It Is Done...........

Across time’s vast and rolling surge
I hear a song; a mournful dirge
Like a lonesome tolling knell
Farewell, ye by-gone year, farewell
Hear its low and solemn tone
It is done, it is done

Clasp its sonnet to your breast
As its trembling cadence rests
Deep within the darkened urn
Where good and ill cannot return
Its only trace the seed it’s sown
It is done, it is done

I hear a tremor on the breeze
It lingers in the barren trees
Slipping through my fingers, gone
The notes that tune tomorrow’s song
Hear the echo, distant moan
It is done, it is done

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Not That Far.....

Perhaps the sky is weeping and gray
And there’s a world of it twixt you and I
Love is unhindered; you are not far away
Love leaps across each lonely mile
There is no fixed perimeter
Where love must be sadly constrained
It takes its flight in thought and prayer
It cannot be caught or restrained

Darling, wherever you are today
Miles cannot separate
They are simply geography
On road maps that we create
But it has nothing to do with love
No matter what road maps say
I feel you near me as I move
No, you are not too far away

Life has many twists and turns
We cannot see past today
Those things for which the spirit yearns
Often seem far away
But when it comes to love, my dear
Its essence wings 'cross the gray
And in its flight it draws you near
No, you are not too far away

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

New Jacket

I see you are sporting a new jacket tonight
You're feeling quite fine in your new coat of white
Well, I would love to compliment you
But my dear, it wouldn't be true
You see......I prefer you in green, even blue
In fact, almost ANY other color would do
How about brown, gold, red, orange or black?
Could I persuade you to send your white coat back?

Janet~

I Love Green.....

The fields lie fast asleep tonight
Beneath a blanket cold and white
Glistening beauty; tranquil scene
But my dilemma…I love green

I’m trying hard to view this night
With an open-minded sight
Sparkling kingdom, still, serene
I can’t help it….I love green

Oh, it’s a silent night tonight
A flawless planet robed in white
But I recall a kinder scene
Where the night was warm and green

The fields and trees are clad in white
Yes, it is a pretty sight
only a hundred and twelve days until spring!
…and all the lovely shades of green

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Chit-chat.....

Sometimes it seems I keep talking
To avoid the inevitable
I’ll talk about the weather
Things, places and people
I won’t look right at you
Or meet your solemn eye
Because I’m not quite ready yet
To hear you say good-bye

Janet~

Word Pictures......

There are few things
Which I enjoy better
Than viewing a painting
With the art of a letter
For letters arranged
Turn into a word
And the scenes they create
Leave the senses stirred
There’s nothing comparable
To move me, I find
Like a picture that’s painted
Upon a mind

Janet~

November Skies....

Beneath your drooping leaden eyes
The earth in gray surrender lies
Poised in cold expectancy
Knowing soon what is to be
The trickle of a frosty tear
Garnishes a fading year

The sapphire gaze of summer-past
Is dark and gray in eyes down-cast
The summer heart in empathy
Returns your sad melancholy
But oh, we know we will not cry
There’s beauty in this lullaby

A reckless wantonness ignites
Within your charcoal, smoldering sights
For what is to be must be….
You fling aside your misery
And shower on the earth below
Your tears in diamonds made of snow

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

We are ‘poised’ on the edge of a storm…….
The sky looks impatient……

Clenched Dream....

The landscape wears a close-shorn shroud
For now the fields of summer’s green
Lay barren ‘neath an iron cloud
Where once the toil of man was seen
And cornfield, stripped of cob and husk
Lies tight-lipped in the moody dusk
Where now the gale unhindered sweeps
From portals pale to silent deeps

Fair, lush, the meadows of July
Where lark and daisy reigned supreme
But now beneath a leaden sky
We view its terrace like a dream
The echo of a sun-kissed tune
Drifts soft and low across the dune
Wild, the wind that chills the turf
The waves of June, a muted surf

No more the song of trembling leaf
To grace the hour of twilight’s brim
The sigh becomes a moan of grief
As low-light keys the shadow dim
Beneath the half-moon, cobalt sky
November croons her lullaby
We hear it; as we stoke the fire
A song of clenched dream and desire

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

This Little Thing Called Love.....

