Steve Haarman

  
 It is very quiet
 There is a hum from the refrigerator
 I opened a door
 I listen to a fairly cool wind and
 The waves were pounding the beach again 
 This changed the quiet to a roar
 The wind and waves operate efficiently without a permit,
 Giving and taking as they please
 The DEQ people are government men
 They follow the rules and even make some up
 An endangered iris can call off a beautifully planned resort
 Nature will remove it and there is not a whimper
 Men can be controlled, but you cannot fool mother

 Winter started early in October, but doesn’t start 
 Until late in December, meaning we will only
 Have about seven months of it this year
 That is unless April gives us a break
 It is hard to think of November already
 Wasn’t is just Labor Day
 So many things happening
 Too much chatter
 Statements made that defy logic
 I can only wonder and hope
 Many of my friends have left for their winter homes
 I am not a snow bird
 I saw a red-headed woodpecker yesterday
 Took it for a good omen 
  
 Stanski
 November 2, 2019 

.
 I woke up and checked the clock
 Had slept most of the day
 Must be a bug or something
 Now it is almost 2 A.M.
 Thoughts run through my mind
 I am happy and I am sad
 Happy about my perspective and
 Sad about the world condition
 We celebrated Halloween for about
 A month in Manistique
 Decorations were up early and
 Survived all the storms 
 People wore costumes to work
 One minister said he didn’t wear them
 For him, I thought, they weren’t necessary
 Why does my mind work like that?
 He is a nice man and no malice was intended
 No one trick or treats in my neighborhood
 Not enough residents at home to make it worthwhile
 One year I bought a bunch of pencils decorated with pumpkins
 I had them all four years later and dropped them off at the library
 They had a good laugh 
  
 Stanski
 November 2, 2019
   

 Ducks crossing a road
 Autos slow to a stop
 How adorable
 It is said by
 One of the many
 Talking heads
 Lovely, really nice
  
 Considerate drivers
 All to be commended
 The ducks are safe
 That is good
 But adorable? 
 Isn’t that to be 
 Reserved for God?
 Am I being petty?
  
 No, just upset
 With the misuse of words
 They all have meaning
 Should be used in
 The proper context
 We take these liberties 
 Meanings are watered down
 Until character
 No longer has a meaning
  
 Stanski
 August 8, 2019 ^ 

 I am a dreamer
 Such a lovely thing
 I had a dream
 Has a special ring
 Many mope, wondering
 What is there to do?
 Go find some work; get tired
 Or go crazy like some old fool
  
 Mow your lawn
 Wash your face
 Have a nice lunch
 Don’t forget to say grace
 I am a dreamer
 I sit and dream
 Some think it’s easy
 But it’s not as it seems
  
 I am not someone
 Who has given up
 So much out there to live for
 And many to share the cup
 I dream of trees lit up
 By the early morning sun
 The sky bright in color
 When the day is nearly done
  
 Some complain; it isn’t fair
 Get a life; I don’t care
 Go to the library; a flower shop
 Clean up you mess; use a mop
 I dream
 It’s not a mystery
 I visualize reality
 I witness history
  
 I am a dreamer
 With plenty to do
 I give directions
 For the sake of people like you
 I dream my dreams
 Then make my claims
 If I am wrong
 I’ll take all the blame
  
  
  
  
 I know of possibilities
 Share with those who care
 Follow the plans carefully
 But only if you dare
 Or wallow in self-pity
 The way that many will
 I’ll keep on dreaming
 Never swallow the bitter pill
  
 I am a dreamer
 That’s what dreamers do
 Accomplishments are many
 I dream the same for you
  
 Stanski
 August 20, 2019^
   

.
 I think back to the beginning of summer
 All the things laying ahead
 A stack of commitments 
 Visitors coming here and me going there
 All of the promises
 Ambition exceeded reality
 Now I look back as we near the end
 It wasn’t so bad; certainly not a failure
  
 Two weeks of children visiting
 Joyous time along with sorrow
 Lying to rest our youngest
 A hurtful loss; will never be forgotten
 A reunion with my brothers
 Poetry still flowing from my heart
  
