Setting Sail

Like baby butterflies, they float on the waves;
In the shadow of the rescue boat, they are so brave.
Bouncing, bobbing, running into one another,
It's clear they haven't mastered the use of a rudder.
It must be on purpose that they heel over so gleefully;
I suspect this isn't what their instructors want to see.
Round and round they sail about the practice bouys
Many days will pass before they're ready for open seas.

Learning to master the wind, a treat for these girls and boys,
That gives the old salts a way to relive their youthful joys.
Dreams of riding the waves on the open sea,
A fantasy of what it means to feel truly free.
But even this freedom requires many disciplines,
That must learn before our adventures begin.
Without it, we chase each other in an endless loop,
Yawing and broaching on our rudderless sloops.

Rage-Filled Rhetoric

How much of thinking is shut down
By another's strong words?
If we want to get to the message,
We should examine the words we heard.

There are people of great passion
Who will burn with the hottest flame.
After the first fire burns down,
We must ask what message remains.

Are their words just kindling,
Simply a showy flash in the pan?
Or is their hottest passion a fuel
For pursuing a crafted plan?

We must look at their lives,
The examples they have set before,
Prior to allowing their impassioned
Speeches to enter our minds' doors.

We must remember that Herr Hitler
Was a man of impassioned speech.
His rage-filled rhetoric shut down the brain,
And it had a terribly far reach.

A screaming child is sent to the room
Until they collect their thoughts,
But we continue to ignore all the destruction
Adult bravado has wrought.

A snarling person, like a barking dog
Is something to be feared;
The real message their words carry
Is that we have come too near.

So often people snarl to ward us off
From discovering their truths,
But backing off is not the same
As rendering them moot.

All the passion pulls others in
To a mindless, soulless pack,
Until the numbers are sufficient
For them to feel strong enough to attack.

And there are so many others
Whose lives are lived in fear;
Their paranoia is activated by
The angry words they hear.

What can we do with excess passion
That flies in the face of reason?
By allowing the angry to lead the world,
We commit intellectual and emotional treason.

Why do we refuse to listen to
Those who speak soft and true?
When will we stop surrendering
To the loudest and most abusive few?

It is difficult to sit silently,
Listening and comprehending,
But until we learn respectful discourse,
The violence will have no ending.

Protecting Our Pack

Have you ever noticed how women like to
Publicly preen their men and their young?
Anyone else who tries to approach them
Is in grave danger of getting stung.

It is a woman's way of saying
This is mine; don't try to touch;
I'm the one who cares for
These people so very much.

Many men strut and flex,
As if they are the ones who are strong,
But, knowing that, if challenged,
Their strength wouldn't last very long.

I have willingly traded
Strength of body for strength of mind.
I feel protected by his quiet courage,
Preferring that my mate be smart and kind.

Many people travel in packs,
Rather than stay and protect their own.
It doesn't seem to me that
Their adolescence has been outgrown.

There are other men and women
Who seek a society of friends
That are pledged to protect each other
Until all of their lives end.

Because we have chosen new family,
We are blessed with such a society
Of faithful long-time friends,
Who know my man, my children, and me.

We rejoice with each others joys,
Share in each others' passion and pain.
And when we lose our way, they are there
To help us find our right path again.

Missing My Children

Oh, how I miss my children and their children, too;
The summers used to be filled with so many things to do.
But, now we're faced with the occasional short visit,
As the time allotted to each adult is so carefully split.

I'm tempted to take in children of some other folks,
But the truth is that so much parenting is now a joke.
Parents who want no responsibility seem to be
The first to blame the people who agree to set them free.

In order to secure our future finances, we must say no
To many who would like a place for their children to go.
We live in a society that wants everything with no price,
We can't afford to have only a few who are willing to sacrifice.

Those who want something for nothing are the first to bring
Lawsuits and slander that can ruin us while they sting.
"No good deed goes unpunished," is a saying that seems true.
It does put a damper on the deeds we'd like to do.

A "Granny Camp" would be a pleasure if children knew respect,
But authority is now something all children feel free to reject.
Being "the cool one" doesn't cut it in a life-threatening emergency
But it seems the only value that the young people are willing to see.

While I know of the many abuses of unquestioned authority,
There must be an alternative to all the children running free.
I would love to bring inner-city children to learn to farm and preserve
But I can't get past the sentence that any mistakes may cause us to serve.

Life's Love Story

In a former life, I was the kind of wife
Who did lunch with the ladies in waiting.
When my husband became a man out of the game,
I felt my independent spirit abating.

This situation was fine to a point,
But we began to lose our spark.
If neither of us had much to do,
About what of interest would we talk.

I tried gardening, cooking, canning;
We even did these things together
The changes we're making aren't because
The togetherness gives us no pleasure.

It just that we believe that
Love should expand and spread to others,
Starting with our close community
Of chosen sisters and brothers.

Many people choose a church
To create this community of the heart.
We believe that shared human passion
For good is a natural way to start.

I don't mind freely admitting that
What I am really ready and hoping for
Is the younger generation to learn from us,
And take up our many physical chores.

I would like to sit back and bask
In all the shining reflected glory
Of the compassionate, competent young families
Who are the fruits of our love story.

People in the Pool

I could probably make friends with the people in the pool
But in order to do so, I'd have to act the fool.
The deeper people delve into my personality,
The more they seem to have the sudden urge to flee.

It's not that there is nothing for them to like;
It's simply that I make their blood pressures spike.
I accept nothing and nobody on the value of its face,
And surface small talk is what fuels the human race.

So, for now, I'm safest observing people from afar;
That way, my mistakes won't leave any scars.
It is clearly time for me to find a job
And someone other than myself with whom to hob-nob.

Richard has rejoined his old friends;
I think I am finished making my amends.
As soon as I'm healed from my surgery,
I'll start the adventure in the renewed me.

Pondering Pleasures of Paradise

Maybe I already made it to heaven right here on earth,
With cheerful cherubs surrounding me as I lay upon my berth.
My guardian angel pays my bills and holds me in his arms;
He keeps me feeling content and safe from facing any harm.

The sea and sky so still, they could be walked across.
We could get to eternity, as they touch each other, of course.
There's an angel cleaning out the leaves that have fallen in the pool,
And another snipping off the vines with which the palm trees are full.

Flowers everywhere are in bloom that I didn't have to plant,
Though a cutting garden would be nice, this I will gladly grant.
This is not meant as complaining; it's just an observation.
I'm really very happy not trying to control creation.

My favorite neighbor family to watch will soon appear at the pool.
This oasis in the sub tropical clime is the best way to stay cool.
Mama, grandma, little girl, baby boy, all splashing happily
It is nice to have no responsibility, and yet I share their glee.

Is it a valid purpose, simply singing songs of gratitude?
Are some of us meant simply to be, and not do any good?
I seem to be surrounded by so many more competent that I;
Is my only job to express joy for the world I see passing by?