POEMS: Honoring Old Ironsides
OLD IRONSIDES
She floats in the Boston harbor, that ancient wooden sailing ship,
And she creeks and squeaks as the tide pushes against her sides,
Sounding perhaps tales’ that ghosts of old sailors are trying to tell
About her skirmishes and storms, she fought on dangerous rides.
Ahoy! As the loose corners of the sail, tied to the mast,
Snaps and strains to answer a call from the distant past,
A call from nobody, only the ship calls out, repeating old clashes
And then she settles once more as the tide retreats, an honored peace
That will not last
Old Ironsides, long forgotten by most,
No longer the image of power and supremacy of the seas
It is the image of a different time
And yet, no less proud than the day her victory brought peace,
in her distant past.
DENNIS C. ORVIS
Winter Haven
EACH MOMENT
Each Day, Each Hour, Each Minute
will never come again. So think
about what you are doing with your
time that could be used for Him.
We are so busy in our life, it's like
a surprise, to realize we spent the
day in idle ways that were not wise.
God only gives us this life with a
free will to comprehend what we
will do with our lives, will we live
it for Him, or turn to sin?
Oh God I too am guilty, for I see each
day fly by, forgetting each moment
is so precious, I still fail you no
matter how I try.
We cannot take it back time, it will
never come again, you cannot
change or rewrite what was said or
done, though it be for good or sin.
We must use our time wisely, for
any moment there could be, a
Mighty Trumpet Call, calling all the
Saints to Heaven,
JEANIE BOYETTE
Winter Haven
STONE COTTAGE
In the town where I grew up, far away,
There was a public park, acres in size.
Its neighborhood had long since seen its best day -
Poverty was the look that met one’s eyes.
There were swings and slides, a merry-go-round,
A bandstand and a gently curving stream,
All bathed in the giggles of children’s sound,
And all made sticky by drops of ice cream.
A dusty white rock road flanked that old park.
Amidst a few small frame houses there stood
A lovely little stone cottage, a stark
Tailor carved there. I never understood
Whether name or business - mystery!
But to its charm, that added dignity.
ROBERT P. TUCKER
Lakeland
THE CEMETERY
Slabs of stone
Flowers and grass
Unknown dates
All in the past
Quietly seeking
Time alone
I stumbled on
A very small stone
"Rest in Peace"
The words were clear
And more was said
"Wish you were here"
I knelt and pondered
On those words
The message was
A bit absurd
"Wish you were here?"
And then I knew
An inner voice
Confirmed it, too
Though we shall die
It's very clear
That heaven awaits
It's very near
"Wish you were here"
JEANNE RASCHKE
Lakeland
FOOLISH SISTERS
I have a sister named JoAnn
They call her Jo but she's not a man.
She's strong and pretty and young at heart
Drives herself to shop at Walmart.
She has a friend named Penny Roo
Who is a dog so loyal and true.
They go for walks, but not in the dark
Across the street to the local park.
JoAnn was born on April Fool's Day.
That was planned, so they say.
Then five years later I came along.
Could it be that Mamma planned wrong?
We teased our Mom for being fooled twice
But she would laugh and say it was nice
Instead of one to follow the rules
Lo and behold she now had two fools!
LINDA COOK
Haines City
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This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Locally written poetry
