Mere Existence

Shall we cower forever in a shadow?
Afraid to fly
Or stand inside a darkened window
Gazing at the sky
Shall we live without a dream?
And never dance
Or die and never live because
We took no chance……

If I stay in the darkness
What’s the use?
I can’t soar in a dungeon
Turn me loose
If I have laughed
I’ll shed no bitter tear
Missing you will be a cross
I’ll gladly bear

Today we live,
Tomorrow we may die
Sip gladly from love’s chalice
Dance and fly
Tremble in the arms
Of life’s embrace
Lest we should live and die
Without a trace

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Janet Martin

Oblivion.....

In tattered fragments moonlight splays
In puddles on the grass
The smell of jasmine on the breeze
Taunts us as we pass
The sultry sky with turquoise sigh
Wraps her garb of splendor
On rain-drenched field and wooded hill
And heart-beat warm and tender

In the bliss of summer’s kiss
Shattered hopes are mended
Sorrow’s dread it’s tear has shed
And her dark night has ended
The strumming chords of astral lords
Herald a new horizon
Beneath a sky where you and I
Revel in sweet oblivion

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Janet Martin

Yesterday.....

There are things in life that I have held
Never meant for me
Yet I've found a warmth within them
Like a soothing cup of tea
So in spite of disappointment
As it softly fades away
I smile in calm contentment
In the joy of yesterday

I don’t believe in coincidence
There’s no such thing as chance
I believe there is a reason
For every dance I dance
And if I turn to find, alas
That you have slipped away
I’ll dance with you upon the grass
In some sweet yesterday

I wouldn’t trade the tears and pain
For pleasures living-room
It takes the sunshine and the rain
To make a garden bloom
Though petals fall like crimson tears
As roses fade away
Their scent drifts ‘cross forgotten years
And my sweet yesterday

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Janet Martin

If You Can......

I know that we can do it
You and I
It’s in the rise and fall
We learn to fly
Love is not a bridge to nowhere
Though some days so it may seem
Oceans have been conquered
By the power of a dream
I know I’m just a woman
You are just a man
But if we stand together
I can do it….
….if you can

Miles are simply numbers
On a chart
They don’t apply to matters
Of the heart
Our love may be a kaleidoscope
A blend of joy and pain
Some days it seems our only hope
Is dancing in the rain
I can feel your heart-beat
Across the timeless span
And I know in its comfort
I can do it….
….if you can

I can take the rising
And the fall
In your arms I know
It’s worth it all
To know you and to love you
Has been life’s sweetest sorrow
And like the sky above you
I will still be here tomorrow
Darling, let me touch you
Let me hold your hand
Across the miles I feel you
Oh, I can do it…..
….if you can

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Janet Martin

Maxwell and I

He wakes me up each morning

Much to my delight

He knows exactly what I need

And how to do it right

I’m a little sleepy

Until I feel his touch

His warmth flows into, through me

I love him oh, so much

Maxwell, you’re a darling

I keep you in a can

And see you every morning

To kiss your face of tan

Your deep and robust passion

Stirs me to the core

And I know that I cannot

Live without you anymore

You don’t have to worry

No one can take your place

I sip you and inhale you

With a smile upon my face

Maxwell, you’re a darling

I love your coat of blue

And in the early morning

No one else will do

Maxwell, you’re a keeper

Perfection in a can

I wonder what would happen

IF YOU WERE A MAN

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Janet Martin

Broken Resolve

I wasn’t going to
I really wasn’t going to
Write anything tonight
But what you said
Stuck in my head
And I couldn’t forget it quite
Nor could I resist…
Oh, what if I missed
One grand opportunity
To tell you again
With paper and pen
How much you mean to me
Yes, I know my voice
Is not my first choice
And I know it drives you mad
When I don’t simply shout
But instead, spell it out
Then again, my dear aren’t you glad?
For with ink and pen
Again and again
You can read it like a love letter
And at the end of the day
Oh wouldn’t you say
That is a whole lot better?

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Janet Martin

Golden Thread

Seems like there’s a piece of you
In every little thing I do
Like a tender golden thread
Woven where my footprints tread
In the memory of your sigh
In the twinkle of your eye
In the aqua-velva blue
I can sense a piece of you….

I can hear the soft wind moan
But I do not feel alone
As I turn to look, instead
For a wisp of golden thread
Where forgotten shadows lie
Lingering whispers in the sky
Through its dim and misty hue
I can sense a piece of you

Like a pleasant melody
Drifting on an endless sea
I can hear our favorite tune
Hummed by waves and stars and moon
How I love the joy they shed
Like a tender, golden thread
We are never far apart
Golden thread within my heart

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Janet Martin

Best of All

Let us wrap our love around us like a blanket
Within its warmth the two of us stay dry
Keeping out the rain and driving tempest
Until the raging torrent passes by
Life with constant change flows all around us
But there’s one change that I will never fear
The strongest ties in life have gently bound us
And keep on growing stronger every year
For love is not an hour or a season
Its passion and its joy is not contained
It does not follow any rhyme or reason
And my love for you can’t be explained
But I just know I feel a whole lot better
When we are wrapped within its heavenly shawl
It warms me like a poem or love-letter
And I love that feeling best of all

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Janet Martin