 Stanski
 August 28, 2019 ^ 

 I didn’t write yesterday
 And felt a little dismay
 Courage wasn’t part of the fare
 Disenchantment too, was not in play
 It was a Monday, gray, wet and cold
 All plans were put on hold
 The body aches at a certain age
 Puts one in a state of rage
  
 I think now of days gone by
 Friends I had and all the dreams
 Most are gone.  I am alone it seems,
 But as for dreams, I still keep them alive
 The elements have a way of pulling you down
 Tempt you to give up the ghost
 But the excitement of just living
 Will not allow me to begin to coast
  
 Some are through with adventure
 Real living for them is over
 They seem to have forgotten ambition
 Are satisfied with their fields of daisies 
 I still long for the hills
 The ups and downs they give
 Keeps the thrill of victory alive
 My hopes for as long as I live
  
 Stanski
 October 22, 2019 ^ 

 The wind and sea are fierce allies
 Destroying at a whim what honest men built
 Homes drop off cliffs, forever destroyed
 Others uninhabitable because of their tilt
 And the wind continues to blow
 To watch from a distance brings a glow
 Nature, by nature, puts on a show
  
 It is foolish to watch and panic
 No need for a plan to recover
 We must wait until the storm is over
 The damage then we will discover
 A bench and its platform are gone
 At least it is out of sight
 Maybe washed out to sea
 Covered with water and sand may be its plight
  
 Where we once played a game of bocce
 We could now play water polo
 Although it is too cold to play
 We feel we lost part of our soul
 What we had been given
 Has now been taken away
  
 Thankfully we live on higher ground
 Can see the damage, hear the sound
 This will end, just like the rain always does
 Then the extent of our loss will be found
  
 Stanski
 October 22, 2019 ^ 

 I had that feeling of going west
 When I was young and had a career
 But I got lured into sticking around
  
 It was my decision and cost me 40 years
 A lot happened in that period of time
 There are no regrets
 It was beautiful
 You can imagine
  
 Then the career was over
 We moved north
 No one wanted to get aboard
 They went west 
 Wanted to be in the mountains
  
 You’ve heard the story
 Nothing new
 We were free and
 The living was easy
  
 Nothing stays easy for long
 You get involved and
 One thing leads to another
  
 Some say you are nuts
 Maybe they are right, but
 We walk in our own shoes
  
 Community is community and
 People care about things
  
 No matter what happens
 They are there and we were happy
  
 Children do come home for a while
 They liked the lake shore vacation
 Then they leave and life goes on
 until if finally doesn’t
  
 Stanski
 October 24, 2019
   

 Choose the difficult; results are rewarding
 Avoid the easy route; it takes you
 to a place you didn’t want to be
  
 I respect the guy who made the mistake,
 took convenience as a sign of love and
 went off the deep end when things 
 didn’t work out
  
 Isn’t it a duty to pat one on
 the back and say it’s alright?
 Things may be bad, but they could 
 be worse and you are alive and
 tomorrow will be a new day
  
 Try walking uphill for a while.  
 Get used to things not being easy
 You wake up with a new attitude,
 ready to plunge into new experiences
  
 You’ll be ready for success or failure
 Honor the past, the birth place of wisdom
  
 The struggle was worth the falling down 
 and the getting up is a credit to you
  
 Bleeding stops; wounds heal 
 You have hurt people, but
 forgiveness is available
  
 New starts are waiting.  
 Just don’t wait too long
  
 Standki
 October 24, 2019 ^ 

 I love the seasons
 Winter, fall, summer and spring
 So poetic when strung together
 Almost a song to sing
 Winter is dominate
 Many, many, windy, cold, snowy days
 Will it ever end is the cry
 But then we really don’t have the say
  
 We usually enjoy half of a spring
 And mostly all of summer
 Fall has a great deal of its way
 Winter again promises to be a hummer
 We are a hardy group though
 And the weathers not that bad
 It is just that we go through some streaks
 That make a lot of people sad
  
 Official winter is two months away
 Some would argue it’s unofficially here
 Colors of autumn are spectacular
 Soothing and neutralizing our fear
 Also new is the season of thanks
 The harvest has been gathered so proudly
 Whatever the weather it is a great country
 And this, us Upers, shout our loudly
  
 Stanski
 October 23, 2019 ^