potatoes yes, tomatoes no
November they are not good-to-go
Jello, not anymore
gourmet popcorn I show the door
I like things that are stuffed and puffed
sweetened with sugar, the icing is never enough
gravy? Oh yes, biscuits and cheese sauce too
steak and eggs? You cannot lose!
beef and noodles, my go-to-dish
chicken? only the breast, and no danged fish
unless it is fried shrimp, I love it with marmalade sauce
homemade cake and coconut, yes, by gosh!
To try to plan a special day
Is tougher than it sounds,
For sometimes circumstances make
Some choices out of bounds.
Of all the problems one could have,
This one won’t even rate,
Yet still, it’s nice to find a way
To get to celebrate.
A brand-new venue possibly
Won’t work out to one’s taste,
But there won’t be surprises in
A place that’s been embraced.
The effort spent on research
Might just frazzle someone’s nerves
And there might be second guessing
In a place that one reserves.
Maybe visiting a favorite haunt
And ending with a meal
Will bring home the point that special days
Are really no big deal.
Today would be a great day to burn stuff
There is a tiny bit of wind
Which a small flame needs in the beginning
I search my house for discarded boxes
An advocate for a full-scale fire, I like an inferno
Fifteen boxes later, I feel satisfied this will be fun.
Unfortunately, by now, we have a full-scale Kansas wind
The kind that blew Dorothy, Toto and Auntie Em’s house to Oz
Maybe tomorrow I promise my disappointed pyromaniac side
Was Leroy distracted, distressed or distraught?
Paul has no answers.
He is sixteen, and in shock.
Leroy had been his best friend.
Leroy’s parents persist their questioning.
Did you know what he was planning to do?
Paul is horrified.
Leroy had given him his sketchbook.
He had not realized.
I’m going kayaking to the North Sea
taking my pet wet seal with me
I will paddle my way through choppy ice
surviving on luxurious baked beans and rice
my pick axe will go to make ice bricks
I’ll teach wet seal to do great magic tricks
All I need is a kayak and a new pick axe
Tell me goodbye; don’t give me the facts
I am determined, that’s north, is it not?
Uh-oh the wet seal has a cold with horrible green snot
We are in no hurry, we can go another day
His face is turning sickly, a mean shade of dull gray.
if reincarnation exists
and I’m absolutely sure it does
my new body will be flexible and twist
I want height like my tall Cuz
Unsure yet if I’ll choose gal or guy
I want to be an athlete though
Plan on being outgoing shy
no preference, whether Jennifer or Joe
Planning is proof that you believe
God the Father will move the pieces for you
But you need to plan
Faith is the highest form of planning
Act on your faith and realise that
Planning is an act of faith
Today many have faith but don’t plan
Faith is the one thing you should act upon
Sharpen your skill
Believing in the SON
Will enhance the act of faith
God will help your future so
Act on your faith
Planning is proof that you believe
God the Father will move the pieces for you
But you need to plan
Faith is the Future being told to the present
Mark Frank
We're going on vacation
Words innocent and pure
Visions of sun and beaches
Are conjured up for sure
The marketers are genius
At portraying family bliss
A carefree family skipping
Through waves not to be missed
But just below the surface
Lurk undertones of woe
The preparations necessary
Belay the surface glow
The focus turns to prepping
The job, the house the yard
The feeding of the pets
The domicile to guard
And then there is the packing
The lists, and lists of lists
And luggage bulging at the seams
I think you get the gist
And finally departure
On crowded roads no less
Who turned off the oven
We fret and try to guess
Perpetual construction
And hours of sitting still
Are we there yet yell the children
It's pure parental hell
So if you didn't need one
When planning this vacay
You certainly do now
I hope it goes your way!
My loves, please love yourself first.
Make yourself a priority.
Plan for all your dreams.
Don’t give away your light and dreams.
Make all of life like a dream.
Filled with love and memories that will last a lifetime.
Shine your light so bright that your heart will stay warm for life.
Like a storm in a teacup, You turned nothing
into something blown up, from a small thing.
Everywhere's your ground to pick up a fight.
You should know war is not won by might
But by great strategy and clear planning
not just by being pretty and enchanting.
Stop just being a mere trouble maker.
Rather, try being an active parttaker
Who is ready for a positive change.
Even when done in ways strange.
Your real worth still no way lost.
Nothing much will be the cost,
Still, no day pass you don't doubt yourself.
Yet you've all it takes, there on your shelf.
Have you ever wondered how you’ll die,
I don’t mean the external particulars
But the inner state of mind,
When the moment comes?
Will you be consumed in terror,
Or blessed relief, or simply detached curiosity,
Or perhaps some inexplicable mix of all three?
One never knows.
And isn’t that the beauty of this life?
If it’s long enough we get to consider it
We may even come close enough to taste it
And if we’re wise enough we get to practice it.
Perhaps this planning is all it takes
To separate the fear from acceptance
Against the fundamental backdrop
Of mind’s dispassionate gaze.
If we begin young
Then maybe we will achieve our plans
And exit this world with the poise
Of someone merely passing from one room to another.
It’s always a possibility you know
For how we live determines how we die
Not the external particulars
But the inner state of mind.
(10/31/24)
Today is my birthday, and I saw a number.
Yes, I see my age but in addition, I see
so much more.
I see the number 909 which represents
75 years times 12 months plus 9 additional
months. That timeline tells the story, but it
doesn't come close to telling the whole story.
You see, there is a story behind the story which can
only be told by its author. It is a divine story written
before human conception took place. There was a
prior conception that took place in the mind of God.
Imagine that. God had a divine thought about me
before I was conceived in my mother's womb. My
parents were obviously clueless about what God had
in mind 'When he thought about me' before conception.
I would like to think that my 75 years of life till now
have unveiled what God had in mind when he designed
His plan for my life.
091024PS
To try out a new poem form.
To give more than to receive.
To make calls to the lonely.
To envision peace, not unrest.
To forgive and to forget.
To joyfully encourage others.
To take a needed news vacation.
To really be attentive with my pet.
To honor and embrace my past.
To welcome the future with joy.
To enjoy all my earthly days fully.
To welcome and embrace any and all tests.
To one day, go in peace, to my final rest!
9/4/2024
Poem 2
@ Panagiota Romios
Christmas comes with planning,
who are you buying gifts for.
What to get them,
what to eat.
Oh well I took the batteries out of my scale,
one problem solved, hooray!!!
Before breakfast, my dear, we perfected,
after years of affection, neglected,
fear and frustration detected—
our game.
After sense of ourselves, we protected,
while scrambling the omelet, suspected,
the eggs that we broke were infected,
with blame.
During luncheon, my dear, we dissected,
days of salad with care, roots subjected,
dressed in acid, as usual convected,
more flame.
Day nearly gone, now aspected,
like an omen, frustration reflected,
against walls made of fear, we erected—
this frame.
By dinner, my dear, we confected,
new marrow, from old bones resected—
the pangs of their hold are deflected,
now tame.
Finally, bedtime, we lie there complected,
our bodies at bellies connected,
fed by each other, repast corrected,
No shame.
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