It’s not by what we do or say
That we love or take it away
Things leave things for which we yearn
Love asks nothing in return
Love; I cannot quite explain
It’s tender pleasure, searing pain
And no one ever gets enough
Of this little thing called love

Love can please us and fulfill
It can tease us, it can thrill
It can break a heart in two
Like no other thing can do
It’s the one thing we all need
Things are merely quests of greed
And yet we cannot get enough
Of this little thing called love

Whether you are near to me
Or far across a rolling sea
Love is not a thing constrained
It can reach you just the same
Love, you make us laugh and weep
Useless as a thing to keep
And yet we cannot give enough
Of this little thing called love

It makes us want to live, to fly
But for it we too would die
It will nurture, it will heal
And yet it is the pain we feel
It is the sunshine in our sky
Yet it's the teardrop in our eye
Fulfilling yet never enough
It's a little thing called love

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Bad Boys.....

There’s no such thing as a bad boy
Oh, when they come into this world
They all are pure and precious
Red faces and little toes curled
But it seems that some are cheated
Out of things we need so much
And while everyone calls them bad boys
They’re crying for a loving touch

We all need to feel like we’re valued
Like we’re needed, with things to do
We all need a little patience
Some more than others, it’s true
We wouldn’t remove the mischief
Or even the naughtiness
They’re boys, and it is my belief
They’ll learn if given a chance

Some get cheated out of a mother’s arms
And dad never seems to be there
Some have never been told how much
They are loved just for who they are
There’s no such thing as a bad boy
But oh boy, it’s a bad world down here
And some of them learn it quickly because
They have no other choice, I fear

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

"It is my belief that
there is no such thing
as a bad boy...." Spencer Tracy in Boy's Town

Off-guard......

You caught me a little off guard today

As I was walking by

I paused; for your gaze, over-powering and gray

Suddenly captured my eye

And the tear in your sad eyes seemed to say

Good-bye sweet summer, good-bye

You caught me a little off-guard today

The trembling in your sigh

Wove through the limbs, barren and gray

A sad soliloquy

As the landscape joined in the solemn lay

Goodbye, sweet summer, good-bye

You caught me a little off-guard today

I thought I was over you

There is a certain raw beauty in gray

That cannot be found in blue

You caught me a little off guard today

As you bid summer adieu

Janet~

Eloquent......... in my Mind

There are so many things I would tell you, my dear
If only I could find
A way to move them to my tongue
Instead of to my mind

It seems when I try to tell you, my dear
It never comes out like it could
But oh, it would be so lovely to hear
If only it would sound like it should

There are so many things I would tell you, my dear
Tender and earnest and true
But it always comes out in the same way, my dear
In these three words; I love you

Janet~

Builder............

She knew she was strong
This builder of walls………
But oh, she was wrong
In her view of it all
For she built up around her
A wall strong and stout
Now it has bound her
And she cannot get out
She thought she was strong
But at the end of the day
She was not strong enough
To take it away

Janet~

Music in my Mind.....

In the early, early morning
There's a fondness in my eye
As I listen to the music
In the song of days gone by
Its trembling cadence thrills me
In a slow and mournful sway
And the beauty of it chills me
In the bitter-sweetest way
Who knew that notes of laughter
Of a heart-beat and a sigh
Could still be heard long after
Like a sonnet from the sky
Who knew that love and heartache
Are a duet intertwined
And the faint harmony of it
Oft will play within my mind

Janet~

Somebody's Love.....

He loved his mom’s apple strudel
His eyes were kind and blue
He loved a girl named Caroline
And oh, she loved him too
They were going to be married
As soon as the war was done
And maybe if they were lucky
Someday they would have a son……….

He always loved to play football
Was the high school quarter-back
He didn’t play for a medal
He just played for the love of it
And oh, how he loved his dog, Rover
Man’s best friend was his
Now Rover whimpers every night
And wonders where he is………

He was a generous fellow
He walked the second mile
When everybody else said no
He did it with a smile
But nobody knows his attributes
As he lies in the bloody snow
They’ve come to gather the fallen dead
…..here lies another John Doe

Beneath each cross in Flanders’ Field
Beneath the sound of a gun
Beneath the weapon or the shield
Is somebody's dear son
Beneath the watchful eye above
The dying fallen lie
Oh, pray for they are somebody’s love
…….for you and yours they die

Janet~
'son' is a generic term here.......
We pray for all the sons and daughters!

The Broad Spectrum.....

Some people call it sunshine
Some people call it rain
Some people call it dancing
And others call it pain
Some people call it thrilling
Some people call it strife
Some people call it nothing at all
And some just call it…….
Life

Janet~

On Winning.....

