Month: July 2022

Poems are not alive

Until they are written

There can be no rushing

Nothing can be forced

Sometimes they trickle

Like water over rocks

I imagine that sound

Peaceful, almost tranquil

A signature of rhythm

Captured on paper

An artist might paint it

The picture is vivid

I feel its life

And jot my words

Amazed with the process

Powers that occur

But do not question

Accept the gift

Little paper boats

That are kept adrift

Then captured down stream

Before they can move

Out to the sea and

Lost for eternity

Stanski

July 28, 2022, ^

A long time ago the wheel

Was invented.  It provided

A smooth ride for your wagon

When pulled by animals.

One man named Ale Gores

Claimed that the wheels would

Cause trenches and eventually,

Craters which would make

Travel impossible.  He suggested

Square wheels which wouldn’t

Provide smooth rides, but would

Pack the roads down and save

The planet.  He called it the

New Square Deal.  It would save

Us from future misery, even though

It would cost more.  The poor

Would especially be hard hit.

Mr. Gores found that many

People believed him and sent

Money to him in an effort to

Bring his solution to reality.

He traveled around in a coach,

With large round wheels,

Drawn by six horses.  He was

Hailed wherever he went and

Took in a lot of money to

Support his cause even though

The square wheels caused the

Body to get out of alignment.

New businesses were started to

Address these problems.  More

Animals were needed because of

The intense labor needed to pull

The wagons and coaches.  Gores

Agreed that the round wheels were

Good but the accumulated cost

Made him attempt to “Build Back Better”

It became his motto and thrilled

The people to the point that they

Gave more money to get the plan

Moving and in doing so made Ale

A very rich man. 

Stanski

July 26, 2022, ^

My daughter was a loving being

She was the oldest of six

Maybe she thought much

Was expected of her and

Soothed this feeling by

Withdrawing and riding

The rough trail alone

She made decisions which

Countered other’s best intentions

Let the cards fall where they will

She misdiagnosed the source of

Her inner sadness.  Being on her

Own did not help.  She loved

Animals and let them have

Their run.  They ruined her

Furniture without her caring

She let her baggage pile up

Until there was no room for help

She was with a man, not the

Father of her lovely daughter

He was a big shot and tended

To treat her like a slave.  The

Little one called to tell me

Something—He is a “jurk”

meaning a jerk

The three were in an accident

He was the hero because he

Sustained injury, while the girls,

Mother and daughter went

Physically unscathed.  He was

Abusive, mentally and physically

By the time he called all of his

Friends, his eight inches of stitches

Increased to eighty.  He died

Putting out a practice fire as he

Was a volunteer fireman who made

Sure he had the latest equipment

At the funeral, while we said good

Riddance she noted that he was her man

She trained animals and lived with

The head man at the center,

Who had divorced his wife

She was good at her job of training

But neglected her housework which

Was complicated by several dogs and

Cats, water leaks, and black mold

He too was abusive and expected

Much more than he gave.  She began

To sleep and went to doctors who gave

Her antidepressants.  Her work slacked

And eventually, she moved out, seeing

More doctors who felt the answer was

In pills.  She went to the Mayo Clinic and

They found nothing wrong but said to

Stay on her meds.  Through Social Services

She obtained an apartment where she

Lived with two cats.  She slept and did

Not eat well.  She tried a few jobs but

Nothing worked out for her.  She was

Not good at keeping her apartment in

Order.  To her, it was sleep, bathing, smoking,

Junk food and Television.  She saw her

Daughter on occasion and tried to find

A doctor who would help her get off of

Some of the drugs.  Nothing seemed to

Help in this area.  Life went on like this

For a few years and talking to her led

To no improvement.  We tried but felt

Incapable no matter what we did.  She

Continued on and her friends were the

Animals and the homeless.  They all

Liked her because she was a kind person

This last Christmas she seemed happy and

Looked serene.  She was with her family.

She texted two days later and then nothing

A welfare check a few days later found her

Deceased.  The coroner said she died of

Malnutrition, complicated by the mixture

Of antidepressants.  Her last words to me

Were, I love you, dad.  Thanks for all you do.

