Measure
By Hunter Trinka
Don’t measure a man when
Victory is assured
And he rides by smiling.
Look at the beaten man,
The one who is outnumbered,
Captured,
And being marched to
The gallows.
How does he carry himself?
When Victory is assuredly denied,
And defeat is his only companion,
Does he carry himself
Head high?
Bench
By Wayne F. Burke
sat on a bench
in the park
all afternoon:
read a book
wrote
took a nap sitting-up
as
traffic passed:
heard clouds scrape
the ridge line,
the squeal of birds,
music from
somewhere,
and the roar of an ocean,
plus the call of
the wolf
from down by
the railroad tracks.
clear
By Corinne Davis
when I sit on the patio viewing the pond
I can feel all around me what brings me my calm
my dog is here laying by my side
willing to listen if I want to confide
the horse is content up by the barn
and he too will listen if I spin my yarn
the kittens are off investigating the yard
to find their way back won’t be very hard
I am sitting comfortably in the shade
as I feel the sun begin to fade
the crickets are singing a lullaby
and I hear the cardinal’s distant cry
the water on the pond remains very still
again I remember to live by his will
the trees are big and tall and very secure
ever reminding me it is okay to be sure
I breathe the air in, it is fresh and clean
telling me life is not what it seems
the sky is blue and totally clear
its vastness erasing all of my fears
Heidi comes over for a pat on the head
as I quietly call for the two kittens instead
my neighbors go by and wave to me
happy to see I’m just able to be
the brush is full along the grounds
mostly greens with very little browns
various flowers pop out their heads here and there
posing like families at the community square
I had a backache when I first came out here
and now what I needed has become clear