I Understand.............

To smile and say that I understand
No matter how noble my thought
When I have not walked your mile in the sand
Or been taught what you have been taught
Is simply an impossibility
I cannot understand it then completely
But I can listen as you share
And I can sincerely care

To say that I understand or know
What you are going through
Can only be truly stated by those
Who have walked there too……..
But sorrow or loneliness feels the same
No matter what circumstance is to blame
So will you let me hold your hand?
In that respect…..I understand

We’ll taste, if we live long enough
The sorrow of regret
The agonizing side of love
Or words we can’t forget
I may not walk your mile or two
But in my life I’ve walked a few
And I would like to hold your hand
Because I know you understand

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Ode to the Seashore......

Farewell, sweet sun-drenched afternoon

Farewell to seagulls cry

Farewell to oceans far-flung tune

And turquoise lullaby

Farewell to winds that sweep the shore

Farewell, blue-dimpled breeze

Farewell, farewell blue troubadour

Strumming at my knees

Farewell to heavens warmest kiss

Farewell, soft azure eyes

Farewell coconut-scented bliss

And pomegranate sighs

Farewell to barefoot avenues

And flip-flop rainbows too

Farewell to bronze, yellows and blues

Oh, seashore I miss you

Janet~

This afternoon it was so warm on the deck

I closed my eyes and visualized another setting……..

Trouble

Trouble makes us sigh and fret
Trouble makes us hang our head
It can fill our hearts with grief
It will test our true belief
We can’t live inside a bubble
In this life there will be trouble

Trouble makes us moan and sigh
Bringing teardrops to our eye
It turns raven locks to gray
Steals the mirth of youth away
But Eve could not resist the apple
Hence, God said, there would be trouble

Trouble makes us weak or strong
Helps us seek the right or wrong
It seems to respect no one
Or serves us in equal portions
Some get less and some get double
Of this little thing called trouble

Trouble will not be in vain
All its sorrow, all its pain
How sad if we should leave this earth
Unaware of trouble’s worth
How sad if we should leave this sod
Never having needed God

Janet~

Heavenly Poem....

God sent me a lovely poem today
Written on parchment of blue
The ink was as gold as the sunshine of May
With only a stray cloud or two
The syllables whispered on fleet-footed breeze
Dancing as if it were June
I’ll take a whole volume of the same poem, please
At one o’ clock each afternoon

~Janet~

Consolation......

I miss it already and it is hardly gone
I miss the music-laden dawn
Melting 'cross a dew-drenched lawn
Unlike this silent shroud
As from every tree and rill
Nature's golden song would spill
Over every field and hill
Before this austere cloud


I miss the murmur of the breeze
The laughter of the willow trees
As the taunting zephyrs tease
Her green and golden tresses
Oh, I miss the fern-lined bower
And the sudden summer shower
I miss each smiling, sunny flower
In all their pretty dresses

They tell me that the summer's gone
But within me it lives on
I can see so far beyond
The brown hills of November
To the music of the sea
Flowing 'cross this frosty lea
In a sun-kissed melody
As softly I remember

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Janet Martin

The Parent

Put your nose to the old grindstone
So it goes till the work’s all done
Mouths to feed and bills to pay
Seems our needs don’t melt away
We get so tired, oh it never ends
Life can be hard with the toil it sends
But suddenly we realize
Responsibility is paradise

When we do it for brown eyes, green eyes or blue
Rewarded with soft hugs and I love you
Come on let’s face it, it’s not so bad
And we’d never replace it; being mother or dad

There is a measure of sorrow we earn
Maybe tomorrow we’ll see a return
As another wrinkle implants itself where
Youth once twinkled, unblemished and fair
Sweeping again, nobody cares
Extra hours put in at the job, in your prayers
Yet suddenly its cost becomes worthwhile
As you find yourself lost in a youngsters smile

And we’d do it again; in half a heartbeat
For the mischievous grin or a kiss so sweet
Back to the grindstone; aren’t you glad?
There’s work to be done ‘cause you’re mother or dad

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Janet Martin

I Should Be Happy......

We raked up the remaining leaves last night…..
For a while we just lay there in autumn’s delight
Inhaling the scent of a summer gone by……….
I should be happy, but I want to cry

The sky is the perfect shade of melancholy
The wind moans a lonesome melody
Wildly thrilling, this blue lullaby
I should be happy, but I want to cry

As we dashed to load up the leaves we had piled
The wind whipped large rain drops about; my son smiled
‘I like this’ he laughed and I said ‘me too’
I should be happy, but I am so blue

I love the scent of November; the wind and the rain
I love to lie here and remember……sweet summer again
I love the exhilaration of her cool, sullen eye
I should be happy…but......I want to cry

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Janet Martin

Twelve Year Old Boy....or Mother's Prayer

Oh God, I stand gazing with affection and joy
At this little man-child, this twelve year old boy
His dreams are so noble, his passion unmarred
His vision untainted and his logic unscarred
His laughter is pure, and so is his mind
His worries are few and his heart is kind
His motives are humble and his slumber so sound
His faith is so simple yet deeply profound
Oh God, place your hand o’er him; for he stands at the door
Where soon he won’t be a child anymore
And he must decide which road he will choose
Which hand to accept and which one to refuse
Oh God, surround him with his mother’s prayers
There are so many pitfalls and so many snares……
Help him to do the best that he can
Keep Your hand on him as he becomes a man

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Janet Martin

I have this thought with every one of our children…
Twelve is a great age!.....old enough to have an opinion……
But mom might still know a teeny tiny bit………

Tonight I stood for a moment and watched him while he slept….
…..and wondered what kind of man he will be……