Monday, January 23, 2023
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Cheating Death
When I think
To cheat death
It is not entirely
Of my own behest
I think more so
Of the loss of my love
For without her
Life is merely
A living death
For, whilst I
Would most certainly
Continue to pour my love
In her direction
The receptacle of response
Receiving and returning
Would reside distant
On a far other shore
Without her
My heart would shatter
My life would be
Broken shards of glass
It is purely selfish of me
I completely realize
Be that as it may
Every day is now a treasure
I bask completely
In the radiance of her smile
I luxuriate absolutely
Neath the warmth of her touch
Cheat death ?
Oh, yes I will
Every day
I will live
I will feel her passion
I will cling to her
Lest you fret
She is not gone
She is not dying
Any more than any of us
Still, every day
I will love her
And be loved in return
And we will cheat death
Together
© Ron Simpson Jr.
January 10, 2023
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
The Ride
Preface to the 19 year poem: It was 1984. I was 27. I was listening to a news program on the radio. One of the pieces was about teen suicides. I was moved and outraged that life was such that it would steal hope from children and make them think death was the only door out. As I most often do when so moved, I wrote. I didn't finish it and it was eventually misplaced/lost. I had thought about it several times in the following 19 yrs. Then, while cleaning out some old books in a box in the top of my closet, I saw a folded paper. I opened it and to my amazement, there it was; the first half of what was to become the 19 yr poem. I read it several times and finally sat down and finished it.
The Ride
In the vast and barren wasteland
Of lives never lived
Seeds of unfinished memories
Are planted in soil with no hope
No life now to feed them
No tears to soften the earth
No words to gently prod them on
As to the surface they grope
The could haves, would haves, and should haves
Have all been silenced now
As reality sets in upon us
And illusion fades at last
I was a fabled creature
Existing in their books
But I never really happened
Not even in their memories past
"It is this I give" to bring the joy
"This I yield" to remove the pain
But pain and joy would not be stayed
As they ran to arms of embrace
I teetered along the brink
And splashed in both pools
It seems I was out of control
As deadly forward I did race
I planted seeds of hope and hate
In rows together deeply spaced (1984 .. end)
And let them grow together
Unassisted, yet unabated
Too late I realized
Hate was the weed
Which choked the flower of hope
Then seeming highly overrated
It seems so obvious now
From my cold and lifeless perch
I dallied much too long
In despair's dark playground
I rode those twisted rails
Knuckles white upon the bar
Not knowing this ride's end
Not caring where I'd be found
Hearken to my knowing words
Voices from places unseen
You know inside who you are
Standing in line for the ride
The hooded barker impatiently waits
To strap your life in tight
The hand beckons you closer
Bleached white by time's tide
“Leave your problems and troubles behind”
Comes his soulless instruction
“Empty your heart of cares and woes
Watch them disappear from sight
Say farewell to family and friends”
Memory ending o'er the hill
The cars always come back empty
When they ride into this deep dark night
“I am not the sandman”
He says, with an evil grin
As he collects his ill-gotten prize
And the cars go into the dark
His laughter echoes in the air
As back to work he goes
It is just another busy night
In star-less suicide park
© Ron Simpson Jr.
Started 1984
Finished July 25, 2003
In 2021, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death in the US. The daily average was approximately 130 deaths. 92% of Americans believe suicide is preventable.
Sunday, December 04, 2022
Thursday, November 03, 2022
I Watched You Today
I watched you today
From a respectable distance
I watched your joy and sorrow
I watched you struggle and abound
I saw the harmony and discord of life
Mirrored in the lines of your face
Revealing a life abundantly well-lived
With practiced faith and determination
The briefest of moments
Where one could think
Intervention might be necessary
Arrived and departed unfulfilled
I saw how you stood alone
When you stood in a crowd
I saw your strength
Where you saw weakness
I saw your light
Where you saw the darkness
I saw your joy
Where you saw sorrow
I saw your love
Where you saw hatred
I saw
How you refused
To reflect what you faced
But rather, countered it
I saw how you were needed
Where you felt unnecessary
I saw your comfort
Where you saw pain
I saw your gentleness
Where you saw the hardness
I watched you today
And there I found
Strength, Light, Joy, Happiness
And most importantly
There, I found
Love
© Ron Simpson Jr.
November 3, 2022
Different
Somewhere
Someone
Convinced you
Being different
Is a bad thing
We are indoctrinated
Very early in life
To see the differences
Unconsciously
Making subtle judgments
You look different
Your skin is another color
Your hair is different
Your eyes aren’t like mine
Your body is different
“Verschieden”
Before we even meet
You’ve made assessments
Based not on the person I am
But rather, my worth to you
What can I, being
Different
Offer to one such as you
“Distinto”
When I speak
You hear my different accent
About the value of my words
Over the value of my experiences
How can I, being
Different
Understand your situation
“แตกต่าง”
I come from a different country
I believe in a different God
I follow/worship them
In an alternative manner
“不同的”
We have differences
But this is not the bad thing
When these become a wall
It has become a bad thing
We are diverse
In some points, even distinct
Various origin stories
Unique paths to arrive
Yet, we are alike, you and I
United by a common beginning
(Regardless of how you believe
This beginning occurred)
We are the same
“Lapp”
“Stesso”
“เหมือนกัน”
“拉普语”
This is a good thing
© Ron Simpson Jr.
November 3, 2022
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