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Best Poems Written by Jan Pearce

Below are the all-time best Jan Pearce poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

A Missive To My Granddaughters

“A Missive To My Granddaughters”


My dearest girls,

How can I begin to tell you 
how much your smile warms my heart,
or the enrichment that penetrates my soul
when I feel your arms embrace me?

With you, I am a girl again reliving my own youth
When you share each new life experience with me.
Once again, my own fervor for life springs forth, 
As I listen to the enthusiasm that emanates from your cheerful chatter.

Your joy rejuvenates me.
Your smile pierces my heart and finds its way
To a special place reserved only for you.
Your zest for life gives me hope again for a better world,
And I thrive on your courage that abounds with each day that passes.

Please know…
That I have saved countless wishes for you alone -
A heart that is forgiving and true,
A mind that is forever open and exploring,
And the courage to face and overcome any obstacle.

I wish you a taste for beauty in whatever presents itself,
A flair of your own like no one else has ever experienced,
An infinite appreciation for all of Nature’s bounty,
And a magnanimous spirit for others less fortunate.

Please know that when I am gone, 
I will be with you always in spirit.
Whether it is the sweetness of a Spring rain,
In the coo of a morning dove,
Or the scent of a summer rose,
You will be reminded,
And you will know
That I am there
With you
Watching
Waiting
Until we are together..…again.

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

Sea Dreams

In the deep,
I have acquaintenances
With whom I share a common goal,
Intimate friends,
Visionary souls.

I swim in the darkly mirth
And beyond the yawning abyss.
I watch by night for the vulnerable waif
That might find me too, remiss.

For I am here for one brief spark
In Time’s expedient flight, 
Just swimming in the darkness,
While moving toward the Light.

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

The Guardian

For Mother's Day -




Sometimes, we forget -
A Mother is human.

Sometimes, we forget -
That she has fears of failure
As a wife,
As a parent,
As a human.

Sometimes, we forget -
She is not infallible,
That she does not have superhuman strength,
That she cannot leap mountains in a single bound,

Sometimes, we forget -
She is not allowed second guesses,
Uninterrupted time of her own,
Or human frailty in times of weakness.

Sometimes, we forget -
She must carry a shield of iron
To protect those frail beings trailing behind
Who seek her shelter in any uncertain situation.

Sometimes, we forget -
That she cries in the dark
For mistakes she may have made,
Or  shortcomings that have gotten the best of her.

Sometimes, we forget -
That she is still learning like we are,
Guarding each step as we carefully go.

Sometimes, we forget -
That it is a daily challenge
Just to know when to be strong,
Or when to be soft as the time is right.

She is the guardian,
The caretaker,
The nurturer,
The strength in our core.

Sometimes we forget -
She is afraid, after all – 
That she is merely the naive student
Learning how to become the Master.

By jb pearce
05-06-16

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

Across the Miles

Across the miles, I feel your love,
And know it’s me you’re thinking of.

Across the miles, there’s little to do,
But sit and think warm thoughts of you.

Across the miles I have no choice
But to wait to hear your familiar voice.

So, across the miles I can only say
I was lost without your touch today;
That my need for you was so much more
Than I have ever known before;
Because I could not take your hand,
Or tell you that I understand
That you would choose to be with me
If Time were ours, and we were free.

So, I will wait more empty nights
To kiss your lips when then I might,
And give my love and restore that smile
That went with you across the miles.

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

I'M Still Here

“I’m Still Here”




When you see me now,
I’m the same person inside
That I was when I gave birth to you
Oh,  so many years ago.

I don’t hear what you say sometime.
I don’t understand your meanings sometime.
I don’t see the same things that you see sometime.
I don’t articulate as well as I once did,
But I’m still here.

My legs are not as steady as they once were 
When I chased after you on a sunny day in the park.
My hands are not as strong,
As when they bandaged and kissed your adolescent scrapes.
My resolve is not as great as when I clutched you to my breast
When  you were crying and afraid.

Whether you recognize it or not,
I’m still here – the same Me inside,
Not as vibrant, not as self-assured, not as sure of herself,
But the same person…inside,
The same person who would be first at your door
If you needed me for as long as I could.

Yes, I’m still here,
The same woman who still clutches to those far-away memories
That  renew my joy when I see you now.
You are, and always will be, a severed part of me
That is moving now in a different direction.

I forget some things that are important to you now,
But I remember trivial little things that we shared years and years ago.
I reside now mostly in our past preparing for that time when you 
Will no longer be within my reach, nor I in yours.

I shelter the memories now of when you were a child,
And you were the light of my life, and I was yours.

Yes, I am still the same person inside –
A little less vibrant,
A little slower, perhaps,
A little more distant, 
A little more far removed.

But I’m still here…
with the same depth of love still beating inside,
And I will always be with you. 


05-29-17
j. b. pearce

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

I Never Danced the Tango

“I Never Danced The Tango”


I have more than a few
Regrets in life…

I wish I’d loved my children…
Much more,
Much longer,
Much stronger.

