Steve Haarman

Just getting started and it’s over
Days have a way of doing that
Discouragement from lack of progress
Has left you less then “hell-bent”
What is the use of scurrying?
When the plans are in flux
Sort out all the nonsense
Get yourself a fresh chart

Once you know where you’re going
There will be fewer miseries
When you are comfortable with planning
Days will flow like the breeze
Take all the blame and pack it
Act like you’ve been here before

Stanski
 September 8, 2021 ^ 

One does not know what a day will bring
Still we are confident people
Often dwelling on the wrong things
We find later that a friend has died in an auto crash
Very viable yesterday, now gone
An earthquake in Mexico City kills over 200 people
What were they doing before this happened.
A president speaks out for America and American exceptionalism
The leftists find fault in every word
Our friend in Israel calls it the best speech ever at the United Nations
We pray for peace
Are critical of our neighbor
Do not stand up to be counted
Afraid of a commitment
Tomorrow we may be gone
What chances did we miss out on?
We know how precious the gift of life is
We fail to live to the fullest
Who do we hurt?
Does anyone know what we do or don’t do?
Are we living to please others?
Or is what we do pleasing to others?
I listen to the talking
Expressions of feelings of disappointment about events
I may say nothing because I have a different view
Am I a coward or just pragmatic?
Why argue when you know there will be no winners
Do good works
Encourage others
One never knows how many chances are left
What will tomorrow bring?
Do the impossible today
Regrets will be few

Stanski
September 7, 2021 ^

Palestine has two seas
The Sea of Galilee and
The Dead Sea
The Sea of Galilee is full of life
It is beautiful; abundant with
The growth of trees and shrubs
There are flowers and birds and
The atmosphere is lovely;
The people joyous
For every drop of water that
Comes into the Sea of Galilee
It gives back a drop of water
To the River Jordon which flows
Down to the Dead Sea which
Is dark and black with no life
The Dead Sea is different
No birds or flowers and
When a drop of water flows into it
The water is kept to its own demise 
People who see it are not uplifted, but
Rather saddened by its condition
The moral is to receive and then
Give back willingly
Joy will be your reward along with 
More than a modicum of beauty

Stanski
September 5, 2021 ^

This day is a gift
Sometimes hard to recognize
In the midst of chaos
Our critical thinking must
Supersede any depression
Our desire to make things
Better for others must prevail
We give of ourselves willingly
For the purpose of helping others
Our time here is short but
The opportunities are great
We trust in the direction
That we have been given and
With the Holy Spirit to guide us
We can make our life meaningful,
Purposeful and fulfilling
We are the chosen ones and
It is up to us to remain steadfast
And strong on our mission
We will face rejection, but
Must persevere for what
We are doing is what our savior 
Intended us to do; we are
Working for the salvation of
Our soul and will be rewarded 
With a room in our Father’s mansion

Stanski
September 5, 2021 ^

We sing our songs
Tap, tap, and tap our drums
Listen to Art Tatum
Tickle the Ivory
We are lifted
Because we are alive
Know our situation
Aware of duty
Pausing, we observe
Weather is windy and
The forecast is rain
We can handle this
No hurricane
No earthquake
No flooding
Just politicians
Bloviating or blaming 
Hiding the border situation
Lies about Afghanistan
A humming bird feeds
Leaves rustle; nature exudes
George Washington told us:
“Truth will ultimately prevail
Where there is pains taken
To bring it to light”
We know our duty
Tatum continues, upbeat

Stanski
September 4, 2021 ^

Thursday morning
Chill in the air
It won’t last long
Sun is shining
In a cloudless sky
We are nearing
The end of summer
School is in session
Indoctrination begins
Meaningless rules prevail
Mandates and punishment
How will it all end
The strong must remain strong
Help along the weak
Observe all that must be done
To restore our Republic
To its once great standing
Recent events exhaust our spirit
But we must prevail
Truth is eventually exposed
Light will overcome darkness
Angels are about us
Protecting the chosen ones
We should be cautious in
Our severe judgements
Better to be quietly observant
Pray that Karma has a say
The path is not all uphill
There will be some relief
What is given is beautiful
If you know how to look
Do not shudder at rejection
When you know you are right
Keep looking for the miracles
Do not engage in any fight
Seek not to control
Get you tips from nature
Such valuable lessons given
Look for ways to interpret 
Then be on your way
Find peace in doing good
For a neighbor or stranger
Satisfaction is overwhelming
Life has meaning
In every situation
Time passes; wisdom rises
Sunshine or shadow
Should not cause indifference
Be at peace and be glad
Our life has meaning
Treat it as a precious gift
Others, from you, will be gleaning
You may sing with the angels
Happy you saw it through

