HOME “Portraits”
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THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN NAMED LEE
(John Glenn
2nd ride)
Lofty bird in which I fly
Poised to
carry me on high
Wings of power at the ready
Sure and
strong and tested, steady
Out I’ll go beyond this earth
Learn of
things, undreamt of worth
See the place from where I come
Looking
back at time undone
Once before I came this way
The world
beyond my feet did lay
Flew where no man had before
Knowing not
what lay in store
Prayers of many saw me through
National
pride we did imbue
Began a march, today still goes
Grand
Discovery yields knowledge, flows
Today I am the led, not leader
Replaying
life but so much sweeter
See the fruit of seeds I’ve sown
From humble
birth the quest has grown
Outer space is just beyond
The farther
out, the more we bond
I cannot go beyond this place
But others will deploy with grace
My contribution came and went
Twice to
see horizon bent
At one end I was the door
Through
which the fervent did explore
This time around, and then no more
Others
build, a platform, floor
Another step, our dreams to see
Bring all
together, in future, free
Silent soldiers standing guard
Lonely in
their vigil
Light long gone from out their eyes
They harbor
no ill will
Ghosts of keepers on the steps
Repeat
their daily climb
Hear the ships call from the sea
Forever
lost in time
Once their lights kept sailors safe
A brilliant
white road home
Now they stand in nature’s light
Silhouettes,
watching foam
(Lighthouse)
In my dark and moonless plight
As near I
sail of shore and fright
I peer intently for the light
Will see me
safely through the night
I know of course that you can’t see
Of stone
and glass and brass you be
But you in truth are friend to me
As
silently, I pass at sea
Safety stretching from the land
A welcome
sight, a helping hand
Your wisdom calls to me, demands
Follow
guidance, understand
You are my beacon in the dark
My place in
life you clearly mark
My choices few and simple, stark
Depend on
if, to you I’ll hark
As all good friends I must trust
Your stand
is firm, believe I must
Since last I saw your stately bust
You’ll help
me, …not return to dust
As I journey on the sea
Live my
life so perilously
No better friend could ever be
Then you, …
who cannot speak or see
Her face upturned, slightly tilted
She sits
against the wall
Sun spills over head and shoulders
Soothing
waterfall
Knees pulled up, resting loosely
Lost in
dreams is she
World’s receding, troubles fading
Sun drenched
reverie
Tall and slender, quiet as the night
At one with
earth and wind
Movements smooth as silk or satin
Face
betrays no sin
Softness her demeanor is
Peace she
does project
A fragile soul inside her hides
Meanness,…
does reject
Blithe in spirit, creative mind
Pictures
she does make
The world is filtered through her lens
No words,…
for clarity’s sake
She is both, director and
Choreographer too
To tell a story quickly she
Creates a
focused view
Chronicler of the times
Her pictures
are archives
Turn the camera all way round
Record your
newfound lives
Photographer and wife
Friend and
lover too
Eventually a child, perhaps
Will alter
every view
Record for us and yourself
Your life
that’s rearranging
The only thing that’s constant is
The fact
that things are changing
Years from now when memory dims
Your life
you will review
The record that you now create
Will bring
it back all true
I cannot stress too much
Your record
of reconnaissance
‘Cause storms of life will beat you up
And rob you
of your innocence
If you do not set down today
Your
irrepressible view
The years of life will quench this fire
Leaving
mellowness, in lieu
Like a painter or a poet
You can a
statement make
Let your voice be loud as thunder
Through the
pictures you create
Make the most of light and image
Whatever
focused on
Leave a mark that lives beyond you
Your views
that carry on
Help the hearts of those that love you
And those
who’ll miss the pleasure
The future souls, that through your pictures
Will have
your sights to treasure
Live your life in love and wonder
Your beauty
not confined
Make a record of all you stand for
Your
imprint, left behind
(Alexandra
Nechita – Painter)
From somewhere deep inside your soul
A message
strongly rising
It turns to color and to form
A canvass
it’s disguising
Sometimes a whisper quietly hinting
Or shout,
please look at me
Driven by, a force creative
Images the
blind can see
The story and the pictures
Are a
combination rare
Their origin is speculation
But the
meaning roars, I care
From where this wondrous voice has come
To lead us
on to glory?
