November's Landscape

The wind has gleaned its harvest
And every tree is bare
Save for the golden birch leaf
A-drift on stringent air
The hour-glass of autumn
Has almost run its course
The gale, a moaning phantom
Upon a restless horse

The stillness of November
The silence of the soil
Breathes cold and moody splendor
On earth, stripped of its spoil
While orchard, field and vineyard
Like ghost-towns of the west
Are quiet now and empty
As laborers seek their rest

Departure and arrival
Converge in soundless flight
As autumn becomes winter
In nature’s surge of white
An aching fills our bosoms
In humble thankful prayer
We lift our hearts to heaven
And thank him for His care

Janet Martin

Diamonds in my Hand...

http://sundaywhhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifirl.wordpress.com/

They tell us that time is a flicker so fleeting
That life is a spark on this planet of dirt
Its moments drowned in the fire and ice meeting
Of laughter and living and silence and hurt

I dare not walk through it in mindless oblivion
Trapped twixt a sky-line of duty and rest
I’ll cherish each day as a priceless possession
Each moment a diamond deserving my best

J~

December is Drawing Near

Whenever the trees like still-life pencil-sketches
Spread out their barrenness beneath the pale sun
Whenever the twilight its cold finger stretches
Into the daytime long before it is done
Whenever the wind is a rascally fellow
Lacing with frost the noon-tide’s pallid yellow
Whenever he provokes with his chatter, a tear
Then we know December is almost here

Whenever the passion of autumn’s romance
Whenever the hush after nature’s applause
In a rust-colored ocean, stills the woodlands
Hugging the earth in an intangible pause
Whenever the sparkle in a small child’s eye
Rivals in brilliance to the stars in the sky
Whenever the heart feels a stir of good cheer
Then we know December is drawing near

Whenever the brook dons its slippers of glass
And the meadow its shrug of silvery-white
Whenever the clouds brush tree-tops as they pass
And the moon is an opal to pin back the night
Whenever the crisp air is tinted with pine
And warmth is the color of ruby-red wine
Whenever the diamonds of winter appear
Then we know December is almost here

Janet Martin

Today's Prompt: Whenever...

Did You Find it?

Tell me, did you find it?
…what you were looking for
when you left her on the street-corner
with a suitcase full of broken dreams…

Tell me, did you find it?
…what you were looking for
when you left him at bedtime
without a hug or a story….

Tell me did you find it?
…when you stayed at the office
while the candles melted down
and dinner got cold…

Tell me did you find it?
…when you put her in a nursing home
with promises to visit
when you found the time…

Tell me, did you find it?
...what you were looking for
as you flipped through a hundred channels
behind an invisible wall

Tell me, did you find it?
…what you were looking for
when you turned your back on the Cross
and walked away…

Janet~

I Know...

Whenever your warm chubby arms
Reach for me in a soft, sleepy hug
I know, you will never out-grow mine

Whenever your blue eyes sparkle
With mischief and love
I know, you will be worth every tear in mine

Whenever your lips smile at the sight of me
Or when they kiss my weary sigh
I know, I have brushed a bit of heaven against mine

Whenever I hear your feet dashing eagerly toward life
Or toward me
I know, why I was given mine


J~

For today's prompt: whenever...

Whenever I try to comprehend...

Whenever I try to comprehend His amazing grace
And how, on Calvary He took my place
Tears of gratitude stream down my face

Whenever I try to comprehend His unending love
And how it flows freely in streams from above
I am assured that it will be enough

Whenever I try to comprehend eternity
Knowing that such is His love for me
I am struck dumb…how can it be?

Janet

Whenever I begin to think of you...

Whenever I begin to think of you
Thought softens
To a turquoise-blue
Like an ocean
Whenever, in an unexpected half-breath
You whisper my name
Suddenly I feel the earth
Tremble with emotion

Whenever the silence becomes too still
I feel you inside me
Against my will
And my heart
Whenever the missing of you is too much
I find myself reaching
For the thought of your touch
-Love’s tortured art

J~

Today's prompt: Whenever...

Whenever You Look at Me That Way...

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poetry-prompts/2011-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-21


Whenever you look at me that way
My heart starts to race
And I feel a flush creeping
From my toes to my face
I cannot resist you
Your curves and allure
Arouse a rare passion
Fulfilling and pure
And I let you please me
With pleasure and pain
You vex and you tease me
And drive me insane
And I vow to ignore you
But your strength and your guile
As I return to explore you
Stir my frown and my smile
And my firmest endeavor
Melts in your caress
My lips moan never, never
But my heart answers yes
As you unleash within me
An ocean of fears
Of longing, desire
Of laughter and tears
While you simply lie there
Innocent as can be
Completely oblivious
To the tempest in me
But I return to you
Again and again
You beautiful creature…
You little old pen

Janet~

Today's Prompt: Whenever...