Nowhere on Earth
The Earth seen from Apollo 17. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Nowhere on Earth
From the first time I saw her,
I thought she was beautiful.
Her eyes held flecks of green,
They mesmerized me.
And her innocence hid behind,
A smile that lit up the sky.
Who was I to know,
What was waiting around the bend.
Sweet kisses sealed an agreement,
Unspoken at first,
And hugs became more demanding,
Unsatisfied with mere warmth,
Until the night passion met passion,
And needs and desires were met.
I felt no shame in what we did,
Strong feelings had turned into love,
And we claimed each other.
She became even more beautiful,
Because she carried my child.
We had a secret,
We were waiting to tell the world.
Then one day she was gone.
Her family refused to talk about her.
Her absence left a hole in my heart,
Only she could fill.
She had disappeared completely,
Ready to give birth,
Nowhere on Earth.
One year later I saw her again,
More beautiful than ever,
In her arms she carried my child.
Our features were evident,
Our child displaying the best of both,
Eyes with flecks of green,
My human skin,
Her big green smile,
All was there,
Perhaps our child would be taunted,
Or maybe even beaten,
Because she was different.
Our child was beautiful,
Carried by her mother,
Adored by her father,
Two worlds unified in peace and war,
The first to cross over,
The first of her kind.
“Would You, Could You?”
"Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" reception at Octavia Books, Uptown New Orleans. Mo Rocca. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For me some needs never change,
As a child and growing like a weed,
I got bumps and bruises,
And discovered an inner need,
I needed acknowledgment,
For wounds and battles already won,
I’d say, “I need a hug,
So my day can continue on,”
As a shy, insecure teenager,
While out on a date,
I’d be fretting and nervous,
Perhaps you can relate,
There were moments of silence,
When I didn’t know what to do,
I’d look my partner in the eye,
And this is what would ensue,
“I think our evening has been great,”
I’d say with a shrug,
“So would you, could you,
Give me a hug?”
As an adult, life happened quickly,
And with a wife and house full of kids,
Things didn’t always go smoothly,
Sometimes we flipped our lids,
But in the late evening,
When there was peace and quiet,
I’d think over the events of the day,
Before I turned out the lights,
“This was a very long day,”
I’d say with a shrug,
“Wrap your arms around me,
And give me a hug,”
The best part of life is gone,
It happened so very fast,
But most of my so called problems,
Were forgotten in my past,
I see the world more clearly,
As I face each and every day,
I know I couldn’t have made it this far,
Without hugs along the way,
To anyone who will listen,
My favorite thing I’ll say,
“Would you, could you,
Give me a hug today?”
The news continues to bother me,
Wars, famines, and a new flu bug,
So wrap your arms around me,
And give me a hug,
You might want to ignore me,
As I stare out into space,
But there is something you can do,
To bring a smile to my face,
Just say, “Do you have a problem?”
I’ll grin and I’ll shrug,
And you’ll know it’s the best time,
To give me a giant hug,
If I’m wasting away in a corner,
Or standing in a line,
If I get a little tender loving care,
I’ll make it just fine,
When my life is full of sorrow,
I’ll greet it with a shrug,
But “Would you, could you,
Give me a hug?”
Belle Rides Shotgun
Image via Wikipedia
She rode in the car with the wind in her face,
The passenger side was her favorite place,
When Belle pushed the button she always knew,
She’d have the wind, front seat, and a great view,
It takes more than the wind to make her grin,
An open window is just a place for her to begin,
She sees the world as she thinks it should be,
It’s nicer when everyone is happy, don’t you agree?
Belle and I were going shopping one afternoon,
It was one of those beautiful days in late June,
She rode with her head outside to enjoy the air,
The temperature was still rising but she didn’t care,
“Belle,” I said, “dogs aren’t allowed inside the mall,
We’ll get an ice cream cone and then go, that’s all,”
If one food is her favorite it might be ice cream,
I expected Belle to be excited, maybe even scream,
She struggled and fought for me to let her down,
Her expression had changed, now she wore a frown,
The pavement was burning on her little paws,
She was in rescue mode, she had a cause,
She dashed three rows away to a car shut tight,
The car looked empty, no one was in sight,
Belle was insistent, she refused to leave,
She was giving me a message, I chose to believe,
I got closer and much to my surprise,
Children were in there, I saw two sets of eyes,
Their faces were flushed, their condition was poor,
I had no time to think, I tugged at the door,
The door was locked and the children were afraid,
How could I get them out and into the cool shade?
