CLOWNS ARE GOOD

The clown on stilts

With the little dog

On the long leash

Was put in charge

Of my writing

The awards began

One after another

I thought I was dreaming

That happens

True to form

I was, but

Now I walk around

With my head high

Knowing that success

Is a possibility and

The feeling

Won’t go away

I honor the dream

Go to the circus

Every year

When it’s in town

The funny thing is

I look for that clown

I did see a kid on stilts

It wasn’t my clown and

He had a dog

I’m still writing

Stanski

August 22, 2020 ^

WRITER CRAMPS

Two o’clock in the morning

Pen is running dry

Ideas are not forming

Yet you want to try

Not ready to admit

It’s probably time to quit

You think perhaps a sonnet

Or maybe a haiku

Don’t want to be redundant

Has to be something new

You hear the seconds ticking

You write words you’re picking

It starts to come along

A sort of futile effort

To show that you belong

Which would be a comfort

You know all the rules

Why do they seem so cruel?

Just a few more lines

Then I’ll have one more

A style you can’t define

But one that doesn’t bore

Willingly forgo quality

By favoring quantity

Stanski

August 22, 2020 ^

COALITION OF MISERY

SO HARD TO BELIEVE

The Political Conventions are on

We hear words from those who

are said to be our leaders, and

anger and accusations are on display.

We have bitter people from one party

speaking out against the other while

the other is praising the opposition because

they lost to their party’s candidate four

years ago and just cannot get over it

The candidate for President was in office

for eight years as Vice-President and

for thirty-nine years before that as a

congressman or senator and points out

how the outsider who has been in office

for only a little less than four years has

done nothing while just the opposite is true.

In spite of being under attack by the media,

the senate investigation, the Mueller

investigation, an impeachment trial,

and members of both parties, he has

accomplished an extraordinary record

The Chinese Virus for which he is blamed

has stalled our economy, but it is recovering

as his opposition is slowly opening up

the lockdown.  He is blamed for deaths

that the opposition caused by poor

decisions, while he provided all he could

under his power to give relief from

a depleted storeroom of supplies left

by the last administration.  The media

is silent on this, even in retrospect

Points are made on what the next group,

if elected, will do.  Nearly all of the positive

things they wish to do have already been done

and they will end many of the things that brought us

back from oblivion.  They will end our energy

run, banning fossil fuels, replace tax cuts

with new taxes, put back in place

crippling regulations, tear down the fence

protecting the southern border,

give free health care to everyone, promote

the murder of the unborn and give food stamps

to illegals, destroy the rule of law, the constitution,

set criminals free, defund the police,

allow cities to burn, disenfranchise our military

and in reality turn our country into a socialist,

Marxist state, while destroying all of

our landmarks and indoctrinating students and

rewriting history.  They say this without a blush.

They call this Build Back Better.

It is so hard to believe that people want

these things to happen, but they have signs

in their yards promoting this change which is

being underwritten by men like George Soros

and others like him who want capitalism to fail

and our country to change into a Cuba or Venezuela.

China will be a big brother. 

Anyone resisting will be executed

Our cities are burning in the present time, but

our schools have left the poor blacks without

proper education even though they have been

promised as they are every four years

that things will change for the better. 

Baltimore is an example of what

broken promises lead too.

Some say our President is uncouth and ill-mannered,

but what do they say about turning a funeral service

into a political rally, desecrating the memory of

a man who was probably trying to live up to

the foolish standards of the left.

So hard to believe!

Stanski

August 21. 2020 ^

MEDITATIONS

The waiting is not always splendid

Many times accompanied with grief

Things done wrong or not done at all

become regrets.  Jesus died for us to

absolve us from this fretting and

anguish.  He wants us to do well.

That is His focus, not evil which

His death voided, but works of good

which will lift us along with others.

Goodness is a release.  Evil an anchor.

Let us be and do good works.  Amen

Steve Haarman 01/30/18

MEDITATIONS

We received a gift of snow and

Knowledge that caution while

Driving or walking was in order

Trusting in Jesus to get us

through this day in a quiet

meaningful way.  His right hand

is waiting for us.  Without Him

who are we and what is our purpose

It does not matter because it is

the Father’s purpose for us that counts. 

