Author: stevehaarman

 No amount of praise, 
 thanks and flattery, 
 will help heal the wounds 
 caused by deception, 
 incompetence and arrogance
  
 Those responsible 
 liked my music as 
 they would a songbirds 
 until the words 
 pointed out their malfeasance
  
 I sang out suggestions, 
 but they sounded off-key 
 and ran counter to 
 the comfort found 
 in their hoarder’s den 
  
 Little songbird flew away
 How sad; how sad
 I stopped singing
  
 Walked away 
 shaking my head 
 feeling weaker 
 because of another 
 hole in my heart
  
 Stanski
 November 14, 2019 ^ 

 I write, thinking about
 all the promises made,
 if only this or that happened.
 But when the happening takes place
 promises are forgotten 
 as though never made.
  
 What is the makeup of these people?
 Their constitution or ethics?
 Does anything have meaning?
 Is their life just make-believe?
  
 When approached they have excuses, 
 then renew their intentions, but 
 somehow nothing gets done and 
 one shrugs and walks away. 
 What was promised had meaning, 
 but then again no meaning.
  
 Life goes on; lessons are learned.
 Wisdom slowly becomes an ally.
 We are careful as we analyze requests 
 And advocate self-reliance. 
 Do not make commitments we can’t sustain 
 and keep a pulse on reality.
  
 Stanski
 November 14, 2019 ^
   

 Mixed up, perplexed, and trying to make it through
 I’m doing things by myself, but following someone else’s rules
 Not looking for accolades, they’re not helpful to my soul
 I want to help the other guy, but don’t want him to know
 I’ll try to stay in obscurity and let others have the light
 We need some of every kind if we are to succeed in our fight
  
 Everyone doesn’t see it this way and may not want to play
 We’re halfway through winter and they’re still doing July
 You accept all this because you know
 Sometimes people are a little slow
 Smoke and mirrors are fun all right
 But not the way to go
  
 We need some purpose
 Open up, it’s not your game to call
 Hang up the ego and get on board; 
 No need to make us fall
 Everyone has their own idea 
 And that’s okay with me
 We’ll play as a team. 
 On that I think agree
  
 Follow them in through the door they choose and
 Lead them out of the door they should take
 They are beginning to trust in you
 You are doing things for their sake
  
 As a silent partner, your presence is grand
 You’re leading everything except for the band
 There are others for that; let them take the bow
 It’s enough for you that, you showed them how
  
 Stanski
 November 14, 2019 ^
  
  
  
   

 A guy writes to me about my poem.  
 “Echoes of Whitman”, he says.  
 “Echoes of myself”, I say.  
 Me and the other guy who is also me.  
 I am not just one being, one thought, 
 one copy but an entity of much.  
 Many songs, not just of myself, 
 many marches, none of which I composed.  
 Many parades, some of which I organized 
 are all part of who I am. 
  
 I heard an echo of my own cry.  
 It was a lovely echo, consoling in a way, 
 though, that bothered me.  I enhanced my cry.  
 The echo shouted back in such a way as to rile me.  
 That is more like it, I thought.  
 I want nothing to do with timidity.  
 You go nowhere with it and no one cares.  
 I will walk above the river, not wishing 
 to be lost in its currents for no good purpose.  
 The bridge is a safe place with the advantage of 
 being able to observe and then make decisions. 
  
 I have no longing to be someone else or 
 a decoy set out to attract the real thing.  
 One of my selves is real, so I use pen-names 
 to keep the things of life unsettled.  
 My other selves will speak for themselves.  
  
 My concepts of the high-desert and a marshland, 
 except for the intrinsic differences, 
 may be very much alike.  
 I see the spiritual in both and 
 that is my high-hand or go to in life.  
 I do not wish to use vagueness in 
 an effort to skim over reality.  
 I know the food of the soul 
 just as I know troubled waters.  
 We walk swiftly, me and the other guy, 
 knowing time is so precious.  
 We will not take time to be measured 
 on this perpetual journey.  We know
 Who will be waiting for us.
  
 Stansberry McKricken aka Stanski
 November 13, 2019 ^ 

 If there is a kindred spirit 
 in all living things then it might follow
 that we somehow have an ownership in each other.
 One benefits from another and around we go until we agree,
 to hold ourselves accountable for each other.
  
 A fruit-bearing tree has many facets in its growth;
 each in its order must be protected 
 if there is to be a successful season of harvest.
 Trees may have a kindred spirit
 but timing and discipline are critical.
  
 A man will step outside the framework of discipline
 and attempt to fend for himself.
 He can ask for help when he fails
 even though his action
 came at great cost to others. 
 His next chance will be given, 
 but he must then follow protocol.
  
 These spirits are not moving together.
 Agendas are boundless.
 We must safeguard our sensibility with constant vigilance.
 When a soldier gives his life for his country, 
 we must honor him in such a way
 that we elevate the quality of all life.
  
 We all have a story to tell 
 but it is incumbent on all of us 
 to raise the standards of self-respect, honor and duty.
 We should act soon if we are to have any spirit to act upon.
 What will be left when accountability becomes just a word?
 We must value our existence 
 and become a responsible spirit.
 One who will be kindred to all living things.
  