Stanski
September 2, 2021 ^

People often offer input 
On how to write or
The mood of the written piece
Make observations and
Offer suggestions on
Different forms and styles

I know there are students
Studying under the direction
Of teachers who do succeed
In producing a form
Such as sextinas which
Is six verses of six lines each
Which don’t rhyme.  They
Are collected, graded and
Put into a chap book
That no one reads, but
None-the-less exposed to
Success in this process
  
These young poets
Go on as self-declared genuine
And proceed to teach others
While furthering their own careers
Some self-publish and
This makes them important
And who they are

I thank my critics, but go on
With my own unique style of 
Emptying my soul on paper,
Using an uninhibited flow
I have not published, but 
Some of my efforts have been acclaimed

Stanski
September 2, 2021 ^

 
No clouds, waves or wind
Only the voices of birds and insects
The shore line was littered with stones,
Pollen, and other debris
Seagulls were floating overhead
Looking for an easy meal
And on the lookout for predators
Looking at them for an easy meal
The lake was smooth
Almost like an ice-skating rink
You could almost imagine the
Sounds of happy skaters, but we were
Only nearing the end of summer
We could not possibly imagine what
Was before us in the coming seasons
We would have our color tour as
Jack Frost, the magnificent artist, would 
Paint the leaves of the deciduous trees
A palette of color, unimaginable 
Beauty which will diminish our best efforts
Then winter will have its say
We can only hope that the clippers
Will be mild and endurable
For now I remember seeing a man swimming
A little less than a mile in each direction
He was a teacher, a professor, and this
Would be his last swim and he looked good
By early spring he had gone to his reward
Cancer, a quick acting form, had taken him
Our mortality supersedes the weather and I am
Curious about what happens when we are gone 
And then the wondering if we succeeded in life
Also, will our accomplishments be remembered?
Most have no idea of all that has been done
Because it was done quietly, silently and by choice
Life like the seasons will go on
There will be low tides and high tides
Sometimes we think we are essential but
The grave yards are full of indispensable people
We should be aware of this fact
Life is a precious gift; it has one season
Live it well

Stanski  
September 1, 2021 ^

Light hit the lake this morning
The thunder storm had
Caused a ruckus but this was over
There was a feeling of peace
The August lilies were finished
Natural growing flowers and weeds
Were still in excellent shape and
When you looked you could see
A vast number of limestone pieces
Which had washed ashore 
There would be some exciting 
Opportunity for using these in
My landscaping work
I was filled with giddiness and
Also profound gladness
I recognized the handiwork of nature
I returned to the house and went
Back to my computer where I sat
In the shadows of the day and
Tried to stay focused on my task at hand
It is easy to stray from the 
Thoughts that go into my musings
So many things to think about
People and places where I had connections
But would not be engaging anytime soon
So I continued on my muse and
Started to peck our words
On the bright screen:
“Light hit the lake …”

Stanski
August 31, 2021 ^

You thrill me to Neverland
Just being here with me
Your presence is uplifting
I must raise the flag
Encouragement is essential
And you have not let me down
We live by the family code
There are none who can deny
The landscape is awesome
And needs lots of work
But joy will exist during
The time we see it through
And as long as we live
We are comrades in duty
Support each other
Time may flow by
But we hold our stance
We mark down the details
Check them off one by one
Right now it looks classy
But much work must be done
Those who are helping drive me
To understand that it is
Not the work of the few
But to all who have lent a hand
Much more is facing us, but
We will not draw a line
We will carry on as before
We would be happier, but
The world is in chaos and
Our little effort is nothing
Compared to those who
Willingly gave up their lives
We will honor them by
Doing our best
And vow to never forget
As tears cloud over our eyes

Stanski
August 30, 2021 ^