So you took one on the chin, my boy
An’ you’re tellin’ me this is it
Well, let me tell you one thing, my boy
Before you decide to quit
Life is a hard-fought battle, lad
But this is the sum of it
A quitter never wins, my lad
And a winner will never quit

Winning has nothing to do with the score
On the board at the end of a game
Winning, my boy is so much more
Than a number beside your name
If you give it your very best effort, my boy
Then this is the sum of it
You'll be a winner in life, my boy
For the winner will never quit

Janet~

Okay, guys, so you 'lost'
on Saturday.......
or did you?

The Way It Is......

Dawn draws the darkness out of the skies
Time steals the dream from the dreamer’s eyes
November rejects the sun’s warmest kiss
And I love you……..
That’s just the way it is

Children grow up and old people die
Today is tomorrow’s history
Pain is the flip-side of tender bliss
And I love you…………..
That’s just the way it is

New love is born; and some love fades away
Just as the morn slips into the day
Then day returns to night’s quietness
And I love you………..
That’s just the way it is

Time is a tender and torturous quadrille
Changing our scope with each turn of the wheel
Bittersweet slow-dance, moments I’ll miss
But I’ll always love you…..
That’s just the way it is

Janet~

All in a Day's Work

Pull out a drawer, dump out the blocks
Empty the colorful Kleenex box
Tip over the coffee, oh, what have I done?
There’s so much to do when you’re one

Sample the fruit, oh yes, every piece
Wash the window with my face
Tug at the flowers in beckoning bloom
There’s so much to do when you’re one

Master-mind that chair barricade
Climb over top of it or push it away
Dump out the snack, see? All done
There’s so much to do when you’re one

Tall folk lookin’ weary and not very charmed
I flash them my grin; they’re completely disarmed
Put toy in the vacuum vent, see? All gone
There’s so much to do when you’re one

Hide my shoes and pull off my socks
Look at the ‘moos’; find one in the toy box
Oh no, I feel a big nap comin’ on
Sure do get tired when you’re one

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Dedicated to the one-year-old
That I baby-sit

Cold Coffee.....

All that she asks for right now
Is just a corner of the sky
A little kiss upon her brow
From the breeze as it flits by
All she asks for is a book
A cup of coffee within reach
Perhaps the babble of a brook
Too much to wish for a whole beach
All she needs is one wee hour
Where vain duty is subdued
A little whisper from a flower
Oh, evasive solitude
Where did you go?
Oh yes, she knows……..
A little piece flew from this world
The day they told her ‘it’s a girl’
The little kiss upon her brow
Is given by her children now
The cup of coffee within reach
Grew cold; for Charlie found a leech
Her books have princes, trucks and trains
Instead of lovers and villains
The babble is from baby dear
The hours just somehow disappear……
Solitude is for all those others
Who have not yet become…..
Fathers and mothers

Janet~

Questions......

Will this earth be a better place?
Because its door-step I did grace
For a brief pittance of its span
Will there be a better man
Because of something I have done?
Or are these mere moments in a sun?
Will they miss me; will they weep?
Or whisper, at last she is asleep!

Janet~

Barricade......

Trees, you beautiful trees
Swaying in the morning breeze
Flowers, bright flowers, fit for a king
How you make a sad heart sing
Grass, green carpet of wanderlust
Covering acres and acres of dust
Hills, rolling hills, above rivers so blue
Sometimes I pause to gaze at you………………

………..wretched trees, wretched flowers
Wretched fields, wretched grass
Wretched breeze blowing
Over moments that pass
Wretched hills, wretched highway
Wretched water so blue
Wretched barricade
Between me and you

Janet~

Strong Enough............

I try not to,
But oh, my dear
Every now and then
I shed a tear
I'm blessed and I know it
But this time of year
I can't help but wish
That you were here
I try to be strong, love
But I guess you know
I'll never be strong enough
To let you go

Janet~

With Our Eyes.....

With tongue we speak, with hands we toil
With feet we walk and run
With lips we smile as we relive
Sweet moments in the sun
With arms we hold our loved ones close
With hearts we dearly love
With ears we hear the thunder roll
From darkened ports above
And with our eyes we see all this
And with our eyes we sleep
And with our eyes we shed our tears
Oh, with our eyes we weep
We weep for sorrow and for joy
In triumph or defeat
We weep in love and loneliness
A language bittersweet
We weep for loved ones out of reach
Or in life’s tug and pull
We weep in longing, loss and grief
Or when our cup is full
With hands we toil, with arms we hold
With lips we smile and kiss
With ears hear, with hearts we love
With minds we reminisce
But with our eyes we share our souls
The baring of the deep
With our eyes the ocean’s roll
Oh, with our eyes we weep

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Treasure...........

