Together Again

I like to sit upon a shore
It is not good to be land bound too long
Here my soul can fly and soar
Wafted on a turquoise song

The prison bars of soil and field
Have lost their beauty and fair charm
Now my prayers are freed, unsealed
On a shoulder lucid, warm

Trust her constant ebb and flow
Confide your deepest hope and dream
This is luxury, you know
In the lyric of the stream

I like to sit upon a shore
Dissolve into her ethereal bliss
Yes, I know we’ve been here before
But it’s never been like this

Silence is for the sleeping and dead
Words for paper and a pen
We’ll listen to the waves instead
For here we are together again

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Janet Martin

Personally Yours....

The warmth of the sun stirs my thoughts of you
But then again, the blue sky does too
I stand and admire the hush of the dawn
And hear your whisper dance across the lawn
Into my very heart of hearts
As daylight in blue and silver shards
Cuts across the wakening girth
Where once again the sleepy earth
Rouses to the beck and call
Of duty or freedom great or small
And I covet the thought of vacant hours
To stroll for a while among wild flowers
With not a thing in the world to do
But satisfy my thoughts of you

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Janet Martin

August Night.....

Reckless, wanton sultry night
Bitter grief and sweet delight
For every time you visit me
Another day is history
So pull your veil across the west
And remind me why I’m blessed
While you turn wild-flower to gray
And steal the summer hours away
You leave too fast but come too soon
Tender cradle of the moon
I covet your deep shade of blue
Crave to walk the avenue
Of the dazzling Milky Way
In the moon-beams silky sway
But within my restless sigh
I see a softening in the sky
You; my bittersweet delight
Reckless, wanton August night

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Janet Martin

It Should Be...

It should be a silent night
The wind of the day has died down
The gold walnut leaves drift soundlessly
Decking the lawn with her gown
August night in perfection
Breathes across the hill
Oh, it should be a silent night
For even the river is still

The dust in the field has settled
The farmer in slumber lies
The sheaves of grain stand in tranquil salute
To the Keeper in the skies
The cricket in somber reverence
Ceases her serenade
Oh, it should be a silent night
In a picture heaven-made

But there’s something about August and pale moonlight…..
Makes me wish you were here with me
There's something about this peaceful sight
That stirs a memory
And your laughter breaks the silence
It drifts across the blue
Oh it should be a silent night
And it would be.....if I didn't know you


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Janet Martin

Contradictions.....

I didn’t know lonely could hurt so good
Or feel so soothingly bad
I didn’t know that loving you would
Be the best pain I’ve ever had
And I didn’t know that stars fall from the sky
And land in the glow of a loved ones eye
No I didn’t know loving could hurt me so good
And make me feel happily sad

I didn’t know empty arms could over flow
With an unbearable ache
Or that happiness can grow and grow
But cause a heart to break
And I didn’t know silence could be so loud
Or loneliness greatest in a crowd
No I didn’t know loving could hurt me so
Yet heal each secret ache

I didn’t know lonely until I met you
Or did we really meet?
I didn’t know the joy of bitter brew
Until I tasted sweet
And I didn’t know that misery
Can be such beautiful company
Nor did I know that missing you
Would make my life complete

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Janet Martin

A Moment Like This.....

I take them...
All my bad memories
And I tuck them away
Like receipts of bad investments
Or bills I forgot to pay
In this moment I ignore the troubles
That nibble at my mind
I close my eyes, oblivious
To duty; or the mundane grind.....
There is nothing I need to do or say
In this moment; I melt silently away
As I fall from the fragile edge of my day
Into the bliss of glimmering dew
Into your eyes of intoxicating blue
Nothing exists in my world but you……
Oh, how I love you there is naught remiss
As I’m swept into your arms and into your kiss
I am complete, completely yours in a moment like this
Summer, what ever did I do to deserve somebody like you?



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Janet Martin

Then.....

If I had met you then
In the subway,
Or on a train
Or a wind-tossed hill in Spain
If I had met you
By sweet chance
And we had shared
A slow soft dance
Or dreams or coffee
Or a second glance
Then perhaps I would be
A whisper in
A shadow cast
A little flicker
In your past
The address in a pocket
Of a coat, not worn in years
The picture in a rusty locket
Or in sentimental tears
I would simply be
A faded memory
Someone you wish
You could see again
If I had met you
Way back then

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Janet Martin

August Evening Song.....

The cottage that I call my home is bathed in rose-pink glow
And all around me petals fall like bits of colored snow
The robin and the meadow lark call faintly through the mist
While I can feel the saddened smile of summer softly kissed

To weep would be a foolish thing in such a glorious hour
For I can hear the cricket sing among the fern and flower
The breeze that danced on spring’s plateau has tear-drops in her sigh
And in her kindred breath I know she knows the end is nigh

Across the flaming western stage the navy curtains fall
I see the fluttering of a page; I hear a somber call
But far above God lights the first small star to grace the blue
Symbol of everlasting love and promises come true

Now nature lifts in subdued tones her offering of praise
Drifting to eternal thrones beyond this earth-dimmed maze
A universal symphony of summer’s plaintive song
An August evening melody trembling ‘cross the lawn

The shadow of the willow limb begs me to join her dancing
And in the misty moonlight dim with pale white glow enhancing
The carpet where small bare feet run all through the livelong day
I fall into the pleading arms of midnight’s gentle sway

The cottage that I call my home appears forlorn; morose
Beneath the blue and violet tones as heaven holds her close
But she like I is captured by this warm exotic power
As August with her mystic sigh reveres this solemn hour

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Janet Martin

My Favorite Summer Porch

It rests ‘neath the cry of the hovering gull

It cradles the sigh of the noon-day lull

It stretches for miles as a welcome retreat

A planet of smiles and sandy feet

And the waves roll across its tempered floor

For the porch I love most is the summer sea-shore

There is no blue-bell climbing at my side

But there is the swell of the ceaseless tide

And there are no steps of wood or cement

But sand is kinder and where I am content

The wind sweeps across this endless floor

Oh, the porch I love most is a summer sea-shore

No telephone ringing, simply a breeze

And the rhythmic singing of the turquoise seas

No duty waiting, no chores to be done

But simply the beckoning of sand, sea and sun

Of all the grand porches this earth may boast

The porch on the sea-shore is the one I love most

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Janet Martin

On Her Way.....

She has her own version of sorrow
Like oh no, we have no plans for tomorrow
And happiness is a summer rain splash
Or perhaps an orange popsicle mustache
But she walked by today
Her long hair flowing behind
Like golden grain
Rippling in the wind
The sound of her laughter
Floating on the breeze
The echo of chatter
Bouncing off the trees
Mostly arms and legs
And it seems
She is always balancing on something
Mostly dreams
As she walked by today
On her way to being a woman

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Janet Martin