Not So Very Long Ago....

Not so very long ago
Flowers laughed beneath our feet
Daisies bloomed white as the snow
That now lines every hill and street

Not so very long ago
Genial freedom fueled our dreams
Before the half-extinguished glow
Of bittersweet remembering

No so very long ago
Love was vague unchartered bliss
Before life's verdant ebb and flow
Revealed the bloom beneath the kiss

Not so very long ago
We wore the fancied garb of Spring
But now the fields are decked with snow
And bittersweet remembering

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Year.....

Her name doth not bespeak her guild
Her triumph and her tear
She, both tender and strong-willed
We simply call her Year…….
Just a small four-letter word
To sum a twelve-month span
Not a hint of joy or hurt
That Year doth bring to man
We ponder as we stand upon
The remnant of her veil
For soon another Year is gone
Her eye is growing pale
Upon the brink we cannot see
The hand of her successor
But she will follow faithfully
Her silent predecessor
As we, with sentimental tear
Whisper a soft farewell
She slips away, another Year
Where to, no one can tell
Her bosom bears the moments where
We wept our bitter tears
Or uttered our profoundest prayers
Releasing our fears
She carries on her pallid brow
Each kiss, each word, each sigh
For no one can retrieve it now
In her soundless good-bye
With her she takes each tick of time
That formed her every limb
From mortal visage she will climb
Into the shadows dim
Farewell to her grand victory
Farewell to cruel defeat
We hear across the rolling sea
Her echo, bittersweet
Farewell to all her fleeting gain
Farewell to all her sorrow
Never shall we meet again
Its burdens then to borrow
Farewell oh bearer of all things
Our smile, our song, our tear
The rise and fall of temporal kings
With you must disappear
As we, with unrequited dreams
Silently watch you go
Within our eye a new hope gleams
For in her leave we know
A pure untarnished Year doth wait
A glimpse of hope and cheer
And so we linger at the gate
To greet another Year

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Yes, it is a month early...
sometimes I think better
'ahead of Time'
(no pun intended:):)

Companion...........

You’re with us from the moment
We wake up at light of day
Until we’re fast asleep at night
You never go away
Sometimes you drive us crazy
And sometimes you make us sad
You torment and inspire
Leave us lonely, drive us mad

You never seem to go away
And if ever you do
Then we no longer care to live
We’re nothing without you
Sometimes you plague us sorely
And sometimes you comfort too
Our constant in the morning
Until waking hours are through

We never really see you
Yet we see you everywhere
In every little thing we do
We know that you are there
For we become what first you are
By you our hands are taught
Oh, may we keep you good and pure
For action first is Thought

Yes, Thought is with us everywhere
He is both wise and fool
But we can keep Thought healthy
With a very simple tool
To think of Jesus first of all
And other people’s needs
For action is the fruit of Thought
As Thought plants little seeds

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

It Is Done...........

Across time’s vast and rolling surge
I hear a song; a mournful dirge
Like a lonesome tolling knell
Farewell, ye by-gone year, farewell
Hear its low and solemn tone
It is done, it is done

Clasp its sonnet to your breast
As its trembling cadence rests
Deep within the darkened urn
Where good and ill cannot return
Its only trace the seed it’s sown
It is done, it is done

I hear a tremor on the breeze
It lingers in the barren trees
Slipping through my fingers, gone
The notes that tune tomorrow’s song
Hear the echo, distant moan
It is done, it is done

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Not That Far.....

Perhaps the sky is weeping and gray
And there’s a world of it twixt you and I
Love is unhindered; you are not far away
Love leaps across each lonely mile
There is no fixed perimeter
Where love must be sadly constrained
It takes its flight in thought and prayer
It cannot be caught or restrained

Darling, wherever you are today
Miles cannot separate
They are simply geography
On road maps that we create
But it has nothing to do with love
No matter what road maps say
I feel you near me as I move
No, you are not too far away

Life has many twists and turns
We cannot see past today
Those things for which the spirit yearns
Often seem far away
But when it comes to love, my dear
Its essence wings 'cross the gray
And in its flight it draws you near
No, you are not too far away

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

New Jacket

I see you are sporting a new jacket tonight
You're feeling quite fine in your new coat of white
Well, I would love to compliment you
But my dear, it wouldn't be true
You see......I prefer you in green, even blue
In fact, almost ANY other color would do
How about brown, gold, red, orange or black?
Could I persuade you to send your white coat back?

Janet~

I Love Green.....

The fields lie fast asleep tonight
Beneath a blanket cold and white
Glistening beauty; tranquil scene
But my dilemma…I love green

I’m trying hard to view this night
With an open-minded sight
Sparkling kingdom, still, serene
I can’t help it….I love green

Oh, it’s a silent night tonight
A flawless planet robed in white
But I recall a kinder scene
Where the night was warm and green

The fields and trees are clad in white
Yes, it is a pretty sight
only a hundred and twelve days until spring!
…and all the lovely shades of green

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Chit-chat.....

Sometimes it seems I keep talking
To avoid the inevitable
I’ll talk about the weather
Things, places and people
I won’t look right at you
Or meet your solemn eye
Because I’m not quite ready yet
To hear you say good-bye

Janet~