To tell us things, been told before
But this
time hear the story
There’s line and color, form and shape
And still I
think another
Energy that lives between
Dimensions,
under cover
A spirit growing, mind maturing
Wisdom in
the making
Lessons learned,… and then retaught
Available
for the taking
“And a child shall lead us”, you recall
The bible
thus has said
This ones language grabs our eye
To plant
more in our head
Of course there are the skeptics
Who
disbelieve their eyes
They haven’t learned to feel what’s there
No faith,…
they rationalize
One must believe, in order to see
And know
the things of value
The form will change, I’m sure of that
But not for
her, her view
Her message will be ever present
Struggling
to come out
In many ways, some new invented
Complacency,
she’ll rout
We are upon the eve of
Immeasurable
import
We’re listening to a sage develop
This is not
some kind of sport
The task at hand for us is simple
Listen with
both eyes
Absorb the meaning, know the feeling
Love’s the
goal, to emphasize
To go back to a simpler view
Of what is
right and wrong
To see the world as plain can be
Take
pleasure in a song
To see our lives through pure young eyes
Our virtue
not meander
To know the joy exuberant
Of love
from Alexandra
Some time ago I came to know
The
children of my love
Two and two, men and women
Brought up
by She,… all four of
The men are tall and strapping, with
Good nature
as their way
The women fair and graceful, devil’s
Twinkle
eyes do say
Maria Lisa Richard John
They care
each for the other
All agree, their worth is from
The
teachings of their mother
Not shrinking violets any one
They’re
tough if tough need be
But gentle folk at ease with all
A pleasure
just to see
John is in the airforce
As wife,
Mati too
Richard is a high school coach
Lisa’s
camera catches news
Maria is the oldest and perhaps
Most
special after all
A medal winning Olympian
Jump six
feet at the call
Shy she is behind a smile
That’s
broad when it does shine
Open trusting warm is she
But sharp
of word, her line
She’s good at cookies chocolate chip
Or cleaning
when she feels
The urge to help around the house
Or even
cook her meals
Alone she is, her world so different
We need to
understand
We are allowed to sometimes visit
But her
life must go as planned
Timing is supreme, important
Precise,
clocks dominate
Every detail of her living
Crafted so,
to time relate
Her heart is filled with love for all
Though
grumpy she can be
Her hug is warm as a winter fire
Her heart
yearns to be free
To do the things that you and I
Are granted
every day
Drive a car, or shopping go
At will, our boredom slay
She fills her day after work
With TV and
with tape
At favorite David Hasselhoff’s
Programs
she does gape
She looks for doors into our world
To slip in
quietly
She watches from the fringes filled
With hope,
just to see
If there’s a place to enter in
And often
does with smarts
Surprising us repeatedly
Tugging at
our hearts
A special person Maria is
A warm and
loving soul
Often she does hide a lot
Confused
about her role
Her heart is brave and stout you see
But ego
fragile is
Special care we all must take
The four of
us and Liz
To draw her out the most can be
That end
will serve us well
Her world must be expanded
Ours too if
she will tell
Of all the things she does see
When alone
she contemplates
So we may know what help she needs
Provide
comfort she relates
What we see not as trouble coming
To her a
monster is
A vacation for her mother turns
To
competition for dear Liz
So listen brothers listen sisters
Liz and me
myself
A family lives by love and care
Put no one
on a shelf
Her heart is pure, a part of us
An innocent
as well
She has a lot to give to us
If we learn
to not compel
(Me)
Inside this quiet stuffy image
Lives a
jester, not a sage
The devil hides within his eyes
Sophistication,
childishness belies
A multitude of different souls
Disparate
persons, disparate goals
Straight and narrow most the time
Occasionally
off center, off line
Sometimes here, sometimes not
Forgetting
the things, he ought not
A gentle soul at peace with the world
Sometimes
craziness he’ll unfurl
Sometimes six, sometimes sixty
Sometimes
clear, sometimes misty
Slow to anger, quick to love
Peace his
preference, like a dove
I have lived for sixty years, on this planet round
Common
sense would tell you that, my feet are on the ground
Two wives, three children, and theirs too, in my mind
convene
Give to me
conundrums which, sweep my sanity clean
In return I give to them, the child that lives in me
Perhaps
from outside looking in, some wisdom comes to be
And then again it matters not, since I am who I’ve been
I’m five
again, a little boy, with fiendish devilish grin.
If you’re the kind that follows rules, loves the status quo
Better put
your sneakers on, this place you’ll want to blow
I live by what the moment brings, absorb the world I see
Read a book
without a cover, climb the nearest tree
But in my suit and mustache, I look another part
Perhaps a
learned doctor, or a lawyer looking smart
Truth be told, underneath, I dream of other stars
In helmet
and asbestos suit, fly planes and race fast cars
This time is mine to be what ever, in my mind will grow
My poetry
is a magic brush, and words like paint do flow
Not only can I capture “now”, but “was” and “what will be”
Create a
mental picture, so others clearly see
I act as merely host to one, little kid in awe
Use his
eyes to help me see, his words for wisdom raw
Communication’s not so hard, if seen from children’s view
What we
mean, we should say, what needs be done… do!
