Commonplace Book

These were no ordinary events which she wrote there
Like notes of a harpsichord, faint and dear
Written on parchment where only she can look
At the love-stained pages in her commonplace book

For the most uncommon of things she preserved in clear ink
A rare shade of blue, the unfathomable brink
Of discovery on the edge of a long-lost brook
Painted vividly in her commonplace book

Words, spoken only once but forever remembered
Sigh of a loved one, these she surrendered
To pages where only she ever cares to look
At moments deemed noteworthy for her commonplace book

Here she writes in its truest form
Poetry; void of disguise or charm
Rendering them shamelessly where none can look
But God; at the poems in her commonplace book

Here she recalls the shades of good-bye
The music of love, the tear in her eye
Preserved eternally in a silent nook
Cherished forever in her commonplace book

Janet~

Almost Heaven..............

They traveled and regaled us with tales
Of mountains and castles and seas they've sailed
The inns were splendid, the vistas grand
The ocean green on silver sand

...we ate apples on a moon-bathed fell
it was almost heaven, but we didn't tell

Janet~

But If Only They Knew......

They ask me from time to time
If I love them as well
As I did when they were still
So very small
When I would hold them in my lap
And teach their little hands to clap
And I would clap as they would walk
And laugh as they learned how to talk
Yes, I sure did love them when they were small
…….but if only they knew
They would not ask at all

He asks me now and then out of the blue
If I still love him
As I did when love was new
And we were young
But how do I tell of a deeper thrill
By something as small as a shadow that fell
Across his face as he sat in his chair
And we say nothing at all in the soft evening air
Yes, it sure was special, that young love I recall
…..but if only he knew
He would not ask me at all

Does he wonder sometimes if I remember the day
Of the azure sky
Or the unexpected way
We passed each other by……
And all that is left is the echo of a sigh
The wish and the dream and the tear in our eye
For a day perhaps never meant to be
But was for a moment……reality
And I remember, tenderly, as the shadows fall
………but if only he knew
He would never wonder at all

Janet~

Tyrant...

Ruthless tyrant
Stripping to shreds
My last dash of hope
That it’s not winter yet
You laugh in triumph
As you unleash
A shower of diamonds
Across the earth……..

……..I, a true-blue summer heart
Gaze at your dazzling shawl
And concede, cautiously, that perhaps
You’re no tyrant ….after all

Janet~

I try desperately to look at it
Through the eyes of a poet…..
‘it’ being the white stuff they call SNOW!
We made a snowman……
And snow-angels……
‘we’ being myself and the little boys
I baby-sit and I watched the one-year-old
As his blue eyes lit up in excitement.
The laughter of the four-year-old
Sparkled across a pure, dazzling expanse and
I found a little bit of poetry in the arms
Of my favorite tree………….

This Person.......

Who is this person?
This creature of habit…
Habits that drive others crazy
But I find endearing
Or used to….perhaps?
Who is this person?
Who laughs and smiles
And has the occasional growl
When she is weary
Or when I drive her crazy
Who is she, this one
Who comforts me?
My lovely friend
Even when I don’t see
Her; still she remains
Tenderly, dearly, at my side
Who is this woman?
Once she was my bride
Gazing at me…
….in love, starry-eyed
We’ve come a long way
Together, she and I
As she became mother
And we began to divide
The hours and days
That once belonged to
She and I…..
Who is this person
This half of my life
I've grown so accustomed to.....
Ah yes, she is my wife

Janet~

Star-struck........

Silver pebbles on a vaulted shore
You gleam as clearly as in days of yore
Unaltered by the sands of time
I gaze upon your starry clime
Immeasurable depth, unfathomable sphere
Dazzling sash across each year

Though sudden cloud may heave or sigh
And draw its shroud across your eye
Though sun may rise and dim your light
There you are when it is night
Lambent wonder, celestial Muse
Unconquered splendor; your avenues

Above a landscape silver-brushed
Above the ocean, gleaming, hushed
On fields where once men fought and died
On crosses standing side by side
Timeless beacons on a shore
Where none can tread your jeweled floor

What is man compared to thee?
Orbit to infinity
We may flaunt our greatest boast…….
One grain of sand upon your coast
What is man compared to thee?
A tiny ripple on a sea

Janet Martin

Something...........

My arms run over with sorrow,
My mind runs over with joy
I've seen the hope for tomorrow
In the eyes of a wee girl or boy
I cannot name all my blessings
Or the things that make me glad
But oh, why the sudden wrenching
Over the thing I never had...........

I cannot dare to hunger
As I draw my loved ones near
Their love makes me stronger
Then why the sudden tear?
Why, in a tender moment
Do I hear it, haunting and sad?
A melody of torment
Over that which I never had..........

It drifts on the horizon
Across a turquoise sea
Notes of grief and passion
In aching harmony
I've had much more than I deserve
In this I'm humbly glad
Heaven holds in grand reserve
The thing I never had


Janet~

If life were perfect....
who would desire heaven?

All Because......

He’s tired most of the time, it seems
He slowly let go of those boyhood dreams
He’s busy now with demands and things
All because he fell in love with a woman
His golf clubs are hooks in the old tool shed
He swings a little girl from his knee instead
Another mouth joins them to be fed
All because he fell in love with a woman

Who knew heaven on earth would be
An old stone house and a willow tree
Or that weariness could be so sweet
All because he fell in love with a woman
So what if there are more bills than money
You can’t buy love or a darling honey
Even in the rain it’s a little sunny
All because he fell in love with a woman

There’s no such thing as a fool-proof plan
Car-wrecks and dental bills, a worn-out van
And yet, he is sure he’s a most blessed man
All because he fell in love with a woman
One day at a time is all he can bear
He lives on love, a pay-check and prayer
But you won’t find a happier man anywhere
All because he fell in love with a woman

No Picasso on his study walls
Crayola artwork decks fridges and halls
With a family portrait; the best of them all
Because he fell in love with a woman
He doesn’t miss those faded dreams
In his eyes a deeper contentment gleams
Heaven is pleasure in every day things
All because he fell in love with a woman


All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin