Soren

Posted 1 Year Ago

Who I am
(To know a man you must know where he has been)

I’ve seen the total eclipse of the sun
Where it grew black as night in broad day
I’ve seen comets, and meteor showers
I've lived through a Pandemic
And slept through earthquakes
Lived in the presence of tornadoes
And walked through the force of hurricanes, floods, and fire
I’ve skied on the edge of an avalanche
And had lighting strike so close I could smell it
I’ve seen Saint Elmo’s fire
I’ve seen it cold enough for spit to freeze before it hit the ground
I’ve seen an eagle fly
Awakened to toucans, and parrots
Watched whales breach
Swam with sharks, Manatee and dolphins
I’ve shook hands with an octopus
I’ve run through a herd of Water Buffalo
And within arms reach of American Bison
Walked through marshes with alligators
Had wild bear, timber wolves and bobcats cross my path
Heard coyotes howl as I camped by a fire
Been struck at by poisonous snakes
Bitten by poisonous spiders
And had a vampire bat suck my blood
I’ve watched a. wide river pass between my legs
Climbed glaciers, mountain peaks
And walked through the rain forest as well as desert
I’ve descended into caverns with stalactites and stalagmites
I’ve awakened under a foot deep blanket of snow at 12,000 feet
I’ve camped in pine forests where I’ve not seen a man for weeks
I’ve swam the oceans in two different hemispheres
And in ice cold glacier fed lakes
I’ve been deep sea fishing
Walked the high ledges of a ruined ancient Jesuit Mission at midnight
Stood in Indian graveyards
I’ve seen the redwood forests and giant sequoias
The grand canyon
The Amazons
The Andes
The salt flats
The Florida Keys
The Rocky Mountains
The geysers of Yellowstone
The continental divide
The falls of Iguacu
The great Mississippi
The skyscrapers of New York
And the Beaches of Rio
I've ridden steam locomotives.
I've hugged cowboys wearing guns
As they tied their horses outside of bars
I’ve hitched rides on the highway and on box cars in train yards
I’ve ridden a horse, a donkey and an elephant
And a bicycle through gangland at midnight
I've put a starting motor in my car in a K-mart parking lot
I’ve watched the space shuttle lift off into space
I’ve seen an undisputed UFO
And the turning of a millennia
Watched man take his first step on the moon
Seen fourteen different presidents
Seen one assassinated
Been through the draft of a war
I’ve witnessed a bank robbery in progress
I’ve walked prison yards
Survived car wrecks
I’ve known Executives, murderers
Judges, chiefs of police
Thieves, drug lords
And drug addicts
Gang members
Hell’s Angels
The criminally insane
FBI and CIA agents, terrorists
Bank robbers, bishops
Movie actors, doctors
Congressmen, and generals
Genius’ and the retarded
I’ve known millionaires
And the homeless
The famous and the infamous
I've taken bankruptcy
And owned up to ten houses at one time
I’ve worked construction,
Day labor
In a mine,
Driven truck,
As a gardener,
Grocery stores,
A warehouse,
Day care,
Run a cash register,
Stocked shelves,
Group homes for the retarded,
And emotionally disturbed
Been a missionary
Run a jack hammer,
Built railways,
Driven fork lifts,
Managed apartments,
Worked on a dairy farm,
Bailed hay,
Herded cows,
Taught college;
Worked in a prison,
Worked as a psychologist,
I’ve been on radio and TV
I’ve made the international news
Lived in the West, East, North, South and in between
I’ve earned a doctoral degree
And failed pre-algebra
I've played the violin, piano, accordion, and harmonica
I’ve been hated and laughed at
I’ve drank the best of wine
Smoked the best of cigars
And eaten excellent food
I’ve gone hungry and thirsty
And suffered from food poisoning
Passed kidney stones
Pulled my own bad teeth with pliers
Been set on fire
I’ve watched my hair grow gray and fall out
My skin wrinkle and my eyesight grow bad
I’ve felt pain and joy
I’ve known the love of a beautiful woman
Raised four children
Had grandchildren
I’ve seen people born
And seen them die
I’ve seen enough

Posted 2 Years Ago

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder

Posted 2 Years Ago

thank you for your comment on my poem "The Music" I didn't think my poems were all that great, but I try.