Emphatic: Change

Is there anything new?
Or can it be true?
Have I exhausted all topics?
Surely not!

Ideas come in spurts,
Like a fountain that intermittently bursts,
Then dries up every summer,
When the reservoir runs out of water.

But ‘tis well to rest
Until the rains return;
Meanwhile, I repair my gear
To prepare for fishing off the pier;

‘Tis then I’ll set my net,
When the water re-animates the creek,
When cool autumn winds re-appear
And the shadows arise earlier.

Already, the days shorten
And the night heat lessens,
The sun still shines hot
But the temperature has begun to drop.

Won’t be long until thoughts
Of busy September well up,
Season of Atlantic gales
That gives rise to hurricanes.

Batten the hatches time,
Checking batteries,
Sweeping out the storm cellar
And restocking,

So many tasks
And yet too,
Making room
For a bit of fun, now and then!

Emphasize: Seeking Encouragement

It gets tiresome after a while:
Searching for new ideas,
Looking for a way
And finding none;

Then it’s back to work
And mundane living,
Awaiting inspiration
And enlivening,

Rationing the energy
Until it starts reviving,
Watching clouds go by
And doing laundry,

Hanging out the tee shirts to dry
And bringing them back in,
Listening to the thunder
And the rain,

Starting to wonder
If anything will ever change,
All the while making constant adjustments
Without even feeling it;

Everything goes on
Without anybody controlling it,
It’s such a miraculous thing
And yet as ordinary as all of it,

Like washing the sink,
Scrubbing and polishing it
Until it shines like platinum,
Reflecting the sunlight streaming in

And now it’s time to do some other thing,
Although I’ve forgotten what,
So weary of waiting,
So tired of effort,
Nevertheless getting on with it.

Emphasis: Balancing Act

Life can be cruel,
Like an endless duel,
A very hard school,
Where difficulty and disappointment are the rule.

If so, then one may ask
What sort of tool
Can be employed to grapple with this test?
As such would be a precious jewel.

In my view,
A certain toughness is needed
To stand up to hardship and meet it
But that is perilous as well,

For indifference to
The plight
Can create hard heartedness,
Which brings no delight,

As such imperviousness may only increase woe
By making us insensitive,
So we might
Be just as cold as Antarctic ice.

So to counteract this unresponsiveness,
Compassion is required
But even such a benign approach
Does not end our trouble,

For steeping in sentiment
Can sabotage our efforts,
Allowing emotion to blind us,
Producing imprudent decisions and actions

And so,
Some wisdom is essential too,
To ensure a balance
In between the two.