Steve Haarman

The days keep changing. One day winter,

The next day spring. The wait for regular

Warm days goes on. An itch to get my

Hands in the soil does not go away.

I have given up on vegetables because

The animals always ruin my efforts, so

I stick with landscaping. It is fun to take

A blank piece of land and work it into

A beautiful sculptured masterpiece, which

People can enjoy and admire. They usually

Ask me where I get my ideas and I can only

Say that they come to me as I am working

Along. When I am finished with an area

I move on when the time is right to

Somewhere new. It seems you never run

Out of things to do when landscaping.

The maintenance of your work is forever

Ongoing. It is never tiresome and the

Challenge to improve it never goes away.

Warmer weather is imperative and I can

Hardly wait to get started.

Stanski

April 10, 2023, ^

IN YOUR BONNET

Sunshine falls on the lake’s waves

making shadows which keep moving

like people in a parade. There is a

general direction, and everyone looks

the same. The waves are similar and

if it were a real parade there would

be a lot of strutting and showing off.

After all this is Fifth Avenue and the

photographers are busy trying to

outdo each other. Meanwhile

the waves keep rolling and the

“crowd” keeps scampering along.

Some of the elites are wondering

if they will make the pages of the

rotogravure where the socialites

will see them. They will try to write

sonnets about their Easter bonnets,

but those who should care are also

busy writing and the truth is, it is

starting to rain on the parade.

The marchers are scampering

for shelter. The waves are slower

now, rolling quietly and the sun

is going in and out and it looks

like people leaving a stadium

in the fourth quarter with their

team doomed to defeat. There

will be other times, other parades,

and other years. We must be

optimistic now, don’t we? The

parade is pagan, in a way, when

you remember the real reason

for Easter Sunday.

Stanski

April 9, 2023, ^

NEVER AFRAID TO GO BACK

You stand alone on the edge of

the woods, a little confused, not

knowing if he is coming out or

going in. It is easy to get

disorientated when the territory

is new to you. The sky gives no clues,

and the songs of nature all sound

the same, no matter which way you

turn. Ahead is nothing you recognize,

so you advance in that direction feeling

secure in your decision. The path seems

real enough and your confidence returns.

You hear the bubbling of a brook that

brings you peace and the sound of deep

voices which make you take a step back.

Carefulness is imperative in these situations.

Safety is something you don’t forget about.

Now you must figure out what these deep

gurgitations are, so you carefully advance

trying to keep out of sight. As you come

to a gorge you realize that you are hearing

echoes from the tundra below. Feeling

better you advance for a while and then

turn around to return to the woods. You

arrive to where you exited and feel confident

that you are going the right way. You

proceed throughthe woods and recognize some

of the trail marking you inadvertently made. You

follow along to where the woods thin out

and soon come to the side where

you began. I am a great explorer you feel

as you begin to see the landmarks. You

are proud of your accomplishment

but decide to keep it to yourself.

It is a good decision as no one will

have any unwarranted expectations

of you. You act very normal as you

arrive home and receive the usual

greetings. It has been a great adventure.

Stanski

April 8, 2023, ^

A blackbird rises from the side of the road

I take its flight as a signal

What it could be, I do not know

Maybe a call to slow down

It is morning, and I’m driving east

The sun is bright and hard on my eyes

Music is playing, and I feel relaxed

Two deer dart out of the woods

They scamper across the road

I narrowly miss hitting them

Thankful is putting it mildly

I remember the Blackbird

Nature can be very enchanting

If only we give it a chance

Take time to smell the roses

This old saying comes to mind

Everything and everyone are connected

We don’t always understand

But the blackbird connected today

An event that I would call grand

Stanski

April 7, 2023, ^

In this upside-down world,

we witness many things

we do not like. Tornados,

earthquakes, floods, fires,

locusts eating crops to the

point that there can be no

harvest, religious persecution,

wars over territories, blizzards,

starvation, thirst, and many

other unconscionable activities.

