Many want to have podcasts,books,
movies, all trying to sketch a portrait
of a life, but the thing that captures it best
is the work and Love we leave behind
The indelible mark etched
On human hearts and minds
When the algorithm has long ago
forgotten our names
The treasures in those precious vaults
Will forever still remain
By: J.N.R Dutton
There are people whose lives become foundations
Not because they sought recognition
But because of their love, sacrifice and resilience
Created something far greater than themselves
A family, a legacy
Their presence becomes the very thing entire generations lean against
The shelter in storms
The keeper of stories
The bridge between where we came from and who we are becoming
Love was never spoken
But it was served at tables
Stitched like clothing into sacrifices
Carried in prayers
And poured into lives of those who needed it most
The values you planted continue to bloom
In places you may never fully see
In the courage of your children
The dreams of your grandchildren
The laughter of your great-grandchildren
Some pillars hold up houses
You have held up generations
What I recognize as art, of course,
Is only seeing that which surfaces
from likeness already inside of me –
we physically and spiritually relate
at least tacitly sense before
we can begin to grasp. Even when I
inquisitively imagine
were I oblivious, on all levels
of consciousness, it would be no different
than a concept of God to the Atheist.
The Atheist reasons…people of faith
intuitively accept. The future mother knew
the blessing in her womb, before the
ultrasound. Christ connects intimately
through legacy of Love.
the metropolitan library has a legacy of hosting unknown entities
reputed to be severely haunted since the early eighteen twenties
is it Goth? Celtic? what is her story I asked my eager brother
He wanted to go there on Hallows Eve, but did not invite our mother
Ghouls, goblins, ghosts and gremlins have been seen there
There might be vampires or cricket bats lingering in the air
a witch or two might be stirring a cauldron bright
we don’t know what to expect on this rare night
I thought it odd he did not mention book or a story
But decided to go because I am my brother’s sister, Glory
around the corner I saw an open book with sitting creature
she gave me the evil eye, with a gruesome face, an evil creature
it is a baby bat, my brother said, no reason to worry
But then we heard scratching and scratching, and something scurry
the bat transmogrified into a vampire with evil intent
spilled the cup of tea, and proved he was not heaven-sent
We ran out screaming, my brother and I
I yelled really loud “I thought I’d die!”
Then I noticed my brother had not made it out
I could hear him screaming as he was thrown about.
A silent grace sits on the silvered hair,
Lengthening the seasons to drawn out days,
Not only breath glitters in life’s deep stare,
But also treading through the world’s cold maze.
The tender spring blooms will soon surely fade,
And summer heat will in a while cool down,
But wisdom mustered in the serene shade
Will proliferate the world`s knowledge crown.
True longevity resides not in breath,
But in wise words that we share as a sage,
An age-long heritage that defeats death,
A shining spirit stretching beyond age.
Years are but the reflection of our pace,
While legacy lasts across time and space.
What they do is different
From what they preach or say
Their teachings are brainwashing
Because they don't act accordingly
Only the blind and those asleep
Are their sheeps and slaves
The awaken and the seers
They always wrestle with.
If you don't go their way
They're going to come for you
Forgetting that, even
When you do what they do
You can't do it like they did it
There are many ways to do things
The best way is doing it your way.
The best way to lead
Is leaving a legacy
For the people to follow
Not inputting fears into the people
Or creating laws to control them
So you can carry out your propaganda
We all already know the golden rule
All we need is knowledge
To build heaven here on earth
Hosea 4:6 My people perish
Because of lack of knowledge.
Copper pennies add up to so much more,
there’s no way to truly even the score.
Just one sip my veins filled with legacy,
saturation changed my world completely.
The bottom I always wanted to reach,
it’s infinite what the ocean can teach.
With the irrevocable change of blood,
I now do what I never thought I would.
Touching the darkest part of our abyss,
how can I find the words for all of this?
Legends that I imprinted from childhood
brought solace when I felt misunderstood.
Pressure eliminates the need for speech,
underwater hums to our ears a screech.
At last I was where I was meant to be,
exploring all that was within the sea.