We cared once for things as these…………
The mighty ships, the wood of trees
Skyscrapers, bridges, the tower and plane
The high and the lowly, the quest for gain
We sought for answers, and meager delights
We worshipped; but One knows where we set those sights
We cared about beauty; the youthful and bold
Before cheeks were pallid and eyelids cold………..

Once, we strolled the golden sands
Controlled by duty and demands
Of great import these rulers then
We dreamed; revered the goals of men
Once, life held the master key
To hope and opportunity
We cared so much for much it seems
Yet all is naught as twilight gleams

We sought once for things called things
Believed in happiness of kings
If we could hoard of things, enough
And be the lord of all our stuff………..
How paltry now its measure lies
As we gaze upward at the skies
How futile, this brief earthly quest
If we believe earth holds life’s best

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin


What good is it for a man to gain the whole world,
Yet forfeit his own soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:36-37

Sleepless..........

Tonight, as you lie down to sleep
Pray tell, what are your thoughts
Do you ask God your soul to keep?
And if sleep should be hard-sought
Who is the one you think about?
Where do your memories stray?
Is it to someone close to you?
Or someone far away
And as you think about this one
Does a smile tease your sigh?
Or does your heart feel like a stone
As you try not to cry?
Tonight, as you lie down to rest
Oh, who will cross your mind?
Is it those who love you best?
Or one you’ve left behind?

Janet~

Serenaded............

Tonight you’ve come to sing to me
A sad and lonesome melody
Not sung by wind or barren limb
Not sung by her nor else by him
The notes that drift across the moon
Bear a melancholy tune
It brings a teardrop to my throat
Yet comforts me within its note
I’ve never heard a song like this
Bittersweet and tender bliss
High, then low the baton falls
In its flow an echo calls
From the faint, far-folded mist
I am serenaded, kissed
As the evening fades away
In a grand, soundless display
Like a phantom symphony
Silence; how you sing to me

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

November's Garden.....

A garden full of nothing…..
It used to be in bloom
She’d bask where nature’s passion
Shed her glory in full bloom
But that was before cold fingers
Stripped the last brave buds away
Still…..she comes and lingers
In the silence cold and gray
As she hears the tender echo
Of a summer passing by
And a little jolt of sorrow
Brings the teardrop to her eye
In a garden full of nothing
Where the flowers used to grow
Where the children loved to wander
And the laughing winds would blow
Where the blue eyes of September
Smiled a sweet and lazy sigh……..
Ah, the garden of November
Is a soulful lullaby

Janet~

They Found Him

He was eighteen
He thought he would run
Into the grand world
To have some fun
Away from the do’s and the don’ts, reprimands
Ah, freedom where no one could restrain his hands
But he forgot about one crucial thing………….
His mother’s prayers……..
And they found him
Every day wherever he would go
He was never alone, you know
Oh yes he was young, and yes, he could run
But there was one thing
He had not counted on
His mother’s prayers
Would not leave him alone
Run fast my child, run far, anywhere
You will never be able to out-run a prayer


All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Before You.........

She can never go back to who she was before……
Before hands shaped her and molded her into who she is now
She can never go back…nor would she choose to
For then she would not have known you………….

She can never go back to the beginning again
Before your words became part of her frame
Or before you gave to her a new point of view
She can never go back to……...before you

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Life Lessons..........

Oh, do you remember when you cried all night
As you watched your red balloon disappear out of sight
Into the sky a little red dot
Until nothing remained…….but hope

Oh , do you remember the time you cried
At the song ‘good morning, beautiful’ because you hated it
We chuckled at your out-raged, five-year-old voice
As you taught us about….. difference and choice

Do you remember the chocolate pudding all over your face?
As you told me you didn’t even have one tiny taste
While I tried not to laugh at those big eyes of blue
And I had to teach you about…….truth

Do you remember the time we took a little drive?
Because someone needed to apologize
There is never a good time for unkindness
And we both learned a little about…..forgiveness

So many life lessons, so much to learn
While we teach our children, God teaches us in return
Laughter and tears, both are gifts from above
As God teaches us….about love

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

And I Love You.....

