Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Poetry and Prose Corner May 2013

A Man of Peaceful Means

Why are those of peaceful means
So often hated and reviled?
To teach and preach for kindness sake
Is hardly breaking any rules.

And yet the cruel and hardened fact,
The one that cannot be denied,
When pulpits reach to speak of love
They’re levied with the brand of fools.

And hate becomes the child of fear,
Without a tear, his conscience bare,
And lashes out with loss of reason
As the legions seize his fuel.

And though the masses sue for peace,
Long for love and fellowship,
Their light cannot outrun the darkness
Cast upon the pristine pool.

Heroes rise and legends fall.
Still the banner carries forth.
For always men of peaceful means
Prepare for battle and renewal.

Dennis S. Martin
Lulu Storefront: http://www.lulu.com/dsmartin
Plays: http://sites.google.com/site/playsbydennissmartin/


Through the Tunnel

© 2013 Yvonne Perry

It's dark in here,
this womb where I am comfortable
with all my stuff;
familiar, predictable, and yet I know
there is more to experience
A new life is awaiting
as soon as I break free
from this cocoon that not only shelters me
but also tightly traps me and keeps me from growing

What's happening?
My world is shaking
Who disturbs my peace and complacency?
Quaking, squeezing
pushing, bearing down hard
I don't like this!
Stop!
Mother, what are you doing to me?

My home has turned into a prison
The waters break around me
I cling to the cord that sustains my life here—
a well-known life that is ending
The tunnel is so tight
It hurts! Doesn't anyone care?
I can't move, the space is too small
My head is filled with pressuring thoughts
I can't see where I'm going
or where I'll end up
What awaits me on the other side of this pain?
Will it ever stop?

There seems to be a brightness
at the end of this tunnel
Is it the place of light from whence I came,
or one I've never known?
I'm sliding and moving now but
I feel afraid of what lies ahead
I need help, someone to pull me out
Push me forward but be sure to catch me
when I arrive

Whoosh! I'm free!
It's cold here
It feels strange, foreign
There are smiling faces
They seem glad to be here
Are they glad I'm here?
I cry out for the comfort I once had

Hold me!
Steady my wild heartbeat with your calm rhythm
Mother takes my weary body into her arms
and cuddles me to her ample breast
flowing with the sustenance needed to keep me alive
here in these new surroundings

I can't go back to that confining place
where I was before
I must move forward and accept
new ways of being, sensing, and allowing
This new and wonderful world
into which I have come as a fragile infant
will teach me how strong and wise I already am.
 

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