Poems by Donald M. Ricks

(except the first, which came from my mother)

These are compositions written at certain times in my life when I did not feel embarrassed to attempt my brand of inspired writing. I trust you will forgive my lack of knowledge of how to properly accomplish the task.

A Mother's Gift

I want to feel at the set of sun,
some little deed is good I've done.
And when I pillow my head to rest,
I want to feel: "I've done my best."

I don't want to think I'm a "sounding brass"
or a "twinkling cymbal" as I pass. But,
I want to know I'm sincere and true, and
that right motives prompt the things I do.

I'd rather be than seem to be;
I want to deserve what comes to me.
I'd rather be unloved, unknown,
than wear a crown that's not my own.

I want to sing as the days go by
a song that lifts the soul to the sky.
I hope you may live all the day through,
just as I'm thinking I'd like to do.

Rilla Maye Ricks
(December 24, 1912 - April 13, 1961)
and recorded 1957 by Donald M. Ricks
transcribed by Doris Ricks Lankford

Don's Complaint:

Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye!
I daily sail through the turbulent past,
   making mends that do not last.
While memories make wind to break the mast,
    I fool the captain with the grin I cast.
Reminding my conscience of intentions gone astray,
    I shake with this but not a backward sigh to sway.
My lips are sealed in darkness; I can not cry.
And courage balks my hand to linger still,
   for what a moment life to fill.
A change of pace cannot be found;
   I take a step to stumble down.
There's no recourse for friends who must endure,
   of few things I can be sure.
Few men have crushed an ant and felt no pain,
   nor shunned warmth in a cold rain.
The coat of peace demands a costly price;
    when a heart is broken the scar will last.


Donald M. Ricks
October 1977

My Gal, My Pal:

I want a buddy, I want a pal.
Why, I believe I must want a gal,
One who takes care of love's reward
And who shares that bond, unwatched.
Someone who enjoys their love
with their best lover's in kind.
One who sports a smile of want,
a smile of need, yes, indeed!
Who moves right in, up close and tight;
That gal will claim her right, day or night.
She can open love's doors with just one key.
And, there isn't a duplicate one, if He be pleased.
In the same room or miles apart,
She knows and trusts this heart of hearts.
Where I might go, she goes in first degree,
Tucked in a place, some call "Integrity."
Once I speak that this be so,
too, goes my heart to My Gal, My Pal.

Donald M. Ricks
April 7, 2005

Len's Gone:

Kyung Bok 'Len' Ricks
What do I care about tomorrow?
She's gone!
I watched her go, I helped her go,
I held her while she went.
Oh, God, it hurts!
Just to think, she Lived!

But what a style, what a class,
this lady who did what she did.
In her I saw the sun, the moon,
the essence of Your every list.
The grace You gave to her ensued
the ones who gathered about!

I'm sad, indeed, that even I
can't reach that immeasurable
height — of her reflected light.
I saw her there, in peace and sleep;
I wondered when I might go —
this rest seems, yet, so remote!

God help me understand:Why this one?
Whom You chose to lovingly smote.

Donald M. Ricks
July 26, 2005
[This is, of course, for my wife, Len, who I adored, who was my soul mate, my friend, and my lover. Seldom do we have so many blessings from one person, and I thank God for giving her such grace and for the bitter pleasure of her lasting memory.]

The Chest:

I didn't mean to make a scene,
When I let you see my heart.

I open up! and the stuff came out!
And, I couldn't stop the flow.

Don't fret me yet, I looked inside;
there's more to bend the mast.

It yearns to run, this lava-hot stream;
yes, this bounty of memories and dreams.

I've seen His Grace, my heart received
the blessings of Heavenly release.

My greatest test, before I Rest,
is to empty out this mortal Chest.

Donald M. Ricks
July 26, 2005

An Old Wrinkled Goat:

My stomach is flat, but my hair is thin;
Why, there's a wrinkle in my grin!
In fact, my eyes are hardly seen,
when that smile gets far along.

My mind is active day and night;
You'd think I was that smart!
But, that's not so, I'm kinda slow.
I think with all my might to say,
something you'd like - and understand.