I called 9-1-1 and waited for their parents to show,
Should I break a window? I didn’t quite know,
Belle was running in circles but didn’t go far,
Belle heard a siren and led the firemen to the car,
The children were rescued but Belle wouldn’t go,
She wanted to show me something, what I didn’t know,
One more time I listened to what she was trying to say,
On the floor was a blanket, within it a baby lay,
Before I could call for help a fireman was at my side,
He had seen me follow Belle, his eyes were open wide,
Their procedures were smooth and quickly carried out,
The two recovered quickly, the baby’s life was in doubt,
Belle watched closely and then just walked away,
I could tell by her demeanor the baby would be okay,
“We’d like to take Belle with us,” was one fireman’s remark,
“She had so much to tell us without even one frantic bark,
She was calm in an emergency and she was constantly aware,
A dog that can do so many things is certainly very rare,”
A woman approached, “What have you done to my car?
You’ve broken a window and my house is so far,
My children don’t like the air blowing in their faces,
Somebody has to fix this so we can go places,”
Belle growled at the woman, something was not right,
Belle rarely growled but she was ready to fight,
The children were trying to hide behind me,
I wanted to ask Belle, “What could it be?”
“Don’t worry, ma’am, whenever there’s some doubt,
We call the sheriff and he can work it all out,”
The fireman wanted the kids away from danger,
He was becoming certain this woman was a stranger,
“Come on, kids,” she said as she backed away,
But she ignored the baby who on the ground lay,
Belle blocked her path so she couldn’t escape,
I thought, “All Belle needs is a Superman’s cape,”
Several police cars arrived at nearly the same time,
Apparently the police were working a major crime,
The woman was surrounded and nobody was hurt,
One deputy said, “You must have heard about the Amber alert,”
When all was explained from the finish to the start,
All were convinced that Belle had a big heart,
She’d saved three children from inherent danger,
And helped capture a woman who was a stranger,
Belle doesn’t like all the publicity or strife,
All she wants to do is live a quiet life,
But no matter how sweet life is each day,
She wants to do more than just eat and play,
With all of her quirks and strange whims,
She choose what she wants except for close trims,
She can ride up front with her face in the breeze,
Except when it’s cold and I don’t want to freeze.
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“Please Wait!” (continued)
Image via Wikipedia
Predicament (3/6)
3) Insufficient funds, there must be some mistake,
Andrew read the line again. This couldn’t be happening,
It could just be a silly fake,
How could the young lady be part of a scam,
She was convincing and trustworthy,
But she had left him in a jam,
Once more he looked for numbers as he ran a check,
His entire life savings had disappeared,
Answers were needed because his life was in a wreck,
He called her company. The response made him nervous,
He realized what a fool he was when a voice said,
“I’m sorry. This line has been disconnected and is no longer in service.”
He called the attorney general’s office and much to his dismay,
There seemed to be a pattern in all the lessons he had learned,
“I’m sorry. The attorney general is in a meeting or away for the day,
Please leave your name and number and your call will be returned,”
It was too late to ask anyone for advice,
Anyone he talked to turned a deaf ear,
Nothing he could do, no laws would suffice,
He encountered walls everywhere he tried,
There was only one thing left to do,
He went home and cried.
Predicament (4/6)
4) Elizabeth and her children lived alone in a house,
They were isolated and vulnerable,
She had lost her spouse,
One evening a car came down the lane,
Why was someone there this late,
Were they lost, needing help, or slightly insane,
Men got out and approached the door,
She called 911. “I need help. What should I do?”
“Please stay on the line and I’ll send car twenty-four,”
The intruders weren’t friends nor were they her kin,
They weren’t listening when she yelled, “Go away!”
It was quite a predicament she was left in,
Were they there to hurt the children or do her some harm,
The door was caving, someone crashed through,
And was met by the shotgun she carried in one arm,
Determination was clearly written on her face,
She would protect her children and her home,
A woman with a gun wasn’t out of place,
What would he do because he had a choice,
But he was a man full of manly pride,
And he ignored her warning voice,
When he continued to advance,
She pulled the trigger without hesitation,
She had warned him not to take a chance,
The intruder was stopped there in his spot,
The voice on the line returned,
“Ma’am, are you okay, I heard a shot,”
She replied, “Yes, I’m okay,
But the intruder is not,”
“Please stay on the line and wait,
An officer should be there shortly,
He’ll need to investigate,”
A woman alone looked like easy prey,
But when her children were threatened,
The adage was proven, crime doesn’t pay.
