Steve Haarman

The days of writing go on
Sometime there is self-doubt
This is not bad
You dig a little deeper
Looking for a shining stone
Which will give you inspiration
And help carry you forward
No awards are sought
This avoids all pressure
Just keep writing 
From the soul
People who get it 
Will find what they need
A lift on a dismal day
This is good elixir
I know my stuff is first rate
But it makes no difference to me
There are some who
Think they are first rate
They self-publish at
Various intervals
Act humble
Which is good
Because the writing
Is usually second rate
But they are happy
Their family and friends are also
I am happy for them
But bumper to bumper
What do you want?
Gloss or truth

Stanski
June 25, 2021 ^

I come from a different direction
Am not familiar with the way
Creatures who have passed before me
Are quiet ones; they have nothing to say

I cannot be held back by frivolity
And will continue as I have
Not knowing is the excellence of the travel
A truth that many others have

But they have not come along this path
I see no marking by stone or on tree
An episode, original, is pleasing to me
Not knowing the outcome; cannot see

I have embarked with laughter and tears
Never knowing if I should perhaps return
The mysteries of life are strange indeed and
Here is so much ahead of me that I will learn

I tremble not with guilt and not with fear
All of my dues were pain; the slate is clear
Persons left behind whom again I may never see
Dear ones, sweet people, folks that I hold dear

I listen now for guidance; I would rather not stumble
Will not retreat; my decision was made
I have faith in nature and in the Father above
By fortune and determination, I will make the grade

Stanski
June 19, 2021 ^

In church now and
I hear prayers and echoes
of prayers being said.

I am of the belief that
these prayers will be heard
by the One Who taught
us how to pray

Even as many have doubts
because they have prayed before
and it seems that because they
apparently were not answered
in the expected way that 
they were not heard

The answers to prayer are 
not always obvious and we
miss it at the time or 
other things happen which
take us in the direction
we were praying for

Would this not be an answer?
Sometimes we are held back 
and feel disappointed but later 
recognize this as a gift because 
we were left exposed to opportunities 
we never fathomed which take us 
way beyond what we once wished for

Faith is a beautiful thing
To have it is a gift and luxury
Praise be to God on this 
beautiful June day and always

Stanski
June 23, 2021 ^

I just read a poem in 
one of my poetry books 
while I was rearranging 
my bookcase and eliminating 
some of the excess.   
I believe it had the title, “Picasso”, 
and that is what caught my eye.
I read the poem and then put the book down.
When looking for it later it could not be found,
a cause of real frustration.   
In the poetic story 
Picasso comes over for dinner and 
smacks his lips as they eat 
roast beef, potatoes with gravy, 
a fresh green salad and 
some fine medium bodied red wine.  
After dinner they sit on 
the back porch and talk.  
Then Picasso walks out to 
the shed saying, 
“I will make you some art”.  
He finds a broken bike frame, 
some stove pipe, wire, old tools, 
a few feathers and some paint.  
Pablo fashions an artistic piece, 
embellished, as only he could, with 
the green feathers and paint.
He gives it to the hosts, gifting them
with a “Here you are”.  
While mom and dad are in 
their praise and thank you mode, 
the teenage son walks by and 
looking at the art object says, 
“What in the hell is that?” 
giving new meaning to 
the phrase that one man’s junk is 
another man’s art or something like that.  
Day and night, night and day, 
you are the one.  
That is you Pablo, and sadly 
I cannot find you.

Stanislaus Kuperski the Firski AKA Stanski
February 22, 2015 ^

Where did the day go or
The week, month and even the year
We watch time fly by
There are many variables which
Affect our attitude and satisfaction
We reflect on what has transpired
Accomplishments, growth and failures
There were opportunities 
We know we missed, but
For now we only have this day
I look at the clock
There are less than two hours left
I peek back on what has gone on
Conclude that this day was successful
There is no end to what can be done
Our energy levels are important
Some days we feel like sleeping
This is a sign of age
A nap is not all bad, but
A whole day in bed cannot be healthy
There may be some underlying reason
I do not think about depression
It is a natural occurrence, but
Not a reason to stop living
There is so much to do and as
I said, time is flying
No need to regroup, but
There is a need to keep on moving and
Finding joy in all the things that
Come your way
This leads to a fullness that not
Everyone enjoys
If we are lucky
There will be a tomorrow and
We can start in all over

