No More.....

No more can I stroll at night all alone
Or relish its solitude
No more can I wander the fields on my own
Where even the wind is subdued
I can't climb alone, the wind-swept hill
Or watch the moon creep over the sill
Of a stark and distant horizon line
No more, since you’ve touched this heart of mine

Wherever I go, in the cool of the dusk
As the mist settles into the dell
I catch the faint luring whisper of musk
To remind me of a sad farewell
Wherever I go and whatever I do
There it is, the soft warm scent of you
I can still stroll at night like I did before
In the pale moonlight, but I’m alone no more

I see you in the face of slumbering blooms
I hear the soft breeze sigh your name
I pause in the door of a thousand rooms
But everywhere it still is the same
In the glance of the stars, or celestial deep blue
In song of the dark there’s a piece of you
No more silent nights to tear me apart
For I hear your name in each beat of my heart




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Janet Martin

If Only You Knew....

I can say ‘I love you’ a hundred times tis true
But sometimes I wonder, oh if only you knew…
Those three little words cannot tell you the whole
Of the way that you move me, both body and soul
They don’t tell of the moments where stars burned silver-blue
In the shiver and torment; oh, if only you knew…..
When I look across the room; when I catch your glance
And know what you’re thinking before you’ve had the chance
To whisper it to me; when the world lies asleep
And we laugh at the memory of the secrets we keep….
When I say ‘I love you’ does it speak to you
Of the bridges we’ve crossed and the storms we’ve been through?
Does ‘I love you’ portray the agony
I feel when you are so far from me?
Sometimes I wonder what you would do
If you could hear what I’m saying when I say ‘I love you’
The bridge spans silent waters clear blue
And there’s no way to tell you; oh if only you knew….

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Janet Martin

Dance.....

Slow motion, don’t let go
Oh you know I love you so
Life’s a slow dance ‘cross a floor
Where we can’t start over anymore….
Can I have this dance with you?
There’s no way of knowing
When our dance is through
So let’s dance, take a chance
Through caution to the wind
And dance……….

We can’t choose the music
Yes dear I know
Sometimes it’s a two-step
Sometimes soft and slow
Hold me close dear
Time’s not on our side
We cannot dance
When the music has died
So let’s take a chance
And dance……

Don’t be afraid, dear
I won’t let you go
Life’s a dance, love
I guess we both know
The music is sweeter
In each others arms
When life’s winds are cold
Love’s dance keeps us warm
So take my hand, take a chance
And dance………

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Janet Martin

Secrets.....

What whispered he within your ear
What secret did he tell?
What made that soft laugh-line appear
Where his near shadow fell
What makes your eyes sparkle blue
And dance with silent laughter
Would I feel better if I knew?
Or worse, forever after…..

Janet Martin

Drifters

While all the world laid fast asleep
Beneath a purple awning
And midnight clouds like silver sheep
Wait softly for the dawning
No one saw us as we crept
Beneath the wind-tossed willow
While common folk and sages slept
We chose a greener pillow
Where starry woods in summer bloom
Were the sole eyes to see
Two drifters ‘neath a June full moon
And wordless poetry

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Janet Martin

Those Days......

When we were young we danced across the stones
When we were young we really didn’t have a care
But I guess we know, those days are gone
With only traces of their being here and there

When we were young; untouched by life’s deeper shade
Propelled by the power of a dream and a song
Unhindered by practicality in the plans we made
Living in the present when we were young…..

But those days are gone, oh they sure go fast
Yet a few vital lessons I’ve learned
I will live in the present and not in the past
All too soon these days will be gone

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Janet Martin

Royalty......

Oh my darling, I guess you know
There are not too many places I’ve been
But in spite of this fact, of one thing I can boast
I’ve been made to feel like a queen
My palace is humble, yes, this is true
Perhaps rough and tumble with a cob-web or two
But here I am happy and here I have seen
What it is like to feel like a queen……

No flowing garments of satin and silk
I wear no tiara or crown
No wine on my tray, but there’s coffee or milk
Carried proudly by a princess half-grown
No team of white horses to heed my command
No chauffeur or carriage, no ball-room so grand
But I’ve danced a slow-dance or two in blue jeans
With reckless abandon unfitting for queens

Here in this palace we laugh and we cry
Secure as the world turns colder
Come here my darling; let me look in your eye
Let me rest my head on your shoulder
You are my crown, my jewel, my treasure
My prince, my love, my greatest pleasure
For here in your arms I know that I’ve seen
What it is like to feel like a queen

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Janet Martin

Cravings......

I crave the new moon in the spring
The sullen midnight sky
The moaning breezes as they sing
A solemn lullaby
I crave the misty summer breath
Of one a.m. in June
The greenest greens which wrap the earth
Beneath a yellow moon
I crave the sparkle of the night
Upon the garden’s slumber
I crave the amber firelight
‘Neath stars to vast to number
I crave the red arm of the fall
The thickened sigh of longing
In maple carpets musty shawl
Spread out beneath its awning
I crave a midnight walk with you
Across the moon-lit meadows
I crave a silent, hill-side view
Enhanced by charcoal shadows
But in my cravings big or small
When all is done and said
Dawn comes quickly, spring or fall
So I must go to bed

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Janet Martin