Much more than the accessible shore,
I was set free when one drop hit the floor.
Extreme explosions rendered a cloud,
Before the sky turned to a leaden shroud;
When the rain was water and not a sting,
He held a pocket of forgotten things.
He saw the smoke on the far-off rim,
The way the clover was beginning to pale;
He knew the future was growing dim,
A flickering lamp in a rising gale.
He didn’t build walls or a silver vault,
He didn’t cry out at the coming fault;
Instead, he found a fractured seam,
And buried a small, persistent dream.
"I will not see you," he whispered low,
"But perhaps you’ll wait for the soot to go."
A silent promise to a dying land,
He pressed the earth with a trembling hand.
The cities crumbled to mounds of salt,
Secure in its dark and earthen vault,
The seed waited for the ashen stone
To bloom for a traveler, wandering alone.
It's shade not of night,
It's a rest from the flight
A poem more holy than any from page
A play with more grace than what makes the stage
More reverence there than buttress can bring
From the ground to the arch, apart from the wing
More grandeur than even more lofty a spire
More solid in nature than we can conspire
Giving shade through the day and rest through the night
For all who have need to retire from flight
It's a loss, there's no doubt
Whether storm, ice, or drought
Cellular, cellulose, wearing a crown
Grown all the way up… to only come down
When it's time to leave the sky to the wind
The leaves and the branches no longer to bend
Thence came the life that gave life to the lyre
That would raise up a canopy meant to inspire
More than a point, or a joint, or an arch
The oak and the elm, the maple and larch
Are reduced, as all things which sprang from the dust
To the fruit we produce to provide what we must
When it's time to be borne on the shoulder it's best
To have taken a stand between restless and rest
What we leave's what we're made of, leaf, branch, or tome
Make the most of your time, for we all join the loam
They call you mad if you dare act too rough,
then call you weak if you’re not tough enough,
do not care much when we receive good news,
but flock like locusts when someone is screwed.
The claim to hold our leaders to account,
but only one party will they ever denounce.
They interview, claiming truth is their goal,
then cut it up, to smear you and to scold.
They claim that they must go speak with all sides,
but then only reprint a tyrant’s lies,
show endless contempt for their own nation,
yet whine when facing recriminations.
They strut about like they’re some privileged class,
but their high words get debunked rather fast,
say ‘objectivity’ like it’s a shield,
yet preach narratives, rather then what’s real.
Think we should trust only folks with bylines,
when internet proves them wrong every time.
They misinform, those useless, lying hacks,
I wonder if we can bring the stocks back…
("Lonesome Day Blues", 2025, original encaustic)
Trying so hard to make a mark
To create at least something
To leave behind
But no matter what
With enough time
With enough perspective
We are all anonymous.
(3/30/26)
the woods come alive
apple and peach trees both bloom
wish grandparents could see
Will my legacy be a foun¨dàtion built on
Love, Faith, and Hope, or will it be
disastrous and bankrupt?
Will my legacy display God on the throne
Of hearts, or people ever longing for
Pleasure and material things?
Will my legacy reveal attitudes of gratitude
And people permiated with sharing spirits?
Will my legacy demonstrate common
Sense waves built on principles that lift
All boats?
Will my legacy showcase yesterday as a learning
Laboratory or just a memory?
May we be blessed to understand…our legacy
is what we do every day…it’s what other people see…
It’s every person who’s heart we’ve touched…
every person we’ve helped…or charmed…
It’s also every person we’ve injured, demeaned and harmed.
Mister President it's time to make the world a better place
You must treat the people fairly regardless of religion or race
When your time on earth ends what legacy will you leave
Speak the truth it's a-lot easier than trying to decieve
You have the ability to make things better for all mankind
Constant chaos makes nobodies life easier, you stii have time
Trying to stamp out the bad guys around the world never ends
You can make everyones life better by starting a new trend
Ideas are out there from both the left and the right
You have the tools to fix America let's end the plight
Making America great is achieved when we can all stand tall
We are as strong as our weakest link,'prosperity for all
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