No matter the long road
You can walk step by step
No matter the short road
You can't reach it
Without taking two feet.
No matter how busy you are
Take time to make yourself happy
Work without play
Make life dull and weary
Take time to tend yourself freely.
I like that when I hold your hand, you tend to smile within your sleep
We took a shot at something wonderful; that also became something deep
Life becomes a castle; you are its strongest hold, my beloved keep
Feeling loved by you, I found a newly created reason to take a defining leap
Scorching from a burning Deep; I Leap, and Keep Feeling so much; when We hold a part of Life; by smiling in our Sleep
In gardens of sorrow, a bloodied rose weeps,
Its petals, once vibrant, now stained and torn.
A tale of passion, etched in crimson deep,
Love's beauty tarnished, its essence forlorn.
Once cherished, it bloomed with grace and delight,
A symbol of ardor, devotion delight.
Yet shadows of time cast a somber blight,
Leaving scars of longing, in silence unbound.
Each thorn, a reminder of love's embrace,
The pain and the pleasure entwined, never ceased.
But still, in its frailty, a poignant grace,
The bloodied rose whispers of love's masterpiece.
Through trials and tribulations it arose,
A testament to love's enduring prose.
Manifestation,
a glimpse into the future;
Just like deja vu;
Pen pulling moments,
spelling them out on paper
charged with blood red ink;
Fireworks exploding
light my words up as they fall;
Stardust interlude;
It starts with a smile,
hope becomes reality;
Abracadabra!
My poems tend to come true,
it’s kind of a thing I do.
Ma and Pop
pop and ma
the small needle
the big darn.
Little shop of peddlers
first to be robbed,
accused of being
gougers.
Ma wants to move to Florida,
pa wants to expand
the jerky sticks shelving.
Locals know them,
they shop with Ma & Pop
because their near -
they sell beer.
First to go the way
of the dodo,
last to hang around
backs against the wall
old and shaky,
filling in the blanks
in our coloring books.
Tend the garden where the tulips grow.
Moisten soil, sun drench.
When leaves faint and wither,
resuscitate.
Let the scented air blow
through the cosseting leaves.
The soft and solid kiss
of zephyr release
memories of long ago
verdant trysts
and the undying season
that suddenly
ceases
except for living ghosts,
brushed and painted
on
the landscape below —
the living canvas
overflowing
with effervescence,
a bouquet
blossoming
in the open arm boughs
of paradise.
11/19/2019
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 )
Things tend to have a deeper meaning
But, we see selectively
The direction is there
It is not used completely
We are often confused
As a result of the ambiguity
Pain and darkness walk in
Nothing but a clouded scenery
tend to lean towards a
negatively influenced
mind set seemed
to have been
hard wired from
youth to perceive
life within the most
negative terms possible
rewiring seems to be an
impossible task to undertake
it has proven to be a life long
journey towards the unknown
with no end insight
Tend your garden
the seeds for planting a lot in Africa
you roast and eat in comfort
planting time you are filled up
as you wait for other gardeners
The seeds you get from good will
go to your hot ovens
you plant them in the garden
of your hot and dry stomach
where air, water and warmth
do not exist for germination
As your children go hungry
they loot to avoid dying of hunger
wife’s left in wonder
as to why she opened her ovary
to germinate children for
for a tricky, sick, lazy man!
Tend your garden
your children scatter everywhere
begging when food is ripening
begging when food is in store
begging during planting times
Let neighbors have a break
from the begging hands
of your fleet of children
the chaotic begging looters!
Oh when I was a child I loved Popeye cartoons,
Guess there’s no real accounting for any kid’s taste,
But you always knew spinach was up Popeye’s sleeve,
And that bullies like Brutus would soon be disgraced.
“Just deserts!” to all thugs what the world hungers for,
“In the kisser!” whatever their color or stripe,
“Missing spinach” like kryptonite something to fear,
Till at last Popeye sucks in its green through his pipe.
But it’s Popeye’s resourcefulness that saves the day
And the vegetable really a means to an end,
For the spinach is mindless, along for the ride,
So though green stuff is “good”, maybe “best” is a friend!
Brian Johnston
September 23, 2015
Things get done
With grace and virtue beyond
The usual dregs camping out
Virtuosity ceases to be priority
As it yields to tone-setting and methodical fleecing
Of the willing patrons searching for
Deeds and reasons to come their way
A warm stare is launched
Caught by gazes more magical than they need to be
And doused with sunshine which flogs each lip upon receipt
Message, meaning unnecessary
Now that gorgeous is control and behind the wheel
Taking us all on a journey we never meant to see
And going blind in the process.
(8/9/10)
A broken heat tends to mend itself back together.
It won’t take forever, only a while.
Leaving you is like walking the mile.
Didn’t think that this would happen…
Just take that sharp needle, along with the thin thread
And mend…
My heart is delicate, just like fabric.
It’s easy to tear, yet easy to repair.
I know this is the right thing to do,
But I just can’t think of leaving you,
After all that we have been through….
You were my first love, peaceful as a dove.
You were my first kiss, which now becomes my first diss…
You said you loved me, I said it too.
But sadly I don’t think it was ever true.
I will say one thing; I’m going to miss you.
You were my first, but not my last.
The both of us have to move on.
You have got to be strong,
You can do so much better than me…
Find someone that will fill your heart,
And I’ll runaway, flee.
I’ll be somebody else’s girlfriend to be.
Though ill have to fight to fend,
My broken heart will tend to mend.
I only want to be noticed "maybe" a little bit everyday,
To be told I'm beautiful without my words having to say.
I only ask for less than enough to brighten my path that i walk,
and I only say just enough to conceal my troubles in talk.
I feel like an animal that's been locked away,
So much aggression and plenty to say.
Still afraid to speak the words my mind replays,
so here I am writing another hopeless mindless says.
What is hidden behind the covers is only for one to know,
What is scared to speak the truth but continues with the flow.
The tears for years of hiding and running also cowering behind hope
the word that has yet to show me the gripping of the bloody rope
why hold strong when so many fail to even hold
Like your life has been pulled and pushed as silly putty or mold.
I guess for the reason everything happens in-deed
everything happens for a reason and I believe that's my plea
stir the ash
breathe life unto the glowing ember
tend and stoke this heart
come closer to warm
stretch your hands to the heat
stoke the embers to this heart
breathe life into this love
Related Poems