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Christmas by the Forest
Image by Jon Person via Flickr
He wasn’t a mean man but he was grumpy at times,
He lived alone and liked to write poetry that rhymed,
His house, next to a forest, had a very pleasant view,
He wasn’t very happy though he had much to do,
He was often forgotten, his children lived far away,
They, too, said they were busy, and they’d visit someday,
His days were empty of meaning, his nights full of screams,
What was he living for, the world had taken his dreams,
A miracle was needed to soften his heart, he couldn’t turn life back,
If he could help someone, his life would be back on track,
His heart did not hear the tears or feel the anguished pain,
As a family nearby called out in the cold and chilling rain,
Five children stranded in the night watched as their mother died,
They huddled and quietly prayed, after their tears had dried,
Harsh reality took the stage as they looked at their papa to lead,
But things change rapidly at times, life is so hard to read,
Their father could not help, for this country was not his home,
He had to leave, he was banned, no longer could he roam,
Five children with no one, determined to reach a goal,
Could they survive a world so cruel and the winter cold,
They gathered and prayed once more, nothing else they could do,
No money, no parents, their hope should have been gone too,
The oldest daughter took charge, said they would go out swinging,
They sloshed through the snow, their angelic voices ringing,
Their voices carried through the night and across the snowy wood,
Where a man waited for a miracle, where he could do some good,
The man rose to hear this group and its cheerful sound,
He wondered why they were the only joyful group around,
He heard their songs and invited the five in, to sit before the fire,
They smiled when he told them they sounded like a heavenly choir,
Then he asked about their parents, then asked what will they do,
His heart was touched, “Please stay,” he urged, “I have rooms with a view,”
His house had been quiet far too long,
He needed to fill it with happy songs,
When he asked them to stay a miracle occurred for them,
And when they said yes a miracle occurred for him,
Christmas by the forest changed his life within,
Christmas by the forest meant their lives had a chance to begin.
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Halloween Treats
Image via Wikipedia
Here’s to excited
children searching for sweets,
On Halloween night there are good things to eat,
Lurking in
the dark strange creatures are stirring,
Lethargy
gone, their minds are whirring,
Only the
pranksters will venture the streets,
While the
rest will be home counting their treats,
Every parent
will know if their children are safe,
Each ghoul
and goblin are counted even the waifs,
No monsters
are allowed in their dreams tonight,
The little ones
might want to leave on the light,
Reading
stories after they’ve been tucked in bed,
Each thought
of candy gone from their head,
All parents
will know how they’ve been blessed,
To see eyes
all closed and the children at rest,
Stretching in
their sleep and smiles on each face,
Sweets for
the sweet, at the right time and place.
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It Takes Three-Thirds
Image via Wikipedia
“My child
failed because of you,”
I heard an irate parent say,
Her mind was
set, the blame was met,
She had an
excuse to end the day,
I could have
argued till my face was blue,
But words
had no chance to sway,
“Would you
mind if I showed you,
A way through
mathematics,
How your
child could always get through?”
“Is this a
trick you’re pulling on me,
Or is this math
way really true?”
“Oh, it’s
true indeed, and something more,
It’ll show
the importance of your child and you,”
“Okay, I’m
listening, so make it fast,”
“You’re the
parent and you’re in charge,
Your
influence over your child is vast,
So you’re
assigned one-third of the task,
Your
discipline and love is designed to last,”
“Now the
teacher assumes the role,
Of creating
a world away from home,
The teacher will
do his best to reach the goal,
Count
another one-third that will be done,
Add those
together and your battle’s won,”
“Two-thirds is
a passing grade,
Yet there’s
a part missing and this is the test,
Your child
must face the world at his best,
He may never
make it if he just skims by,
He’ll have
trouble leaving the ground,
And he’ll
never really learn to fly,”
“His
one-third is even more important,
For the
first two-thirds are building blocks,
He’ll need
to stand on those to reach the sky,
But he’ll
never be a bright star,
If he
chooses not to try,”
“Your part really
began long ago,
When you
planted the seeds,
For him to bloom
and grow,”
“Education
brings answers to hopes and schemes,
If he’s
willing to work to achieve his dreams,
He has to
choose whether to sink or swim,
And it’s
time for us to be firm and for him to dig in,”
“The common goal
is well within sight,
And
opportunity is knocking on the door,
Remember how
important it is to do things right,
It takes parents, teachers, and student,
All
three-thirds,
To let this
success story take flight,”
She squinted
her eyes and stared at me,
Her face
released the frown,
She said to
her son, “He’s right, you know,
So Johnny
don’t let us down,”
He excelled
at sports, his grades improved,
He worked as
hard as he could,
And sure
enough he found success,
Doing what
he should,
His mom told
others about the math,
And how it
shaped his goal,
One-third,
one-third, and one-third,
Made a student
completely whole.
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“It’ll Come For You!”
