Author: Gordon S. Bowman III

Anxious elephants stampede
Across my heart.
The tidal waves of rushing blood
Speed through my veins
To nowhere.

I cry a silent scream
Enveloped in marshmallow cream.
I smile because I have had
A very busy, but fulfilling day.
Can there be more to come?

As another poet has said,
“Let’s be weird together,”
As much as our inspiration
And adrenaline will take us.
Then, perhaps, after that

We will sleep.

Missing you,
In body but not in spirit,
Shows me what I miss
About those happy times,
When we were together.
Thinking back
Over the years,
There were many good times,
Which made us closer,
As well as difficult ones,
Which made us stronger.
I value all the experiences
That we had together,
Because you are
Important to me.
You can never
Get all the years back,
All the time and distance
That lies between us.
But I know,
That whenever we
Are together again,
We will cherish that time,
And not take it for granted.
It’s so easy to get lost
In the business of life,
All the many distractions.
But please never forget
That I love you.

Far, far away,
Thinking of you.
Close in heart and mind,
Remembering times past.
Today I heard
What you were up to,
On this holiday.
I wished you well,
Full of hope,
But sad to be so distant.
I still hope, one day,
We can be together again,
Celebrating
Like so many others.
So, now, I make
A toast to your health,
And peace for your soul,
Until I see you again.

It’s funny, how,
Sometimes
We worry and worry
About something,
And then,
When something
Finally happens,
It turns out to be
Nothing.
What a strange mind I have.
Is this normal?
Not that I ever
Thought I was.
But isn’t it crazy
How something seems
Like this gargantuan monster
In our imagination,
Then it turns out
To be a little,
Mewing kitten?
Weird.
Thank goodness,
For small miracles!

I have never been good
At taking advice.
I over-analyze, and
My skeptical instinct
Wants to know,
What is the hidden agenda,
If there is one?
Why does this person
Want me to do this?
Is this wisdom,
Passed on in love?
Of course,
It depends who it is,
What I already know
About this person,
Whether they tend to be
Selfish, self-centered,
Or self-serving.
It depends if I detect
That I am being
Manipulated
Due to someone’s hang ups,
Confusion, prejudices,
Stereotypes, obsessions,
Fears, and such.
It is more difficult,
When some of these
Is common, in dealing
With this person,
But I truly believe
They are making
An attempt to help me.
Maybe they think
They are helping me,
But I just don’t agree.
And, if I disagree,
Then what?
I don’t like offending
Other people,
Especially loved ones,
Who also tend to be
The ones that offer
Advice the most.
What a quandary!
You would think,
Now that I am
Past forty, I would
Have all this figured out.
Nope.

Saturday, circles;
Bowing to the king.
My wallet appreciates, but
My heart suffers; or does it?
I struggle with whether
To do, or not to do.
They struggle; or do they?
Mixed messages, good and bad.
Where is my direction?
A mist rises, blocking sight.
I cannot tell which way to go.
Responsibility pulls me,
And I know that feeling.
I have been there before.
I was raised with a tuning fork
That keeps me in that key.
But where do the boundaries lie?
When do I say no?
Perhaps, never?
Maybe, to do what I’m told
Is my destiny. I am good at that.
But when does servanthood
Become servitude?