By: Mark O. Decker

The Paradoxes in Life

Every ugliness,
has its corresponding beauty;
Every lie,
its reciprocal truth;
This matters to those
who can see two ways
at once;
To those, who can see
the many paradoxes in life, and
in nature;
I know that, somewhere,
there are those who care;
I know that, someday,
they will make themselves known.

###

Dead Sparrow Sing

Fly away dead sparrow,
fly away;
Downed by a golden arrow,
you came from the soul
of a sentimental fool,
now, go back to your meeker self;
Tie my hands, and if I bellow
loosen them, and I will sigh;
Free me, and
I will fluctuate between
earth and the deep blue sky;
Give me dignity for each vacancy
in my life, and
I will give you words
which spell the wind.

###

It All Comes Back

A poet asks the world,
why pass your time idly
while the clouds and stars
above you breeze by,
why?
a poet asks a friend,
why do you frown
while peace and harmony exist,
why?
Look at the trees, the grass, rich earth;
Yes, the trees lose their leaves for winter,
but regain them in the spring, and
grass’s deep green color fades, but
comes back;
They come back;
It all comes back.

###

For the Love of Country

See the people reveling in the streets,
those who speak with kindness,
gladness and civility,
are touched by freedom and the gift of life;
These people, these wonderful Americans,
have hearts as big, or small, as need be,
they want to keep a mighty legacy alive;
Don’t we know them well, you and I,
they are our dearest loved ones, our families,
our favored friends and acquaintances,
people we see in our daily doings;
I look at them, and feel a deep pride, and joy;
Each of us harbor secret fears and dreams,
we all want to believe that our progeny
will live an even better, more fulfilling life;
So, my fellow Americans,
there are many who understand;
We can solve even the most
insurmountable problems, and,
we will.