my body lies limp
suns heat dries me like a prune
in need of raindrops
I feel the futility
after decades
of my fingers flitting
like dragonflies
over the keys
my once hopeful heart
shriveled and shrunken
as a plum into a prune
Shakespeare and Miller
Marlowe and Pinter
will never again
pick up the plume
to pen another
poem or play
yet they live on today
while my words
wither in the womb
Stillborn they are silently
whisked away unread
without a funeral
to the tomb
Juniper June
You know, your berries are showing
Juniper you might not see what everyone else seems to know
here
Let me help you out June
Man July came to soon
You were beautiful June
Walking into my garden,
I notice things need doing,
Fence needs painting,
Weeding and pruning,
And the grass needs cutting.
Do not !!!! Get me started on the decking,
I will cut the hedge instead,
Greenhouse needs washing,
Plants need potting,
Think I will forget the ... decking.
Hose pipes got a leak,
So has the shed,
Turf needs hoovering,
Pebbles need brushing,
I love my garden.
It all gets done in a week or two,
It's then sit back, relax and enjoy the view,
That's not the decking
tiny fragile bud
clean prune cultivate nurture—
precious child blossoms
Tend Thy Orchard, Its Bad Limbs Prune
Shall thee let hope hold firmest sway,
Live life well now, without delay;
Enjoy the beach and its cool nights
Walk under moon's soft beaming lights.
Remember sorrow comes with grey,
Relief shall come if one but prays:
Yet thy heart must seek, stay in tune,
Tend thy orchard, its bad limbs prune.
Hold thee deep, virtues that are good,
Rarely say, if only I could;
Be given more, my days are hard
Life now deals me very bad cards.
Send me more, I deserve it all:
I bow and answer thy hard call,
Reward me for my greater work,
For my duty I never shirk.
Tis' best to in a humble way,
Sacrifice more, asking no pay;
Enjoy hard tasks, thee are blessed,
With those unseen hands that caressed,
Faithful Hearts and Souls from the start,
Joined in truth that which never parts.
Embrace the favors in Truth's Light,
Fear not demons of darkest night.
Robert J. Lindley, 5-25-2018
RHYME, ( Tribute to Christina Rossetti )
Cut down what you do not like of me
Growing wrong-all wrong-it's all you see
Strip away my beauty
Once was I so tall...so large and proud
But you cut me down to the crowd
Strip away my beauty
Why must I be changed so
Why couldn't you just let me grow
Strip away my beauty
Without my stems, my leave, my blooms I feel so bare
I am without a body now...so vulnerable--it isn't fair
Strip away my beauty
I am gone now, and in my place is an imposter
This...this thing is not me...can't you see it is an imposter
strip away my beauty