My dear, I fear tonight the wind is low and bold
Its song a moody serenade, blue, foreboding, cold
I should be discouraged as I hear its plaintive tune
But I am still quite happy….. for I love you

My dear, tonight the clouds release a flood of iron tears
Each one could represent one of a thousand fears
I suppose I should be saddened and feel a little blue
But, my dear, I cannot, for I love you

My dear, tonight I am here and you are miles from me
But the same rain falls on you dear, from the same gray sea
The same wind moans the same sad song, yes, it is true
The road, my dear is not too long….and I love you

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

The Trouble With Truth....

I can dance all around it and try to avoid it
Invent lies to take its place
But no matter how clever the ruse or endeavor
It eventually stares me in the face................

I can rearrange it and constantly change it
Re-phrase every sentence I write
But I may as well face it instead of erase it
For the truth visits me every night

I could write prose as sweet as a rose
With never a thorn or a tear
But what good are lies, just a fickle disguise
Until the truth re-appears

I can dance all around it and try to confound it
But I have learned in the end
I will still need to face it for naught can replace it............
And truth is both foe and friend..................

Janet~

They Call Her 'Slut'

She came home from school
As hungry as could be
Mommy wasn’t home
So she just watched TV
What’s a little girl of ten
To do all alone, anyhow?
Mommy seems to be late…..again
…….she’s used to that by now
..and Daddy? She never knew him

Supper is a bag of chips
A lukewarm can of pop
She wonders where her mother is
Should she call her shop?
Last time she tried she wasn’t there
They told her she went home
Surely she will soon be here……..
It’s quiet here alone
…as she suddenly wonders about Daddy

A twelve year old sure knows a lot
About what to get and where
She knows just what to say…….or not
When mother isn’t there
But there’s a group of kids that meet
Over on the next block
They just hang out on the street
Until ten o’clock………
….and they talk…a lot

Fourteen……mom seems busier
Now than she was then
That crazy corporate ladder
Doesn’t seem to have an end
But that’s okay, she’ll be fine
She’s learned a thing or two
She is no longer eight or nine
There’s things a girl can do
…….to be loved again

The street feels like her second home
It’s full of so-called friends….
It sure beats being home alone
Besides….they understand…
….the silent and unwritten codes
The lonesome hunger but……..
Success hurries by….turns up her nose
And mutters……. ‘little slut’
....'gosh, I need to be at work in five minutes!!!'


All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin……….

November's Song......

You toss across the earth today
A somber cloth of silent gray
No more the gleaming topaz eye
Where bluebells laugh beneath your sigh
You must make your presence known
In the color of a stone

Sing your gloomy lullaby
To the dreary passer-by
Sing your morbid sonnet, then
I know you cannot remain
You’re allotted thirty days
Before you slip into Time’s haze

Silent is November’s dawn
As she breathes across a lawn
That has become a sort of bed
Decked in russet, gold and red
Her tear slips from the barren peak
As it trickles down my cheek

Janet~

Tomorrow......

Tomorrow will be too late
To go back to before today
Let’s take this moment, make the best of it
Before it slips away
No matter how hard we may wish to try
No matter what words we say
Today is as untouchable as the sky
When it becomes yesterday

Janet~

Cara Mia, ti Voglio Bene

They all look so lovely
As they go strolling by
Ladies in long flowing dresses
And starlight in their eyes
Arm in arm with their lovers
What a sight to see
But love is not a painting in Venice…..
Or one act of grand chivalry

I’d love to ride the gondola
Down a moonlit avenue
‘Cara mia, ti voglio bene’
I would whisper to you
And the lights in the little shop windows
Would twinkle in reply
But love is not a street in Italy
Love is you and I

Love is not the perfect villain
Or ‘oh, my sweet Romeo’
Love is the sound of music
In the tender afterglow
Of a mountain we have a conquered
Or a storm as it rests in the sea
Love is the beauty in knowing
That love is you and me

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Pain............

I did the right thing today
…..and I cried
Why do the right things bring us pain
Before the peace of doing right?
Choosing the wrong gives us pleasure
Perhaps for a moment or two
But its reward is grief beyond measure…….
Tell me now, which should we choose?

Janet~

....sometimes it's 'tough love'
with our children...
and sometimes its 'tough love' with ourselves:)

Momentary.....

