Part One: What I Love
After seven decades I am satisfied
with the me I see, the inner self is beautified,
wounds of youth have healed well
and every scar to no longer dwell,
they were absorbed by tears I cried~
I write the words by which I tell
stories rich and maybe plied,
but absolutely bona fide!
Part Two: What I Regret
I admit I used to runaround,
party and carouse until I ran aground
against days-long blackouts
and poor decision fade-outs,
knowing my next stop was a grave mound~
Momma said the only way out
was for me to turnaround,
and become a sober devout.
Part Three: What I Hope
I have no grandiose plans for the future
because the future is unsure,
the present becomes my habitat
and I have no desire for idle chit chat,
time grows short, there is no cure
to stop death’s scat* whereat~
I will sing the words allure,
and dance upon the welcome mat.
* scat: singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument
The walking stick and Elon Musk
I was a galley-boy on an old tankship
that docked in Liverpool for repair
I think it was in May, and I was sixteen
at a second-hand shop, near the docks
I bought a walking stick and happily used it
the stick going ashore to the pub or
to buy fish and chips, unaware of how odd
I must have looked, no one said a word
Coming back on board, it was the second
The officer who said I looked ridiculous, no one
uses walking sticks anymore, you are not
a ing lord
Enter, into my self-contained world, what
other people thought of me
I became self-conscious, and it worried me
What did other people think of me personally
His words brought on a shyness that stopped
My plans for the future
Who knows, I might have become the first
Elon Musk
He has freed himself of what other people
think, or so we believe, but deep down, he
likes to be loved
A perfect storm on its treacherous course,
The wonder of nature and its powerful force.
In the storm's eye, it is calm and serene,
It's the mayhem around that lies in between.
A power unleashed that knows not of grace,
When ravaging landscapes, whilst leaving its trace.
The heartbeat of thunder is a symphonic sound,
The pandemonium surrounding is fierce and unbound.
Yet here in the eye where silence resides,
Is a moment suspended as fury collides.
When inside the vortex, its strength and its might,
The power of destruction is a wondrous sight.
A world splintered into fragments and out of control,
In the eye lies its chaos, looking through its porthole.
Amidst all the turmoil, as the world, it explodes,
You see plans for the future, as hope it erodes.
With a future uncertain, with an end always near,
As time it stands still in its own stratosphere.
Remember, time that is lost it is never found again,
Each second is a treasure we find it hard to retain.
next night in the subway to come without sleep
rereading the letter she got yesterday
"We have to announce with regret true and deep ..."
her husband had died on the second of May
she asked herself how she could tell it her son
rereading the letter she got yesterday
plans for the future at one blow were gone
shocked and deprived of the power of speech
she asked herself how she could tell it her son
no persons of trust and no help within reach
harried by black thoughts, recurring and dire
shocked and deprived of the power of speech
his unit in Kharkiv had come under fire
she read disbelievingly in this short letter
harried by black thoughts, recurring and dire
without an idea how to deal with that matter
next night in the subway to come without sleep
she read disbelievingly in this short letter
"We have to announce with regret true and deep ..."
A RHYMING PANTOUM OF FIVE STANZAS Poetry Contest
Empty promises. like missiles they fly;
2031?
Feels like we can't look forward to tomorrow;
Fragile plans, you walk on eggshells to not see
them explode into an expiration date;
The future never felt so achingly delicate
demanding you live for the moment;
Even as we long for something to strive toward
and show us the power of each sunrise;
The year 2031 should not read like an
expiration date filled with empty promises;
Plans for the future should have us dreaming
so high we never even see the ground.
It's Saturday eve
we're drinking in town
Only joking, I wish.
We're still in lockdown.
Any inkling of romance
on pause until further notice.
Making plans for the future
feels utterly hopeless.
We were all on fast forward
and the world blew a fuse.
Burying our heads in the sand,
disregarding the news.
Forced to stop
and re-evaluate life.
Beneficial for all
though the stress has been rife.
With no option to rewind
all we have is hindsight.
But we're sick of these rules
our patience is finite.
For now, we press play
and take joy in what we can.
I just really hope they lift
the bar and restaurant ban.
How did it come to this?
Sitting on a terrace counting how many
Ships are anchored in the bay.
I know most of the ships especially
The coastal runners, the big trawler has left an ugly ship
With a crew of the last chance saloon
No self-respecting seafarer would join a ship
That empties the ocean of life.
How did it come to this?
I am watching ships come and go in the bay of Cascais.