 Stanski
 November 13, 2019 ^ 

 Sometimes crazy happens
 I go to bed for a nap at 4:30 in the afternoon
 Sleeping deeply I wake at 7:30
 It is very dark
 I hurry to turn on TV
 Check to see if the schools are closed
 There is no indication on the local stations
 I drink a cup of coffee
 Take a fast shower 
 Take my morning medications
 Dress quickly
 Get my computer, printer and modem packed
 My printer needs service
 I have my car warmed up
 Drive carefully into town
 I see the full moon in the eastern sky
 In town the Church is dark
 A few cars in the parking lot
 I presume school is called off
 I drive into town, just two blocks away
 Everything is dark; I check a few signs
 Everybody open at 9AM, but no lights are on
 The Junque man’s clock says 10:15
 He apparently failed to fall back
 I check out 906 Hair Salon
 A few lights are on and the door is open
 I say hello, but no one replies
 I go to the tanning booth and tan for ten minutes
 I dress and wipe down the machine
 Drop the cleaning towel in the laundry basket
 Say hello again and no one answers
 No one is around, so I go outside
 The town appears deserted  
 Looking up I see the beautiful full moon
 Driving up to Verizon I find them closed
 I fill up with gasoline at the station next door
 Checking my phone I see that it is 9:30 PM on the 12th
 I have jumped ahead twelve hours
 Drive home and call police; notify them of the open door
 They thank me and I go back to bed
 The moon is still full and bright
  
 Stanski 
 November 12, 2019 ^
  
   

 When I was a kid I remember
 my family going over to the Greenfields 
 for Sunday dinner.  
 We had never been there before and
 seldom went anywhere for dinner
 except for when we visited relatives
  
 Sometimes in the summer
 two or three families would picnic together
 and then go to the big lake (Lake Michigan)
 for the afternoon
  
 Back to the Greenfields
 Just before dinner, Howard
 also known as Mr. Greenfield
 read a passage from the bible
 This seemed very profound to me
  
 We usually said grace before eating,
 but it was always the same prayer,
 “Bless us oh Lord, and these thy gifts
 which we are about to receive, 
 from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.  Amen”
  
 We said it so often that it lost its meaning
 Becoming redundant and superfluous 
 But then I think back to the Bible reading,
 which I thought was very nice and
 A diversion from our custom and 
 I think now that the passage read 
 did not have much meaning to me
 Just a lot of new words I didn’t understand
 It was read very well and everyone
 Said, “Amen”, and then thanked Howard
  
 The dinner was very much enjoyed
 Everyone had a good time
 It was a happy day
 The Greenfields moved not long after
 I never saw them again
  
 Stanski
 November 12, 2019 ^ 

 You were my friend
 And I called you friend
 Send one note and that is the end?
 It wasn’t what you thought it was
 And second opinions just caused fuss
 The humor button is for Sunday only?
 Monday through Saturday would only be phony?
 One of my best caused you arrest
 I thought you would fall down laughing
 Instead I’m feeling bad and sad
  
 You, too, were blue; didn’t know what to do
 Somehow I will make it up to you
 For now I say I’m sorry – two words
 Or I’ll say I’m very sorry – three words
 Or I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart – eight words
 I could go on but that’s absurd
 I’ll just say I’m sorry
 You are my friend
 And I’ll call you friend
  
  
  
  
 By Stansberry McKricken aka Stanski
 On November 12, 2019 

Serious thinking is a necessity in real life                                                                                                                                          In the world of reality                                                                                                                                        rules and perimeters                                                                                                          have us bumping off possibilities                                                           and slowed down by regulations                                                                        Pushing the envelope is impossible if we were not to chart out a path we could safely take to achieve our goals and ambitions

There is a chance that we could succeed by luck or serendipity                                                            Clear thinking and determination are more likely to be our allies                                                                        We wonder if we are overly protected                                                                                                                                                 We wonder about unintended consequences                                                                                                                                               We see the laws of probability and the laws of Murphy as friendly      when compared to the burden of man-made rules
  
Our escape is in dream land                                                                                                                                           There are no barriers there.   
Limitations disappear like mist                                                                          We push possibilities to uncharted regions of our subconscious                                                                        We hate to wake up because this excitement supersedes reality                                                                         We see stars and lights and hear music                                                                                                              We are at peace in an incredible way. 
Reality returns when angelic chimes 
transform into telephone rings:                                                                        We wake to the request of a legislator for champagne money                                                                 Can this be real?                                                                                                                                                 Oh yes, it’s best to believe it.                                                                                                                                               Send the contribution.                                                                                                                                             Then slip back to the dreaming.   
Deep thinking is not necessary to reach this conclusion.                                                                         Tomorrow will come on its own.                                                                                                                                                 Be ready for it and ready for this now.

 Stanski
 November 12, 2019 

 The rattlers are out in the Utah Mountain range.
 They like being there. They like the sun.
 When you hike watch out for them.  They are quick.
 If they happen to strike you, you’re going to get sick.
 You take the bad and take the good, you have no choice.
 You can’t protest; you’re only one voice.
  
 You said hello to summer, the solstice and such.
 And goodbye to winter and the spring that wasn’t much.
 Half the year gone and where did it go?
 Always threatening rain and sometimes giving snow.
 We wait for today, but at what cost?
 We remember the days through the snow and the frost.
  
 We complained then, but it wasn’t too bad.
 Now we’re grumbling about snakes.  Isn’t that sad?
 January to June in the wink of your eye
 And now through December the time will really fly.
  
 We don’t like up and we don’t like down.
 Don’t like the country and we never liked town.
 We holler about the cold and now it’s too hot.
 We had frostbite to treat and now have bugs to swat.
  
 Life goes on and will continue to.
 We have to be ready and know what to do.
 A continual cycle is what we know.
 Take it as it comes and enjoy the flow.
  
 Be thankful for the shower and be thankful for the snow.
 Is here any other place you would rather go?
 Acceptance, acknowledgement and acclamation should show.
 That it’s a different form of beauty that we all should know.
  
 Stanski
 November 12, 2019 ^