Author: stevehaarman

 The road is hard
 It is cold
 You must pound on
 If you are to succeed
 Turning back
 With no effort
 Would corrupt you
 Forever
  
 Why move on
 One may ask
 What are the percentages?
 And for whom do you move?
 For gain is the answer
 Personal and general
 There is no advancement
 Without movement
  
 Advancement is necessary
 When there is growth
 Knowledge is waiting
 To be grasped; necessary
 If chaos is to be avoided  
 Will chance be supreme?
 Do we want to exist in
 A confused unorganized state?
  
 No; so we take the steps
 Proceed forward until
 We reach the mass or mess
 Begin the sorting
 This is fundamental
 If civilization is to exist
 Input is equally allowed
 Leadership will vary
  
 It is survival we wish
 With fair terms for everyone
 Disagreement will prevail
 The majority will decide
 We all should remain tolerant
 Make changes when necessary
 Live by an agreed rule of law
 Or remain primitive

 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^
  
   

  
 It is oil
 And it is good
 It is coal
 And it is good
  
 Given to us
 Oh, we pay
 But given to us
 To put to good use
  
 Some equate to 
 Dirty air
 Not I
 Air can be cleaned
 Call it technology
  
 And at the same time
 We improve human condition
 Extend life span
 Electricity
 Fuel
 Medicine
 Clothing
 Anything plastic
 Which is almost everything
  
 Where is the hemp
 What would that do?
 Why not the coal
 What does that do?
 Why not the oil
 What does that do?
  
 Who are these people?
 We still have CO2
 We exhale this
 Every time we breath
 Yesterday the waves were huge 
 Today the lake is calm
 The birds are still flying
  
 Termites exhale, too
 What can we do?
 DDT is gone
 What can we do?
 Malaria increases
 Nearly three million
 Die each year
 What can we do?
  
 Pass out the nets
 What are they made of?
 Is it green? 
  
 Where is the wind?
 It’s getting colder
 Where is the sun?
 It’s getting colder
  
 See, its working
 The law of
 Unintended consequences
  
 One pack of renewable needles
 And one sack of wool
 Going to make a sweater
 Hope it isn’t scratchy
  
 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^ 

  
 Proud gardeners have a passion for the Irises
 They are beautiful flowers
 People in general love them
 Some are endangered and protected by law
 Many are plentiful and you find them everywhere
 A special interest is what it takes 
 To keep them all straight

 I knew a man and wife who had over
 Fifty different species of Iris
 They took care of them for years
 Before letting it all go 
 It was just too much work and
 They were getting up in years
 As I look back I can relate
  
 Irises come in many colors and names
 New varieties are developed from time to time
 People will travel to be first in line
 Observers will think that they’re insane
 Playing one-up with competitors
 Is all a part of an Iris lover's game
 Whenever they have an advantage
 It will be flaunted with no shame
  
 I would never name a child Iris
 I know people named Iris, 
 They seem very nice
 But that’s beside the point
 One time a person named Iris gave me a book-bag
 It was very plain with no flowers on it 
 I was thankful for that
  
 Once I tried to develop a board game involving small Irises
 It became very complicated
 After a while everything started to merge
 I lost interest, but
 I still think it’s a good idea 
  
 The deer leave the irises alone for the most part
 I have a few flower books for sale
 But no one has shown much interest
 There is always tomorrow
 Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are
 I think her first name was Iris
 She loved to garden, but didn't use books
 One thing I love is interesting stories
 This one is a real winner

 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^
  
 

 Squash is a great vegetable
 Often overlooked except
 During the hillidays
 I mean holidays
 For a minute there
 I must of thought 
 That I was living in Kentucky
  
 Good folks there, though
 And meant nothing derogatory
 They have great basketball
 And you can’t forget mint juleps 
 The Derby and My Old Kentucky Home
 Their whiskey is known around the world
 Their coalmines are well documented 
  
 About the squash
 It is important to bake it long enough
 You want it to fall apart with a fork
 No need to ruin it with brown sugar
 It stands well on its own
 It can be a whole meal and is healthy
 Provides many vitamins and nutrients 
  
 I like it as a side dish to pork ribs
 A rib, some squash and a little fruit sauce
 What more could a person want
 Maybe a toss salad and a glass of white wine
 Getting back to the title of this musing
 I woke up just in time to put the squash into the oven
 Nothing important to your life, but thought you would like to know
  
 Stanski
 December 8, 2019 ^ 

 Here is what I think
 I said to my sister,
 When she asked what I thought about
 Keeping a running record of family maladies
 “Everyone’s final chapter ends in death”
 The rundown is not necessarily important
 To everyone else
  
 Some don’t know the others
 And some don’t care
 Some have trouble keeping up with themselves
 Others don’t like their private concerns known
 They may detest prying
 However well-meaning and innocent
  
