Looking out to the woods across
when all is silent and the daylight lost
is this low brick house and a Christmas cross
They must be tired just like we
no other lights near their home do I see
except for the moon through the canopy
These busy days have flown by fast
with brighter lights and no long shadows cast
but now shall I rest, and ponder, and fast
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Measure Once, Read Twice: 2018 Collection
I am so excited to let everyone know that my latest compilation of poetry is now available HERE on Amazon.
Measure Once, Read Twice: 2018 Collection is a selection of poetry sharing my thoughts and emotions throughout the year. This collection includes a wide variety of poetic styles, including free verse, rhyme, haiku, brevity and prose. I've made an effort to create writes that are very accessible to the average reader.
Many of the works are spiritually focused, such as the spoken word piece - When I Worship as well as She Sees The Angels, If You Knew My Jesus and Great Lakes Revival.
A lot of them exhibit my odd ball sense of humor - Of Course The World Is Flat, The Plowman Cometh and Ode To My Big Toe.
Some are a bit political - Triple Trump Triumphs, Au Contrarier.
Some are recollections of family and the past - Grandpa Van, The Class of 68, Across The Mediterranean.
And then there are those pieces that reflect the beauty of living in West Michigan - Sleeping Bear, Dune Buggy Ride and Father's Day Picnic.
All in all there is a lot here for everyone.
This book will regularly list on Amazon for $14.98 but for now I am listing it for an introductory price of only $10.00.
As a preview, below is one of the poems mentioned above.
The Plowman Cometh
Cleared a piece of real estate
after a heavy snow
then put away my hat and gloves
to watch an evening show
Twas while reclining on my chair
there came a rumbling sound
up sprang I to a window ledge
feet on the shaking ground
Saw there were waves of churning froth
white as that angry whale
bright sparks from blades reminding me
of Dante's frozen hell
And hell it was when it came clear
our drive was blocked by ice
arraigned a jumbled tumbled mess
foot high - some places twice
So being one whose fought before
those battles avalanche
put on my boots and headed out
to leave nothing to chance
An hour later stood with pride
admired towering mounds
but walking back exhausted heard
some most disturbing sounds
It seems our street had only got
a solitary pass
they've come again to humble me
but I've run out of gas
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Changing Seasons
Actually, I've never thought of myself as particularly brave
there is a certain acceptance of risk in everything one does
more so in my occupation than many others
but brave, no. Dumb, yeah, dumb may be a better word
It has been almost twenty years and I have seen it all
people who pull up behind a parked car at the curb in residential
stop and wait for a person not there to drive forward
then after a few moments glance at me with a quizzical look
Drivers who can't figure out how to put the car they came with
into gear, or drive on the wrong side of the road, or stop at the
end of the entrance ramp to the freeway, or stop in the middle
of the freeway. Did I mention the word dumb?
In my twenty years and thirty thousand times out on the road
there have been some accidents, the worse a few years ago
when the fore mentioned stop on the freeway led to being rear
ended by a semi. Driver and translator OK, head bump and rib for me
Yet still I carried on toward my goal to work full time until 70
then part time to stay busy and earn a few bucks until I tired of it
but a month ago something happened which made me reconsider
the young lady I was testing hit a 9 year old running across the road
Spotting him from the corner of my eye I yelled STOP, she slammed
her foot on her brakes but nailed him while the car was still moving
flying to the side of the road he escaped with just a bloody nose
a voice inside my head started to say - hey buddy, watch the clock
It is surprising how fast plans and priorities can change
although it is common for me to have to grab the steering wheel
to keep someone from turning left in front of on coming traffic
since hitting the child I've twice had clients freeze while turning left
Then early this week a woman whose daughter was translating for her
while slowly merging into a left turn lane was not going to clear the
semi truck stopped in front of us. When I said STOP she put her foot
on the gas and turned back to the right, slamming us into the truck
As the Vietnamese lady, her translator daughter and uncle Tran who
had been waiting for us at the test site but when getting the phone call
ran two miles to get to us, were crammed into the cab of the wrecker
brought by another Vietnamese, I began to wonder if this was a sign
Walking over to the police cruiser I asked for a ride to our test site
and while sitting on the hard molded plastic seat in the Plexiglas
enclosed back seat (which if you were wondering, does not open
from the inside) I decided that this test location was for the birds
Beginning the first of the year I will no longer be working there
although there is certainly risk whenever one is out driving with
someone trying to get their driver's license, my new location will
be much better, as will be working three days instead of five
So what to do in my partial retirement? Jackie has already suggested
checking out gyms where I can sweat off those handful of M&M's
and I do have a few projects that have been on hold because of time
but my mind has been thinking of stories to tell and books to write
there is a certain acceptance of risk in everything one does
more so in my occupation than many others
but brave, no. Dumb, yeah, dumb may be a better word
It has been almost twenty years and I have seen it all
people who pull up behind a parked car at the curb in residential
stop and wait for a person not there to drive forward
then after a few moments glance at me with a quizzical look
Drivers who can't figure out how to put the car they came with
into gear, or drive on the wrong side of the road, or stop at the
end of the entrance ramp to the freeway, or stop in the middle
of the freeway. Did I mention the word dumb?
In my twenty years and thirty thousand times out on the road
there have been some accidents, the worse a few years ago
when the fore mentioned stop on the freeway led to being rear
ended by a semi. Driver and translator OK, head bump and rib for me
Yet still I carried on toward my goal to work full time until 70
then part time to stay busy and earn a few bucks until I tired of it
but a month ago something happened which made me reconsider
the young lady I was testing hit a 9 year old running across the road
Spotting him from the corner of my eye I yelled STOP, she slammed
her foot on her brakes but nailed him while the car was still moving
flying to the side of the road he escaped with just a bloody nose
a voice inside my head started to say - hey buddy, watch the clock
It is surprising how fast plans and priorities can change
although it is common for me to have to grab the steering wheel
to keep someone from turning left in front of on coming traffic
since hitting the child I've twice had clients freeze while turning left
Then early this week a woman whose daughter was translating for her
while slowly merging into a left turn lane was not going to clear the
semi truck stopped in front of us. When I said STOP she put her foot
on the gas and turned back to the right, slamming us into the truck
As the Vietnamese lady, her translator daughter and uncle Tran who
had been waiting for us at the test site but when getting the phone call
ran two miles to get to us, were crammed into the cab of the wrecker
brought by another Vietnamese, I began to wonder if this was a sign
Walking over to the police cruiser I asked for a ride to our test site
and while sitting on the hard molded plastic seat in the Plexiglas
enclosed back seat (which if you were wondering, does not open
from the inside) I decided that this test location was for the birds
Beginning the first of the year I will no longer be working there
although there is certainly risk whenever one is out driving with
someone trying to get their driver's license, my new location will
be much better, as will be working three days instead of five
So what to do in my partial retirement? Jackie has already suggested
checking out gyms where I can sweat off those handful of M&M's
and I do have a few projects that have been on hold because of time
but my mind has been thinking of stories to tell and books to write
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