My plans for the future have been overtaken
By the veracity of the day
The past is depression
The future is anxiety
and this is the lesson
you live in neither these
Past dealings can’t be dealt with now
when dealt with past dealings they are
let go and depression can’t pull to drown
In the present you live you are
The plans for the future are played out
as they become the present for that they are
Overthinking assured or in some doubt
is anxiety breeding can only harm
The present isn’t a measurement it’s a moment
don’t let the past own it
The present is the path going forward
don’t wish it passed fast have known it
You don’t play the last cards you were dealt
when the game has ended
and you don’t sit and wish the next round,
Live in the moment
Onlookers remarked that he was aging gracefully
His disposition so sunny, cheerful, upbeat
Making plans for the future with his sweetheart
Taking such pride in his many grandchildren
True, he moved tentatively, pausing more and more
often to rest, breathing in fits and spasms, and betimes
his sentences trailed off into the vapor of the distant past
Then too there were the conversations where you needed
to repeat and repeat yourself, again and again, before
he would finally get it --
But oh, that infectious, wide smile which broke out on his
face when he did get it! Ah, that was a smile well worth
waiting for, indeed -- a smile that brought comfort and
peace to all those around him...
...Who were all the more confounded when he turned
inward, shaking his head, mumbling to himself as
cane-aided, he shuffled and stumbled his way home
'midst the sea of disapproving faces
Feel a flutter deep within
do not think cupid will play
my heart is arythmic, blood is thin
heart condition here to stay.
Hope the surgery be survived
cannot do plans for the future
would wish and hope and stay alive
life ebbs-away through bad sutures.
Need good surgeons to do good job
this sex-change dear, will take some time
if they fail , I'm not worth five bob
told "don't worry" all will be fine.
Elizabeth alexander 20/2/2016
inspired by fear of the known.
He was about 4 feet tall, and boy did he love shopping and playing games at the mall.
His plans for the future were oh so bright, and he thought all his dreams come true just may be A might!
He loved to play outside were the sun was nice and bright and the grass was so green, and there was only A tad he thought that sometimes his life was somewhat mean.
You see there was only one thing that bothered this kid with such A might, and that was sometimes his parents would fight. It was usually when he went to bed at night, that sometimes his heart would beat with fright, and he would hold the pillows to his ear so tight.
His heart felt oh so sad, for now he knew his parents were so mad. His parents he knew also loved each other, for he also had A brother. But if only he knew how to fix this , oh if only nothing would go a,miss! He would tell his little head, that when he grew up surely his children would not hear this in bed! Finally when everything was nice and quiet, he got out of his bed so soft, and kneeled and prayed to God that this please not happen as of oft!
From across the ocean
Far, far across the sea
We drink our morning coffees and chat
Through a camera eye
I watch you and you me
As we casually talk
About our yesterdays, today’s and tomorrow’s
Past vast distances
Beyond the winds of the world
Outside our closed winters doors
We laugh
Making plans for the future
Today
It is no longer that far
To when the seas will dry
The winds will cease
And the earth shall fall away
A time when
I will see you again
Face to face
For the very first time
she gets questioned by her girlfriend
about her recent husband
(asks questions about how his business is
going, asks questions about their new
place)---
being young & all
she is grilled by the other
as to her plans for the future &
in comparison to her inquisitor
she feels the need to brag on a
bit about a
“possible future” not yet put in
motion
(hopes & dreams not discussed with
said new husband)---
this leads her inquisitor to get on
the defensive, though still smiling &
promoting the mutual amiability between
them
with her body language &
references to the past when they were
both younger.
and as if the two are both pocketing
their own score cards,
they scribble down inside their minds
those things that they must improve upon
within their individual lives
(after comparing themselves to each
other),
so that if they ever do meet again,
they will have the best chance possible
to one-up the other---
after all,
this is what friendship is all about.
The foundations of life,
The existence of the divine,
The why not, what’s and why’s,
For the creation of time,
For the answers sought out,
They shall never be found,
They’re what keep our minds wandering,
That’s why life’s so profound,
Just be real to yourself,
Try to live in the minute,
Take advantage of this life,
Respecting everything in it,
Do not dwell on the past,
Do not bother with ego,
Try not to ask yourself questions,
Like in death where do we go?
Just make plans for the future,
What’s your next step in life?
Is it time to grow older?
And settle down with a wife,
Should I have a few children?
Could I support them if so?
Would I make a good parent?
I’m confused, I don’t know,
Just let life take its’ course,
As it comes sail along,
Everything happens for a reason,
No matter how right or wrong!
Copyright © 2009 Zachary Jackson
In life there are choices that you must make
Now some of them can turn out good and others bad
But the way you handle whatever the consequences are
Determines the strength you have
And I can’t promise you they will always be easy.
Some of the choices you make
May lead to stiffer consequences than others
And then they also could ruin your life forever
Not only could they affect your everyday plans
But they could affect your plans for the future.
It just takes one bad choice
To uproot your life and make you change your plans
And then it could happen in just one second
So think before you make a choice
Because it could be the wrong one and lead to suffering.
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