Shadows

There is something about you
That entices me
Perhaps a certain shade of blue
Or just your memory

There is something about you
That is bittersweet and bold
Yet there is nothing I can do
To turn the blue to gold

There is something ‘bout the past
That claims a part of me
And in its deepening shadow cast
I touch your memory

J~

Passion

There is a sweet and strange allure
Held on an empty page
A surface, unbridled and pure
An endless, open stage

Upon its shoulder bleeds the heart
In blood-drops made of ink
Preserved; a timeless work of art
To make us feel and think

There is nothing in this world
That moves me quite as much
As possibilities unfurled
When pen and paper touch

Janet~

Shimmering Art

There is a soft and sultry sheen

Upon the field of grass

Where every blade of emerald green

Is kissed with liquid glass

As midnight’s raindrops glisten

In the shimmering light of dawn

A misty, moody painting

In the sweep of silver lawn

There’s a soft and sultry aching

In the meadow of my heart

Where time’s giving and taking

Paints a silent work of art

As smiles and sorrow mingle

In the whisper of a sigh

Shimmering in the twinkle

Of a tear within my eye

Janet Martin

Another Rainy Morning

There is a muted sorrow
In the darkly-tinted awning
Weeping on each field and furrow
On another rainy morning
Its gray approach is heavy
Like a heart of silent needing
As it presses on the levy
With its flow of silver bleeding

It draws a sigh from longing lips
And tunes a vague oppression
As consciousness of knowing grips
The heart into submission
For man with all its power and might
Cannot one raindrop tether
Or meet within the dead of night
To change the course of weather

Its slanted weeping tames the dust
Into a thousand rivers
While all mankind can do is trust
In heaven’s tender Giver
We clasp within our bosom
The ache of love and longing
As we listen to the music
Of another rainy morning

Janet~

...yes, another rainy morning!

Two

I’ve got two eyes
I’m glad I do
I’ve got two arms
With which to hold you
I’ve got two hands
To fold in prayer
But I’ve just got one heart
Handle it with care

I’ve got two ears
To hear what you say
Two legs and feet…
We’re just made that way
But somewhere within
Is our most tender part
We’ve all been given
Just one heart

A heart divided
Cannot make two
A heart once broken
Can never be new
If I give to you
My most vulnerable part
Will you be gentle?
For I just have one heart

Two lips to whisper
Or kiss you, my dear
Two arms for hugging
And holding you near
But somehow you’ve stolen
My most tender part
So remember, my darling
I just have one heart

Janet Martin

In Words....

Oh darling, why do you do what you do?
I’m not the same person when I’m not with you
You hear what I tell you but words cannot say
As I hear you whisper in the very same way

There’s nothing better than looking at you
To hear what you’re saying in eyes of true-blue
I’m not quite sure why but somehow I know
What you say with your eyes and I love you so

I’ve tried to write you a letter or two
But honestly, I’d rather just look at you
And let you read everything I cannot say
And I’ll listen to you in the very same way

Poetry is powerful and words have their days
But I’ll take the resonance of your true-blue gaze
Darling, I’d tell you in words if I could
And if you were here with me, well maybe I would…

J~

With One Ear Tuned...

We cannot sleep as those who have not held or once caressed
A wee babe and rocked them, cradled closely to our breast
Beneath the glow of evening star or wisp of lambent moon
Beyond the sighing of the pines or night-birds as they croon
Above the song of breezes as they stir the woodland deep
We listen for our children until they are asleep

We cannot sleep as those who’ve never soothed with hugs or prayer
The child who weeps because he woke from a fearsome nightmare
Once we were young and tiptoed in; for fear the chiming clock
Should rouse the parent who was tuned to hear the faintest walk
And as the nighttime wraps the earth in shadows dark and deep
I slumber lightly now until my children are asleep


Janet~

Miracles Happen

Just when you’re thinking that miracles don’t happen
They do
Right in the middle of life plain and mundane
There’s You
And all we need is to open our eyes
And it doesn’t take long to realize
The world is brimming and bountiful
And overflowing with miracles

The bud that was tightly sealed yesterday
Softly unfolds
A miracle revealed in breath-taking display
For mankind to behold
A small child’s warm arms wrap around us so tight
The breeze parts the clouds to release brilliant sunlight
We see heaven’s glory mirrored in a smooth puddle
And know it can only be a miracle

In the face of tragedy mankind must respond
And they do
As countless miracles abound
Seen only by You
Love reminds us that it will not fail
The past is behind us and cannot prevail
You are still compassionate and merciful
Showering us tenderly with miracles

Janet~