Author: stevehaarman

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 All the noise, the feeling,
 The emotion and love
 On display unconsciously
  
 We are just being ourselves
 And something good has happened
 Conversely, body chemistry changes
 When unfavorable conditions present
  
 We are complex beings and
 Happy celebrations can turn
 To tragedy in the blink of an eye
 It is wise to be temperate
  
 Work for excellence at all times
 Decline to be distracted by short cuts
 Accept the chance of obstacles
  
 We want to fly but have no wings
 Crave the wind on calm days
 Wish certain seasons would last forever
 But also know the meaning of reality
  
 Life is not to be boring
 There will be ups and downs
 How we handle them has meaning
  
 We love the noise, the parades,
 But keep them in perspective
 Then disappointments are tolerable
  
 Stanski
 September 15, 2019 ^ 

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 I write my poems
 Many times they are personal
 Based on my own life
 Very much a part of me
 I could keep them to myself
 But I let them go out
  
 Some do not understand them
 Or they may not like them
 They may touch on politics
 But never are they fake
 The truth must prevail
 And I let it be known
  
 I write quickly
 That is my style
 How long does a rainbow last?
 How long can you remember?
 So I jot my lines down
 Still fresh in my mind
  
 I think of those who will disagree
 It causes me to wonder
 I cannot conceive of holding
 Their point of view
 It seems so counterintuitive 
 If one searches out truth and reality
  
 I wonder about prejudice 
 Where does it begin?
 I constantly self-check
 Then write what I feel is correct
 I cannot skim over the sweat
 Of heroes, who never had a say
  
 I write what I believe
 And I let it fly
  
 Stanski
 September 14, 2019 ^ 

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 It is a good feeling
 When you are accepted
 You feel part of something
 Bigger than yourself
 But one cannot wait around
 Waiting to be recognized
 Waiting to be wanted
 Waiting to be acknowledged
  
 Positive actions by you
 Usually for the welfare of others
 Bring favorable or magnanimous results
 Allows one to get the spotlight 
 Usually there is a price
 Every positive is not on the grand scale
 It is the lowly repeated chores
 Done well without complaint
  
 Not much acclaim or celebration
 But necessary for progress
 These people are accepted
 Appreciated for what they do
 Their efforts deserve more
 Public acclaim and applause
 Sometimes the poet’s touch
 Will bring a modem of justice
  
 The paper mill -
 Show up everyday
 Keep the machines running
 Keep the environment clean
 Move through the day
 Move through the dust
 Grind out your living
 You are our people
  
 Stanski
 September 14, 2019^ 

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 They say they serve the best béarnaise sauce here
 What do you do for pleasure and excitement?
 Not this is the answer
 Oh, what do I do?
 The gum chewing I-phone playing date does not answer
 I’m into looking at all the Progressive Insurance ads  
 Oh!  There is Flo
 Yea!  She is my ride
 A great ad
 Leaves you a little edgy
 But gets the point across
 Even though rudeness is celebrated
  
 Another blunder in the Auto-Parts store
 Leave your merchandise on the floor and leave
 Go on-line and order while others trip over your basket
 A great lesson to teach our children
  
 Jumping on beds gets affirmation
 Isn’t it so cute – no responsibility?
  
 Reality – Tent cities:  drugs, depression, alcohol,
 Needles, syringes, feces, urine, rats, lice
 Disease, rape and murder.
 Where does it begin?
 When does morality break down?
 When is walking away from the precepts of
 The Creator a wise thing to do?
  
 Roll up your sleeves 
 We have work to do
  
 Stanski
 September 10, 2019^
  
   

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 Isn’t it true
 We sometimes think?
 We have the
 Market covered
 On patriotism and
 Concern for survival
 Military dominance
 Our position
  
 Then we see people
 Almost abstract in appearance
 Standing up and
 Taking action
 Enlisting in the service
 Standing up and proclaiming
 Singing unabashedly
 Our national anthem
  
 Looking closely and
 Being honest
 We see that
 Many of us are
 Merely bloviating
 Our heroes enlist
 Train diligently
  
 We are proud
 Don’t downgrade this
 But settle down
 Take off our hats
 Honor the brave
 Respect the survivors
 They took the steps
 While we watched
  
 Stanski
 September 3, 2019 ^ 

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 Keep taking the steps
 Nothing to lose
 Standing still, waiting
 A non-journey for fools
 Everything doesn’t always go smoothly
 Things not in our control get in the way
 Tread forward with good vibrations
 Lifts the prospects, wouldn’t you say?
  
