Author: stevehaarman

The day started slow

Slow-moving waves

There is no breeze

Geese floating by

No snow.  58 degrees

Summer is here

Everyone’s favorite

Season by far

Safer for walking

Or driving car

Deer still roam

Day and night

Their cadavers

Provide lunch on the road

For crows and vultures

It is a mystical time of the year

Flowers are blooming

After a long wait

Ladies are bragging

Showing pictures of their

Delight.  Compliments come

Most are genuine

Graduation parties

Weddings and anniversaries

Fill up the time

Preparing plans for floats

For the fourth of July

The coming and goings

Of people, taking vacation early

Camping and boating

Taking in the sights

People seem happy, but

Complain about gas prices

The rise in inflation

Problems with distribution

Politicians begin blaming

Instead of doing their work

They leave the border open

Shut down the drilling for oil

Ride bikes instead of driving

Manage to fall there, too

Stanski

June 23, 2022, ^

He asked for a blessing

From the dying women

She touched his forehead

And said her last words:

“I bless you in the name

Of all that is good and strong

And beautiful.  Always have

The strength to live.  Love life

And if despair enters your

Heart, look for me in the

Evenings when the wind

Is gentle and the owls sing

In the hills.  I shall be with you”

He quietly left after thanking her

He felt happy, sad, full, and

Empty all at the same time

He walked in the fading light

Around him the moonlight

Glittered on the pebbles of

The land and in the night sky

A million stars sparkled

We must all take the blessing

As our own as it is full of wisdom

When bad things happen

Accept them and take these

Experiences and build ourselves

Up from them, not weakness.  Oh,

If we only had that strength to

See the blessing and read it

Time and time again, our offish

Life would be on track to a

Happy existence and we all want that

Stanski

June 22, 2022, ^

One digs the trenches

For what he doesn’t know

Just following orders

Trying to stay out of trouble

The day is very hot

Everyone is on edge

Is this for water runoff?

