,

And all must feel his weight.

It will not falter in its faith.

It will not abdicate.

 

Joyfulness

With pure delight I dance with glee

In wishful geniality

Amidst jocund hilarity

Of mirthful merriment.

 

Beside the shores of stormy seas

The need for laughter beckons me

To find the heart of gaiety

So often Heaven-sent.

 

The jaunty joviality of

Simple fools like you and me

May seem a triviality,

But that would be a lie.

 

Disseminating cheerfulness

Becomes a never-ending quest

That any eye might manifest

And none may quick deny.

 

A giddy gladness buoys hope

That “Gloomy Gus” will learn to cope

And savor the kaleidoscope

That fills the soul with glee.

 

And joy will sing a merry song

Inviting all to sing along

So happiness can join the throng

And set the spirit free.

 

Innocence

What is it about a child

That touches the heart,

Evokes a smile,

Taking emotions that extra mile?

Innocence.

 

And we as nubile grown-ups lose

The sinlessness unless we choose

To turn deaf ear, refuse the muse of

Innocence.

 

Why must we be turned critical

With interests apolitical

And ire befit a raging bull?

No innocence.

 

A bitter taste, reality

Where dredges of acerbity

Lend yearning for the memory of

Innocence.

 

And when the maze of days is done,

The journey o’er, the battle won,

Be thankful that your web was spun with

Innocence.