SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN HERE

SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN HERE

(FOR MY BROTHER THOM) 

So grateful to have been here, to have walked Earth's joyful mile,

To have tasted both the love and fear, to celebrate the tear and smile.

To have held the hand of many a friend, to have held my lover sweet and fine,

So grateful to have been here, for the rose and for the wine.

The universe has loosed its purse strings, like manna falling from the skies,

The eagle soars and spreads its wings, and like the eagle I will fly.

So grateful to have been here, just like Fortune's favorite son,

I've had my share of pain and cheer, have tasted both like everyone.

I am richer for the struggle, I am grateful for the pain,

I have seen the keenest rainbows, in the sky after a summer rain.

I can tell you life is sweet and though I'm sometimes sour,

I move my feet to a hopeful beat, I trust in my own power.

At this time in bleak midwinter when we pause in thoughtful mood

I join the ranks and give my thanks with praise and gratitude.

For this magical, mighty moveable feast,

Times tossed in turmoil, days peppered with peace.

I say a humble sacred prayer, for hearts encumbered everywhere,

For in the midst of fear and strife, there is promise of new life.

Let us seize it while we can, each precious grain of sand

That pours forth from the hourglass, let us taste life while it lasts.

For me life may be winding down, who really knows for sure?

All we are promised is the now, the present moment is the cure.

The antidote to sorrow and to things that could have been,

No one knows the Master's plan, when life begins and ends.

So grateful to have been here, for the elements of style,

For the passion and the fashion alive in every smile.

To have been around for just awhile, to have tasted cool fresh air,

To have known the rush of ecstasy, the downward spiral of despair.

I have known it all and cherished each measured, sacred breath,

When all it has been said and done, I will have tasted death.

I will have crossed to the other side and seen God's precious face,

Joined with those that have passed before me to this special place.

Happier for the lives I touched in my precious time on earth,

Happier still that they touched mine with merriment and mirth.

Richer for the days gone by, for the privilege of a lifetime,

So grateful to have been here, for the rose and for the wine.

-Bruce Potts

Revised Copyright 2024

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WELCOME TO MY CRYSTAL BALL

 WELCOME TO MY CRYSTAL BALL

I am having such a ball with my life

Lately I have become so wise

And

I can see more than ever before

With my clear and crystal eyes.

So welcome to my crystal ball.

Stand directly in front of my rapturous radiant smile.

And maybe in an inkling,

My smile so bright and twinkling,

Will shimmer to stardust upon your shoulders

And just before your youth dissolves

Your new mind will indeed resolve to not grow any older,

To see this life as a shimmering wonderland 

Of funny little people,

Scurrying about in hilarious hurries

And bothering with ridiculous worries.

I am having a big bash with my life

A bash that you are most welcome to crash.

Lately I have become so wise.

And

I can see more than ever before

With my clear and crystal eyes.

-Bruce Potts

Copyright 2024

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WINTER GOING

WINTER GOING

Winter going, feeling spent and down and out,
The snowbird he is heading south,
To the Bahamas and his summer house,
Giving my world a reason and rhyme.
I can slip and fall in my own good time.
Life is springing up around me,
Daffodils and pansy lion faces,
The earth has turned upon its axis,
The snowmen have no prophylaxis
Except to disappear, and come again another year,
The earth achieves a better stasis.
Full of life and the resolve not to waste it,
The days and years ahead,
To rise above the sense of dread.

Winter leaving, its renting of clothes,
Its desperate attempts to thwart the rose,
Its season of grieving, its time to impose.
Back to the days of color and kites,
Sailing high above the clouds,
Winter is covered in mystery and shroud.
A visage impenetrable, a sleet and snow parade,
Devoid of blossoms, a sham and a charade,
Winter going, doing a half-assed slow fade.

Winter perishing, gasping for air,
Yielding to summer's wand.
Back to its prison of piety and pettiness,
From which there is no bond.
Bring me summer, bring me spring,
Bring me alas a reason for rejoicing,
A season of lightness and a season of smiles,
The comfort of a tulip and a stiff upper lip,
Chase away my treacherous miles.

