Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
Jan 2021 · 79
"Change"
Donald R Xander Jan 2021
"Change"
Don Xander

I sat in the distance ,
Obscure from the two .
Like night and like day ,
They exchanged points of view .

One was pro change ;
The other was not .
I laughed to myself ,
As the battle grew hot .

" If not for the auto ,
Could we get there from here? "
" But think of the deaths ,
That it causes each year. "

" If not for the plane ,
Could man learn to fly? "
" But a lot of good pilots ,
Were shot out of the sky. "

" If not for the ship ,
Could oceans be free? "
" But many a sailor ,
Did we loose at sea. "

" If not for the bulb ,
Could we light up our park? "
" Sometimes we are better ,
Left in the dark! "

" And what of the radio ,
What of T . V .? "
" How much in the know ,
Should the public be? "

The wise man sat back ,
He was quiet and still .
He would not break his silence ,
At least not until .

The other spoke up,
"What's wrong- you concede?"
"To the victors go spoils,
"And quite frankly you bleed !"

Then said the wise man....(pause)

"Throughout history changes,
Occur by the score."
"Some can accept them,
While others wage war !"
Jan 2021 · 75
Painting Pictures
Donald R Xander Jan 2021
"Painting Pictures"

The artist brought a canvas ,            
To the front part of my lawn .
And with him brought an easel ,            
To set his canvas on .
A light oak colored box ,
Contained his paints and board ,
A Thermos full of coffee ,
No detail was ignored .
            
He wore a charcoal coat ,
That came down to his knees .            
A fur lined rectangular hat ,
Saved his head from winters breeze .            
Flannel pants of gray ,
Below his coat were seen .
The only thing that did not match ,
Were boots of olive green .

The sun was shinning brightly,
Yellow - Orange in shade              
On freshly fallen snow ,            
Such intensity it gave.            
The sky a washed out powder blue ,
With clouds of  cotton ***** .
The purest day of winter ,
Just after new snow falls .

And there just in the distance ,            
The artists' subject stood .
An old red barn snow covered ,
Cleared within the woods .
The barn in need of paint ,
Gray tainted wood exposed .
The paint still, on was flaking ,
A job for spring supposed .

The roof  was missing shingles ,            
Of colors brown and red .
And one could just imagine ,
The snow inside instead .
Near the barns top were two windows ,
Looking out a loft of hay .
One was nearly perfect .
The other, pane had broken away .
                    
The artists' hands now freezing ,
Poured a cup of coffee .
Raised to his nose...both hands enclosed ,
It was a sight to see .
His beard and mustache brown ,
With subtle shades of gray .
Encircled his mouth , you saw only his lips
Between ice crystals formed long the way .

A couple of minutes had passed ,
His hands now no longer numb .
He again turned his attention ,
To completing the job he wished done .
The main idea was completed ,
It was time for details , and depth .
Adding pastel shades of color ,
As the fog rolled out of  his breath .

On the barn the peak was full exposed ,          
The lower left corner the same .
And all around the windows ,
Ice was pressed against the panes .
On the roof  and against the door ,
And by the trees , drifts were seen .
A charcoal gray defined the depth ,
Against trees of evergreen .

The snow although the purest of white ,
Had other subtle shades .
Like yellows , pinks , and blues .
Worked in to show a glaze .
A single set of  footprints ,
Led  out of the barn door .
And one could only think ,
It was entered some time before .

The artist was now finished .
He admired his work with pride .
He was cold and frozen ,
But he was warm inside .
We've both painted pictures ,
Though it sounds absurd .
The artist using paints and brush ,
And me , I just chose words .
Jan 2021 · 83
"Oh Lord"
Donald R Xander Jan 2021
By: Don Xander  

Oh Lord we are not worthy,
That we should come to you.
But we are at your mercy;
And don’t know what to do.
Somehow we’ve strayed off your path,
And things have gone amiss.
We can no longer bear the wrath,
We  fell in the abyss.

Oh Lord can you help us,
Can you ease the hate?
You’re the only one we trust,
To veer us from our fate.
Can you make provision,
Give us another chance?
Can you thwart our cruel division,
And change our circumstance?

Oh Lord we implore you,
Can you help today?
Some of us have gone askew,
Help us find the way.
Teach us fact from fiction,
Show us right from wrong.
We then would change our diction,
To better get along.

Oh Lord may we ask you,
When can we begin?
There seems to be much work to do,
To heal hearts  from within.
And if we are most careful,
If our objective is unfurled,
If we are all successful;
We might change the world!

— The End —