We are bothered, bewildered,

and awkward in how we deal

with these problems. The fix

usually has huge costs and the

monies have been used for wars,

genocide, welfare, government

 sponsored nonessentials, and

the promotion of other foolish

causes. It makes one sick, and

we should take a second look

at our priorities. But I sit in

wonder when I read that

one of Babe Ruth’s baseball bats

sold at auction for almost

two million dollars. I am dazed,

stunned and sick to my stomach

as I think of the Haitian mother

who has to walk for two miles over

rough terrain to get a jar of water

and then back again to make a soup

made of grasses and weeds for her

children dying of malnutrition.

I pray to God for His grace and mercy.

Stanski

April 6, 2023, ^

People wander

In a sense – clueless

Possess no questions such as

Who am I?

What am I doing?

What purpose do I exist for?

They just are

Carry on

Part of a crowd
Influenced in similar fashion

Follow the leader

Monkey see, monkey do

Life

Death

Birth

Repeat

A devil’s chant

Losses

Tears

Burials

Feasts

Movement

Without direction

Survival

A poet’s mystery

Stanski

March 30, 2023, ^

The tire swing is moving back

and forth and sometimes in a

circular route. The visual brings

to me a yearning for summer,

where a sandy beach replaces

an icy road. Winter has its place

in the big picture, but most are

ready for the change. Spring

brings us to our knees in thanks

for our redemption. Christians,

Jews and others celebrate this

in their way, and pagan traditions

have become part of it just as

black ice has become part of

winter. We have to slow down

and take one day at a time and

think about what our goal is.

It will change as time changes,

and we should not disregard

our inclinations to do good,

especially for those who need

help in the world. Look around

in any direction and we can see

trouble that calls for our

intervention. Sometimes we

can physically help; other times

we help by giving money and

our prayers. The Father

knows about all the problems

and has given us free will.

He will never leave us in

situations where we cannot

overcome adversities. The tire

swings and the world keeps on

turning. We must keep active

in doing what we have been

taught to do. only then will

we find peace.

Stanski

March 29, 2023, ^

Listening to the chirps

Songbirds are chirping

Happy as can be

Going after their feed seed

A delightful community

Here for a while

Then gone

Only to return for more

Than they can hold

They have no instincts

Which say save for tomorrow

No thought of risk whatsoever

They are warmed by the sun

As they find a place to rest

For them life just goes on

No survival of the fittest

They seem perpetual

These little dark birds

Through all the seasons

Through the sun and the clouds

They will chase large birds

Until they stay away

Animals don’t bother them

Little seeds are not on

The menu unless they are desperate

Blackbirds take delight in watching them

They are like big brothers

When the feeder is empty

The birds stay away from it

No note of thanks is given

Just the delight in watching them

They keep checking and before

You know it more seed is provided

The birds are delighted and

Sing with glee like the larks

Happy like the chickadee

Stanski

March 28, 2023, ^

Songbirds are chirping

Happy as can be

Going after their feed seed

A delightful community

Here for a while

Then gone

Only to return for more

Then they can hold

They have no instincts

Which say, save for tomorrow

No thought of risk whatsoever

They are warmed by the sun

As they find a place to rest

For them life just goes on

No survival of the fittest

They seem perpetual

These little dark birds

Through all the seasons

Through the sun and the clouds

They will chase large birds

Until they stay away

Animals don’t bother them

Little seeds are not on

The menu, unless they are desperate

Blackbirds take delight in watching them

They are like big brothers

When the feeder is empty

The birds stay away from it

No note of thanks is given

Just the delight in watching them

They keep checking and before

You know it more seed is provided

The birds are delighted and

Sing with glee like the larks

Happy like the chickadee

Stanski

March 28, 2023, ^

This is not about

What was conceived in a dream

It is about a dream

I remember it vividly,

Save for some particulars and

I don’t like any of it,

But can’t say why

I was lying in a car on the back seat

Taking a nap when it started moving

This was not good

There was no driver

I knew there would be a crash

No way to move to get this turned around

My arms were pinned down and

Both were asleep when I woke

The crisis was over

A good thing too

It was 5 P.M. and

Still light outside

Plenty of time to get some things done

Tough being retired

Someone has to do it

This nap had been one of the best

The dream had to come to an end

I got up, still fully clothed

Thought about how

Dreams can wear you out and

I thought of other perturbations

We, old folks, have to deal with

Dwelled for just a moment about

How the young folks think

They have it so hard and

Make a point of complaining

They have no idea

Stanski

March 27, 2023, ^