Winter going, its prissiness and its pride,
Falling down the rabbit hole, one final fatal ride,
Give it its due, it was ballsy and bloated,
And for a short while on its fumes it still floated,
Leaving its frail and indelible mark.
An old bitter man consumed by his snark.

Winter, it is going, and we put flowers on its grave,
Though it once was a king, now a fool and a knave.
In another year it will be back with its paintbrush of doom,
'Til then let it sleep alone in its tomb.
And for those who mourn it, have no fear,
It will rail and snarl fiercely this time next year.
Like a bad penny, alas, it will be back,
To coat our roads and bridges
Our mountains and ridges
With its slippery vile shellac.

-Bruce Potts
Copyright 2015
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HEADLONG INTO JOY

HEADLONG INTO JOY

Sun breaks through a cloudy morning,

Wild geese swoon at water's edge.

The happy brooks careen and sparkle,

Splashing headlong into joy.

Nature's awake and all a quiver

And barefoot lovers traipse the shore,

Whispering their solemn vows,

To have and hold on God's green earth.

It is a thing of sacred mystery,

How one's soul can feel unfettered,

How the heart can stay afloat,

Jamming to the day's mad chorus.

The golden tunes you've laid before me,

Challenge me to breathe anew,

The fumes of love's intoxication

And walk with you beneath the moon.

Moon breaks through a gloomy evening,

The bedclothes sweet with your cologne.

Your fingers come and overtake me,

You splash me headlong into joy.

-Bruce Potts

Revised Copyright 2015

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PRICE TAG

PRICE TAG

Don't look at the price tag,
As you wander through the world.
Don't you boast and don't you brag,
You thrifty boy, misguided girl.
Live each day like the glamorous,
The wanderer, the amorous,
The Gatsby and his bride.
Live life in the open,
Turn the world upon its side.

Don't walk if you can run,
Don't crawl if you can amble,
Don't iron your shirts, for better or worse,
Be aimless, free, and ramble.
Don't plant flowers that wither.
Brighten someone else's day,
With a bouquet made of the finest silk,
With your smile to light their way.

Don't lay up riches for yourself on earth,
That is not my message, nor my theory.
But know that you are of infinite worth,
And leap about 'til you are weary.
Eat dessert first often, citing chapter, quoting verse,
Make your way through this infinite day,
Dance 'til you drop and spill your purse,
Onto the floor goes your treasure,
Don't count your losses, just survey your wins,
With a dollop of luck for good measure.

Surprise the universe with a mighty high five,
For no one's getting out alive,
And death in the end will stake its claim,
No matter your riches, no matter your fame,
May as well just live by chance,
Spend your children's inheritance,
Though tongues will cluck and tails will wag,
And fools will speak of duty,
I'm telling you ignore the price tag,
Fill your life with truth and beauty.

You cannot take it with you when you go,
When you're buried deep 'neath the winter snow,
Share your riches while you still are living,
Still are breathing, still forgiving,
Still have your mind and your body intact,
It's not hard to do when you examine the facts,
Go shopping in the cosmic mall,
In the clear light of the day,
Before all your chins begin to sag,
Ignore the limits of the price tag,
Let the child in you come out to play.

Go window shopping, clotheshorse hopping,
'Til something makes you bray,
A motif of clouds or a burial shroud,
Or a bright floral bouquet.
Could be a house dress, could be an evening gown,
The looking's free, for you and me,
Just practice up and don't look down. 

If you've money and can afford to buy,
Do not ask wherefore or why,
Ignore the jealous raves and rants,
And splurge on those designer pants.
Say yes to the Rolex, yes to the Gucci bag,
If the cash is there, then clear the air,
And close your eyes to the price tag.
Treat yourself as a king or queen is all I really mean.
Indulge yourself with a happy dance,
An occasional extravagance.

Make light of illness and of strife,
As you go wandering through this life,
Live each day as your very last,
Don't spend it on a weight loss fast.
Go through the world like the glamorous,
The wanderer, the amorous,
The Gatsby and his bride,
And live life in the open,
Turn the world upon its side.

--Bruce Potts
Copyright 2013
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED