Chasing After Wind

Cyndy, my inspiration lady, J.D., our youngest son, and Me

Inspiration Lady

Inspiration Lady,

Could I please have this dance?

To the tune of tender mercies

And tragic circumstance.

The jester is immobile,

While the poet stands alone:

The optimist turns sinner

Trying to pull the sword from stone.

Inspiration Lady,

You have opened up my heart;

It lies open – ready – willing,

Act One, Scene One, first part.

Yet Act Two could never happen,

Beginning could be end,

A letter is never pleasantly received,

That is not pleasantly sent.

On the other hand, love is “feel-good,”

When “feel-good” is the intent,

But the joy is in the giving,

It cannot be borrowed or lent.

Inspiration Lady,

The poet looks at you,

And sees the beauty of a thousand years

through an entirely different hue.

The jester sits and laughs at himself,

The poet merely perceives,

The lady is astoundingly beautiful,

if she would just believe.

Inspiration Lady,

Could I please have this dance?

To the tune of tender mercies

and tragic circumstance.

_______________________________________________________________________-

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

I was going through old files and folders when I found manuscripts I had forgotten about. This poem is one of those.

As The Rain Came

A rhythmic, steady

beating on the roof,

An ancient

timeless tribal ritual –

He’d heard before,

drumming into his soul

calming the restless spirit

for the moment,

a peacefulness

of the moment,

that was new

(or long forgotten)

As the rain came.

The drumming continued

pulsating endlessly,

Barely containing

the restless spirit –

The world lay still,

As memories drifted by

pulled from a heart-dug well

insignificant,

to the beauty he knew,

insignificant,

to that place in time,

that was new

(not soon forgotten)

As the rain came.

A rhythmic, steady,

beating on the roof,

An ancient

timeless tribal ritual –

He’d heard before,

But the drumming and the beauty

shared the soul of the restless spirit

returning the joy,

that was new

(not soon forgotten)

As the rain came.

______________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

Isolated Jester

When days have no meaning

They run end to end,

Stylistic abortion,

an end to begin.

Walls behind curtains –

Doorways to pain,

Neon paths to nightlife,

shine dull in the rain.

Laughter from a woman,

Rings in the ears,

Of the isolated jester,

Knowing not what he hears.

Laughter of the loving,

wind chimes of the nerves,

Straightaways are the silence

before the storm of the curves.

The young love forever,

the old just a while,

Awaiting the sadness

that follows the smiles.

The vision remains lovely

while nothing is said,

Leaving the jester silent

inside his head.

Love is a memory

in a fire’s blue flame,

Faces in the shadows

recalling the name.

_____________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

Mr. Dramatic’s Attic Attack

Two steps forward

One step back,

Gave Mr. Dramatic

An attic attack.

His mind is reeling

Because someone came in.

Vow of silence

broken again.

New changes, new habits

Become the same old routine,

Unless the rarity between two people occurs

And a new love is seen.

When it flows from the heart,

Yet does not bypass the mind,

It brings to mind special

and one of a kind.

A wink is to a Friday

what a picture is to a thousand words,

Setting free the bird

and seeing it return.

There is new light in the attic,

The windows are ajar,

A toast to the dreamers

wherever they are.

It is the essence of togetherness

Transcending distance,

Ultimate communication,

understanding circumstance.

Two steps forward,

One step back,

Mr. Dramatic handles

the attic attack.

_____________________________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

Mr. Dramatic

Mr. Dramatic

Came down from his attic,

Putting misfortune at bay.

He stood on the front porch

And announced to the crowd,

“I’ve said all I have to say.”

“I ran for the laughter,

Away from the tears,

Yet there’s no escaping

the fears and the years.

The crowd did not understand,

They collectively sighed,

He began to giggle,

Smiles followed the sigh.

Mr. Dramatic returned –

To his attic and cried.

“They’ll not see the teardrops,”

He said to the desk,

and mirror, and all,

“Because I’m the one there

to pick them up

Whenever they fall.”

“I’ll keep on smiling

Because complaining won’t do.

The world looks better when

someone else is laughing, too.”

__________________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

Rest gently, ye suffering servant,

You suffer no more.

The walls of the church

mourn your passing with moans,

groans amid quiet smiles.

Rest gently, ye suffering servant,

You suffer no more.

You are gone, ye good Samaritan,

Gone from our midst.

Sniffles amid sadness,

cries amid sweet memories,

your face is clear in our anguish.

You are gone, ye good Samaritan,

Gone from our midst.

You are remembered, ye good Samaritan,

By all who knew you.

Fond smiles amid memory’s snapshots,

Your spirit fills the halls

of the church and our lives,

You are remembered, ye good Samaritan,

By all who knew you.

Rest gently, ye suffering servant,

You suffer no more.

You were our caretaker,

Now the Lord is yours,

And you are his.

Rest gently, ye suffering servant

You suffer no more.

_____________________________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

I would like to say a word about the dilapidated state of affairs in the world today.

“A word about the dilapidated state of affairs in the world today.”

Bingo!

Respect is to a friendship

as water to a tree.

I must have yours,

you must have mine.

for, without respect,

our friendship cannot take root.

I love you,

You love me.

That is a beginning,

but it is not enough.

We must work together

to prevent an end.

_________________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

A fleeting glimpse

Perhaps –

But not fleeting enough

that I could not realize

that I love you.

I just need

to ask you

one thing –

Where did you leave

the bananas?

_______________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark

Expectations

First of all, I wasn’t expecting it.

But then nobody ever does.

That’s what everyone tells me

when I tell them I didn’t expect something.

“Nobody ever does.”

But sometimes I do.

So there.

____________________________________________________

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

paypal.me/danroark