A... Musings: There Is A Poem For Everyone!

By Montgomery Delaney

Delaney truly believes that there is a poem for everyone! He hopes that you enjoy these poems, find a few that you love within these pages and, that you share them with the ones you love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667844084

Book preview

cover.jpg

A... MUSINGS: THERE IS A POEM FOR EVERYONE!

© 2022 Montgomery Delaney

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Print ISBN: 978-1-66784-407-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66784-408-4

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

A CASTLE IN THE SAND

ACCEPTANCE

A COLD RAIN

AFTER THE FALL

ALMOST THERE

AND SO, IT WENT

AN EX

ANGEL

ANGEL’S WINGS

ANTICIPATION

ARISE

ASK

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR HISTORY (2014)

ATTITUDE

BIG BLUE SKY

BILL BUCKNER

BOB DRAKE

BOTH OF US LOVE YOU

BOXING MATCH

BROKE

BROKEN BALLOONS

BROKEN BY THE DAWN

BROKEN HEARTS

BROTHERS

BURNING HOUSE

BUTTERFLY

CARTOON SONG

CAR TROUBLE

CATHY COOPER

CHANGING SHOES

CHRISTMAS IN SLAMBOVIA

COLORS

COMMON GROUND

CONOR

COPS

COSMOS

COUNT

COW PIE

CRESTS

CUTTHROATS AND COWARDS

DA BRONX

DAUGHTERS

DOGS

DOPELESS HOPEFIEND

DRINKING MAN

EMBERS

EMPTY

EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS WITH YOU

EVERY TIME

FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS

FADING

FAITH AND FEAR

FAKE IT

FIDEL AND LUCIFER

FOR EILEEN

FORGIVE ME MY ARROGANCE

FOR GLENN CAMPBELL

FOR THE FALLEN

FOSSILS

GANGRENE

GILDA LAUGHING

GOD

GOODBYE AGAIN (AN ANGRY POEM)

GOTHENBURG

GRACE

GRACE #2

GRATEFUL

GROPING

HEART IN THE CORNER

HEARTS

HER SMILE

HOME ALONE

HUBCAPS

ICE CUBE

I DON’T KNOW HOW

I FORGIVE YOU

I HAD A FRIEND ONCE

INCREMENTS AND ACCIDENTS

INDEPENDENCE DAY

IN HINDSIGHT

IN THE DAYS OF JACKSON BROWNE

I ONCE HAD A FRIEND

I REMEMBER

I SAY GOOD NIGHT

IT’S A SECRET

IT WAS A WOMAN

IT WAS YOU

I’VE GOT SQUAT

I WANT

JESUS

JUDAS & SNOOKI

KANYE

LAST NIGHT

LUCKY

LUXURY OF RICHES

MALL MORNING

MASKS

MENDING

MEN IN KILTS

MERCY

MORE

MY LITTLE GIRL

MY VERY LAST DAY

MY TEMPER

NEW SHIRT

NOTHING

OH, RANSOM ME

ONCE

PIECES

PLAYPEN

POETRY HAPPPENS

PRAYER #4

PRAYER #7

PRAYER #8

PRAYER #12

PRISON

PRODUCE

PRONOUNS

PROTEST

PUNCTUATION

RAINFALL

ROBERT HALL’S

RULED BY THE MOON

SACRAMENT

SALTLITERATION

SEMPER FIDELIS

SERENDIPITY

SHAKESPEARE

SHE HAS NO PLANS

SHE HAS QUESTIONS

SHE SAID

SIXTY IN SAN JUAN

SLOWDOWN DAY

SNOW

SNOWFLAKES

SONS

STRENGTH

SUPERFICIAL ME

SQUIRRELS

TEEN MUSE

THANKSGIVING DAY 2016

THAT LOOK

THE BED

THE BENCH

THE BIGOTS

THE BLIZZARD

THE BLOUSE

THE BUSKER

THE CHAMP

THE CHANGE

THE CHIEF

THE DAY BEFORE AMERICA DIED

THE DRUNK

THE FIRST 100 DAYS … NOT!