This I can say, at the end of the day:
I need help to stay afloat.
Without friends like you to make me smile,
I'd be just an old wrinkled goat!

Donald M. Ricks
July 26, 2005
[For a friend, who constantly checked on me during my early mourning days.]

Charlie's Here:

Charlie lived, then Charlie died,
yet Charlie walks around.
She enters my thoughts and robs my grit
and lingers a little too long.

How do I say, "I want you back?
Come into my life again."
The price is paid, a lot, too much!
Come, lower the bridge and stay.

Separation brings hurtful desolation;
witness, an island cannot by itself grow.
Your sanctuary fails to protect, so
fear not, let you mind escape the cage.

Have faith, dubious one, your day will come,
to dump your cheerless heart's mail.
Collect yourself, mortal, be still!
The One in charge will show the way.

Donald M. Ricks
July 27, 2005

Ode to Alicia:

You're quiet a special dish, you know;
to me you are a so neat.
When I need more than a little cheer,
your kind words are so complete.

Your position is a stratosphere,
where you take in all you see.
And when you sense what's kind and dear
you pass it back to me.

You're nothing cheap, you're nothing vain,
in You - Love could remain.
You're so sweet, ah, when we meet,
thy tasty lips will Surely be the same.

You're so nice, I'll tell you twice,
your heart is in great shape, I say!
Even thru my pain, I am the same;
It's pleasing to know today.

That within your sweetness, care and tact,
Your depth of concern sustains.
We have the chance to turn it on,
there're no ruts in this Fast Lane.

Donald M. Ricks
July 27, 2005

Your Heart's Not Empty:

Pour out you Heart's love, this is a test,
to see how much remains.
There is no gauge, I tricked you, dear!
See? The level hasn't really changed!

Ah, not one can claim to be without,
We're all God-filled to the brim!
The pressure some might face, with this,
just seems! to be the big disgrace.

For when they open up their heart,
then, the Need draws from its place.
So, give it away, starting today,
go on, cast it to the throngs.

You cannot deplete what Is so neat,
God gave us all this gift.
The Spirit knows who spends the most,
and refills it- on command!

Donald M. Ricks
July 28, 2005

A Better Today:

No messages today,
it's been a lonely escape,
here, all by myself, in a pitiful state.

Sometimes I think of nothing,
then You, then Her,
winnowing what is painful, and Here.

My mind goes back,
into a more pleasant day,
but those thoughts just don't seem to stay.

How does one release?
This is not a game!
It is real, present, or am I insane.

Yeah, I know,
it'll happen in time, they say.
A rockpile over me's what's on my mind.

You think that's bizzare,
but it seems logical to me,
a thought so real, so sweet, so sublime.

Separate this sufferable life
from the dim one past?
Impossible, the key's not within me, I sass.

Solitude here,
or solitude in the grave;
don't even ask! I fear no evil, I say.

I'm waiting on Him,
Whose call keeps me around,
To Him I submit, and to Jesus I am bound.

Oh, God! Can you help me?
Can You take these throes away?
Will You let me see a better today?

Donald M. Ricks
August 3, 2005

Love's Dimming Flame:

She came into my life one day,
through her portal she did come.
This lovely, confident Southern Belle,
with twinkle, fire and fun.

Her smile evoked a wonton kiss.
As she stood close by, I knew My wish!
When in private we freely spoke,
she hit me with her list, then that kiss!

She wouldn't let me let her go,
tho sometimes we spared about.
Truly, when she touched me,
finally did, her man was really stout.

All through our union, off and on,
she reigned; she kept me in her court.
As time moved on she let me know
love's styles could provoke love's ebb.

She held me off then held me back,
while desires climbed up the wall.
She took me in her hands and gave
a gift that oiled a long, cruel fall.

I heard her promise more than once,
"My love's gift will come from me."
But what I longed for most from her:
Submit, and let me tend to thee.

Had it gone that way, for her I'd assure,
"Our accord was a matter of time!"
Thy love-prone beau would take the plunge,
and tie the tie that binds.

