Poetic Justice

Old Things
by Sharon Vander Meer

Old things
Once new, of no value
Past their use,
Purposeless in the now.

Touch them
Memory springs forth.
Another place,
Another time.

What now?
Where will these objects go?
From the clutter
of a dusty basement.

Long ignored
Each piece a record
Enjoyed in decades past,
Scabbed with neglect.

Beloved books
Swollen with water damage,
Spotted with mold,
The stench makes me sneeze.

So much
Gone to seed,
Growing old,
Like me.

Poetic Justice
Anyone know what that means? Answers.com says it is the rewarding of virtue and the punishment of vice, often in an especially appropriate or ironic manner. I guess my latest poem could come under that heading. The virtue of cleaning out the basement lead to coming to grips with the aging of everything, including me.

Poetry continues to intrigue me. I don't like everything I encounter, but I like a lot of what I read. My internet friend Steven Fivecats has written three books of poetry, each different in one way but quite similar in others. I'm not a student of poetry. Tell me iambic pentameter and I'm apt to roll my eyes so far back in my head its like I'm looking backward. Haiku? Well, I know what it means and I like Haiku, but so far I haven't figured out how to do it.

Where was I? Oh, right, Steven. Deep Dark Winter So Cold, A Collection of Thoughts, is exactly what you might imagine, a revisiting of the past. His style is somewhat loose and easy but the thoughts written in poetic form are evocative. He doesn't use caps, and punctuation is sadly missing, but the point is never lost. Here are a couple of his poems from this collection of writings.

The Trenches of the Saints
by Steven Fivecats

to the bitter edge of darkness
where down looks like up
and the sorrow of all your tryings
has brought its bitter cup

hopeless seems so endless
and the joy is just a dream
where tomorrow ends in dying
and your cries become a scream

just remember Jesus' been there
through the trials and the pain
He's the one who's bore your sorrows
and the one whose triumph reigns

so don't get down my child
lose heart and drop and faint
cause you're only passing through
the trenches ofthe saints

so if you're tired and weary
cast your eyes to the cross
and Jesus will lift you higher
than all your burdens will cost

just remember Jesus' been there
through the trials and the pain
He's the one who's bore your sorrows
and the one who's triumph reigns

so don’t get down my child
lose heart and drop and faint
cause you’re only passing through
the trenches of the saints

Anger
by Steven Fivecats

the flame,
it comes from a small spark,
igniting into a raging
torrent so consuming
it will burn to cinders
all who would come near.
it is always there,
small, flickering,
dancing in the breeze.
it is a flame
that can destroy lives
in a quick flash.
we must guard the flame,
because it may destroy us
as well.

Steven's other books include Tea Room Musician and Buffaloes, Beads and Indians, A collection of Poems. All the books are available at major online retailers.

One more, just for good measure.

Someday
by Steven Fivecats
(from Tea Room Musician)

i told you once before
that i was always around,
whenever you need me.
but tomorrow i shall
go away and then you will have
no one, what then my dearest
i have gone and there is no one
left for you to call on, for
you have spent yourself.

To order Steven's books go online to any retailer and type in his name. It will pull up the books he has available. The cost ranges from $10 to $12.50.