Steve Haarman

It is a thrill to listen to intelligent people. 

They articulate the truth without notes,

answer questions without deferring to others. 

A breath of fresh air could be a comparison. 

Conversely so much of what we question is

answered not from the heart, but from notes

which are read and stumbled through. 

These unconvincing retorts become

the truth to the media.  Obviously detrimental

to our national interests—they stand. 

The main streamers take comfort in carrying water. 

They are allies to corruption and promote anarchy. 

They’re against the protection of our borders,

allowing sex traffickers, drug smugglers and

terrorists to infiltrate the country and ruin lives

while some leaders remain in the basement cheering,

hoping that disruption will enhance their chances. 

They will come up for air if they think it will be convenient. 

A president goes to devastated cities to reassure and encourage. 

He knows that lives have been destroyed by riots, fires and looting. 

Black Lives Matter is not about African Americans, much like Antifa

they are a Marxist Socialist Group.  They welcome chaos and

travel from state to state, city to city, wherever

they can cause destruction and terrorism. 

The air is fresh when we hear that we will overcome

these evil tactics and must because we are the last great hope

for liberty and freedom in the world.  We will overcome

the adversities affecting our country and become

the place where everyone willing to work hard can succeed

and understand that free enterprise has it all over

the ideals of socialism where eventually

everyone is equal in their share of misery.

Stanski

September 4, 2020^

I think of an old friend who loved to work the garden. 

He loved the early morning but would go about his desire

no matter what the time and when he looked at it if

it was pleasing to him then he was satisfied. 

He didn’t get involved to win awards or acclamation

for his inner being is where the satisfaction existed. 

He was tireless but did take time to rest and even

took naps during the heat of the day. 

Little animals around the garden were his friends. 

He never worried about them because

they would never do any harm. 

He liked having them there and would often

ask them for approval.  He didn’t need it

but was generous in the giving spirit. 

He clipped and trimmed and his efforts always

resulted in a “canvas” that any artist would be proud of. 

He slowed down as the years advanced and

one year put his tools away for good. 

He had emptied himself and had nothing left to give. 

The garden and landscape still looked good for a few years

until the weeds finally took over.  His little friends

missed his chatter, but somehow you had the feeling

that they understood.  There is a lot we don’t know

about animals and their relationship with us.

We seem to have that superior feeling and can dismiss

important relationships with a blink of an eye. 

The “Garden-man” died a few years later. 

The little friends disappeared to go on with their instinctive living. 

The old man was also a poet and had many poems

about his garden, the animals and life in general. 

Those who had a chance to read them grew to know

the soul of the gardener.  It was hard to separate

his words from his plantings for they amounted to

the same thing to him.  He saw nature, worked with it

even when difficult and saw the outcome of his efforts. 

He knew he had been a caretaker and now

he was with the real Gardener.  His poetry told

this story in a way that was very settling and

instructive to those reading it.  We have no say. 

We just open up to be guided by that hand

which holds so much promise.  His life was really a sermon

and could be told over and over and always remain fresh. 

Stanski

September 3, 2020 ^

I sit down to write and

the first thing I think is that

I hope my mind does not go blank,

but it does, so I play some blues

because it is just one of those kind of days. 

Gray clouds with no sunshine and

a little too much wind. 

I can make it through because

there is no other choice. 

I think of my cousins who are in

the midst of heat waves and damaging storms. 

They need a song for them,

something with a little drum beat

that will lift the soul and remove

the forlorn look that I am sure is there. 

It is summertime, watermelon weather and

almost time for that old devil moon to be full again. 

If we are lucky the clouds will go and

we will have a bright, bewitching sky that we all have fun with. 

Tell me why we get into these funky moods from time to time. 

Could it be of love lost and the notion that

so many good times have been lost? 

Looking back on what was, while my heart was alive

with feelings for the significant other, I can only remember

the laughing, loving, talking, shopping, eating out or at home

with the music, wine and romantic feeling. 

These thoughts are sustaining and will have to do until

someone else comes along and wants to

share their everything with me. 

The road of life has many detours and there are unexpected delays. 

I have dreams that I am holding someone and

a peaceful feeling comes over me. 

I get misty but there is no smoke and as is said—no smoke, no fire—

so I resign myself to reality.  I will not cry a river,

but will look straight ahead until someone gets in my way and will not move. 

I may give her moon flowers and tell her that all the things she is are mine. 

I may hold her and not let her get away until

she finds some reason and says it is not to be. 

I’ll remember that night under the moon and how it ended too soon,

but I will still get a thrill thinking of you. 

Memories are so cool, but dreams have their place, too,

so I will keep dreaming while I go on remembering.

Stanski

September 2, 2020^

THE ART OF GIVING

It is not what you have done. 

It is what you can do. 

We often sell ourselves short,

But with Jesus holding our hands

The things we can do to improve

Condition are unlimited. 

We all begin, usually start small

And slowly grow with success

Being an encouraging factor. 

“We are all accountable and

Have choices to make. 

We can walk away with excuses

Or face up to our challenges. 

The wise will sacrifice and

Choose need over wants. 

We have one sacred life. 

It is a precious gift and the fact

That we were born in the land of

The free and brave is a bonus. 

With this goes responsibility and

We would be foolish to ignore it. 

We have chances to give and

Then give more and still more. 

It is easy to quit when frustration sets in,

But it is much wiser to double down

And renew our goals twice fold. 

There are those who give locally and

Others who recognize suffering beyond

Our border as well as goals to be achieved. 

Young women have worked hard to achieve

Under adverse situations.  They are on their own,

(Their parents dead or have abandoned them) and  

they have had the courage to carry on. 