In love's defense, I factually say,
she had the clues on which to run.
For not one "I love you" passed these lips;
Alas, this courtier was too humdrum.

It's over now, we've had our say,
two views, not quite the same.
Our hearts diverge in subtle ways;
There, at love's apogee, departs the dimming flame.

Donald M. Ricks
August 8, 2005

Love Slips Away

I know she's there, I know not where.
searching within to find her face.
Come now, an image in a smoky haze.

Having lost that image fair,
the one for whom I cried, too long;
How can I weep? At her I no longer gaze.

To fend them off, whose probes I dispose,
I've sinfully used her memory, as a ruse;
This locks my heart, it's her's, do you suppose?

I sweat and turn, I toss into the night.
The room is dark; She liked it bright.
It's best I see my loss, and fret her dimming light.

Swell up, my heart, move quickly and stay!
Remember this woman's sweet, mournful tale.
Death takes her spirit far, as often you softly pray.

Tho fading she's there, causing no fright,
wandering rarely through narrowing halls.
Love flees from thee; It must! By Grace, love slips away.

Donald M. Ricks
August 22, 2005

A Shaft Of Light

A shaft of light awoke my eyes,
coming mutely through the blind.
To a hazy room in deflected beams
arrives, softly, God's day, His way.

Dawn is still, I gaze, amazed,
this moment in life nigh complete.
A dream returned from there, inside,
jumbled streams formed within me.

Scurvy pity wrought by self,
now slow to ponder what the cause.
Still, thoughts mistily rest on you;
Chimera, such plaintive, woeful loss.

Desperately longing no less to love,
that gift, sweet is thy memory song.
Father of Abramam, Isaac and Jacob,
trust to me, the one for whom I long.

To walk with You and talk with You,
Your counsel is what I seek.
I do not plead, but I shall pay heed;
Your plan and Your path to walk.

I offer thanks to Thee for showing to me
this light that came in a dream.
Far out, there in the end to see,
that picture of life You've spawned for me.

Donald M. Ricks
September 3, 2005

A Radiant Spin

Her nature revealed, with longing eyes,
she scanned for whom to play the part.
Not meant to be but one could see
desire beaming radiantly from her heart.

Clean, pure, and open reflects her personal screen;
A like heart could read this, like a book.
She licked her lips and playfully twitched her skirt;
There danced a woman with "that" look.

Why, she stole a hug, gently, before shyness
stepped in to block the way.
The arms that held caused an uncommon glee,
she sighed, her breast swells made the day.

We sat too close, she lean in to boast, the
fragrance said Her love was alive.
After a while you could cut it with a knife,
and I mused, "Could a country boy survive?"

As we ended the round and went out on the town,
caution and boldness sparred hotly to contend.
She won, I lost, and caution we tossed; Guilt
seemed hazy, we couldn't label it a sin.

She found me out, I followed her in,
we tossed that caution again, I grin!
What lies ahead cannot firmly be said,
this Lady seems to enjoy the spin.

Donald M. Ricks
September 19, 2005

I Relent, in Awe of Thee

My Lord, I feel Your awesome power,
yes, even within Me.
Though I do not understand Your limits
and Your depth, I sense what is to be.

What You can do and what You've done,
is far above my head.
It amazes me that You have chosen
this man to stay and watch with dread.

The things I've done, and You've allowed,
have made me what I am.
You let Me live and took loved ones;
How You choose to comfort the Lamb.

Your word tells me I'm not a worthy one,
This is obvious, I painfully see!
Careless acts and deeds I fouled today,
return to my heart and mind, my Helms alee.

I am wretched, I am lost and tossed about,
this pitiful shell, an amazing mystery!
How still you pour out pure love that's free;
Yet quietly weep and bend with such degree?

What have I done, where is my merit?
Please draw the picture, my Holy Liege!
Dear God, 'tis time to set my eager spree,
for I relent, in awe of Your mighty siege.

Donald M. Ricks
September 27, 2005

The Funeral

I heard the sounds of grief
and saw people on their knees.
Friends milled around, as family members sat down.

