NaPoWriMo Day 30

Well, I’ve survived another month of poetry without my brain actually dribbling out my ears. Now I just have to wait for it to stop automatically trying to rhyme every single word I think of. So grateful to everyone who takes a few minutes from their day to read these. Speaking of gratitude… Enjoy!

Choose Gratitude

To work, to work, alas it’s time,

That I must now return,

To pay, to pay, the bills I have,

Some money I must earn.

For that is how the story goes,

We must all work to live,

To have a roof and food and clothes,

Must have some cash to give.

Yes, even those who will not play,

Choose to live off the grid,

Will have to work far harder than,

In their old jobs they did.

Go on and thrash, and kick and scream,

Until you lose your voice,

There’s no escape, all rats must race,

There really is no choice,

When finally you see this truth,

Some peace at last may find,

And understand this is the way,

Leave freedom far behind.

The only freedom we may know,

Is how we face these facts,

Just how we choose to see the world,

Each defined by our acts.

So turn that negative around,

See sunbeams through that cloud,

Now turn your mind to bluer skies,

Cast off that sullen shroud.

Instead of grumbling, gratitude,

That choice is mine to make,

Be grateful for the life I live,

Not it for granted take,

To work, to work, at least I have,

A job that I don’t hate,

To pay, to pay for all I have,

That deal seems pretty great.

Cheers,

NaPoWriMo Day 20

A good friend of ours picked up our medication for us from the pharmacy. On her way to drop it off, she stopped and got us supper. She refused to let us pay for our supper, to her it was just something nice to do for people she cares about. It started me thinking about all the amazing friends i have in my life. This poem is about them. Enjoy!

Friends Are Blessings

I have been blessed throughout my life,

With such amazing friends,

Forever we will stand as one,

True friendship never ends.

Whenever I am feeling low,

My spirits they will lift,

They never judge, just offer help,

Such caring is a gift.

They know they all can count on me,

As in them I can trust,

We rarely ask and would refuse,

All help until we must.

Yet when that dire time is come,

And our need is most great,

No doubt at all that help will come,

Friends save us from our fate.

It need not be calamitous,

Or huge, excessive pain,

To stop and visit with someone,

Who feels alone again.

They say that many hands will make,

A heavy load seem light,

And many hearts can bring one soul,

To sunshine from the night.

To all my friends I thank you for,

This gift you’ve given me,

I pray I’ve loved you all as well,

As you’ve deserved to be.

Cheers,

NaPoWriMo Day 15

Last week saw me writing about a late season ice storm. Today when I walked my dog, it was in the mid-twenties (that’s the high seventies for my American friends 🙂 This poem is about the joy of Spring. It truly is my favourite time of the year. Enjoy!

Spring Poem Redux

Oh, glorious Spring, beloved time,

Bring forth your warmest green,

We’ve just survived the frozen months,

So long since you’ve been seen.

It’s not yet May heat like July,

Last week all sheathed in ice,

If I’ve a choice between the two,

The warmer one is nice.

There’s crocus blooming in my yard,

First open every spring,

A splash of brilliant colour there,

They promise everything.

While out today I heard the drone,

Of early season bees,

Again, their labour blesses us,

In gardens, farms and trees.

All nature wakes from it’s long sleep,

Anew the cycle starts,

With baby birds and animals,

And blooms to fill our hearts.

This is my favourite time of year,

Before the summer heat,

Turns untold shades of green to brown,

Such beauty down each street.

Not every day can be as sweet,

As this fine day has been,

Yet even in the wind and rain,

There’s beauty to be seen.

So, venture forth the world waits,

Just there beyond your door,

Perhaps you think you’ve seen it all,

You’ve not, there’s always more.

For nature’s vast and we are small,

And what you’ve seen has changed.

Things you had seen are not the same,

Time’s touch has rearranged.

Now in this season of the new,

Look and renew your soul,

By opening to this new growth,

Might make what’s broken whole.

Cheers,

NaPoWriMo Day 13

No April would be complete without at least one poem dedicated to my incredible wife Lynn. She is inarguably the best and most incredible thing to ever happen to me! This poem is for her… Enjoy!

For My Angel

If thirty years ago you’d asked,

Me to forecast my life,

I’d not have thought to even guess,

It would include a wife.

Twenty-five years now we have shared,

Who knows how many more.

What years we have, I’ll share with you,

Our future to explore.

I love the years I’ve shared with you,

Each sweeter than the last,

The worst of them still better than,

Those in my lonely past.

I see the colours of this world,

More clearly through your eyes,

And every bit of time with you,

Wish I could memorize.

You see all that is good in me,

Help me with all the rest,

And want the world to see me as,

You do when at my best.

When I am anxious, stressed or scared,

You always understand,

It’s then you wrap me in your arms,

Sometimes just take my hand.

And slowly it all melts away,

As our love takes its place,

Your touch, your gaze, your gentle words,

All fill me with your grace.

So thank you for this life we share,

I’d never dreamed could be,

You are the greatest blessing love,

That there could be for me.

Cheers,

NaPoWriMo Day 8

I moved away from my hometown 25 years ago. I left behind my family and almost everyone I knew. I made a new start and haven’t regretted that decision for a minute. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss them. This weekend, my brother and his wife were in the area visiting her family so we had the chance to get together. It was like we’ve never been apart. That is a gift and a blessing. Happy Easter to those who celebrate it. Enjoy!

My Family Blessing

I have been blessed throughout my life,
With family I have found,
Both that which I was born into,
And those life brought around.

They’ve brought me through my darkest times,
Been there to celebrate,
They praise me when I’m doing well,
Coach when I’m not so great.

But mostly they are always there,
Though they aren’t seen for years,
For when we talk, we still will share,
Our laughter and our tears.

Sometimes we argue, disagree,
As people sometimes do,
Sometimes our tongues get sharper than,
They should, I know it’s true.

But then we talk and work it out,
Remember who we are,
Remember that without them all,
We’d not have come so far.

Though we may not forget some slight,
Forgiveness is our way,
Remember there’s more good than bad,
Whatever pride may say.

For that’s what family means to us,
And always will to me,
Forever one, forever loved,
And ever more will be.

Cheers,