They are all over the world but where we can help is

in Central America, India and Kenya, where

organizations exist to funnel help to them.

I have read their stories.  They have outperformed me,

in my opinion, when I was at my best. 

I cry for them and will support them,

giving back what I have been given by

the grace of God Almighty. 

Children in Sierra Leone are receiving a

Christian education and those suffering

in Haiti, India and Central America,

although with great faith in Jesus, will continue

to receive help from me, which will be

a way of honoring my Savior. 

I believe in improving circumstance

and know that I need the help of this Savior. 

He died on the cross for all of us and

I can at least give back not until it hurts,

but until it feels good. 

I have my favorites, but will try to never

leave anyone behind.  It is not what I have done

but what I can do.

Stanski

September 1, 2020 ^

Does it matter what we have told you? 

Does it matter at all the promises not kept?

 Does it matter my children are in the

same class rooms that my parents were

promised would be replaced and improved. 

Just be patient and wait.  Your time will come. 

“We can only do so much at a time.” 

These empty promises prevailed and

now you would be wise to listen to one

who has improved our condition and done

more for us than any man since Abraham Lincoln. 

Now the left takes an incident in Minneapolis

and creates a planned anarchy which expands

to Liberal run cities across the nation where

the cry to defund the Police prevails and fire,

looting, destruction, and more deaths

set a tone of what you should get used to. 

Who pays these strangers who come to

push you over the cliff into the chaos of racism,

needless deaths and absolute tyranny which will

have a great cost if we are to restore life back

to normal?  You know the answer. 

What is going on is a ploy by us against ourselves

with the blame being pointed to those who truly

wanted to help us.  We were not ready for what

we saw was happening; could not believe that

finally someone kept their word.  We were

swayed by the Antifa and Black Lives Matter

paid agitators to join into the melody of anarchy. 

Who will pay for all of this?  Who will pay?

The man who made the promises, stands ready

to get us back on our feet.  Other things will have

to wait until the unrest settles.  Then we can

begin to grow again as we did before we were

feared into following a path of self-destruction. 

We have another chance.  Let us put our talents

together and take advantage.  Wouldn’t that be great?

Our children deserve this effort by us.  We have grown

to realize that we have been lied to by the left and

the man who asked, “What have you got to lose?”

has done everything in his power to help us. 

Now it is our turn to help him

Stanski

August 31, 2020 ^

Stars are playing the blue notes in the sky. 

The moon, busy with the tides,

is not orchestrating. 

Music is recognized by all of

the night creatures. 

There are dances and parades;

all is well. 

Anticipation of a full moon

adds to the levity. 

The moon will then let everyone

know what music is about. 

Louis and Ella will be at their best

along with Miles Davis and

Grover Washington, Jr. 

Cognac will be flowing like rivers and

candle light may outshine the stars. 

the heavens expect this;

these jubilees are nothing new. 

They’ve seen it before. 

It is a time for love and glory. 

Listen closely; most everyone agrees. 

Lapping waves reflect the stars and

all is well.

Stanski

August 30, 2020 ^

We do not know how many stood or

the number of those who fell. 

Did the survivors outnumber the heroes

and who were left living to defend

the liberty of strangers and ultimately their own. 

Who were those who stood and

then fell trying to change the course of history,

including the lives of innocent Jews. 

Lives, fates, futures, decisions, possibilities,

orders, incompetence, destruction  and death,

all unknown factors which in a moment’s notice

could change the course of history. 

Who stands these days when

there is something on the line

worthwhile defending and who

takes a knee because they are afraid

to take action to solve problems. 

We read of incompetent leaders

who led their charges into sure death.

Stories of this were altered

to fit appropriate narratives and

throughout history we mourn

the loss of talent and good men

who were willing to stand. 

Fate has been cruel to the ambitious

who knew how to proceed but

were interrupted by death. 

Pride meant nothing as the falling

was the great equalizer. 

Men of all stations, religions, and races

came together and stayed as brothers

until they could stand no more and

today we see those afraid to stand

because then they would not be victims

even though those before them fell to

give them equal opportunity but

they chose to kneel and then

involve themselves in anarchy.

Stanski

August 30, 2020 ^

I am in Your hands.

Please guide me and

allow me to be pleasing

to all those I encounter.

There is much to do.

Help me on my path.

Thank you for the beauty

I see as I move forward.

This day will be a treasure.

Steve Haarman

June 8, 2018

I stand alone, not willing to insult others,

but wondering why and how they can

believe in and promote what the

signs in their yards indicate. 

I take them as intelligent beings

and perhaps stuck in the traditions

of old time politics.

I want two new parties: 

The Swampers who exist for

the purpose of enriching themselves

at the taxpayer’s expense and

the Deplorable who are for

elevating everybody by keeping

taxes low, regulations in tow,

government small and

our military strong. 

These differences are

not too hard to understand

and one can forget about

loyalty to family traditions and

choose the best candidate for

them and their ideals. 

How can wise men choose

declared Marxist Socialists

who wish to radically change

our country over those who

favor our constitutional Republic?  

The sky is cloudy today and

a certain amount of thinking

is being clouded by rhetoric

which is so unreal and

goes against everything we

have used our uniqueness for in order

to become the greatest nation ever. 

This is so hard to understand,

But I believe people are beginning

To see the light and are

Distinguishing between actual

Accomplishments on one hand

And failures and blame on the other

Stanski

August 29, 2020 ^

I keep telling myself that

my nerves are doing all right.

I pray for courage and know

I am not alone.

My prayers are for all of

the faithful people.

I wish my children were her and also

my late bride. All of my

efforts are offered in thanksgiving.

Amen!

Steve Haarman

June 10, 2018