Tear-filled eyes were everywhere,
and some I saw with a blank stare;
Sadness and sorrow flowed thickly in the room.

Two caskets, one draped with a flag,
spoke loudly; their lives ended too soon.
Wondering why and how hovered there, in thoughts.

Condolences said, I too hung my head.
Remembering well, as my heart did swell,
along memory's hallways my mind slowly ran.

There was a man, and there was a man,
their lives met and covered those in the room.
Mourning one has a rule, but two - no clue.

The boys and the mom became as one;
What was the family with no champion to do?
Their tragic end left no objective blame to attend!

As we all knew the facts of their last ado,
cruely crawled the agent of chance.
Then, and there, not a moment too soon!

For who knows that moment of fate?
Only God has the key and the whom.
Their lives are at rest, and as Solomon knew.

For us, in disbelief: Oh, what a mournful farewell.

Donald M. Ricks
October 4, 2005
[Written at the funeral of my uncle and his son-in-law, as they were both killed in a head-on car wreck, six months after the funeral of my uncle's wife. My cousin, Gale, lost her mother, father and husband in the span of six months. Now, in mid November 2006, Gale has terminal cancer and will leave three grown boys, aged 21-26, wondering why life for them lately has been so harsh. Say a prayer for Mark, Brian, and Jeff. Update: Gale died December 1, 2006, and is buried next to her husband, mother and father. All died within 21 months.]

The Holiday was Not

I sit here alone, yes quietly alone
and hear and see the soul of the night.
A lonely sound swirls about the town,
people living to make a dream.

Why am I here? I ask askew,
what purpose is my presence in paradise?
I've been here before, and what a bore!
This rock is a mock of what I flee.

A man cannot say that for even one day
he owns a part of a life, his choice.
For in a way a whisper can say;
Take this part and that thing away.

I sit here alone, yes quietly alone
and know those sounds are not my own.
For mine is what's near and so dear,
I miss her and that is the pain.

Where I've been today was our yesterday,
my heart is in that shadow to stay.
I never regret the sweet day we met,
how those memories cling firmly and stay.

Donald M. Ricks
October 14, 2005
[Written in Hawaii, as I sat on the balcony of the same hotel my wife and I had visited two years past. She had died less than a year previous to the writing.]

The Truth in my Heart

I want to go where you went,
I want to be where you are.
Is it far, or is it near?
It's all the same to me.

For where you rest is where I rest,
It's there my heart does dwell.
So fold my life and set the day;
Allow my wings to fly.

I'm far beyond the mortal lip,
escaped, nay this world might hold.
It was so bittersweet, thy spirit's flash,
even while you rest I try!

A thought is a spark, so far is the dark,
that twilight has yet to appear.
Remembering well what I cannot tell,
Here, the light of another day.

Donald M. Ricks
November 15, 2005

The Honorable Chair

I sat in That chair on a cold December day,
not able to speak; I had nothing to say.

The sleet and the wind marked this a mournful day,
but not as dreadful as the day she went away.

As the pastors spoke, I entered into a trance.
Not a sound or a movement actively changed This dance.

Belief removed, reality dimmed; Oh, the emotional drain!
My consciousness emptied, I just couldn't feel the pain.

Love wasn't lost, but life's meaningful things found,
on that cold, memorial day as friends gathered around.

My heart raced, then faltered, as they lowered her down
My darling, my life, a beautiful Crown of Crowns.

Grace helped her make it, tho We knew love as a pair
But for her honor, I'd rather not sit in That chair!

Donald M. Ricks
January 14, 2006
[This one came to my mind, later, as I recalled the emotions of the day we buried my wife, and I wanted to shout and scream, but I could not utter a word; I was in such shock.]

The Ending of Life

I suppose you have thought the same thoughts:
"Here today and gone tomorrow."
There's more to it than that, of course,
but what can you say when there's no time to borrow?

That time is near, so you have feelings, like:
Why me? What did I do? Is that all?
What if I want a little more time?
Others travel within your mind, they spin and spin!

Who's there to share this horror? And, who
can understand your need to understand,
your mounting anxiety and thoughts of suicide?
Sympathetic, friendly faces don't hold a clue.