I would wish to be
Much wiser,
Much gentler,
Much more compassionate.

I have worked on my failings
With some success, 
And forgave myself
For what I could not achieve.

The Scales of Life
Sometimes tipped my way
But on occasion left me aggrieved.

I have been gifted
Many times over
But often had not known
When Fortune smiled down on me
Or left me on my own.

I have not traveled far abroad
Or dined on foreign cuisine,
Or been enthralled by distant lands
That others have likely seen.

But I have held my new born babe
And kissed a grandchild’s cheek
And helped a little boy reel in his pole
By a favorite fishing creek.

I’ve tasted life and spat some back
That sat bitter on my tongue.
I’ve harmonized a few new tunes
That were better left unsung.

I’ve marked my scores
And I know for sure
- that so attentively has He,
And I pray I receive His passing marks,
But I know of no guarantee.

So I’ll leave this plain with a minor regret
That I know I’ll never achieve - 
That I never danced the Tango
On a dazzling summer's eve.




11-12-19
By jb pearce

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

Altruism

I am a selfish person.
I do not like that trait in myself, 
But I know it is there,
Lying dormant until such a time,
As I may be refused something
My heart may desire.

I cannot correct it, not entirely.
I cannot banish it to some shelf hidden away
From which it cannot creep forward, again
When my wants are not fulfilled.

I can only chastise myself
For my feelings of self-interest,
While I force myself 
To feel,
To say,
To do
What I know in my heart
Is the right and honorable thing.

I tell my ego:
“Be silent.  Be still. I will not hear you.”
But those whispers of Want
Never fully take leave
Always leaving behind their
Traces of resentment and hurt.

I have learned…
Only time heals the 
wounds of my will
And the knowledge that God
Steers my heart in the proper direction.

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

Shell Shock

“Shell Shock”

(for my father J. D. Bowles
U.S. Navy Seabees- World War II)



I can remember, at an early age,
    Hearing him cry out in the night.
       Defending himself again against some 
            Threatening encounter, 
                 there on the beach of that foreign shore.

It was as if all protection had vanished,
    And he was there, alone,
           Quivering in the dark.

Momentarily, he became a whimpering child,
     Retreating at night, and struggling by day
          To retain some semblance of a manhood
                That had been battered and stripped away
                    By the savagery of War.

He was lost to us…forever,
     Destined to battle his own private demons,
        As best he could, 
          All alone.

No entity could reach that deeply inside him
    And extract that gnawing orb of anguish that welled within.
       It was a pain he must bear alone.

He fought the good fight,
     So many, many years ago,
          But we, 
            As his family, 
               Failed to win his War.



Bj pearce
jan@jsmagic.net
05-01-2012

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

Baby Steps

Baby steps
Reaching hands
Exploring anything new
Learning what is pleasant, what is pain
Nurturing a new baby doll
Being smothered in puppy kisses
Clinging to the chains of a soaring swing
Frolicking at a family picnic
A mother’s hands tucking me in at night
Counting an ocean of stars with a grandfather
Building a snowman with sisters
Walking in a Spring rain with no umbrella
Discovery of shyness at a boy’s secret smile
New clothes that release the young woman in you
High heels that raise your awareness of self
That first kiss that sends unfamiliar tingles down your spine
Your  first car that enhances your freedom
Body changes that move you toward womanhood
College courses that sharpen your mind
A new job that amplifies your confidence
First love that envelopes your every thought
First heartbreak that releases self doubt
Exploring Life with guarded choices
Marriage with insecurity at what is expected
Childbirth with overwhelming love
Being an inexperienced parent with uncertainty
Being a single parent with intense trepidation
Balancing a career with parenthood
Questioning your life choices
Running from life’s insecurities
Seeking solace in any form
Realistically looking in the mirror
Finding contentment with who you are
Rising again to a standing position
Starting over late in life
Baby steps
Baby steps
Baby steps…..



JB Pearce
4-24-16

Details | Jan Pearce Poem

The Price of Freedom

I feel the need to share with you the beauty that I see
In this land we call America - the gift my fathers left to me.

I see the plains and rolling hills that sing of raging wars
Hiding so many bloodstained graves that our enemies abhorred.

I see the glistening canyons and creeks meandering through our land
That once were the sight of battles which raged under a General’s command.

I see majestic oceans that transported many a soldier home
With broken minds and bodies to a homecoming with so little aplomb.

I see mountains stretching longingly toward Heaven’s saintly light
While shielding a weary soldier who seeks sweet respite for the night.

I see crystal lakes and streams once tainted a scarlet red
From the sacrifice that freedom cost in a warrior’s cautious tread.

I see the faces of families grief-stricken in sorrowful pain
From the loss of a loved one far away who was patriotically slain.

I see a price paid for liberty that was precious a decade ago,
But is since taken, too,  much for granted by the generations bestowed.

So, I pray for understanding and peace with foreign shores,
For an understanding of patriotism by our unenlightened scores.

For there is no country greater where millions yearn to be free
And pass through the gates of freedom so blamelessly blissfully.