Saturday, January 26, 2013

Poem: If I Could



Rita Bourland © 2010


If I Could

If I could write a song,
I would find notes and chords
to ease the sorrow in your heart. 

If I could paint a picture,
I would mix colors to match the sunrise
then give you a canvas
brushed with the dawn.

If I could sail,
I would steer my boat across the sea
and return with soothing tides
captured in a bottle.

If I could find a sage
to explain the mysteries of life and death,
I would pay a king’s ransom
for his erudite words,
then bring them to you in a box
with a gilded lid.

If I could find the right words,
I would speak to your pain,
wrapping your sadness in lyrical prose;
pouring comforting words
‘round your wounded heart.  

If I could bring your loved one back,
And allow him to live once more,
I would do that and more.

When there’s a loss so deep and raw
that nothing touches or heals,
then I would be your friend and stay with you,
sharing in your silence
until you wished to speak again. 


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Poem - Surprise


Google Image 

Surprise

“I ‘prised you,” she said.

She certainly did,
at least twenty times every day,

from under the covers
and under the bed,
behind every door
the curtains and more,
she’d catch me off guard
then shout with delight,

“I ‘prised you.”

She’d hide in the yard
behind every bush
and every tall tree,
under a bench
and next to the slide,
she’d catch me off guard
then shout with delight,

“I ‘prised you.”

At bedtime each night
I’d read her a book,
give her a kiss,
tuck her in tight,
turn out the light,
I’d catch her off guard
then say with delight,

“I prize you.”

I knew in my heart it would always
be true,
‘cause the ‘prising thing is
 a child’s a prize
all life through.


Saturday, January 5, 2013

Poem: Why Does that Guy Have a Gun?



Google image

Why Does that Guy Have a Gun?

Tranquil Sunday,

coffee shop in the suburbs,

folk music on the radio,

barista busy with lattes,

young man, mid 20’s comes in,

pistol on hip,

hung in a holster like

an old time western,



I wondered why,



so did a little boy giving him

the once over

before asking his dad,

Why does that guy have a gun?



but nobody asked the guy,



he got his coffee and left

like no big deal,

like I have the right,

like nobody can stop me,

like I don’t care if I just scared a little kid

who might have watched too much news

about little kids getting shot in a school?



I wondered about the law,

and whether it’s okay to carry a gun

on your hip in Ohio,

but I mostly wondered if its owner felt safer,

more in control,

ready for a shoot-out on Main Street

to defend his way of life,

his country,

his 2nd amendment rights,

on a tranquil Sunday

in a coffee shop in the suburbs

 of Ohio?


I found this on Wikipedia and it was news to me:  Ohio is a traditional open-carry state. The open-carry of firearms by those who legally possess the firearm is a legal activity in Ohio with or without a license. While legal, the practice is not common in urban areas and often results in police responding.   Various cases of harassment by police on those open carrying have been documented.   Furthermore one must have a concealed handgun license to carry a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle regardless of whether or not it is concealed.