Like that time you stubbed your toe
Or missed the wood when you swung the axe
And you groaned and moaned ‘cause it really hurt
But life is just like that
Remember that face plant into the dirt
When you slid into second base
Those first few moments; how they stung and hurt
As you wiped unbidden tears from your face
But life is just like that
Remember the satisfaction and pride
The elation and joy of success
How the excitement bubbled from deep inside
In a well-spring of happiness
And delightful pleasure of saying thank-you
For the compliments and praise
As a sense of deliverance rolled over you
In a sweet, satisfying haze
But that was yesterday, before the dismay
Of chapters two and three
As you realize the fleeting prize
Of momentary security
Momentary pleasure, momentary pain
Earthly treasure is stored in vain
Momentary victory, momentary defeat
Momentary shadows or sunny retreat
Life is just like that........
A sequence of momentary things
Lest we forget, we will never be kings
So we dare not scoff at the one in the dirt
Or brush off another’s misfortune or hurt
We all are simply fellow-men
Part of a much, much greater plan
Than this life of momentary mystery
Tomorrow today will be history
Its moments, but steppingstones in a sea
Leading to the brink of eternity

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Stolen Moment.....

Come, my dear
The day passes by
Let's steal a small piece of it
Before the tender sky
Surrenders
To pink and coral hue
Let's steal away, life beckons
Beneath a pavilion of blue........
There will always be something better to do
But we are growing old.....
And can we really hold
Anything forever...all soon is dust
Time will sever and treasure will rust
There will never be a day born for wanderlust
The green tree laughs while it is spring
And summer unfolds like a priceless painting
But soon it is cold and everything
Familiar is strange
Under the brush of change
The hands we've held and lips we've kissed
Are echoes and shadows dearly missed
But now, you throb in the beat of my heart
The happiness of you tears me apart
Soon the laughter of this day disappears
And all that is left is the glimmer of tears
On a face that loved you yesterday
But somehow time stole it away

All rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Linked...........

We become linked to each other
In so many different ways
Sometimes in a moment of pleasure
Or untimely tragedies
Our paths cross, briefly or indefinitely
But we cannot sever
The myriad of memories
That stays with us forever

You were my teacher, you were my nurse
You were my first real kiss
You were the guy who returned my purse
You are the friend that I miss
You were a school mate, you were a pal
You were my best friend’s mom
Or maybe you were simply a gal
I met once, that night at the prom

You were my mechanic before I moved
You were the old man next door
You were the fellow that once I loved
Many long years before
You were the packer at the local food-mart
You were on my baseball team
You were the one who taught me the art
Of chasing an impossible dream

You were the doctor who said to me
Congratulations, it’s a girl
You were the one who once led me
To the brink of another world
You were the one who broke my heart
Before the one who stayed
You were the one who held my hand
When I was afraid

We become linked to each other
In various and sundry ways
Some memories stay with us forever
Some only for moments or days
A word, a touch, a handshake
A glance while passing by
Another link in an invisible chain
Reaching to the sky


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Janet Martin

War...........

They called her four-eyes and tore two from her face
They stomped on them, kicked her and called her foul names
And each Sunday morning at Sunday School
They would be taught the golden rule…………
But the next day was Monday….and school

They called her a geek, clumsy and fat
Yanked at her braids and tugged at her hat
She sat beside one of them at church yesterday
Her mother asked if she would invite her to play
But she didn’t know about school………or Monday

She thought maybe war was a playground at school
No place to hide, no golden rule
Did battlefields have desks to take refuge in
Where they could talk to God and feel safe again
Cause bullies didn’t touch you in class….. BIG CHICKENS

Hurt feels the same whether you’re fat or thin
So do foul names, no matter what shade is your skin
Tears fall the same way no matter where you are from
Nobody wants to be called stupid or dumb….or worse
Everyone needs to be loved by someone

Janet~

Unwritten Tragedies.....

The newspapers don’t tell the story
No head-lines in bold display
No ten seconds of glory……….
As another love dies today
They won’t show the tear-stained faces
The heads bowed in dismay
Or all of the lives it displaces.
As another love dies today

No sound of shattered memories
No pictures of destruction
No humanitarian dignitaries
Or manual of instruction
Who can mend the heart that lies
In sad and tattered fray
Or wipe the tears from little eyes
As another love dies today

Guard it with your every breath
This treasure that you hold
The greatest gift upon this earth
Lies not in vaults of gold
But in the hearts of flesh and blood
In trusting, tender eyes
Cherish this great gift from God
Lest another love dies

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Janet Martin


....now you can get a 'no fault' divorce.....

