January 2009 Poetry
dc riggs copyright 2009
all rights reserved
“Thoughts of a Middle Age Man”
When I was a young man
I thought I’d never become old
when I became older
I wondered, would I ever again be bold?
the years like read pages
slip through the vast expanse of time
sometimes like a novel
at others, a poem with rhythm, rhyme
surrounded as a baby
with adults sent from above
when the bones creak
I wonder if I will ever again find love
remember the days of youth?
we played with sisters and brothers
some become isolated islands
but most seek the company of others
there are those who are dumb
retaining the arrogance of youth
their answers sure and smug
ignoring
the vast knowledge unknown
a blind intelligence ditch they’ve dug
blessed is the adult
who retains the wonder of a child
enjoying the mystery of life
the great, small, wild, or the mild
no longer young, but I’m not old
somewhere in-between
potentially timid, likely to be bold
a developing middle-aged man.
dc riggs © 011409
“A Wistful Sigh”
We sat on the Hawaiian beach
the moon was full
casting a romantic light
neither past nor future mattered then
they were neither dull nor bright.
The waves made the music
the wind was still
it chose to simply listen in
how majestic the notes
describe it? where do I begin.
I was but a boy of nineteen
she a girl, scarce two years less
what we had was the “now”
as ships passing in the night
yet the moment as rich as a luau.
The wondrous ebb and flow of life
people come, people go
some sent by heaven above
others a bit of a blight
special ones develop bonds of love.
I wonder, what became of her?
what has become of me?
wonderful days, now gone by
but I live this moment
and let the past be a wistful sigh.
dc riggs © 011409
“A Sea of Words”
You heard me say what I said
did you hear
what I really meant?
don’t call me bent!
can’t you read between the lines
know the agenda
that is unspoken in my mind
you fail to ask
what I mean
the areas that you don’t understand
do you prefer to guess
or are you afraid to make a demand?
we exchange words
sometimes
we even communicate
but often
it is just idle chatter
a sea of words
spoken without meaning
bringing truth
yes, silence is golden
I will be quiet
now that this has been said.
dc riggs © 011409
“If I Could Begin Again”
Could I begin my life over again
asking of my Creator
to see the world
with old eyes
when I am still a youth
to live in the world
with energy and boldness
in the late stages of life
to be more forgiving
understanding
accepting of others
of myself
to grant and receive grace
no matter what my age
to love with my heart
not only finding the sweet hand to hold
but to hold that hand as well
understanding
the needs of the other
to understand that human events
are shaped by me
to understand
that the world moves on without me
to have my sense of purpose
though it be changing
as the years go by
doing more than redeeming time
but redeeming myself
and allowing God to do the same
to find the balance
between humble and proud
doing and being
the past, the future, the now
relationship and duty
God, self, others, my universe
these things would I ask
of my Creator
if I could but begin my life again.
dc riggs © 011409
