Three score and ten
Round the next bend
Best pick up a pen
Against lies to fend
Truth told, raw
Good, bad, all
What you saw
Ere your call
The body slow
Mind, spirit too
Vice, virtue show
Sins, denied to rue
Karmic debt unpaid
So little time, left
To fast track the said
The burden to heft
Cultivate body, mind
Transform the spirit
To cosmic laws aligned
Ill health at last, quit
Goodnight Moon
a children's book by Margaret Wise Brown
the subject of my poem and my latest stamp purchase
was also a book that I read to my son
when he was little
not thirty-three, like he is now
forgive my forgetting the details
the book is no longer on my shelf
but in the story
it's bedtime for a little rabbit
who says goodnight
to everything in his small, cozy universe
of yellow, red, green, blue and white
including the moon
which he sees out his window
we all like to create
a benign, safe, friendly world
for our young ones
to grow up in
before they must encounter
a struggle to survive
prejudice, hatred, ill health, violence
lying, cheating, and the rest
I like to think that the better we can do
to create this world
for our babies and our youth
the better the real world will turn out
yet, I suppose, our children
must also learn how to be
smart, strong, and resilient
but today
on the week my son gets married
I like to imagine
that safe, kind world
of
Goodnight Moon
From life, when all else passes away
True love will stay and never ever decay
Defying all impediments, it will survive
Leaving sweet memories, it will thrive.
Cementing hearts, it will make life jubilant.
It is never manipulative or fraudulent
Love is a flame burning bright and true
A light house in the sea for mariners to view.
In ill health and poverty, it will never subside
In rain and heat, it will prosper and never fade.
It is staying together through highs and lows,
Even when years pass and life painfully slows.
It is not just a fleeting passion but a commitment.
A bond that will brave every predicament.
It is one of mutual loyalty, trust and care
A connection that is strong and rare.
Everything else is secondary, so hold it tight,
For it ‘s a beacon in the darkest night.
The Room
Many hospitals have a room away from the daily hustle and bustle of accidents and ill health
A room that has comfortable deep chairs, where the light is not bright, nor is too hot or too cold, staffed by top professional nurses
Here they can come, those with chronic pain
And those who cannot be cured, can sit pain-free for some hours, and sink into a mild euphoria
This room has no place for religion or fear
of Darkness, a blessed room for those modern medicine can do no more
Do birds sow or reap? Do they gather wealth?
Does the sun or shower cause birds’ ill health?
A few worms and a few grains suffice them.
Do they gather any gold, pearl, or gem?
Why worry when you labour, filled with hope?
Can't you, with life's every thick and thin, cope?
Fears spring from dark deserts of dearth of trust.
Don't lilies with spring and summer adjust?
Has any king like a bird been in zest?
Has any queen like Daisies ever dressed?
Isn’t each of the grasses and hairs cared for?
Trusting the divine, fulfil each day's chore.
Forget fears of health and wealth. Be blessed!
Do you lack faith? You asked. Why are you stressed?
1. Valsa (means in our language 'loved' or 'dear')
2. I rate myself as sincere, humble, compassionate and conscientious
3. I am the proud Mother of two sons-Thomas and George
4. I long for peace, wish to have strong family ties and keep a child- like
fasciation for flowers, often getting lost in natural beauty.
5. I feel saddened by the pain of the less privileged and those stricken with
misfortune, find joy in the company of friends and keep a grateful heart for
God’s blessings.
6. I fear most, the ill health of the family members, disruption of family ties and
unexpected natural calamities that plunge many into misery.
7. I live in a suburb of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala, India
8. George
When days become messy with problems rife,
He helps me learn how to savor life.
He stays as a pillar by my side in all my strife.
I am ever content to be his adoring wife.
Amber alerts won’t find you
Diction slurred because you use
Drugs enough to kill you dead
Indigo soul please clear your head
Carry your heart to the Son
Two bullets shot from your gun
In denial that you need help
Onyx crack smile and ill health
Not even your child can make you care
Dave
Reflective, questioning, introspective, introverted
Father of Daniel
Lover of Daniel, music, and mathematics
Who feels wonder, gratitude, and sentiment
Who fears climate change, nuclear war, and ill health
Who would like to see a passenger pigeon, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Pentangle in concert
Resident of Seal Beach, California
Crandall
Daniel
I admit, I'm awfully proud
Of traits with which my son's endowed -
Handsome, kind, thoughtful, wise, and bright.
Could it be, I did something right?
What once stood tall and proud is a shadow of itself
Weather worn and tired and exhausted from Ill health
The strongest of foundations get weaker day by day
The once vibrant exterior is starting to turn grey
As the bricks they start to crumble, the walls they start to fall
A vulnerable interior is there to see for all
I can not rebuild it and nor can any man
We sit and wait and wonder how long until it’s gone
Walls once filled with memories come crashing to the floor
A place you once felt safe disappears it is no more.
