The Road, So Long

By Paul Bethune

In this collection of poems, The Road, So Long, written over a thirty year period, Paul Bethune chronicles his quest for love, fulfillment, and meaning. As the title suggests, the road is marked with many detours, pitfalls, and challenges along the way to be overcome. For the poet, these come in day-to-day experiences of joys, sorrows,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Above the Noise
• Release date: Apr 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9780993636745

Book preview

The Road, So Long

Paul Bethune

The Road, So LongAbove the Noise Publishing

Above the Noise Publishing

Victoria BC

To my wife Kimberly Robinson,

for your unwavering love and support.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Part I

Reality

The Unparalleled Man

Pride (I)

Dried Flowers (I)

Bird in a Cage

The End, the Beginning

Changes (I)

Life Still Goes On

Building a World

Getting By

She

A Poem for Vicki

Sometimes

Death by a Stranger

Just Like Every Other Day

Only the Men

The Year I Grew Up

To Accept is to Be

Do You Still Think of Me?

You Were

Floating

Would You Still Cry at My Funeral?

Blame

I Had Forgotten How to Laugh

Incredible as it May Seem

My Empty Heart

My Child Who Was One

My Quiet One

Not Ever

Wasted Thought

No Together

Only Words

You Never Wipe Your Tears

Attitudes

This House

Looking at You

A New Creed

At Peace (I)

On This Day

My Spring

Dancing Flames

Doing the Right Thing

Footprints

Sleeping Flakes

To Excel

As I Lie Here Alone

The End

Waving Grass

Change of Heart

The Only Cure

Slim Jim

Ice Castles

Behind the Smile

One Snowflake, One Tear

In Silence

My Friend

A Matter of Time (I)

The Face of an Angel

Times

Open Window

Child of the Ocean

Part II

Past the Tears

Pride (II)

Indifference

Dying Breath

A Matter of Time (II)

Beside You

Once in My Life

Honesty and Tears

Changes (II)

Your Pain

In My Mind

To Capture the Moment

Advice

Lightning

Dragon’s Jaws

The Building Which Destroys

Where to Turn?

My Search

Another Day

Apathy

Hmmm

How Bad Could it Be?

Losing It

Motivation

Longing

Serious

Bang

This is It

Deliverance

Seasons

Then and Now

Missing You

Enough is Enough

Say When

All I Need to Say

Blazing Eyes

Grief

Yesterday’s Pain

All by Myself

The Kiss of Change

Sixth Sense

Surrender

What Are You Thinking?

The Essence of Change

The Building of Trust

Influence

The Word (I)

Anticipation

Friends

What’s Wrong?

Out of My Mind

My World

A Song for You

Just as Well

Some Space

In Your Eyes

This Day in Your Life

Summit

The Power of Words

One Event

The Other Side

Today

Back in Touch

The Note

Looking Ahead

At Peace (II)

Looking Back

What to Do?

A Year Ago Today

Failure

Anyone

As Simple as That

The Wound of Time

One Day You Awaken

In Case You’ve Forgotten

A Time

Part III

Moments

The Cure

Unrelenting

Special

Time to Row

Lifetimes

Alone

Sparks

Instincts

Plus ça change

Signals

Upstream

The Real Thing

Check-Out Time

Just Another Day

Yours

The Challenge

Attitude

Numbness

Nothing

No Longer

Earth, Wind and Fire

The Journey

Finally

Last Night

Why You

...And Then Some

The Last Night

The Word (II)

Human

Helium

Closure

Waiting

Not Because of Him

On the Beach

Wonder

Words of Peace

Dried Flowers (II)

Holly

Destiny

This Torch

I Just Am

No Idea

You’re Back

Always Does

What You Give

Lake Holly

Together...Forever

At Times Like These

The Measure of a Man

Time

Thanks for Being You

Love

My Philosophy

Part IV

Truth

Stages

Just Right

The Perfect One

Once Again

Praying for the Storm

Why Can’t I?

Faith

Blessed

Soul

A Tear

Christmas Dreams

Waiting

A Story Book Finish

Any Addiction

Trust

Then and Now

Fate

The Road, So Long

Stranger

Breath of Fresh Air

Pleasure

Because

My Hearth

Know

Oasis

Senses

Thoughts

Written Over Time

Loving Kim

A Gift

Day Dreams

For the Moment

Away

More and More

Acknowledgements

About the Author

I

Road So Long part

Reality

What appears to exist rarely does,

What one wants to exist rarely does,

What seems apparent is obscured in disregard.

Is it reality that occurs in day dreams and make beliefs?

Is it reality sought by all in life’s ambitions?

Is it reality seen in the faces of those who

Sense reality for the first time?

Does one seek reality when he’s content otherwise?

Does one hear reality when he listens

Only to what he wishes to hear?

Does one speak of reality

When he desires to draw only from his dreams?

Nothing is more painful than facing reality

Rather than continuing to thrive on fantasies and blind truths.

Observation should be heeded by those on the outside,

To fulfill you with life as it is on the inside.

1975

The Unparalleled Man

Cradling the small babe,

He is a giant in station.

His love and generosity are unending,

Which lends itself to the raising of

A receptive human being.

Direction and understanding ever present

Molds one so certain, one so sensitive

There is influence so great, so constant

Yet accepted with boundless joy,

A man so humble

He is the man, the unparalleled man.

I love you Dad.

1975

Pride (I)

Forever is a long time to ponder,

What could be has surely not died.

Yet, we must consider so carefully,

Can we live on only our pride?

To say late is better than never,

Would surely rule out any blame.

As always, I’ll love you forever,

But I am saddened you don’t feel the same.

Our thoughts are blurred while in anger.

It’s so easy to don fits of rage.

Can we suddenly turn that old page?

Can our true feelings be nonexistent?

Can the love in our hearts be denied?

A fool would be too persistent.

A greater fool has only pride.

February 1980

Dried Flowers (I)

I am dried flowers

A never-ending look of life,

Yet have ceased to subsist.

Appealing, yet unnatural.

Present, yet uneventful.

I cannot weep for fear of destruction

I cannot blossom and be vulnerable.

I am content, needing no stimulus.

I am simply here giving life to nothing else.

The wind is my enemy carrying change and unrest.

A crumbling world begins to unfold.

Yet no one can tell.

I know this so well.

I need nothing.

December 1981

Bird in a Cage

I have often felt like a bird in a cage,

Yearning for escape, yet content in my world.

Desired control, relative to circumstances,

Controlling what enters as a means

For coping with the unknown.

Preparing for what lies ahead.

The past is so clear, I have always been here.

The present I’ve met as a light silhouette.

The future uncertain till the draw of a curtain

In the cage I respect, for the world I neglect.

When changes occur, there’s a bend in the bar.

I begin my escape, but only so far.

A relative newness unfamiliar to me

Is blinding my concept of what I can