That Was Then....

Not so very long ago
He was running across the yard
Practicing his foot-ball throw
Tossing it far, tossing it hard
Not so very long ago
He had no cares upon his brow
But he has become a man
And he is a soldier now

Not so very long ago
He was just a little guy
But it is no longer so….
As a man’s tears dim his eye
Not so very long ago
He was proud, for he was ten
An innocent little boy….
No longer so….that was then

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Janet Martin

Remember to remember…..
All the men and women
Who sacrifice their lives
For our freedom!!!
Do we pray for them?
Every day?

That's Life and Love

Sometimes a moment melts our hearts
Sometimes words cut like a knife
Sometimes truth tears us apart
Well, I guess that's love and life

Sometimes hope is a vault of blue
Sometimes rain pours from above
Every so often a wish does come true
Well, I guess that's life and love

Janet~

Greener Pastures.....

For all the things I’d love to be
And all the things I know I’m not
Teach me to live thankfully
Appreciating what I’ve got

For all the greener pastures fair
There’s a truth that must be told
We all breathe this thing called air
And every day we’re growing old

Dirt is dirt no matter where
God has planted us to grow
The grass is not much greener there
A field is just a field, you know

Janet~

Invisible Battlefield

There’s a war that rages daily
With many a battle fought
And it seems that no one really
Understands the foe named ‘thought’
He seems so small and passive
Sometimes he’s good and kind
But his evil can be massive
As war wages in our mind

It’s an invisible battlefield
No allies at our side
As the foe its power wields
We cannot run and hide
But we have a Great Captain
And He alone can see
Each battle and each out-come
Defeat or victory

It’s an invisible battlefield
But we have God’s true Word
We have faith’s invisible shield
We have the Spirit’s sword
The demons, darkness, evil forces
Strive to take control
But they cannot alter courses
With the One who saves our soul

It’s an invisible battlefield
No one to cheer with glee
As evil thoughts and armies yield
To inner victories
For many a tear-stained battle
Upon these plains are fought
With many a plea and many a prayer
Prayed for this foe named ‘thought’

Someday beyond these borders
This battle will be done
As God our foot-steps orders
We’ll fight them one by one
With Him, the foe we’ll conquer
He is a faithful shield
For He is Lord and Master
Of our invisible battlefield

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Janet Martin

Remember............

Remember; the one who fought for you
Remember; countless lives lost
Remember every soldier who
Paid for freedom’s cost
Remember those who fight today
Preserving what was won
Oh, remember when you pray
Each daughter or each son……….

Remember; freedom is never free
It comes at a great price
If there is freedom there must be
Incredible sacrifice
Remember then to cherish
The freedom of this land
For many more will perish
To preserve our freedom grand

Janet~

Failure Guaranteed

The harder it seems I try to try
The easier it seems I fail
Though my good intentions
Are stacked a mile high
They are of no avail
If I try to do it on my own
And never bow before His throne
My list of excuses will continue to grow
We all need a higher Hand, you know

Janet~

I Understand.............

To smile and say that I understand
No matter how noble my thought
When I have not walked your mile in the sand
Or been taught what you have been taught
Is simply an impossibility
I cannot understand it then completely
But I can listen as you share
And I can sincerely care

To say that I understand or know
What you are going through
Can only be truly stated by those
Who have walked there too……..
But sorrow or loneliness feels the same
No matter what circumstance is to blame
So will you let me hold your hand?
In that respect…..I understand

We’ll taste, if we live long enough
The sorrow of regret
The agonizing side of love
Or words we can’t forget
I may not walk your mile or two
But in my life I’ve walked a few
And I would like to hold your hand
Because I know you understand

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Janet Martin

Ode to the Seashore......

Farewell, sweet sun-drenched afternoon

Farewell to seagulls cry

Farewell to oceans far-flung tune

And turquoise lullaby

Farewell to winds that sweep the shore

Farewell, blue-dimpled breeze

Farewell, farewell blue troubadour

Strumming at my knees

Farewell to heavens warmest kiss

Farewell, soft azure eyes

Farewell coconut-scented bliss

And pomegranate sighs

Farewell to barefoot avenues

And flip-flop rainbows too

Farewell to bronze, yellows and blues

Oh, seashore I miss you

Janet~

This afternoon it was so warm on the deck

I closed my eyes and visualized another setting……..