I have often wondered what else we could

Have done that she would agree to.

Soul-searching is a good tonic, but understanding

Depression is a complicated thing.

Stanski

July 24, 2022, ^

The bright sun causes

The eyes to squint while

The shining moon opens

Our eyes take in the

Beauty that nature

Beholds for us

This moon reflects the sun

It does not shine on its own

There are times when the

Sun is beginning to set

While the full moon

Begins to rise

It is amazing, seeing

The full moon on the right

And the setting sun on the

Left at the same time

This doesn’t happen often

It affirms that man has

Little to do with the

Nature of things and could

Not duplicate it if we were 

To try.  Now we have our

Eyes set on Mars.  The idea

Is to fly to and settle on that

Distant planet if possible

As of now, it is estimated that

The trip to Mars would be

About two years.  It seems

Farfetched, but we will pour

Billions into trying and will

Celebrate the results if

They are successful.  We are

A wandering species and

Find it difficult to stay

Placed in an environment

That is beautiful.  We are

Learning how to take care

Of our planet, but have gone

Overboard with theories

On how we are ruining it

Peoples and countries are

Always at odds and at war

When we have everything we need

What would we do on Mars?

Stanski  on July 22, 2022, ^

The country is sweltering

It is summer.  This winter

It will be freezing cold.  This

Is to be expected.  Some will

Blame it on humans, but it

Is just how nature works.  I

Lay in the sun and am warm

A cloud goes by and I feel

Cool, almost need a sweater

This is nature.  Man cannot

Cause climate change.  If we

Could we would change it to

Where we wanted it.  Here

In the U.P. it is a robust 69

Degrees.  There is a light

Breeze.  It feels great.  Some

Would like it warmer; others

Colder.  I just take it as it comes.

In the winter it will take more

Fossil fuel energy to clear a

The roads then the savings by

Going green.  Solar panels come

From China, wind propellers

Come from China, batteries

Come from China.  China will

Have control of us.  We don’t

Want that?  The cost of recycling

Will require more fossil fuel

Then we saved by going green

As it is, we give off less contamination

Than any other country.  We have

An inexhaustible supply of gas and

Oil but refuse to tap into it.  We

Sell our reserves to China.  We

Mandate the impossible.  We do not

Have a failsafe grid system.  We have

Much to do to update our infrastructure

And our defense systems.  Our

Fleets are usable, but old.  They must

Be updated.  Our transportation system

Must be upgraded.  We must not defer

To expensive electric vehicles when

Complaining about the unnecessary

High cost of gasoline.  We must meet

The challenge

Stanski on July 21, 2022, ^

A rainstorm was predicted

Thunder and lightning

A light rain came and went

The next day was full of gray

And intermittent showers

Waves slowly hit the shores

From the south unimpressively

Farmers and gardeners were

Unimpressed as their produce

Was slow in coming.  They

Do not have it easy.  All of

Their preparation seems to

Have been in vain.  Have of

The vendors at the farmer’s

Market did not show and

There was a feeling of gloom

Each year it is a new experience

And every year is different

No one can make suggestions

Because no one really knows

The farmers have families and

Most are religious.  They believe

And trust in their savior, so

They are not downhearted.

Things are bound to change

And there is plenty of season

Left for them to recover

They keep looking up for

Raindrops

Stanski

July 20, 2022, ^

Comrade Fauci is stepping down

Napoleon Toni is calling it quits

This cannot happen too soon

His mandates and the results

Of them have cost our country

Billions of dollars, many deaths

(Not from the Covid virus) and

Put many people out of work

As well as closing stores on a

Permanent basis.  His daily

Routine was handled as though

He was the authoritarian who

Had all the answers.  They changed

From day to day and we were

Transformed back to tribal days

The scarf lady gave affirmation

To the directions he gave the

American people.  She did not

Like Tony because He hogged

The microphone.  He was and is

Wrong on so many things and

As a country we are paying the

Price.  Policeman and quitting

Criminals are let loose on the

Streets to commit more crimes

He never mentioned this as he

Gave us daily updates.  He claims

To be science but his directions

Were unscientific.  What did it

Matter to him as he was still

Making 425 million dollars each

Year.  He would argue and lie

Before congress and in the end

Suicides, murders, and depression

Prevailed.  Schoolchildren suffered

The paid and will pay a huge price

Because of his policies.  He, the

Mighty one is a real jerk who led

America down a dark path.  His

Ego is large and he would love to

Rule the earth by any means

Possible.  May God have mercy

Upon his soul.