We must open up to that purpose.  Amen

Steve Haarman 01/31/2018

ANGELS OR POETS

I think that angels or

Inspired poets wrote

The words of the Good Book

There are challenges and

Reassurances appearing

In every chapter and verse

It is very difficult to believe

In such a wonderful possibility

As peace in God’s heaven for

A life lived well

Many do not believe this

It sounds too good to be true

We rely on faith and trust

That what has been written

Is authentic and when the

End comes we will be

Staking out our claim on

Those streets paved with gold

Many have gone before us and

We are eager to meet up with them

Even more so, it seems, then

Meeting with our creator, brother

And redeemer Who made it possible

This is the nature of man

We cannot possibly understand

We read the sacred words

Live the life we choose because we can

Often without considering the outcome

If we ignore the push there is toward goodness

We are brave, if ignorant, people

Pushing our luck and depending on

A merciful Being, Who will say we

Did well enough and invite us in

To take residence in one of the Father’s rooms

The wise will strive to do good because

It is in that that we are filled up

Happiness comes from giving of ourselves

Avoiding evil is good, but very passive

Being a follower takes courage and compassion

Stanski

August 20, 2020 ^

SURREALISM

Many things are called surreal

Especially now with the Chinese Virus

I feel this way as well

Surrealism is enchanting

Reality, however, supersedes it

Commercials continue as though

Everything is normal;

This is far from the truth

Who can enjoy luxury

When there is so much suffering?

We have to take a step back

Look at ourselves in this world

Acknowledge our gift of life

Ask ourselves about liberty

And the pursuit of happiness

So many places do not have this

What are we to do?

We have little power alone

We can pray together but

Not expect miracles as answers

We can react to what is in front of us

There are needs which we can fulfill

Jesus said, “Follow me”, and we must

We have to reach out to the many

Who are suffering or causing suffering

We cannot be judgmental knowing

That we all have weaknesses

We must empty ourselves for others

Let others follow the example

This is what is real, we call it action

Walking the walk with no pontificating

The surreal will pass, the needs remain ongoing

May we be wise in His name

Stanski

August 19, 2020 ^

IGNORANCE

To move from error

To truth we must

Pass through ignorance

I read this somewhere

And gave it much

Credit

In today’s time we can

See it hold true

In the Chinese Virus episodes

Where erroneous guidelines

Were changed and changed back

And commands of the issues

Were passed along to

Incompetent leaders

Who positioned themselves

On the error side until

The unintended consequence

Of their ignorance finally

Led them to truth

Politics also entered into

The fray and the

Blame game was on

Much to our own demise

Credibility of the media

Which didn’t exist in the

First place was off the charts

With low ratings

Civil unrest, prodded on

By paid anarchists, exploded

We suffered destruction, death,

Fire and defiance

—Total ignorance—

Stanski

August 18, 2020 ^

INTERRUPTED THOUGHT

And artist paints

A beautiful landscape

The colors take me

Southwest

Maybe it is Wyoming,

Utah or New Mexico

A fiery presentation

Above the horizon

A delinquent sky

Almost recalcitrant

Grayish clouds

Interlope with

Magnificent caramel

And bronze with just

A touch of gold

The artist interjects

A rectangular box

Outlined in red

Filled with black

And within the black

Is a blaze of bright yellow

It doesn’t seem to belong

But is boldly present

My peace and

Understanding have

Been interrupted

My thoughts are

To begin again

I will try to get

Into the artist’s mind

Abstract dances well

Within the framework

Of beauty

Stanski

August 17, 2020 ^

ROCK GARDEN

Working, although

With enjoyment,

In the rock garden

I rest for a moment

To catch my breath

Looking up I see

A gray cloud gathering

Beneath the existing white

I would welcome rain

But it does not come

My dream will wait

Tomorrow will not disappoint

I have faith

Stanski

August 17, 2020 ^