Would it be better not to know?
Of course, you snicker at the knowing gift.
But, how foolish to say you'd rather not know,
for the question is on everyone's mind.

Armed with this gift you gather your cool
and shy away from your best friends, perhaps.
You want to talk but are afraid to say exactly
what swirls 'round in your morbid thoughts.

As the days pass along, and you see the change,
how will that last breath take you away?
You are alone in this passage of time, not a sea
of arms pull you within - and this horror away.

Flashes of your life go zooming, some too close to see.
As memories swell up and you try not to dwell:
Why won't this terror in thoughts go away?
Well, in a few short days it may, they say.

Okay, the time is at hand, I feel the growing pain.
My mind is afloat and my body detached;
Here, the moment I've dreaded arrives.
It's the same on my back or my side!

Just a few short breaths! Oh, the feeling is sweet.
Elated, I arch my back to meet the fate
that carries my body to sleep, I smile!
In silence, I see the light, as my spirit returns, my God.

Donald M. Ricks
February 22, 2006
[No, this is not me but my impressions, visions, and perceptions of those I have know and who died and had some of these feelings. ]

This Sad, Crooked Smile

Thy lovely face,
such a warm embrace;
and, Oh, what special
thrills you can induce.

You have mine eye, and
you struck the spark
that wakes my manly
want, I joke.

Now, take the truth
and hash it out:
Love quietly lurks beneath
this sad, crooked smile.

Observe a heart
that's been awash with
grief and fire not spent;
Intrusions I often resent.

To open the gate would
firmly state, her memory
is growing weak.
Yet, Cupid flies out and in!

Someday shall shine your
broad-based hope, I hold its
key beneath; What's
suffered is mine, to keep.

I'd bring it out,
I want to shout!
But her honor and grace pry
open the memory spout.

Then I cannot go,
and I wish you to know -
I've danced with her 'til spent.
What's left for a lonely gent?

Still, I'd like to be something
to Thee, and someday
I eagerly might!
'Til then this sad, crooked smile.

Donald M. Ricks
February 22, 2006

I Know, You Told Me

I know, yes! You told me,
but love refused to believe.
Such a far-fetched shrill
that soon you'd leave.

Not for a frivolous cause, as love's
integrity flowed through your heart.
Seldom spoken, forever declared!
Your style-'til death do us part.

A sad, resigned look,
a far-away, knowing set thy face;
Such truth sailed beyond me.
You hinted! He'd shown you the race.

I care not for this knowing, but
this sorrow did come true.
The Master claimed part of the crew.
While I'd give all still to have you.

As the months slowly slip by,
I continue to dry-cry and sigh,
as an hombre who's lost and alone.
I still have the ring no one can buy.

Donald M. Ricks
February 22, 2006
[This one was actually written several months before the date shown, for I made notes that weren't finished until recently. These thoughts were formulated about mid year, 2005.

Oh, My Soul

"Oh, My Soul, thy hit of longing is like a keg of nails suspended from my heart! Thank thee for this heart, it's return. I wear the pain of this pulling with pleasure. Yes, pleasure in this pain is bearable, the object is so sweet. Amen."

Donald M. Ricks
March 18, 2006

Behind the Veil

by Donald M. Ricks
copyright May 10, 2006

Thy sweetness lurks behind the veil,
so tender, anxious is thy kiss.
Just step within, to catch the wave
of stirring, longing bliss!

Go tell the world what dwells beneath
the mask that hides the tell.
Men long to see you peel it off
and cast it, there, fill Deception's well.

Remove such filters from your mind,
and scrape those beautiful, crusty eyes.
Nature's clarity seldom requires
such ball and chains you bear.

Seek to know what men adore,
an honest thrust of soul and chin.
Lose it not, there holding back; a
Lover can't ignore your boldest grin.

What you have is always yours,
the Savior's life-gift from the womb.
Accept the fame, uniquely attained;
your stamp is pure and clean.