 The journey of life is the important thing
 The dignity of each traveler cannot be dismissed
 To me life is about living
 I do what I do and I have my reasons
 My redemption is my own
  
 We must all live for ourselves
 My care for others is my choice
 Keeping this private is part of my dignity
 And when I die, goodbye
  
 I think of our aunt Clemmie
 And how she died of ALS
 But I don’t dwell
 What is, is and cures will come
  
 In the meantime
 If you’re making a list
 Put me down for
 An ingrown toenail
 A little earwax
 A mild hemorrhoid
 And morning breath
  
 Stanski
 December 8, 2019 ^
  
   

 The guy is an absolute animal
 The announcer declared this
 He is an expert
 His father is a zoo-keeper
  
 The game goes on
 Many declarations
 Many redundancies 
 Many unbelievable exclamations
  
 This is football
 College football
 Conference championships
 Fans are fanatic and excited
  
 The outcome is important
 An invitation to the final four
 A possible national crown
 Incredible stakes at hand
  
 Players or animals from
 All over the country
 Are on the field this day
 Recruiting is an enormous job
  
 Injuries play a big part
 Key players are missing
 Their backups usually shine
 Pieces are interchangeable 
  
 They all use their legs 
 To get into the end zone 
 This must come as news to
 The uneducated listening 
  
 The coverage is important
 Emotions are high
 The clock is and enemy or ally 
 Will the best team win?
  
 Stanski
 December 7, 2019 ^ 

  
 Right now the dune grasses sing
 The notes come off as sun-flash
 Dancing in tune with the wind
 Nodding and glowing in noon-time light
 Day just starting will soon be over
 Late fall answer to summer solstice
 No claims on me this day
 I have songs to sing
 Music waits for me to
 Put on my Fred Astaire's
  
 My melody comes from the horn of
 Grover Washington Jr., who, if nothing else,
 Echoes the beat of the breeze
 We keep everything in harmony here
 Nature is our ally, our soul-mate
 We look for signs and they are given
  
 Tamaracks tell us change comes in degrees:
 Still green are some; others ground brown
     and
 In between, the sun’s gift to us is
 The radiation of white, yellow, orange and gold
 No artist can match the choreography
 Canvases weep because they cannot hold this majesty
                                                 
 The grasses still wave as though loving the dance
 When the sun settles in the west
 They will become a Technicolor production
 The wind whispers, too:
 Seasonal change at hand
 Prepare
 Give thanks
  
 Stanski
 November 12, 2019 ^

 Let’s talk this over
 I don’t want trouble
 Can’t we just agree?
 I’m okay with
 The leader dog
 It’s the other one 
 Who gives me misery
  
 It knocks me over
 As I walk away
 And weighs about
 A hundred pounds
 And it has its jaw  
 Around my shoulder
 Before I hit the ground
  
 I say good dog,
 Nice dog, good fellow
 But I know he knows
 That deep inside
 I reek of being yellow
  
 Then other people come
 Wonder if I’m okay
 I’ll be all right
 Just put the dog away
  
 I wake up sweaty
 That was a really bad dream
 I drink a little coffee and
 Hope there Will be 
 No more dog nights for me

 I think of the week
 All of the snow
 My broken snow-blower
 My sore shoveling shoulders
 Is that where dreams come from?

 
  Stanski
  December 7, 2019 ^

  
 OUR COUNTRY IS 
 A LAND OF POSSIBILITIES
 A LAND OF PLAINS
 A LAND OF MOUNTAINS
 A LAND OF LAKES, RIVERS, 
 OCEANS AND INFINITE SKIES
  
 IT IS A PLACE FOR DREAMS
 HAVE THE DREAMS
 DREAM BIG AND KICK DOWN
 THE BARS OF YOUR CAGES
 CAGES YOU BUILT FOR YOURSELF
  
 THERE ARE NO LIMITS
 DON’T LIMIT YOURSELVES
 OBSERVE OUR GLORIOUS WONDER
 AND BEGIN
  
 
 Stanski
 December 7, 2019 ^ 

  
 The weather is lovely
 Direct sun is hot
 Air conditioning a must
 This as a modern era
  
 Hotels going up faster
 Then roads leading to them
 Lots of trucks on the road
 Everyone is in a hurry
  
 So much time on people’s hands
 How much is wasted
 Not for me to say
  
 Television watching is
 A prime indoor activity
  
 Many older folks have dogs
 Walking them two or three
 Time a day is a necessary inconvenience
  
 They do get exercise this way
 After that refreshments and a nap
 Life goes on; this is living
  
 Snowbirds paradise; everyone
 Convinced that it beats cold
  
 A week is a treat, then
 Back to snow blowing and survival
  
 Soon ice-mountains will appear
 The cycle begins again
  
 Stanski
 November 26, 2019 ^