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  Nov 12 betterdays
Nat Lipstadt
The Daily Prayer                               The Daily Prayer
AUG 2010                                            OCT  2017

Be forever young 'n humble;   seven yearlings of plenty famine;
Feel ancient and royal;              youthful graybeard commoner now,
Ride tall in the saddle;              old hoary, crooked headed ancien
Do something nifty;                   content to just, just walk crookedly

Take someone's hand                if they permit, for hands gnarled,
Unexpectedly:                             roughened and time toughened,
Drive home in the slow lane;   only the city bus, now bows, kneels,
Do the de minims;                      how has the minimalist become
Do the de maximis;                     the max, the best old-dog-in-show?
Leave a book on a park bench;  forgetfulness, unintended bonuses,
Use pen n paper, write a letter; the fingers shaky press cell button,
Take a chance, make people laugh; your appearance quite the joke,
Barrel into contention;                 a barrel casket, half your wardrobe
Show mercy to the confused, no arrogance, have mercy upon poets,
Show anger to the abusers. for they fear voices calling out, account!
Bless a child with both hands; now take their blessings returned
Grasp your soul; throw it down, others sidle, it's our time, now,
Then raise a child to the sky.       to raise you up father of fathers
Straight up,                                    straighten your time bents, curves,
Build a continuum,                       honor thy work ever continuing
You and they,                                 we, and you, we are all your steps,
              on a ladder of each poem, to guide us heavenward


**each poem a prayer, each prayer a poem, passing back, coming forth in the crests upon the beach and bay you so loved, the moon and sun both shine simultaneously while it rains straight,
                                    all come, each to recite,
even the One with whom you vociferous argued, unrepentantly,
all here, together placing that weighty last period at the end of
                                        your daily prayer.
https://hellopoetry.com/search/poems/?q=a+daily+prayer

a suggestion- read each side as a separate poem, then across as one

8:37am 10 years later, 10 years lateral, 10 years lovely. 10 years in the writing
betterdays Nov 12
This one thing
I know
When I shuffle off this mortal coil.
Bury me not
in a six foot hole
in s park of six foot holes
Headstones
set in rows of rows.
Marked with year, start and end.
Do not do this to me my friends
I ask you
to bury me
among the roots
of a large tree
with branches spread wide
that embrace
the sky.
A tree that  
children
can clamber and climb
and see forever away,
one that is
a castle in their imaginary play.
Find a tree
with space below
so that friends
can cone  
sit, stare into those branches so leafy and green and find solace  
in what
might have been.
Or simply
read a good book
in the
tree's shade.
Let there be picnic and lovers trysts
and in years ppl
to come
let there be  
benches
for those that come to sit in peace
for short moments in time.
Let my death
have  more purpose,
than mere
memory
of my time
alive on earth  

let it be
a place with
no marker
of how long
I was  me,
but be  more
my soul's  transference
into eternity.
Let me
nourish
the world
in ways anew.
Under a tree
with an
amazing view.
betterdays Nov 11
Little words,
little thoughts
Nothing
of great import.
Not
life changing
or even life, rearranging.
Just a
whisper
in my ear.
Makes the
moment
far les drear
Gives me
comfort
Clears
the mind.
Lets me know  
we are one,
standing together,
creating life,
a forever
Just begun.
All the
little words
will run together, become a hum,
like bees in
a hive
we have a goal
making
sweet honey,
staying
alive.
Little words
Will let us thrive
Watching yung lovets whisper sweet nothings as I leave work for the day. Off home now to whisper litte words  in a much loved ear.
betterdays Nov 11
I sit  down to
write,
Pen
in
hand
And
before me
the chasm.
Intent and plan
stand
with me,
desire too

On
the other side
Completion,
success
and the finished product
sit,
languidly throwing taunts
toward my team
of yet to be poetry.

Do I,
Will,I,
Can I
succeed..

To make
the minutia sparkle,
To make
the mundane ...miraculous
To make
the everyday moment
appear  exquisitely beautiful.

Do I,
Will I,
Can I,
Succeed in,

Making

the words upon a page
leap and pirouette, To make
them echt
a smile  upon
your heart.
To have them
express
the sadness
of the world's soul,
To settle the  emotion  
of the
moment
deep,deep
into
the marrow
of your bones.

Do I,
Will I,
Can I,

Take
that leap
Into the chasm of the unknown,
crying
Hallelujah
as I go...

You
know
I do.
...Every single
time...
Every
******
one.

When,
I sit down,
to write
Pen
in
hand.
betterdays Nov 5
There is a joy
in the art of
a short poem,
A quick
word fix
that drives
a thought home.
That provides
a jolt  
to the heart
and
rattles the bones
That causes
the breath
to catch
and
the minod
to bend

Now
of course
it goes
with out saying ;
One of
the integral part
of a short  poem
is
knowing
when
to end..
betterdays Nov 4
The little blue teapot was exactly that, small,
enough for a sant two cups of tea
or an almost generous mug

In saying it was blue,
It was a comforting
royal shade,
with a shining glaze
Stoutly round
With a sphere as
the top notch  handle
All in all
a cheery
little thing
Cheap
and
utilitarian

How many cups
had it processed:
delivered
with a
drip or dribble,
that was at first annoying,
but
eventually
becoming
an endearing part
of the overall charm of the piece

It would be generous to say
millions;
But
truthful to say
thousands
of  
thousands
As the age of the *** was 12+years
of  almost continuous service.
In which time
it had been
witness
to every
emotion.
Conversations baring
soul and psyche.
Mental discombobulation
and
emotional acrobatics that would  easily gain
employment  with
Circe de Soleil
All whilst sitting  solidly still
  on the table of the day.
The little blue teapot was simply
a background character
in the soap opera
of it's family
and their friends

And
because of this,

It's
sudden
shattering
demise,
upon the slate floor yesterday.
Brings forth this eulogy to an everyday object  
Considered
by many
to be just
a thing
But to this family
a treasured piece
of daily routine.

Reached for
with
muscle memory.
A dash of color
at breakfast,
Comfort
on a cold night
A genies lamp
to a
small boy's
growing imagination.
A gift
from
one friend
to
another,
for the
shared  cup
of
Russian Caravan Tea
and a chat
that set the world to rights,
at least for another day
or two.

The little blue teapot was exactly that,
Ordinary
But also;
So much more
than it
purported to be.
So...
so
much more.
betterdays Nov 3
The little blue teapot lies
broken upon the slate floor,
Shards and tea leaves spreading on the small king tide
I watch saddened  by the loss  of a gift from an old friend taken from me by
death ...
and think on the impermanent  nature of being.
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