The Omega

by Donald M. Ricks
copyright June 5, 2006

We feel the bad and sense the bold,
but we're locked in a room of change.
The exit door seems camouflaged,
where the knob is painfully cold.

Reaching in and grasping air
is a dreamer's world gone real.
Lost are friends and lovers, too,
for lack of a stirring heart to share.

Foresights often voiced come true!
With self there's no wisdom, and no truce.
To see our hearts in such marked distain,
due one's lock on love's burning flame.

Alas! The condition of our hearts are
now and then the same, we complain.
Our difference is surely where and how
we stand on this lonely, bitter plain.

Our steady counsel is a mirror of truth,
untangled internally, recalled but oft refused.
Oh, how much! We know of it, please, we say.
Take the serum offered, to like and love thee.

There's ever a beginning and an end,
and we've reached the latter's edge.
Now as we sing our tragic songs, life's
twinkling cymbal sounds to start this dredge.

Now launch us, yes, leave us, to fly to
where we shall land; For, if one knows fortune,
with grace from His hand, another love come
calling may someday hold our hand.

Serene Solitude

by Donald M. Ricks
copyright June 11, 2006

Why do I like this solitude, is it me or is it them?
Just blending here in silence, hoisting a tankard of gin.
Contemplating nothing, a lifeless brain seems keen;
Camping in an armchair, nothing jealous in my genes.

There's no reason behind their madness, those
who scurry from crowd to crowd; One drawing
off the other, talking louder than the loud.
From this you'll find me shrinking, disliking bustle bad.

Why do I like this solitude, have I learned by what I've seen?
No, I believe it's preference, not making a rowdy scene.
Quietness lures the mighty, the gregarious, and the course.
Content in my lonely nest comes the world, a meddling force.

Her Final Gift

by Donald M. Ricks
copyright August 28, 2006

Those days are gone, those
that you and I dwelled upon.
This place of yesterday we
knew is not the same today.

In a way it's sad, too, this recall
of memories formed back then.
Boldly, we attempt to search
for just what, where, and when.

But only slivers of ghostly mist
remain, as if in a lost, fleeting dream.
A speck on yon horizon marks the
place we'd have been some day.

Not wondering why, we sigh,
a time to cling, emotions high.
Apart to leave, apart to go,
faltering I painfully look away.

Exhausted love, unable to see
beyond this cool haze of grief.
I've climbed from that hole, ah, the light,
and shook off those ashes and dust.

I leave you now, to go my way,
but I pray for you each day.
As I take a step, I feel your nudge,
"Go on, plunge yourself in natural love."

From thee I reluctantly part, for-
ever respecting your kindest gift.
You loved me long and so strong;
My Lord, I'm humbled by this of Thee!

My wife, not my life, has died, I know;
God willing we'll meet yet again!
The remaining heart is now sent free,
by Grace, opened to what will be.

Your Champion, Lord!

Donald M. Ricks
November 2006

Father, grace me fully;
Let me feel I'm free to be,
that no one lurks to hinder me.

Tho anonymity soothes me, and
this call to greatness not mine,
love leads me there from time to time.

Fill me with your right reason,
a portion share of Thy mercy,
in times when I want to judge.

Prepare me well to listen to more
than of what might be my plan.
Oh, grant to me these subtle needs.

Where pain and suffering soar,
let right thoughts sail my way.
Not that I want to save the day.

The cause to agree is mighty,
surely, when right displays her power.
Place me in the front line to stay.

Your armored warrior I'd like to be,
to carry truth peacefully for Thee.
A hill of will, a mighty cudgel when used.

Freedom's road is treacherous,
filled with barriers and blades,
to spoil the Champion's way.

So, pour out Your courage,
and open my heart to truth;
A gift of action to spoil a ruse.

A Cold and Doubtful Mind

Donald M. Ricks
June 23, 2007

I thought too long, she took too much!
I painted skillfully for her our dream,
which only served to force her away.
Can a doubtful mind spoil the heart?

Her first lover stole her youthful love,
and turned her heart cold as stone.
Unforced memory grew a wedge
so firm no truth or honesty prevailed.

