We often take for granted
What’s familiar in our world,
Without the need to wave the flag
We rarely have unfurled.
Yet tourists sometimes help us see
How fortunate we are.
By looking through their eyes we know
How high we’ve set the bar.
I spent the day in Central Park,
New York’s most precious jewel,
Though many locals get there
Not too often, as a rule.
Our visitor from out of town,
Amazed at all the trees,
Made me recognize the beauty
Landscaped perfectly to please.
The shady walks, musicians
And the turtles in the pond,
Plus the people-watching chances
Took us to a place beyond
All the urban sights we pass each day,
Infusing them with magic.
Taking Central Park for granted
Is not very short of tragic.
You, me, us
We’re all born as animals
Mammals to be precise
Helpless in our newness
Dependent on others
Especially our mothers
But at what point
Do we become human?
Is there a moment of awakening
Or is it a gradual becoming?
Is it a first breath
Or something much more earned?
Is it something some of us
Never achieve and some somehow lose?
Is it a thing or a way of being
Or a something only becoming?
We take for granted what we are
We grant it to others too
But what if we are all wrong
And human means something new.
(9/5/26)
Every stagnant day is a violent exhaustion,
coercing a broken frame to hallucinate its repair.
Within, my chest is a blackened crater.
Last embers burned out long ago.
No smoke.
No lingering warmth.
Now, only grey ash remains
where my beating heart should rest.
I spend every ounce of fading strength
just to pass as a lesser shade.
I am petrified.
Should I stop acting?
The void would swallow me whole.
Yet no one bears witness.
No one hears the rapture of my collapse
behind the polite greeting,
the quiet smile.
Am I just a spectre at their boundary gates,
bare hands wrapping the bars
while they gather by the light?
The threshold is an uncrossable chasm,
carved directly into my bones.
To want what they take for granted,
to not reach out,
to leave empty palms resting in the leaden air,
is a quiet, sterile agony.
The weight
is slowly,
inevitably,
walking me to my tomb.
Everyone has fears of some kind.
Mine are everyday things some people take for granted: like falling, or not
hearing particular noises on the streets.
I guess when one gets older, these fears become more real. Driving passed
a certain age is important to consider.
And depending on ones ability, health and financials, should be taken into
consideration. A cousin of mine still drives at 83. He thinks he can drive forever. He drove from young before his teens I believe; not sure. We shall see.
His partner wants to be chauffeured around. I have that same attitude. Going
to be a while for that one. I don't have the fear of going alone, as I have been
on my own for many years. However, lately, with the things that happen in the world today, one begins to wonder. My trust is in God in these events. But there are safety in numbers. We shall see
It doesn’t matter what we believe
we need to learn what they believe
the liberal views we all know
don’t have a universal flow
equality is one such value
they do not believe in too
freedoms that we take for granted
grew because the seed was planted
gave us rights for our advantage
man made laws that we have managed
wars were fought to give us peace
in separation wars did cease
from Europe to the Middle East
the western world spread the seas
through the centuries of change
we forgot about those estranged
while their belief remained the same
until we let them in again
now they come here to dominate
the only way they operate
Step one: To change your life make sure you live (Never let an opportunity become a miss)
Step two: Do what makes you well you (Always be who you are never not be the brightest star)
Step three:Never change your vibe (Your vibe attracts your tribe)
Step four:Learn to Love never hate (Life is too short for dark clouds)
Step five: Get outside (Don’t take for granted the sunshine)
Step six:Never be afraid to see (See the good in the world and have it falling at your feet)
Step seven:Make your mark (Always shoot for the stars)
Step eight:Find something that makes you smile (True happiness it takes a while)
Step nine:Love yourself (no one knows your heart better than you so treat it good,keep it’s rhythm pure and true)
Step ten: Live again and again (Never stop dancing,Never stop singing,Never stop dreaming because you got this feeling)
It has been three score and 16 years.
Those life experiences have been mixed.
Through them all, God's Grace was there,
Always reminding me of His loving care.
I am blessed, and I am grateful.
My EYES are great with my friend, 'Glasses'.
My EARS are functioning very soundly.
My TASTE buds are delightful, and
I love TOUCHING and being touched.
I am blessed, and I am grateful.
Never do I take for granted the sweet SMELLING
Fragrance of clean country air befriending
My nostrils as I inhale and exhale. 'Little
Pain has been the story of my life.
