Imagine if you would…that you are an artist. Yes, a brilliant artist capable of creating masterpieces that would inspire all future generations. The next Divinci. Or perhaps a musician that can compose an opera equal to Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Or that your oration skills would even surpass Cicero’s. Imagine if you could pen a…
Author: Joe Merkle
American Sports Have Sold Their Souls
Now that professional sports in America are now trying to get their seasons underway while dealing with COVID-19, it got me to thinking about how my view of sports has changed as of late. I am still a sports fan and missed sports during their necessary shutdown. The shutdown also gave me time to reflect…
The Perfect Place
the perfect placeescapeswithout a tracea moment past a moment fastfleeting as it werea gasp…and it’s gonehiding just behind the mind’s eyeallowing justa sneaky peeka peck on the cheek a reminder to dwelloccasionallyin a perfect placemomentarily Published in “The Best Poets and Poems of 2002”
The Day Democracy Died
THE DAY DEMOCRACY DIED The day after Trump won the election, I posted on Facebook that he would be the last president of the United States. In that post I mentioned that one of two events would happen. One, that he would refuse to leave office if he were to lose the next election, or, he…
Enchanted Embrace
The first time set the stageBefore I had an ageWhen the doctor placed me in my mother’s armsAnd she took my hands to count my fingers The countless times my mom and dadHeld my hand to keep me safeThe countless times I reached outFor their hand to feel safe Oh that first love, that set…
Legacy
Humans, in our conceitConcern ourselves over our lives’ legaciesIn hopes of what we leave behindMatters for prosperity’s sake I think, like all things temporaryI will fade away in timeBecome a picture on a hallway wallThat is viewed occasionally Like a song that fades from memoryOr a poem that marks a moment in timeLike the autumn…
Engulfed
Engulfed by the sense of youGasping for each new breathWhile my heart hastensTowards the unknown Engulfed by the scent of youThe essence of my euphoriaYou are the culminationOf my wildest imaginations Engulfed by the vision of youSpellbound by the spectacle of youAstonished by my prosperityYou share your life with me Engulfed by your loveThat sweet,…
Look Around You
Look around you. Take a hard look at the things you have surrounded yourself with. How much of it do you actually need? How many are simply tools for your own self-gratification? At what expense to others (not just humans) did it cost? Did you really need that leather coat, alligator shoes, ivory jewelry, or…
The Shadow Of A Memory
Ethereal, a shadow I becomeFloating through sun and shadeA choir of pines serenades my sensesThe breeze echoing each ghostly note Every step seems an eternityNow is the perfect place to beTime reveals…the illusion it isA solitary moment engulfs this lifetime Am I a boy of sixOr a man of sixtyWho can say – certainly not…
Left Behind
What will I have left behindWhen I leave this mortal planeThat means a thing or twoTo anyone – old or new Images on photographsThat captured moments of my lifeNow found in picture framesThat earns an occasional glance Perhaps a smile on my children’s facesA word or two on yellowed pagesFriendships that are not forgottenThat can…