Inner Sanctuary: Lifetime Musings of a Poet

By Robert E. Shaffer

Robert E. Shaffer has always been a poet, but it took some time for him to find his true voice. As a young man, he enlisted in the Army and served in Vietnam. He came home discouraged and disillusioned, which is when the words began to truly flow. What followed was a career working with youth, and his spirit soon soared.

Inner Sanctuary follows the crooked line of his life as he finds solace on the page. His collection delves into his own subconscious but also looks to the world around him. He recalls those who have gone before, embracing memories long since past. He, too, regards the seasonsof nature and of life.

He takes careful study of youthfulness and the magic found therein. He encourages adults to not lose their sense of wonder, no matter the age. Shaffer ponders over his family and the generations that will follow once he is gone. Finally, he tackles the darkness and terror of war. Despite moments of despair, his collection is one of universal hope, of interest to all who wish to live lives of happy satisfaction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491782736

Robert E. Shaffer

Robert E. Shaffer has written poetry his entire life. His work has appeared in The Voice Within, In my Lifetime, and Best Poets of 2014. He and his wife, Tina, live in Ellsworth, Kansas. They have four children, eleven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

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Copyright © 2015 Robert Shaffer.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-8272-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-8273-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918353

iUniverse rev. date: 11/18/2015

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

My Sanctuary

In Memoriam

Family

Youthfulness of Youth

Seasons

War

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the Ellsworth High School English Literature teachers who were my inspirations: Mabel Herzog, Phyllis Francis and A.L. Farrington. To my mother Leola Shaffer, who raised two boys on her own and made a career of teaching. To my longtime close friend and mentor, Ben D. Mahaffey. Finally, to my spouse, Tina, my special angel, who not only supported me in making my life's dream happen, but also spent hours typing my manuscript.

Foreword

Years ago, Bob showed me some of his poetry. I always enjoyed reading his various works. He has the talent and wording to make his stanzas come alive; sometimes they seem to actually reach out and grab me. At other times, I have to stop, think, and let his words sink into my conscious being.

Prose can inform, move, and motivate people. But poetry can create a sense of passion! You will realize this as you read Bob's book. I am pleased to recommend this, his first contribution to the great body of poetic works.

Ben D. Mahaffey

St. George, Utah

My Sanctuary

I Wonder What Tomorrow Will Bring

I wonder what tomorrow   

   will bring.

I just hope tomorrow comes

   bright and fair.

I'm tired of these dismal

gray days today.

And I think

   I felt the same yesterday

      as I feel today.

Yesterday's tomorrow was today.

But no change is there.

I hear that each man

   is the master of his own destiny.

This must be so.

But I don't change.

I look for a brighter tomorrow

   but fail to see the light today.

Are there others like me?

If I could only see today's light

   I might find a brighter tomorrow.

Autumn Reflection

What magic children bring.

To see them we wonder.

Can they be a part of us,

   coming through us,

   although they pass

      beyond our grasp?

The poets are right.

We cannot go to them and

   they cannot come to us.

We are separated parts,

unable to become one.

And, yet,

   children cannot be

   separated from adults,

      nor can adults be

      separated from children.

Children weave magic in their being.

To know that they come from us,

   a hope and promise of

      future greatness springs.

And we were once children, ourselves.

We were once magical children.

Have we forgotten?

A Friend

What's in a friend?

A name,

   a word,

      a person.

Someone who cares

   just enough,

Not too much,

Not too little.

A person who can

be counted upon

   to lend a helping hand,

   to give of himself,

   to be present at just

      the right moment.

A friend is special,

Not that all people

   aren't special;

but a friend has that

   something extra.

A friend can be a man, a boy,

   a woman, a girl.

It makes no difference --

   a friend has love, shows love.

Lament

People ask the time of day

Even though I never say.

Then they just fade away.

Enthralled as if a child at play.

Religion doesn't say it all.

Sometimes it tries to break the fall

Even settling for a deepened pall

Never thinking, lost are all.

Lie

You said you liked me

and would always be

   my friend.

But then you turned away

and I knew there was

   little hope.

The choice was yours,

   not mine.

I loved you.

Love

Love is the greatest human emotion.

Without love where would we be?

Better off, experiencing contentment

   and satisfaction?

I doubt it.

We need love.

Why, we can get by without just about

   anything else.

Love is special, it makes us human beings.

Alive ...

Aware ...

Love is what we make it.

Love.

Love II

Love sets things right.

We argue and become dissatisfied with one another

but, always there is the bond, of

   love,

which patches the cracks in our walls of security.

A simple word -- love --

but it means so much when you are near.

Love III

What force compels

the union of two souls?

What miracle is present?

Love ...

Love fills the heart

to an overflowing of passion

and makes the spirit

leap and shout for joy.

Love, the power supreme,

endures all and cannot

fall into corruption.

Without love all is lost;

with love all is hope.

And love is there,

not a miracle,

but a gift of heaven.

Wear love well.

Love IV

How does love dwell?

Does love a secret tell?

Perhaps it often lies

as we gaze into crimson skies

of our deepest desires

which burn as kindled fires.

Surely truth is not there

but locked in vaults somewhere

to always be hidden from view.

And what of me, and you?

We search, but cannot find

our most desired peace of mind.

A secret past

our end at last.

Love, what joy it brings

and how it surely sings

to our overflowing heart

till death us do part.

Thus love speaks

from aspired peaks.

So be it.

So be it.

Today

Harsh times.

Bleak times.

Cruel times.

Times of despair.

Times of greed.

Times of hope.

Today.

Thoughts seem dry,

and words become twisted.