Stanski

July 19, 2022, ^

Here I sit on a Monday morning

I have already had encounters

With several people and I begin

To think how important, in their

Own way, these people are.  We

Drift sometimes thinking we are

The ones and what happens is

Dependent on us.  Then we settle

Down and realize that our collective

Success or failure is on the backs

Of all of us.  Some ignore their

Responsibility, get in the way, and

Cause suffering to those who are

Trying.  What is the answer to this

Dilemma.  We could all stop what

We are doing, but that would lead

To chaos.  We have to give way to

Leaders and it is hard to find people

To commit to being in charge.  They

Can criticize but won’t step up

There are many who do accept the

Responsibility and they add to the

Goodness of a community.  We have

Pastors, teachers, and parents who

Could help, but many times they are

Not on the same page.  What is the

Answer.  Solutions do not come easily

We must take the positive steps, each

In our own way and encourage others

To do the same.  Slowly we get every

One on the same page and give them

Credit for making the right moves

There is much to be done in every

Community and it takes everybody

To establish the place where we live

Into the place we are proud of

Stanski

July 18, 2022, ^

I listened early for the church bells

But could not hear any.  I did hear

The peal of the train whistles as

They gave their warning at the

Crossings.  I love that sound,

Especially at night, when it is

Raining and a Willie Nelson song

Is playing.  We used to live 100

Feet from the tracks.  My bride was

There beside me.  How great was that

Even though I had a twelve hour day

Waiting for me the next day.  It would be

Interesting to have a warning bell

Peal out danger signals to us

Throughout the day when we were

About to get in trouble over one

Thing or another.  We wouldn’t

Need all of the laws and mandates

Because we would never cause

Trouble.  The lake is calm this

Morning and a few people are

Out on kayaks, and way out there was

A line of geese of about 20 birds

Long.   These are visuals you don’t

See every day.  Last night there were

Two fawn grazing one what we call lawn

Now the sun is shining and it is

Seventy-one degrees and warming

My grandpa’s lettuce would be ready

In his Fort Wayne garden.  He always

Gardened and had a wonderful green

Thumb.  The garden was always well

Kept.  My grandma raised the chickens

Life was a little different then, after

WWII.  There was a mixture of calm

And anxiety.  Nothing was for sure

They lived by the tracks also and on

The hot days you could smell the creosote

Now when I smell it I am reminded of

Those days gone by and all of the

Disappearing dreams we had

Stanski

July 17, 2022, ^

I had a light breakfast at 6 a.m.

Just a small sip of orange juice

Orange used to be my favorite color

But now that has changed to yellow

I was wearing my yellow sweater

At Jack’s Fresh Market one day

And a lady clerk commented in

Saying I wish men would wear

More bright colors instead of the

Drab grayish shirts they usually do

I remembered that and wore the

Sweater as often as possible and

People always seemed cheerful

When they saw me in it.  I made

It my favorite color.  Sometimes

People would ask me if I was a

Michigan Wolverine fan and I would

Have to say my sweater is yellow

Not maize.  Some would laugh and

Others would call me names that

I don’t want to mention.  Some asked

What is wrong with the Spartans?

I don’t know I would say, you’ll

Have to ask Duffy Daugherty.  He

Was coach at that time.  A great

Coach, too, I might add.  Their uniforms 

Were green and white, but that is

Not relevant.  The fact that a yellow

Sweater brightened a lady’s day

Makes you want to do things to

Please people and make this world

A happier place.  Yes, I like yellow.

Stanski

July 16, 2022, ^