Hidden......

In the dark we can not see
The cold stone wall
Where the ivy climbs in frozen tendrils
'neath winter's chilling pall

In the dark we cannot see
Indelible memories glare
Entangled like the frozen vine
Beneath the midnight's stare

In the dark we cannot see
The light of truth or lies
In the dark we breathe
And close our eyes

Janet~

Halting and Full of Denial

They are invisible
Slipping off the deep side of my heart
They defy reasoning
In the weighted pleasure they impart
They color my world
Sparkling and blue
These are my perpetual
Thoughts of you

J~

Of That Which Once Had Been......

The half-silhouette of you
Warms me tonight
I see your eye of blue
In the flickering firelight
I hear the moan of your sigh
In the glistening frost
Incandescent lullaby
Crooning to a dreamer lost
In the arms of brawny bliss
On a dance-floor, meadow-green
Yielding to each fragrant kiss
Of a summer that once had been

Janet~

Murphy's Law

Your gaze was steady
Blue-eyed and ready
The consent in your half-smile was clear
I could feel the caresses
Of a-thousand ‘yes’s’
Burning the atmosphere
Too bad you’re standing
Way up on the landing
Whilst I am a-way over here………..

Janet~

Lost Tonight.....

She feels lost tonight.
Craving words she cannot write
Reaching for hands she cannot hold
And holding thoughts she cannot tell...

She feels lost tonight
For there is no respite
From dark-washed silence in the halls
And whispered echoes coating walls

She feels lost tonight
No solace in mere words she could write
A comrade’s shoulder would be welcome bliss
But the wind howls, amplifying her loneliness


She feels lost tonight
As she contemplates her tethered dreams
Stretched out where one lone star beams
And her analysis is nothing new

She feels lost tonight....
Without you

Janet~

Naked Truth.......

The nakedness of truth
Is a painful thing to see
Every hollow, every curve
Exposed
Clearly
As my gaze travels across its body
It spares no pain, hides no sorrow
Though I cover it with longing
It turns a stiff shoulder
To my sad and weak excuses
Tracing the outline of harsh grief
But for my wanting and my wishes
It can offer no relief
Though I beg and moan and plead
In the end, it is no use
I cannot satisfy my need
With raw guilt and naked truth

Janet~

Second-hand Lions......

Save your firsts for me, if you please
Second-hand lines are fine
For others...........
but for me, darling, you see
I don't care for perfect poetry
or flattery....
I only need simple truth,
Spoken from your heart
Honestly...
Second-hand lines
are nothing more
Than a lion who has lost its roar.....

Janet~

Gray.....

...and now the painting is complete

She puts down the brush

and contemplates the colors of the day

in the quiet midnight hush

Maybe tomorrow there will be

A few less shades of gray

Janet~

I looked up to see how far it was to the top

of the hill

I could barely discern the line between snow and sky

I looked around me

nothing but countless shades of gray!

Realizations.....

She thought it was sorrow….
A steel blue numbing of the senses…….

She thought it was a raging river
But even rivers freeze in bitter cold…..

She thought it was hope
That small rift in the cloud….

She thought it was something…..
And it was.

Cold.
Bitter.
Truth

Janet~

Regarding Castles...

With dust man builds
His castles to the sky
One gust and years of labor
At his footprints lie

With trust man loves
And feels like a king
But lust and lies
Destroy years of building

With hope man re-builds
His dreams of sod
Here go I,
By the grace of God

Janet~

Nothing New.....

So perhaps then you think this is something new
And no one has ever felt quite like you
You love him; he loves you, incomparable bliss
Surely no one has ever felt quite like this
Well my dear girl, though I’m quite happy for you
Let me just reassure you, this is nothing new

Young love, the sparkle of life in your eye
Young love, perhaps a mother’s envy
And yet there’s a gleam that can never replace
The sparkle that glows on a young love’s face
For the fervor of love that is tried and true
Is still dearer by far, also nothing new

A broken heart hurts the self-same way
As it did in the very most ancient of day
Betrayal, regret and the sound of good-bye
Did then and will still bring a tear to the eye
Be it joy or grief that comes to me or you
The truth of it is, it is nothing new

Ships sail, birds fly, youth dreams, and aged die
We wish, we pray and somehow life just slips away
We fail, we succeed, we hope, we need
And every now and then a dream comes true
Yet this as well is nothing new

Janet~

The thing that hath been,
It is that which shall be;
And that which is done
Is that which shall be done;
And there is no new thing under the sun. Eccles. 1:9

Companion...........

You’re with us from the moment
We wake up at light of day
Until we’re fast asleep at night
You never go away
Sometimes you drive us crazy
And sometimes you make us sad
You torment and inspire
Leave us lonely, drive us mad

You never seem to go away
And if ever you do
Then we no longer care to live
We’re nothing without you
Sometimes you plague us sorely
And sometimes you comfort too
Our constant in the morning
Until waking hours are through

We never really see you
Yet we see you everywhere
In every little thing we do
We know that you are there
For we become what first you are
By you our hands are taught
Oh, may we keep you good and pure
For action first is Thought

Yes, Thought is with us everywhere
He is both wise and fool
But we can keep Thought healthy
With a very simple tool
To think of Jesus first of all
And other people’s needs
For action is the fruit of Thought
As Thought plants little seeds

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

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~

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~

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~

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

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~