The cadence of a grateful heart;
Sadness in Happy Valley and Herman “Raisin” Cain

Marking Time on Veterans’ Day
The cadence of a grateful heart

A grassy field of markers and a multitude of flags
call attention to those veterans who are gone.
‘Neath the sod they sleep in silence waiting for the reveille
when old Gabriel trumpets resurrection’s dawn.

As I wander through a graveyard on this cold November day,
I am warmed by countless names that catch my eye.
They belong to men and women who obeyed their Uncle’s call
and then served our nation proudly till they died.

Each (in uniform allegiance) pledged unflaggingly to serve
freedom’s cause no matter where that need might be.
And because they did, we’re vested in both rights and privileges
that define the fabric of democracy.

Without speaking I bear witness to these heroes of the past
through the cadence of my grateful beating heart.
Marking time I count my blessings for the legacy they left
as I hear their plea for me to do my part.

Sadness in Happy Valley
Why State College is in an unhappy state

Happy Valley’s rather sad.
Paterno’ fans are stunned and mad.
The patriarch of college ball
has coached his final game.

But think of those Sandusky sacked.
The innocent whom he attacked.
Are not the crimes that make God weep
more cause to make them sad?

And while they grieve that Joe Pa’s gone,
let’s pray this scandal prompts the dawn
when blindside sins and blind-eyes turned
are labeled what they are.

Herman “Raisin” Cane
How the accused reacts to the “grapes of wrath”

He’s taken off. He’s gaining lift.
His fans are raising Cain.
And as he sails to heights unknown
his critics take their aim.

They pounded pavement for some dirt.
With mud they try to smear
a man who claims he’s innocent
while looking in the mirror.

But “grapes of wrath’ don’t make him whine.
Not Herman “Raisin” Cain.
He knows they’re really sour grapes
that come with gaining fame.

This pepperoni Godfather
has learned the square of pi.
He’s been around enough to know
your critics often lie.

But if the “grapes of wrath” prove true
and Cain admits to wrong,
I think I know what he will sing
when he breaks out in song!

* “Amazing Grace will always be my song of praise…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqn-xkyQ_RA

The low down on love and storybook romance

The fairytale’s over!
The glass slipper cracked!
The coach is a pumpkin again!
But Kimmie, you’re grown up.
A marriage takes work.
So why divorce Kris on a whim?

Real life isn’t easy.
Commitment’s the key.
It takes all you have to hold on.
Prince Charming’s for children.
You need more than him
when Hollywood romance is gone.

Bad breath in the morning
and socks on the floor
and dishes stacked up in the sink.
There’re chinks in the armor
and dents in the car.
More often than not life can stink.

And feelings are fleeting.
And passion (like fruit)
has its season. But true love’s like wine.
It’s best when time passes
and memories age
as vows stand the long test of time.

A tribute to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation;
Seattle’s Long-Awaited Facelift

The Gates are Open
A tribute to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Gates are wide open to the plight of the poor,
to children too hungry to hope.
The Gates are not closed to the victims of A.I.D.S.
and because they are not such can cope.

Open Gates reveal windows of mercy
never shuttered or draped to real need.
And a glance at the Gates strong foundations
calls attention to love’s greatest deed…

Generosity fueled by compassion.
Wealth that matches the gifts it inspires.
Wealth that knows it can heal human heartache.
Generosity bred by desire.

Seattle’s Long-Awaited Facelift
The historic Alaskan Way viaduct is a memory

A new wrinkle’s appeared
on the face of our town.
To some, though, it’s more like a scar.
Can surgery fix it
reconstructing what’s wrong
for those stuck in traffic in cars?

The skyline is different.
The viaduct’s gone.
That two-level highway’s no more.
A facelift (some call it)
on one who’s grown old
leaves rubble resembling a war.

But when she’s recovered
(her countenance healed)
the pain will at last seem worthwhile.
Seattle’s demeanor
will blush with young pride
as she boasts a new three-mile smile.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskan_Way_Viaduct

** http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/10/24/video-alaskan-way-viaduct-falls/

Has the American dream become a nightmare?; Speed Kills

Road Rage on Wall Street
Has the American dream become a nightmare?

There’s road rage on Wall Street.
It seems no end’s in sight.
And often what’s so ugly is in tents.
What is worse, good Lord, it’s spreading.
There’s a road rage in my town.
Yes, the drivers of these protests are incensed.

But their longed-for destination?
It is all over the map.
The anger’s more apparent than the cause.
They’re upset by corporate bailouts
and the stalled economy
and a feuding Congress that cannot pass laws.

What began back there on Wall Street
is a snapshot of our times.
It’s a picture of our strained democracy.
Nerves are frayed and rage is brewing
on the left and on the right.
There’s the stock-car party and the one for tea.

Speed Kills
A call to slow down on the race track of life

There is danger when we speed around
the race track known as life.
And when we do we often lose control.
When we grip the wheel too tightly
and the landscape’s just a blur,
what is most at risk is peril to our soul.

When the pedal’s to the metal
and we blow-by pit stop cues,
we’re deprived of what we need to reach the end.
Plus, the joy is in the journey
(not the fabled checkered flag).
We’d do well to smell the roses, racing friends.

It’s more than just a feel-good movie; Poets Paint with Words

Dolphin Tale
It’s more than just a feel-good movie

In case your flipper doesn’t flip
or you’ve lost legs to war,
resist the lie that says you’re through.
You’re not! There’s so much more.

There’re endless possibilities
and options you don’t know.
So doubt your doubts and feed your faith
until it starts to grow.

The pain of loss can paralyze.
But in your helplessness,
you have the chance to watch God work
amid your grueling tests.

So why not make a date to see
the movie Dolphin Tale?
It offers hope to those who hurt.
It is a parable!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_Tale

Poets Paint with Words
A poem for National Poetry Day

There is a time for everything.
Our lives are marked by seasons.
And poets capture these with rhymes.
Their rhymings each have reasons

that prompt the pictures that they paint
from palates blurred with words.
With broad strokes and with narrow ones,
they brush the truth they’ve heard.

And yet their winsome works of art
can be misunderstood
by critics who are blinded to
what makes their paintings good.

But unsung poets can’t be stopped.
Their canvases are framed
by knowledge they’ve been called to paint
in spite of how they’re shamed.

* October 15th is National Poetry Day