 Some lay down and give up
 Do not wish to drink the cup
 They try to calculate like in math
 Leading to nothing but wrath
 Life is not fair, it may seem, but with
 Good vibrations – you’ll find your queen
  
 Stanski
 September 1, 2019 ^ 

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 The news
 The news
 Keeps on churning out
 Keeps on churning out
 The lies
 The lies
 The fake news
 The fake news
 Real lies
 Real lies
 Then criticize 
 Then criticize
 No alibies
 No alibies
 Just lies
 Just lies
 And criticize
 And criticize
  
 Stanski
 September 14, 2019 ^ 

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 It is nice to be wanted
 Loneliness can be excruciating
 And why should we be lonely
 Others around us are often
 Too busy to say you are mine
 Too wrapped up in their own lives
 Which may or not be going right
  
 Parents fighting or separated
 So many reasons but still the wise
 Even though young, will find contentment
 Substituting that for a basic need
 Which is the feeling of belonging
 Where is it found?  In dreams you dream
 In books where stories of truth are presented
 You become part of something good and
 The pain and frustration are eased
  
 Transferring – you can offer friendship
 Whenever the occasion presents
 Giving away what has not been given to you
 A paradox in its own way
 You are you and attend to your needs
 When just by yourself you may feel loneliness
 But you have grown and are able
 To work your way through, understanding
 The situation even though young
 You become ready to take new steps
 You have accomplished
  
 Stanski
 September 13, 2019 ^ 

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 All white people are not racist
 I do not know what white supremacy means, 
 But believe that if there is a real race problem
 It is caused by people with small minds
 Broken spirits, who have to prove
 Their own superiority or dismiss
 Low self-esteem at the expense of
 Behavior toward the sequestered or
 Downtrodden.  
  
 The effort to elevate
 Yourself at the expense of others
 Is folly, but history shows it is not
 A new problem.  It has been
 Resurrected during this political
 Campaign because the only strategy
 Employed is giving everyone everything
 They need for free; exploit the myth 
 Of manmade climate change and
 Attack the opposition as white elites
 And racists at the time when
 The leader has done more in creating
 Chances and jobs for all people
 Including minorities, than ever before
 As far back as we can remember in the
 Process of making America great again
  
 George W. Bush once said that, “Yet,
 There is a difference between responsible
 Criticism that aims for success, and
 Defeatism that refuses to acknowledge
 Anything but failure
 Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and 
 Second-guessing is not a strategy
  
 Stanski
 September 14, 2019 ^ 

.
 When the power of electric energy
 Is lost or compromised by a storm,
 Or an accident or any reason
 We find ourselves set back
 Into the existence of earlier generations
 They lived by kerosene lamps
 And firewood or coal furnaces
 Were content with the simpler
 Things and ways of life
  
 Now we panic, especially when
 A hurricane demolishes everything
 We have or even knew of
 It is start over time and how
 Do we do that when we have 
 Nothing to work with and everyone
 Is equal in this misery?
  
 This is real and requires thinking,
 Patience and calm as well as prayer
 Disaster relief will arrive
 We begin by making safe as
 Many as we can, hoping
 That loved ones, neighbors and friends
 Survived a vicious act of nature
  
 Eventually and soon, the United States
 Comes to the rescue and if the
 Money isn’t squandered, a new place of
 Peace is built and we begin to believe once more
 That everything is possible
 We have renewed hope; 
 Reassess our values and goals, 
 Knowing we will be okay in 
 This opportunity called life
  
 Stanski
 September 13, 2019 ^