“Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits . . . it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart, and on the influence all these produce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers.” – Fisher Ames
“Silence is not always a sign of wisdom, but babbling is ever a mark of folly.” – Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, poet, dramatist, and Nobel laureate (29 Aug 1862-1949)
Light and Darkness
by Michael Doyle
I approach my inner self with intimation
Looking for deeper thoughts of origination
So much of who I am comes from ancestral care
Then living life as bold as I might dare
Wheels spin inside on subjects of light and sight
Hoping enough vitality resides to get this right
Lashing out at times in this world's harshness
Living inside the thoughts of light and darkness
The truth of impractical hopes is their surprise
As I look at the world through your beauty and eyes
Self-examined I find that I again lack the mastery
To express myself through what passes for poetry
Indulging enough in failure to find some success
I put pen to paper as I struggle for my very best
Boundless feelings surge to stretch my imagination
And I find myself accepting I will never reach perfection
(c) August 28, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
“To model our political system upon speculations of lasting tranquility, is to calculate on the weaker springs of the human character.” – Alexander Hamilton (1788)
“When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat-Moon, travel writer (b. 27 Aug 1939)
Age of Anxiety
by Michael Doyle
Looking out for my daughters with empathy
As this modern age drips with anxiety
There are so many issues and concerns seen
It quickly overwhelms any human being
It has become an epidemic across this nation
Where morbid complexity gives way to depression
Rising from the sweltering depths of the pandemic
A nation of angst has grown somehow systematic
Entering high school, it seems so much matters
As leaving middle school, friends seem to scatter
A parent wishes for life to become a smooth roll
But instead, watches life's issues take their toll
Sometimes scared and embarrassed by things seen
As they scroll through social media's vivid screens
It's increasingly hard to connect to any community
There's only so much to be done with one's family
I watch each of them wise beyond their knowing
Taking fatherly delight in watching their growing
I see them taking steps in their development
Increasingly, I am there only to offer encouragement
It's up to my daughters as their own human beings
To keep confidence, seeking competence and meaning
I whisper to them to never, ever fear the shadows
And that I love them more than they can truly know
When they get lost in life's darkness and blight
I call them quietly to always focus on the light
There it is, where they are, waiting for their sight
If their courses need correcting, they'll set it right
I see them sometimes feel failure as they learn
But their sense of this is better than some will earn
There is no point in living hard and pressuring oneself
Not all of life's lessons will come from bookended shelves
In this age of internet connection, so much alienation
Comes to be the pattern that needs constant detection
Therapy and medication are not needed, nor a stranger's love
I try to show them to keep their heads praying to the above
Heaven may not speak loudly, but listen close to hear
And you'll find your way through anything you might fear
This crisis and challenge is pervasive across our community
But my daughters will know they've got their loving family
(c) August 27, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
“There is not a more important and fundamental principle in legislation, than that the ways and means ought always to face the public engagements; that our appropriations should ever go hand in hand with our promises. To say that the United States should be answerable for twenty-five millions of dollars without knowing whether the ways and means can be provided, and without knowing whether those who are to succeed us will think with us on the subject, would be rash and unjustifiable.” – James Madison (1790)
“The best index to a person’s character is (a) how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can’t fight back.” – Abigail Van Buren (August 1980)
Love Is A Dance of Promises
by Michael Doyle
To weave the fabric of lasting bonds
To feel first love and move beyond
It is a path that is a kind of worship
Making us into a resilient relationship
Losing you would be to die without dying
The tears ripping me apart without crying
The weight of your soul is felt in your walk
This late hour holds this as more than talk
Five promises that will help us to thrive
Five promises that will help our love survive
I will be here for you in the no matter what
We will remind each other if ever we've forgot
We make again commitments of loving trust
Knowing no other way than we simply must
Knowing that communication begins with respect
Promising in the good and bad, we won't neglect
Truth is the cornerstone of our loving intimacy
We promise to embrace the depths of vulnerability
Honesty is embraced without fear as our currency
The bridge between us is lived in our integrity
Five promises that will help us to thrive
Five promises that will help our love survive
I will be here for you in the no-matter-what
We will remind each other if ever we've forgot
Cultivated compassion becomes a promised tapestry
Tending to each other's wounds, we are sanctuary
Unwavering, we seed our garden with needed kindness
Promising understanding light instead of blindness
We prioritize growth for each other and loved together
Nurturing passion and making our shared dreams better
Each obstacle and challenge is another opportunity
Lived as stepping stones that will bring stronger unity
Five promises that will help us to thrive
Five promises that will help our love survive
I will be here for you in the no-matter-what
We will remind each other if ever we've forgot
We promise to cherish the small moments that we weave
Each a part of the tapestry shared as we believe
Shoulder to shoulder, we stand strong in our solidarity
Holding hands in times of joy and sorrow's soul sincerity
But most of all, we promise to choose love every single day
In life's ebb and flow, we promise to live love in every way
Letting each other's love always be our best guiding lights
Leading us through our best days and in our darkest nights
Five promises that will help us to thrive
Five promises that will help our love survive
I will be here for you in the no-matter-what
We will remind each other if ever we've forgot
(c) August 26, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.” – Thomas Jefferson (1774)
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