Trouble

Trouble makes us sigh and fret
Trouble makes us hang our head
It can fill our hearts with grief
It will test our true belief
We can’t live inside a bubble
In this life there will be trouble

Trouble makes us moan and sigh
Bringing teardrops to our eye
It turns raven locks to gray
Steals the mirth of youth away
But Eve could not resist the apple
Hence, God said, there would be trouble

Trouble makes us weak or strong
Helps us seek the right or wrong
It seems to respect no one
Or serves us in equal portions
Some get less and some get double
Of this little thing called trouble

Trouble will not be in vain
All its sorrow, all its pain
How sad if we should leave this earth
Unaware of trouble’s worth
How sad if we should leave this sod
Never having needed God

Janet~

Heavenly Poem....

God sent me a lovely poem today
Written on parchment of blue
The ink was as gold as the sunshine of May
With only a stray cloud or two
The syllables whispered on fleet-footed breeze
Dancing as if it were June
I’ll take a whole volume of the same poem, please
At one o’ clock each afternoon

~Janet~

Consolation......

I miss it already and it is hardly gone
I miss the music-laden dawn
Melting 'cross a dew-drenched lawn
Unlike this silent shroud
As from every tree and rill
Nature's golden song would spill
Over every field and hill
Before this austere cloud


I miss the murmur of the breeze
The laughter of the willow trees
As the taunting zephyrs tease
Her green and golden tresses
Oh, I miss the fern-lined bower
And the sudden summer shower
I miss each smiling, sunny flower
In all their pretty dresses

They tell me that the summer's gone
But within me it lives on
I can see so far beyond
The brown hills of November
To the music of the sea
Flowing 'cross this frosty lea
In a sun-kissed melody
As softly I remember

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Janet Martin

The Parent

Put your nose to the old grindstone
So it goes till the work’s all done
Mouths to feed and bills to pay
Seems our needs don’t melt away
We get so tired, oh it never ends
Life can be hard with the toil it sends
But suddenly we realize
Responsibility is paradise

When we do it for brown eyes, green eyes or blue
Rewarded with soft hugs and I love you
Come on let’s face it, it’s not so bad
And we’d never replace it; being mother or dad

There is a measure of sorrow we earn
Maybe tomorrow we’ll see a return
As another wrinkle implants itself where
Youth once twinkled, unblemished and fair
Sweeping again, nobody cares
Extra hours put in at the job, in your prayers
Yet suddenly its cost becomes worthwhile
As you find yourself lost in a youngsters smile

And we’d do it again; in half a heartbeat
For the mischievous grin or a kiss so sweet
Back to the grindstone; aren’t you glad?
There’s work to be done ‘cause you’re mother or dad

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Janet Martin

I Should Be Happy......

We raked up the remaining leaves last night…..
For a while we just lay there in autumn’s delight
Inhaling the scent of a summer gone by……….
I should be happy, but I want to cry

The sky is the perfect shade of melancholy
The wind moans a lonesome melody
Wildly thrilling, this blue lullaby
I should be happy, but I want to cry

As we dashed to load up the leaves we had piled
The wind whipped large rain drops about; my son smiled
‘I like this’ he laughed and I said ‘me too’
I should be happy, but I am so blue

I love the scent of November; the wind and the rain
I love to lie here and remember……sweet summer again
I love the exhilaration of her cool, sullen eye
I should be happy…but......I want to cry

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Janet Martin

Twelve Year Old Boy....or Mother's Prayer

Oh God, I stand gazing with affection and joy
At this little man-child, this twelve year old boy
His dreams are so noble, his passion unmarred
His vision untainted and his logic unscarred
His laughter is pure, and so is his mind
His worries are few and his heart is kind
His motives are humble and his slumber so sound
His faith is so simple yet deeply profound
Oh God, place your hand o’er him; for he stands at the door
Where soon he won’t be a child anymore
And he must decide which road he will choose
Which hand to accept and which one to refuse
Oh God, surround him with his mother’s prayers
There are so many pitfalls and so many snares……
Help him to do the best that he can
Keep Your hand on him as he becomes a man

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Janet Martin

I have this thought with every one of our children…
Twelve is a great age!.....old enough to have an opinion……
But mom might still know a teeny tiny bit………

Tonight I stood for a moment and watched him while he slept….
…..and wondered what kind of man he will be……