Whatever happened to the telephone book
enquiring minds need to know
there hasn't been one here for years
so wherever did it go
and what about the telephone box
or the answer machine
I haven't seen either near it's clear
they're few and far between
they went the way of the dodo
long before their time
as not everyone owns a mobile phone
and no you may not use mine
we used to flip the pages
let our fingers do the walking
but now with not a lot to say
there's way too far much talking
Whatever happened to the telephone book
enquiring minds need to know
there hasn't been one here for years
so wherever did it go
and what about the telephone box
or the answer machine
I haven't seen either near it's clear
they're few and far between
they went the way of the dodo
long before their time
as not everyone owns a mobile phone
and no you may not use mine
we used to flip the pages
let our fingers do the walking
but now with not a lot to say
there's way too far much talking
If the world is going to hell in a handbasket,
'Who's holding the handle?'
is the real question, and I have to ask it.
Also, I wonder how well the world would function
if all corruption were removed at this junction.
Destroy despotism, no more nepotism,
do away with liars, fakers, thieves, heartbreakers,
abolish pundits, politicians, priests, on-the-takers.
If we eliminate crime, cigarettes, drugs and insanity,
so those evils become a thing of the past,
a change for the better could restore humanity,
but how long would it last?
We'll never know, as little is learned from history,
and why that's so is still a mystery.
In the beginning, there were only two,
(whether or not you believe in Adam and Eve)
it's no surprise mankind is clueless what to do
as, since then; incest, inbreeding and man's hate
has brought populations to such a terrible state,
despite those who do good, few and far between,
perhaps it's in their food, or possibly the genes.
Friends
Few and far between are people who are our
Real friends.
It is good for
Each of us to have at least one who is there when we
Need them. Someone we can
Depend on when the times are good or bad and
Someone we can take at their word.
Possible TV advertising for a certain kind of "donation" center…
or for guys who might be looking for "gig" employment…with apologies, dear readers...this one's a bit "naughty".
If your bills are getting to you,
The IRS is trying to screw you,
Jobs are few and far between,
And you need to make some green,
You've already sold your hair,
And you've no more blood to spare,
Come where a wank
Will put cash in the bank.
Why should I doubt, why should I fear
When Jesus my High Priest is near?
Would He desert His blood-bought child
And let him sink in sin defiled?
Has He not love and grace combined
With power and wisdom sweetly twined?
So would He leave me to decay
If I neglect sometimes to pray?
How much more faithful He than I,
When sometimes I His name deny
And when my days are filled with cares
And few and far between my prayers.
Why anxious be,
My child, my love?
I rule above
And here below,
Do you not know
That sun and storm
And smooth and rough
All good and ill
Are subject to my will –
for good?
“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Can you connect the gaps
With me, nonetheless?
Will you spread yourself thin,
For the few and far between?
Fill the crevices
No matter how deep
Bridge the chasms
Even if its jagged at the seams
Do you see the sliver of spaces?
The look on our faces
meaningful gazes
Try as you might
And hug me so tight
Even if you bleed through
I still feel the sliver of spaces
Between me and you
We sit on conversation chairs
Not speaking, not saying a word
But all is heard in the palpable
Elbows abutting, yet not touching
But feeling everything in the tangible
Misconstrued what you overheard
Misunderstood my every word
I crawl in spaces between worlds
I find your wounds in places
I've never heard
lying here aching in my bed
waiting and watching
thoughts of you humming in my head
waxing and waning
hoping I'm not dead
You prod, I poke
you push, I bleed
The tracks you played
Salvation I prayed
I felt the emptiness
Of the sound as it fades
Falling in love, falling out of
Falling in the ravine
I still see the sliver of spaces
between you and me.
Nowadays, to buy a couch,
You make your choice online,
By picking out a fabric, color,
Size, price and design.
You do not have a way to tell,
When shove comes after push,
How it will feel once it arrives
And you plop down your tush.