Two women having lunch
Share a
table in the sun
One is drinking iced tea
The other
liquid fun
Both are smoking cigarettes
Laugh and
talk a storm
Walls of glass keep out the wind
Temperature
is warm
Smiles cascade down their faces
Food they
do not eat
One does most the listening
The other
drums the beat
Two women having lunch
Share a
table in the sun
One is drinking alcohol
The other
drinking none
Soon a glass is empty
Four olives
stand alone
Another drink is called for
One has a
mellow tone
Fine were both, coming in
Something’s
changed they know
Instead of growing closer
Pathos
begins to show
The longer that they sit there
The more
each is alone
One is drinking iced tea
The other
getting stoned
Two women having lunch
At least
they might have had
Each has had a belly full
On the way
to getting sad
Fire red umbrellas stand
Like
soldiers in the sun
Shade the eaters during lunch
Until their
task is done
Californians have a need
To be out
in the air
Makes no difference hot or cold
Weather bad
or fair
In the winter heaters keep
The outdoor
sitters warm
Glass and metal all around
Protect
from any storm
In this land of palm and wave
Sunburned
bodies fine
“Indoors” always out of favor
No matter
when the time
Hey diddle diddle
Here’s a new riddle
The fork jumped over the knife
If the fork doesn’t go to the gym every day
His trick will come certain to strife
Abra cadabbra, a brass candelabra
It’s dark if the candles don’t light
I’ll bump into you, you’ll likely fall through
To cellar and get quite a fright
Now why did I start this ridiculous part
Inane and insane I confess
In order to keep my mind right all day
At night I rebel, make a mess
Dump all the drawers and places of store
Overturn all the boxes of thought
Throw them all up in the air with a whoosh
See which ones will marry when caught
It’s really more fun, to be done with the rules
And give to the devil his due
But lately I’m worried that you understand
That means we’re both crazy, it’s true
“Dependent Deer” it strikes my ear
But won’t
go in, I think
What did he mean? On who depend?
Don’t deer
live free like mink?
I turn it over in my mind
But nothing
comes to be
I’d better ask, my brain is slack
Synapse
collapse on me
“Dependent Deer?” he looks at me
A furrow in
his brow
He surely thinks me idiot
How to explain
to him right now?
I know I heard what I heard
Has reason
left my side?
I’m well into my fifties, hoping
My brain he
wont deride
All at once I see a smile
Dance
across his face
“The Penned in Deer” inside the park
Remember?
asks with grace
Explosion comes from both of us
Waves of
laughter bring a tear
“I thought I made it clear” he said, do you have
A banana in
your ear?
(Nordstrom)
Piano music softly floating
Enters in
my ear
Something special, I can feel it
Someone’s
soul, I know is there
I must find them, they have stirred me
We
communicate
Who gives birth to?…
who gives life to?,
These notes
that emanate
Search I do for their creator
Find her
looking straight
Eyes unfocused, lost inside her
Listeners
she elates
Peace sits gently on her shoulders
Face is
eloquent
Hands caressing ivory lover
Surrender,
her intent
I can’t move, the notes now hold me
Fixed as in
a trance
I must take in all that’s coming
This is my
only chance
Music is my old seductress
Come to
haunt again
I can feel the cool of ivory
Like I used
to then
I can feel the way it used to
Take me on
a ride
Show me places in my being
Peacefully
to hide
Emotion building, I stand listening
Pull every
note to me
Fill my soul with graceful feelings
Remember
“used to be”
Then with peace I move along,
The
moment’s gone away
An unexpected miracle
Life gave
to me today
I am a better person
Because of
those I love
If I must, I am a lion
But prefer
to be a dove
There once was a woman named Lee
Avoided men
continually
She had in her past, a drunk and a blast
And one
wouldn’t let her be free
Over the years she shed many tears
Raised all
her four on her own
With courage and luck and a grandma who stuck
She raised
them, but her life had flown
Now life did reverse as her child did converse
And
insisted she start life again
She footed the bills, was there on the hills
Gave hope
and respect, will to win
And then one strange day, fate got in the way
And joined
her to eat with a friend
They met a nice man, shared food, no elan
And the
flow of her life came to bend
With all that she carried she wanted no part
Romance was
not in her plan
But as she considered, her daughter undid her
With logic
she couldn’t withstand
So wanting to go and fearing to know
She met and
considered anew
She put all the past behind her at last
And
listened to hear what was true
She heard all the things that never she had
Could it be
to her life was now coming?
It wasn’t a trade or even a gift
Just to be
as herself without cunning
A freedom undreamed of, a life with new hope
Be loved on
the merit of her
A giving no taking, a dream after waking
Her
interest it surely did spur
With the passing of time love grew and did climb
To heights
previously unknown
She married her man, formed a new clan
Reaped
their love from the seeds they had sown
Like the dark of the moon
I am mostly
unseen
No telling on the surface the
Places I’ve
been
The universe is mine to
Roam at my
will
I can be everywhere
While standing quite still
I’ve done many things which
To you may seem strange
None fit your appraisal of
What I could arrange
I store things neatly in
My organized brain
But occasionally fall off
The track like a train
Derailed by life and
Surprises
galore
I am constantly in awe of
My opposite
shore
Where I go on occasion to
Find inner
peace
But instead these days I
Find a
treatise
On all I encounter
Set in
Rhyme to be
Of all things… a poem,
Written by me