Stanski
June 18, 2017 ^

What we want
We sometimes
Turn away from
We do not 
Know why, but
Everything 
Will not change
Just because
We are insolent 

We give up 
On our love
For others
On possibilities
And beliefs
On hope and
Relationships
We cower 
From reality

We shrug
Walk away from
What might 
Have been
No hope exists
No curiosity
No encouragement
Just facing what
We find absent

Then our God
And nature itself
Intervenes 
We know that
We don’t know
Our destiny 
We turn back
With grateful heart
To live, love and hope

Stanski
June 21, 2021 ^

YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW

Some of the artifacts from

the great old movies,

called classic by those in the know,

are being auctioned off

for millions of dollars. 

The sizzle in the advertising

is a little flat, but you

can’t argue with the numbers. 

The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca,

Breakfast at Tiffany’s,

to name a few,

have pieces of memorabilia

worth many dollars. 

The announcer says it’s like

owning art and maybe so. 

He mentioned Renoir,

Degas and Cezanne. 

What about Warhol and Lichtenstein? 

They are doing pretty good at auction.  

I looked out in the garage and found

an old garden rake that I used

when I first started yard keeping. 

It has a lot of sentimental value to me

and ought to be worth some big bucks. 

In the attic is a television,

broken I might add,

that we used to watch

the Howdy Doody Show and

the Disney Mousekateers

I’m sentimentally thinking

a lot of money here, but

then you never know. 

It is all just stuff and

significance is in the eyes of the beholder. 

An old bowling ball, a fat-tire bicycle and

a Wilson tennis racket are all there

waiting for discovery. 

Step right up;

may I draw your attention to the center ring?

Stansberry McKricken aka Stanski

October 27, 2015^

May Your Light shine

out of this darkness

in which we find ourselves

in the midst of a world

in chaos where those

bound to eventual death

want power and control

now, without regard to

cost, not only financial,

but in the well being of

God’s children

Plotting and maneuvering

are taking place in a corrupt

world from the Vatican to

Washington DC, from

Venezuela to Russia and

From the Bahamas to China

In the Middle East, where

the best one can do is to

have faith and hope to

survive and serve

May Your Light shine

upon us even though

we continue to violate Your

laws and ignore Your precepts

Our journey back to You

will be arduous but still

the only road to take

Stanski

June 10, 2021 ^

Do we have it wrong?
Can everything be solved 
with a song to the One most high?
I hear voices crackling 
trying to reach high notes
and anchors thrown over the
sides of boats by those who
heard the church bells ring and
did not wish to miss out
on anything and the
sailors cry, but to those
who have gone before and
no answers do they hear

For the story has already
been told and though
we didn’t listen then, there
is still the chance that
we can make the bells glisten
and feel better but then again
we should seek redemption 
beyond the cross because
we didn’t learn the lesson

But now, so much later
we are ready to say forgive us
as we took our chances but
see how foolish that is so
ring the bells that promise
forgiveness and we will go
back to our jobs of serving
knowing that this is what
was meant by all of those
speaking from authority 
I think we have it right

Stanski
June 9, 2021 ^

ROAD TO POSITIVE ACTION
How do you see it?
If you don’t open your eyes
Expecting failure
When optimism says victory
Wasn’t your heart moved
In a positive way
When examples were presented
To demonstrate needs?
Reasons to proceed
To defeat adversaries
Who have crippled us
Up to this point
Why are we blinded
By prejudice?
Predispositions we
Don’t even understand

We stay in a column
Because we always have
Wear blinders
They’re comfortable
Turn down the sound
When truth is too loud
The dreamers dream
Drummers drum
Who gets the job done?
Those that do
Lead the pact
Others will follow
Dreams into action
Eyes open up
Listen for the music
We’re on our way

Stanski
January 30, 2018 ^