So yes, you can return it
If you don’t like what you see,
But be prepared to pay
A rather large restocking fee.
I know there still are stores around
But few and far-between,
So I will roll the dice
To buy a couch I’ve never seen.
When you know you've been the fool...
As if you're ready to re-enroll in school.
But then you realize, no matter the shame or burn,
That all of us make the same mistakes, it's how we learn.
So instead of kicking your own ass around the block,
Try a gentler approach, and don't throw the first rock.
Then you can forgive yourself, and try not to repeat.
While your maturity and wisdom grow, and your almost complete.
Yet even when whole, there's still many a missing piece.
Where the ongoing work-in-progress, may never be decease.
Since the strings that once attached, remain few and far between.
The scars left by others, are to remember and always seen.
All throughout, a puppet master schemes, towards new tomorrows,
Searching the digital domain, for the loneliest of bedfellows.
And when found, the rich new targets will be fed.
With a virtual diet of fantasy, and endless ecstasy ahead.
Soon the hunt comes to its ending, and the slaughter now begins.
As wallets are raped and assaulted, with shadows hidden beneath coffins.
There is no such thing as time
Only stacked moments and bundled thought
I live in a world hung in emptiness
Where sight is few and far between
It’s night, the brook babbles with no audience
The crickets chirp for the moon
I hear the tree frogs song
There is no such thing as time
I would guess it feels like wind
Or the speeding and slowing of heartbeats
Still I see nothing
My woe knows the worst, however
There is no reason to cry when I cannot see my fears
There is no such thing as time
Therefore no such thing as life
So if life does not begin, it never ends
Reduced to a couple once again,
Remembering this is how our life once began,
Blessed by God with three children,
Now all grown up and settled in their own families,
Grateful for their lives, at the same time sad,
Looking at our empty house,
Where once reigned their bubbly children noises,
Each room a rueful reminder
Of their exuberant laughter and a million memories;
Now, we look at each other,
Our conversations interspersed with,
"I wonder what he's doing now!"
Or "How is she managing all her chores?"
Worrying and wondering,
Whiling away our time with Chinese Checkers,
Recalling the days when we used to play together,
Silent spaces speak volumes,
While we wait for photos and phone calls,
Or vacation visits that are few and far between.
3rd May 2023
For Cooper Etheridge's "Empty Nest" contest
Time spent with you is so precious to me
Few and far between are the moments where we
Have a cup of coffee, take a little ride
Play both of our guitars, sit down side by side
But I'll take every instant whenever it may come
And cherish every second with you, my lovely one
If you call long distance, I'll ask you where you are
Then walk across the desert, no distance is too far
isolated showers -
words of appreciation
few and far between
-------------------------
A Hiku Premier Contest
Sponsor Brian Strand
Posted December 2022
The times are few and far between
When I just play and you just sing
And in those times, at least for me
Exist tacit moments of pure esprit
Did you ever have the perfect day,
One that you didn't want to fade away?
If I could freeze a moment there
I'd save it for my future fare
Recalling to my heart's delight
While never having to requite
blazing hot like cayenne pepper,
especially in adolescent years,
malleable youths
bend and capitulate
to peer pressure;
grown folks take the bait, too.
it could be a simple
"try this like the rest of us cool kids!"
or just an effortless nudge of
"you're missing out!"
to descend
an impressionable youngster
down
down
down
the rabbit hole
of insidious seduction.
the benefits of peer pressure are there,
though few and far between.
It's challenging for a lone hold-out
to resist the temptation
of wading in deep into
the muddy waters of coercion
when all his "cool kids" buddies
have crossed over
to the dark side.
no matter your relationship
with anyone forcing you to try
or do anything that goes against
your belief system,
your moral code, say no
if you feel even a tad uncomfortable!
refuse to go down
the primrose path of uncertainty.
don't allow yourself to be
handcuffed, or guilt-tripped
into walking down the road to regret.
It's best to abandon ship,
or better yet, don't board
if any proposition feels false.
Date written: 11/20/2022
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