No one knows anyone

Who has been told so far

So the digging continues

One accidentally hits another

With the shovel which

Slivered off a rock

An ankle is bruised and hurt

Words are exchanged and

The offender gets thrown

To the ground where he

Spots something shinny

It is part of a rock and

Looks like it could be gold

He states his presumption

Instead of remaining quiet

Men swarm to where he is

Soon pickaxes and shovels

Are scraping the ground

Around the fallen comrade

A few more stones are found

Things are looking promising

A whole vein of gold is found

The foreman orders the men

To step back from the discovery

It was too soon to make plans

The owner is notified and is

Pleasantly surprised.  He

Announced that everyman

Working that day will receive

A share of what is found now and

The rest will go into a retirement plan

He outlines the details

Some days just end well

Stanski  

June 21, 2022, ^

JUNETEENTH

Lake Michigan is active

Waves scatter at the shore

There is no rhythm

Birds, mostly seagulls

Act confused and the

The gaggle of geese has

Trouble staying together

Color the lake gray with

A sky that is white, blue

And pink with a cold look

Tree branches move listlessly

Last night a storm went through

Lots of lightning and thunder

A Fourth of July show only

It was Juneteenth.  So it

Was two weeks early

Landscaping work planned

For today may be put off

Unless the sun begins to shine

The new electric mower

Needs a workout.  The

Gasoline mower which takes

Ten minutes to start will

Be used like a brush-hog

Cutting the rough stuff to

Make is easier for the

New mower to do a job

That looks finished when

It is through with its cutti9ng

The wind and waves are

Putting on a concert with

The rustling of the leaves

Which have gone from

Lime to a darker green

It feels like fall but we still

Have part of June, all of July

And August and most of

September.  We have food,

Water and shelter which is

More than most of the world

Who would call today a great day

Stanski

June 20, 2022, ^

Our nation is divided

But we have been able

To survive in a reasonable

Way, except for those who

Use criminal ways to proclaim

Their displeasure with things

While never doing anything

To improve condition for

Themselves of others causing

Many people to suffer, but

Nothing like the people of

Ukraine have suffered

Their culture is different

From ours with fathers

Choosing a man for his

Daughter to marry, giving

The man the right to beat

And scold the daughter at

Will, leaving her distraught

Seemingly with no way out

Of the undesirable situation

Many of the women turned

To religion and found solace

There.  Many time the man

Found religion for himself

Peace in the family resulted

And thanksgiving to the

Almighty took place.  They

Were blind, but now they see

His light overcame the darkness

Faith prevailed followed by

Gratefulness and thanksgiving

Stanski

June 19, 2022, ^

There are a lot of needs

Many people just above the poverty

We know those close to the line

Still, we look out for the damaged

Tends to their needs, gives them council

This is where we have to be

Jesus said to go to the fringes

Carry on without complaint

And we can do much more

Work many hours, almost tirelessly

Love our work, and would like to serve more

Would be happy with a few volunteers

Wouldn’t ask for anything more,

Isn’t that the way of true saints

They show up and serve

Doing all they can

Then look for even more to do

Quietly charting their course

Never waving a flag or

Looking for recognition

We are like that

The One who counts knows

He is the one we please and

He gives us the strength

People are grateful for us

We are grateful for Him

Standki

June 18, 2022, ^

Holler when you think you’re

Right, it impresses the weak

Good ideas are buried

Because big men put their

Fingers down and believers

Cave, being afraid of retribution

We can’t raise the rates now

The neighborhood will be upset

Finally a compromise.

We will raise a smaller amount

Three years in a row

That just brings the irritation

To light and we don’t need that

There are a lot of mistruths

The waves are rolling in by

The hundreds; when they

Hit the shore they disperse

Lies to not disperse and

Eventually cause a lot of pain

When meeting on the situation

The big man with the voice

Doesn’t show up, not wanting

To be associated with the failure

The way of life and we question

Why things don’t get done

Too many egos with the need

To control.  Not a good thing

The truth just sometimes isn’t

Stanski

June 16, 2022, ^

With my back to the west

I must face the east and

In the morning it is bright

On some days you see the

Sunrise and on other days

You stare at the glare it

Causes as it tries to brake

Through the clouds

The lake looks cold with

The wind coming from

The southeast the waves

Appear parallel to the shore

It is a lovely visual and as

The sun breaks through

We see the birds flying

Happily and hear their

Songs which syncopate

With the rustle of the leaves

Nature is powerful but

Most of the time remains

Gentle and considerate.

You might say, if it had

Emotions.  It is still cool

For the middle of June

Warnings came for an

Afternoon storm.  We

Take what comes and

Are happy to be here

In the Garden of Paradise

We will not be tempted

By any dark angel to

Abandon our beliefs

And fall into witchcraft

The geese are slowly

Swimming to their feeding

Ground which is on a

Sandbar about two hundred

Yards out from shore

Their instincts sometimes

Supersede our thought out

Intentions.  So it goes

Stanski

June 15, 2022. ^

I struggle now, to a degree

The pain, the noise, and the chaos  

But then again the beauty of

Nature, when I take the time to

Consider melts away all anxiety

And I realize that just to be is

A wondrous miracle and this

Event brings with it the

Wonderful opportunity of

Doing for others in the midst

Of a wave of negativity.  We

Look for locations or people

To lay the blame on and we

Then realize that the blame

Falls upon us all.  We do not

Make the rules and many that

Are made make no sense and

If you discuss this with the wrong

People you get rebuffed because

They are certain on whom to blame

I am tired, but cannot stop working

For what is right.  I do not compare

With Gandhi, Mother Theresa and

Others but strive to follow their

Footsteps, using them as a guide,

Never deviating from their path

Soon it will be quiet and I will

Struggle to have some noise and

Chaos.  I know we have not

Existed for any length of time

Without warring and enslaving,

As well as committing genocide

On our fellow man.  Collectively

We do not appreciate the folly and

The beauty of nature.  The rustle

Of leaves, sound of the wind,

The songs of the birds, the sunrise

Moon, stars and sunset

We are told to build our places

Of adoration with love, but

Being men, we bring stones

Stanski

June 15, 2022, ^

Where would we be if

There were not so many

People seeking to control

Others and having an ego

Which prevents them from

Listening to other’s ideas

For solutions to the pitfalls

We have in our society

Those ordained to lead

Walk away from the

Difficult and choose the

Easy paths where much

Credit falls upon them.

While this is true the

Accountability although

Ignored will not be removed

From them in a sacred

Ceremony, but contrarily

They will be held to account

By the people, they were to

Serve or the Deity who gives

Out talent.  If we could

Accept this as the truth

And then make a determined

Effort to turn ourselves around

We could have a world where

Everyone lived in harmony

And had shelter, food and water

We are frail beings and the

Likelihood of this occurring

Is almost nil although the

Actuality would provide us

With a wonderful world

Stanski

June 14, 2022, ^