Image by BEYOURPET via Flickr
“Tell me a
scary story, Papa,
One that won’t
let me sleep,”
“Okay,
child, I’ll tell you one,
That will be
dark and deep,”
“Papa, is it the one about a toe,
Where the
monster seeks revenge?”
“No, child,
this one is scarier yet,
And you’ll
be in the middle, not on the fringe,”
“Papa, tell
me true,
Is it something that happened to you?”
“Yes, my
child, once when all was locked tight,
I was
writing a story in the midst of night,
When out of
the corner of my eye,
I saw a movement, then a shape in the moonlight,
I turned but
not fast enough,
For only a
shadow remained in sight,
Then it, too,
was gone in a flash,”
“My mind is
playing tricks on me,” I said,
“I think it’s
time for me to go to bed,”
“Papa, is
that the end of the story?”
“Be patient,
my child, for there is more,
I went into
my room and closed the door,
But I could
feel , yes, feel, eyes fixed outside,
Wanting for me
to open wide the door,
And so I
did, expecting nothing but my fear,
But there
was a man standing there,
I guess he’d
been there for awhile,
Looking at
me straight on with an evil smile,”
“Papa, were
you scared, what did you do?”
“He wore a
cloak, his eyes were red,
I closed the
door, stayed awake in bed,
Waited until
the dawn’s first light,
To see if I
was alive or dead,
He was
standing in that very hall,
Now go to
sleep, if you can sleep at all,”
“Papa, I’m
scared, is this story true?
Did this
really happen to you?”
“Child, it
happened night after night,
Your mother
couldn’t take it,
Always
mumbling about an awful fright,
Eventually it
scared her enough and she took flight,
She’s living
in a home for those disturbed,
Claiming she’s
okay and not perturbed,
She claims
my story is quite inane,
And I’m the
one who’s really insane,
My story is
not long, but it is true,
Now go to
sleep, my child, or it’ll come for you.”
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Before You Were Born
Image via Wikipedia
She Loved You Before You Were Born!
Month after month she revels in the thought,
That her body contains what love had wrought,
She knows the changes that are taking place,
Features are forming, a beating heart, fingers and face,
Her own body is adjusting for new growth as well,
Preparing a temporary home for this life to dwell,
But most of all are the effects on her heart,
Forming emotional attachments right from the start,
Her heart is rapidly expanding as her child grows,
Her life will be changed forever as she already knows,
Her love will continue growing after the baby arrives,
Whatever happens around her, her love thrives,
She has loved you long before she knew your name,
Knowing the pain to come she wanted you the same,
Her love has developed and matured in every way,
For a mother’s love does not spring forth in a day,
When the delivery is over and she holds you in her arms,
She smiles and rambles on about your many charms,
Unconditional love that radiates about the room,
Unconditional love that dispels pain and gloom,
Finding inner strength she wasn’t aware she had,
Born of labor and love, she wanted a miracle so bad,
You are still that miracle, walking around on display,
The day you were born was her special Mother’s Day!
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“Where Are the Superheroes?”
Image via Wikipedia
I’ve always enjoyed the superheroes,
Someone to come and save the day,
Whenever there was trouble brewing,
They knew what to do and what to say,
I admired them because they stood for justice,
They protected man, woman, and child,
Evil was always stopped and punished,
It was never allowed to just run wild,
But while a child the world was my own,
In my imagination I was big and strong,
Evil was given no chance to stick around,
I could change anything that went wrong,
As I grew older I could see the world needed heroes,
For few walked among us helping the abused,
And sometimes, to make matters even worse,
The heroes were there among those accused,
I determined that I would do my very best,
And as a parent I was a superhero for just a while,
But only because my children believed in me,
I could wipe away tears and bring back a smile,
But I could not rescue them from the trauma of divorce,
Nor could I keep the outside world from coming in,
I tried, but the world had found my kryptonite,
And I was doomed to watch the Joker’s grin,
Discouragement, doubt, I was powerless in time’s grasp,
The glitter of the world took my children from my side,
I could not protect them and keep them from pain,
They were being pulled away from shore by an awful tide,
They made their mistakes but found their way back,
But they had changed as much as changed can be,
No longer were they naïve and innocent,
It was even worse, they were more like me,
I’m not a superhero, that is plain to see,
Evil forces are there and I cannot hold them back,
I’ve found that I can’t even rescue myself,
Many times I’ve tried, but there are powers I lack,
I must confess I’m under stress, to see the world so torn,
Where are the superheroes that will show to save the day?
Are they just imaginary like those in my childhood world?
Or must we all be heroes to keep from falling under evil’s sway?
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