Poetry
Poetry
Fiftieth Birthday
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 09/03/2016 - 03:57(For Kim on her Fiftieth Birthday)
Half century seems nigh unto eternity
to the young
but to others
fifty is the new twenty one.
Her daily grind was littered
with death and disappointment
but still on the weekends
a young girl
eagerly rode
wild and free
on her loving pony
over back woods trails
in the memories
and body
of a chronically ill mother
as she looked on
to her daughter’s bliss.
In the midst
of all the pain and suffering,
of the mother,
of the daughter,
of the world;
each day
contained the hope
of enjoying the world
God had made
especially for her.
A Burning Speck of Star Dust
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 08/17/2016 - 08:17The rain and clouds have dispersed
and the night is noisy.
Cicadas and bullfrogs
fill the soundscape.
In the distance
an owl hoots
and some coyotes respond.
Sixty miles overhead
a speck of star dust
left behind
by some visiting comet
hits the atmosphere
and starts to glow
before becoming
completely vaporized.
It is dark in the neighborhood
most of the humans are sleeping
and no outdoor lights are visible.
On a distant road
a car can be heard
driven somewhere
by someone
not noticing the show
and, oh,
there’s another shooting star.
Unlike on radio
or television
where dead air
is to be avoided
and viewers become
quickly impatient
we wait on the porch
for the next flash.
We count the seconds
one thousand one
one thousand two
as we wait for another;
just one more piece
of celestial candy
before we return
to bed.
Tai Chi with Seals
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 08/10/2016 - 20:46With skins of freshly picked
wild blueberries
lingering on my lips
and the oil
of freshly crushed
sassafras leaves
on my ankles
and wrisrs
to ward off
those pesky black flies
that interrupt
concentration,
I faced the sea.
With knees slightly bent,
wrists, elbows, and shoulders
relaxed,
I inhaled
and felt the energy
of the vast ocean and sky
gather
in my belly
and then down
through the soles of my feet
through the sand
and into the sea
where the seals
gently waited
and watched.
They watched
as I struck
the tiger pose,
unafraid.
They seemed more curious
about the deer pose
and they joined with the seabirds
who seemed amused
at the human
standing on one leg
flapping his arms
like an awkward crane.
Once more,
I sank my chi
thanked the birds
and seals
that joined me
and sent them
good fishing energy.
Poor Man’s Food
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 08/08/2016 - 20:28I never realized
when I was young
on those Friday evenings
at the end of the month
when we had a special meal
of sardines and crackers
that we were eating
poor man’s food.
And when my mother said
she wasn’t really hungry
because of a lump in her throat
or a pain in her chest
I’d worry a little bit about her health
but be grateful
that there were more sardines
for the rest of us.
On Saturdays
when we had that gourmet meal
made from the left over eggs
and cheese
and the last of the dried out bread
and if we were lucky
some cut up cubes
of an old piece of ham,
I didn’t know
the recipe came
from necessity
and not
a culinary magazine.
On Sunday mornings
when the people were so kind to us
as we savored
our weekly pastry treat
and a Dixie cup
of lemonade
after sitting in church
eating
a small piece of bread
and taking
a sip of wine
I didn’t realize
that this too
was poor man’s food.
Facebook Politics, Bobolinks, and Grace
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 07/28/2016 - 06:08I pause from my studies
of the Dark Night of the Soul
and find a friend
has posted,
“Sorry I’m not on Facebook
much right now,
I need to do things
that don’t fill me
with anger and despair.”
So I shared with her
a picture of a bobolink
and a poem
of how the prairie smells
after a summer rain
and thought about
this week’s lesson.
“One's life does not consist
in the abundance of possessions”
despite what the commercials say.
The politicians’ promise
leads to
“anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and abusive language“
For them, there are still
“slave and free”,
those who help them gain riches
and others who obstruct them.
My friend writes,
“Sorry I’m not on Facebook
much right now,
I need to do things
that don’t fill me
with anger and despair.”
“But you are needed”,
I tell her
to remind all of us
“The Moon Cannot be Stolen”.