I am blessed, and I am grateful.
It is deceptively easy,
yet unbelievably hard—
to protect and serve,
while carrying the weight of every call,
every scene, every shadowed moment.
High expectations weigh heavy,
with minimal support to lean on.
Yet you answer love for neighbors
with an unbelievable calling.
Law enforcers,
unbelievable human beings—
standing between us and the dark side
of our shared humanity,
keeping us safe night after night.
Sympathetic. Empathetic.
Steadfast through the storm.
Port St. Lucie Police Department,
you are a quiet blessing
to our community's happiness,
a shield we too often take for granted.
Thank you—for the unseen burdens you bear,
and for the peace you help us keep.
Someone asked me how to describe love
At first I thought there wasn’t a description
Then I thought of a man who lost his wife after 50 years
No one can feel that emotion beside him
We may feel for him
But that loss is endless
The love, the memories
The good and the bad
The days in and out
We don’t think will end
We take for granted
Not knowing how we got this far
Love is endless
It stays
In the photos
In the stories
In emanates from memories
It’s lasting
And encompassing
It’s tears
It’s comfort
Hugs
Seeing that one after so long
Just sitting
Quietly
Tea and coffee without a word
Peace
I am one of the lucky ones
To know love
Though our love feels so timeless,
There is never enough time spent.
Though you promise our love is endless,
I question it 'cause of who came and went.
Though my heart is big and wide open,
I also bottle up worries of if we'll ever end.
Though I always welcome you to my den,
I'm unsure if you approve, even as a friend.
Though I am always happy with you here,
Sometimes on the phone I'm easily upset.
Though I will reassure you and make it clear,
At times I need you to see thru empty threat.
Though I'm a woman with a unique mind,
My inner voice is both my heroine and critic.
Though I'm a woman who can be so kind,
Never take for granted how I am lovesick.
we just lost power
no biggie
I’ll fix something to eat
maybe not
unless I want cold food
I could type up some poems
If my computer would work, but it won’t without power
the refrigerator is out, the oven is out, the TVs are out
the internet is out, the power tools are out
Our cars are stuck in the garage
I just put the doors down before the electricity died
Electricity is something I take for granted
Until it goes out
Then I appreciate it until it comes back on
when I can take it for granted again.
Freedom isn't something
We should never take for granted
It's a feeling resting deep inside
It's roots are firmly planted
From birth to death we struggle
To always do what's right
And sometimes lose our focus
The goal seems out of sight
Lose sight of what's important
Get hung up on petty things
At times forget there are some folks
Who don't have anything
Homes destroyed in an instant
Feeling terror every day
Is this the day their life will end
Ruthlessly snatched away?
The real measure of one's freedom
Is buried deep in our soul
Reach down deep every single day
Be thankful of your role
There are things we take for granted
People used to do without
With a thousand-plus examples,
But these verses are about…
Fasteners we use for clothing,
Such as zippers, hooks or snaps,
Also buttonholes and buttons,
Buckles, laces, even straps.
Have you heard of Whitcomb Judson?
He and Gideon Sundback share
The invention of the zipper -
Just let Google take you there.
All my jeans and many jackets
Have that satisfying zip,
Which my ancestors, when dressing,
Never had a chance to grip.
Every fastener has background
Which may fascinate or bore,
But we owe some thanks to those
Who get us quicker out the door.
*Thanks to my husband for the title!
The reason to give thanks
The need to praise
Sense behind purpose
A chance
A promise
Life living in honor
Make no mistake
It is not given because you deserve
The honor comes from above
Heaven’s flavor
Something to savor
Take personal
Breathing with proceed
Never take for granted
Somethings an expected gift
Total surprise
Always counted
Beyond anyone’s belief.
So, asking, sometimes even begging but know way, know way, it ain’t happening for me!
Everything, everytime seems somehow to go wrong, even bad you see.
Perhaps I lucked-out back then when I saw, when I saw an angel in front of me?
Perhaps I lucked-out when she said yes with those deep, smiling eyes to me?
So, I don’t take for granted that luck’s magic will ever again perform for me.
I don’t gamble, I don’t risk it because I got everything that I ever wanted you see.
so I lucked-out and that ain’t so bad after all because you’re still here with me.
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