It hurts to know she wanted more, but
why do needs and wants prompt fear?
The more we talked the more she ran,
from my kind and gentle caress.

Tragically, I trusted our love belonged,
locked in our heart's timeless embrace.
Tediously, I expressed to her my love,
still her past and fears formed a brace.

What's left is a shell of human defeat.
Why believe if it's not sincere?
Though she tries to fool the crowds,
one can't forever shield a cerement.

Just pass it on, there, another love,
grievously jostle to try again, and again.
This corrupted heart is cold, indeed!
A doubtful mind spoils the heart.

Fifty Years

Donald M. Ricks
August 29, 2007

Wow! We made it!
Those years weren't cheap,
nor free, nor always easy;
but they were ours to remember!

Look back at the beginning,
and there, just the two of us.
Over those years we didn't
collect life's dust, No!

Our two souls grew for each a
lasting love, and a family, too.
Just look, those anniversary photos!
Who would have thought, so much?

The gifts in Kansas weren't material
ones, but lovely memories and those
we held in our tender embrace.
Yes, Solomon had the answer.

Sit down and eat and enjoy the sweet
fruits of your labor; in this instance
our own love, our children and theirs.
God blessed us so, Dianne and Don!

Donald M. Ricks
August 29, 2007

A Lover's Return

There, before me in splendor she sits.
The camera knows not what my eyes see,
nor my heart at rest as the lens struggles.

In those between years, her charms grew.
What she revealed at first seemed surreal.
How quick the days cede. Will this pass?

This belle is real, and what she agitates soars.
And in a pleasing, blessing moment of wonder
awakens a past hope, this once discarded jewel.

The box fails to capture her exactness, true,
nor what caused my eye's subtle caress.
Grace, a beautiful memory restored, instead.

Pluck the strings, sweet denizen of my heart,
pierced well with dignity, intrigue, and aplomb.
How swift and true the arrow flew my way.

Now, the photo that caused this heart's spill,
a woman with a hat and a keen smiling skill,
seems simply wrenched opposite my historic view.

Her person is pure, sweet, kind, and content;
seeking peace in her years; oh, love's caress.
Bringing my sense of what she really deserves.

Donald M. Ricks
November 4, 2007

Hosanna's Chest

Oh, Hosanna, I see you dance and judge
a swirling act of grace, thy keen agility.
So many movers, so many clicks
to register at memory's apogee.

Yet, beneath, there rests a clue
to why your spirit seems so aloof.
It's in your eyes, it cannot hide, there:
within the mirror's close knit refuge.

The answer you seek is very clear,
in the Book you know so well.
Just read the lines, the answer shines,
merely ask, and I'll point to the Spring.

Relent, give up, the mortal reward.
The gift was always there, in full
and gentle display, the Way.
Claim it, your right, and shun delay.

Read the poems, they hold a key
to the part you now must exploit.
David knew, and Ruth gave heed to
answers our hearts esoterically discern.

It is not us but an external source
that leads to and reveals the route.
Hallow and pure the core's hit;
think of an arrow flung by a Saint.

Oh, Hosanna, 'tis true that I love you.
This obscure beau you know so well.
He's buried in Hope's holy chest.
Discover, just open the given Treasury.

Donald M. Ricks
November 23, 2007

Love Me Now, Love Me Long

Here and now is where I am.
Here is where I want us to be.
Not looking ahead nor looking back;
It's now my heart aches for thee.

The things I have are not my own;
These, like I, will soon pass away.
What we do and what we make
are but time spent in private space.

Cuddle me, kiss me, come feel
my hurgry, wanting embrace.
Too soon we go, and perhaps we'll know
how sweet it was to honor our place.

My want is you, my need is you;
These are not merely words, but my
hope, my heart, the essence of me.
I long, so, for your share of our love.

What good am I alone to cry,
to fall asleep without peace and ease?
I need you near, that is my first cheer,
I want to be with the other part of me.

Now is our time, I want this today, to stay.
Perhaps tomorrow is for eternity.
So love me now, and love me long.
Wait not 'til my share has passed away.

Donald M. Ricks
December 13, 2007