As a child, – Promote Yourself

As a child, 
I never gave much thought or credence, 
about growing into manhood. 
And one day to my surprise, 
I found I was a man. 

As a man, 
I never gave much consideration or deliberation, 
about growing old; 
Moreover, I busied myself with everyday things, 
and allowed time to slip by unnoticed.
Then one day I stopped to look about, 
I was shocked to discover I was an old man. 

As an old man, 
I never gave much thought or attention, 
about death,
moreover, I busied myself with selfish things, 
again, I allowed time to slip foolishly by,  
and to my disbelief I found I was dying.

As I lay dying, 
I find all my thoughts and concentration, 
probing my memory 
now, I busy myself searching for the memories, 
of family and friends from by gone days, 
I did not miss until it was too late.

 

 

About Me: I am a 63-year-old retired engineer-building contractor who quite recently discovered writing, poetry, and prose. I have no formal training in any discipline where writing was anything more than writing reports or contracts. 
One day while reading a novella, I made the remark, I could write a novella like the one I was reading, and the gauntlet was thrown down. I bought a high school English Grammar book and a college English Grammar book and studied them both from cover to cover. 
I will admit to this day, I write passive sentences, I do occasionally split the infinitive, and least we not forget I might butcher the mechanics, of the English language. However, Word does a wonderful job pointing out those major flaws in my sentences and paragraphs, then gleefully points out those mistakes, and demands they’re fixed immediately. I hate those little red, blue, and green underlines that appear out of no-where when I type.
I wrote in my journals, and I wrote prose and other works for ten years before I posted the first poem on the blog. I wrote of and about everything from inspirational prose to a 400-plus-page World War II novel. And numerous short stories and essays. I even wrote a porn story of 75000 words, and I think, I will let it languish in the hallowed cylinders of my hard drive until I can find an out of the way place to post it. 
Out of all my pieces I have penned, I have had two published one in a book of prose and the other in the Harleys Owners Group (HOG Magazine) Volume 21 on the exhaust page.

Please visit Short Stories and other Writings at http://frgoulding.com. I hope you will enjoy reading them. 
Thank you, Frank Goulding.

The Darkest Day – Promote Yourself

The one on whom we pinned our hopes is now forever gone;
His broken, twisted corpse has shown all witnesses Rome won!
His promises of life and mercy clearly all a fraud,
Hide and lock yourselves away before you face a viscous sword!

What was he thinking? When they came he told us not to fight,
He surrendered with such calm, as if he controlled that night.
We could have made a break for it and seen another day,
With all the wonders that he worked, there had to be another way…

When he merely said his name, they all fell to the ground,
Wasn’t he supposed to clear the temple then be crowned?
Clearly not, no king would choose to die the way he did,
When morning comes it will be time that we all fled and hid.

Deny you ever knew him our you’ll share his shameful fate,
Our home towns might just take us back, if it’s not too late.
Our women want to see the tomb, embalm his body right,
There they go, despite the gloom of dawn’s approaching light…

http://benzwycky.com/2014/04/19/the-darkest-day/

Walking

Taking my baby for a walk.
Enjoying the shadows that play across his sweet little face
As we move in and out of the trees.
A gentle breeze rustling the leaves, distant birdsong,
The calm clatter of pram wheels along the cobbled path.
Watching the curious look in his innocent eyes
As he takes in the scenery passing by.
Is there any moment more peaceful, more wonderful,
A greater advert for life?
The only way to make this memory any better
Is to share it with you.

http://benzwycky.com/2013/03/30/walking/

Seasons

Forested deep purity
Dusted with a winter’s glow;
Crystalline perpetuity
Takes its place in nature’s show.

Fresh sunlight plays with diamonds soft
That glisten as they sing
In silent awe that drifts aloft
A peaceful offering.

Great ice sheets yield to spring’s sweet kiss
And snow gives way to rain;
Arboreal chants blend fragrant mists
That flood the fertile plain.

New fauna dance with life unbound
And quiver as they sleep,
Loathe to miss one sight or sound
Or lose one joy so deep.

Streams trickle, tumbling, giggling down
And nourish all they meet;
Young bucks do battle with their crowns
Their heroes to unseat.

Fierce summer heat strips arid earth
Of all that’s failed to thrive;
Refreshing flows gain countless worth
For all to stay alive.

Massed Shady greens turn mighty light
Into life’s currency;
Frantic deals done day and night
In this dependency.

Old summer takes his bow in style
With whirls of amber shades.
Harvests picked and safely piled
As daily brightness fades.

Most heed the warnings in the sky
Of winter’s coming wrath:
In insulated sanctuary lie
Or take a southward path.

And so the cycle runs again
It’s glorious phases through;
Enjoy their transient beauty, then,
And savour them anew.

http://benzwycky.com/2013/04/06/seasons/

Space

Warm sun on your back,
Cool breeze in your hair.
Here is space to relax
Or reflect, if you dare.

Space to breathe,
Space to think.
Space to revel in the wonder of reality:

The grandeur of a hilltop,
The beauty of a tree.
The charms of lilting birdsong,
And life’s stunning mystery.

The carefree laughs of children,
Friendly dogs at play.
Sights and sounds that lift your mood,
And turn around your day.

The gently rippling field of grass,
Fresh air after the rain.
Cascading smells and textures that
Make this world far from plain.

The mighty soaring orchestra
That sweeps your off your feet
And takes your heart to places new
As two worlds seem to meet.

Gentle words of solace,
A comforting embrace.
All this and more to ponder
In this quiet, peaceful space.

http://benzwycky.com/2012/10/05/space/

I’m an English ex-pat living in the Czech Republic with my Czech wife, four sons and daughter. I have a degree in Chemical engineering, but I work as a freelance proof-reader and occasional translator, mostly for various local scientific research institutions and Church organisations, but we used to do more translating for a post-production studio (for example, we translated every episode of ‘Duck Tales’ into Czech for dubbing). I have a self-published novel out, but zero success getting any of my poetry published (I entered a couple of contests, won one but never got the prize, entered a pay to enter one and never heard back from them, so I’ve given up on contests). My next project will be based on the ‘Joy of…’ series on my blog, interspersing the steps in the philosophical journey with poems appropriate to the given subject.

The Science of Surrender – Promote Yourself

 

You exist now but in memories

that permeate my skin

and crawl their way into my mind

in an instant devouring

the last semblance of

a vain façade of animosity

of which I’ve never been convinced.

 

With each atom of my being

magnetized by your allure

you manipulate my limbs;

bending knees to your devotion

you are a master puppeteer

whose once soft whispers have become

a paralysing  howl.

 

Armed with defences  paper-thin

I am a failure at deception

demolishing feeble barricades

you seep into my porous walls

illuminating through a guise

of rough exterior grown transparent

the fragile creature at my core.

Wounded in an open field

I lie in wait to be consumed.

Written By: Katie

 Campbell, CA

About Me: I am a 27-year old graduate student pursuing my masters in Clinical Psychology, with the hope of ultimately becoming a licensed psychotherapist. Writing has always been an incredible outlet for me, not only as a means of self-expression but also as a vehicle to create something of beauty out of the ugliness generated by painful emotions and difficult life experiences. Aside from writing, I have a huge appreciation for art, all things reptilian, cosplay and body modification (tattoos and piercings). In my free time, I enjoy reading, shooting my bow, nerding out to video games, hanging out with my crested gecko and ball python, watching sci-fi/action films and keeping myself in shape through hiking, jogging and strength-training. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work!

Check Me Out on WordPress: http://apraxiaofspeech.wordpress.com/