But the house I speak of here, it’s isn’t brick or stone
The house I speak of here it is my dad and what I call home
What once stood tall and proud is a shadow of itself
Weather worn and tired and exhausted from Ill health
Oh, dear Cot, you have supported me steady
From my days of infancy to senility
All through life you are my close buddy,
In unrest, it is in you I seek tranquillity.
Sprawling on your chest, to what all places I wander
To dream’s never- never land where I gleefully meander
Whenever I long for a relaxing nap
Like a host, you wait for me with all hospitality
When darkness descends, invariably I come to your lap
And you wilfully extend your warm cordiality
You are a close companion and a loving friend
I cannot tell, with you, how much of my time I spend
Both in the mundane regularity of daily life
And in sickness and ill health, you are dearly cherished
After a day’s tedious toil, you give me instant relief
Thus, in umpteen ways, your presence is greatly relished.
Of all other furniture that make a house a home
You are the most valued in your quadruped form
March.4. 2023
~ Placed Second~
Write an Ode Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Jeff Kyser
Many dictators come to a well-deserved fate
Brutally assassinated or dying at their own hands,
Consider these more recent promoters of hate
In third world countries and distant foreign lands.
Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini immediately come to mind,
But Mao, “Papa Doc” and Castro died from ill health
They, like too many, lived to a ripe-old age, we find,
And too many lived in opulence, off ill-gotten wealth.
Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania is a notable exception
He was executed by firing squad along with his wife.
All these men were evil incarnate, it's my perception,
It is my opinion they should’ve all been denied life.
Written December 4, 2022
Nine years he served his country
Then nursed in Mental Health
None of his professions being
Much good for his wealth.
Physical ill health
Brought work to an end
Very little hope that
His condition would ever mend.
I watched him cry today
Face covered in tears,
Drawn expression of anxiety
As he tried to explain his fears.
Fit for work they’d said
In the job centre up town,
Gave him a job advisor
And cut his payments down.
Degenerative spinal disorder
So at times he can scarcely walk,
You can hear the pain in his voice
Every time he starts to talk.
Nowadays there’s more often
The silence of despair,
He’s losing all hope
Starting not to care.
Once again the food parcels
Hoping for more success
As we repeat the facts for
Yet another appeals process.
We don’t always win
But we never stop trying"
Driven on by the sight
Of a grown man crying.
I watched him cry today,
Listened while he spoke
Shared the black humour
Of a typical squaddie joke.
Arranged to see him next week
Putting faith in my hope
I don’t arrive to find him
Hanging from a rope.
Everyone
wishes for
Good Health
Good health
is matrix of
own making
divine setting
Illness is just
not result of
bad diet
bad lifestyle
It's also about
Past karmas
Walk, Gym
Diet, Dumb bells
Yoga mats
Positive chats
help to build
immunity
But Health
is also part
of Destiny
Disease strikes
as a part of
your chosen way
to redeem
Past Karmas
Remember
it were you
who chose
the option of
enduring ill health
while you were
in astral form
before taking birth
If under weather
Don't crib
Don't curse
Acknowledge
Combat gracefully
Spot silver lining
Visualise
Past Karmas
getting dissolved
Illness has connect
with Body not Soul
Body suffers
Body withers
Focus on Soul
Body drops
Soul soars
That's Cosmic law
Understand
Fine tune with law
Thats real living
Else it's just existing
_____________________
©Dr Hitendra Mehta
I’ve seen wretched souls
fall poorer by stealth
I’ve seen frail old people
endure pain as they knelt
Climbing mountains barefoot
pilgrimages never stop
A penance for being born
light your candle at the top
I’ve seen false prophets
adorn halls with great wealth
I’ve seen saints being evoked
promising to cure ill health
Down beside the grotto
past where wheelchairs roll
Believers lie prostrate
whilst souvenirs are sold
They beg for miracles
hoping prayers will be felt
Some have their spirits raised
gods name becomes misspelt
Selective interpretations
scriptures bent to suit man
Dogmatic, stern beliefs
hushed silence, vetoes, bans
under forced indoctrination
this mind started to melt
Brainwashed in a classroom
with the strap of a belt
Now feel worthy of nothing
and deserving of it all
I still must climb mountains
but try avoid the brick walls
By David Kavanagh
Why is there so much emphasis put onto education,
Is it true that its the only solid foundation,
Or does it just attract negative frustration,
So many questions and excessive pressure,
What happened to the days filled with pleasure,
You are told to seek knowledge to excell,
Improve your learning and get a degree as well,
To fail is like dropping a massive bombshell,
The assumption that everyone must go to college or to uni,
To access a better future is quite gloomy,
We become disconnected and loose our compassionate veil,
Everyone wanting to succeed is also wanting others to fail,
To gain a stable and well paid job with all its wealth,
We must loose our moral habits to welcome in, ill health,
Forcing a child to receive Adult ideas,
Compelled to devour grown up verbal diarrheas,
Instead of accepting each others strengths and take into consideration a child's wishes,
We loose our minds and our souls become suspicious,
Beliefs and values are good for the heart,
So no one can dictate to you, that you are not SMART.
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