THE FLAME

THE FULLNESS OF TIME

THE GLASPHALT WALTZ

THE HANDSHAKE

THE HAT

THE HEARSE

THE HUG

THE LEAF

THEM

THE MEETING PLACE

THE MOON

THE MOST

THE NAKED TRUTH

THE OLD FOUR FOUR

THE PARADOX OF WAR

THE PIPER

THE QUEEN OF ANNANDALE

THE REAL SANTA

THE RECOUNT

THE RELIGION OF PEACE

THE SEASONS

THE SHIP

THE SHIRT

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

THE SORE

THE SPOKESMAN

THE STONES

THE THIN BLUE LINE

THE TIGER

THE TOLLS

THE TRACKS

THE TREE

THE WAKE

THE WALLS

THE WARRIOR

THE WORLD IS GONNA BREAK YOUR HEART

THINGS

THINGS THAT DON’T BECOME

THIS WORLD WE’RE LIVING IN

TORN IN TWO

TRACES OF RAINBOW

TRAP DOOR

TROUBLED TIMES

TRUMPERELLO

TWO DAY OLD COFFEE

VICTIM VOLUNTEER

WAITING FOR THE JURY

WAITING TO DIE

WEEDS

WHAT NOW?

WHEN

WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES

WHEN I AM DE-PROGRAMMED

WHEN I DIE

WHEN I WAS CANCELLED

WHEN YOU MEANT THE WORLD TO ME

WHISKEY

WIND

WINGS

WITH THIS WATER

WOODEN SOLDIERS

WTFAYLA?

YOU ARE MY POEM

YOU CAN

YOU PUNISH ME

YOUR HEART IS BLACK

FINAL THOUGHTS

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my first book. I have been writing poetry and songs since I was ten years old. When I was twelve years old, my dear friend Bobby Sabino, who is one of the greatest piano players in the world (David Bowie, Peter Frampton and many others), took one of my poems and put it to music. The Poem was called Playpen. Bobby put it on one of his albums. It was my first published work.

Over the years, I have written thousands of poems and hundreds of songs. I have had a myriad of experiences as a Marine, a New York City cop, a teacher, coach, college professor, songwriter, musician, trial lawyer, father and grandfather. I have always enjoyed observing people, places and things. It has been a wonderful life and a beautiful journey and, it isn’t over yet!

Over the past 10 years, I have been writing poems and jotting down thoughts with the Notes application on my cell phone. This book is the product of those musings. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I am enjoying the process of putting it all together.

Having retired from my law practice, it occurred to me that I had several books to write. This is my first. I hope that you can find something within these pages that will inspire you or help you in some way. That may be just in the fact that you might have had similar thoughts about the subjects I cover or, may have felt the same joy, anger, confusion or solitude that I have. By all means, feel free to change the pronouns to suit your experiences. I truly believe that we are all much more alike than we are different.

I dedicate this book to my dear departed childhood friend Brendan Perry and to Bobby Sabino. Growing up in the Bronx, Brendan was the first kid that did not make fun of me for writing poetry. He was a bit of a poet himself. He encouraged me to write and sing. He was a beautiful soul and even though he left us a long time ago, remains in my heart to this very day.

As far as Bobby goes, without his influence and encouragement, I may not ever have become a songwriter and a musician. Over the years, music and poetry have taken me to many places, introduced me to literally tens of thousands of wonderful people all over the world and have enriched my life immensely. I have indeed been blessed by having both of these original muses in my life at such a young age.

And so, I leave it to you. Enjoy, and please, pass it on.

Montgomery Delaney

Katonah, New York

May 22, 2021

A CASTLE IN THE SAND

Someone, somewhere, of gifted hand,

Created upon life’s shore,

A castle made of human sand,

Like none created before.

With turrets high and moat about,

It stood before the sea,

Tides came in and then went out,

This castle was unique.

It was the castle of a Prince,

One brave, and young, and good,

And none before nor ever since,

Has as proudly stood.

This Prince possessed a spirit free,

And did gallantly stand his ground,

And for years he dared the raging sea,

To wash his castle down.

For several years he fought the fight,

As the tide rushed in and out,

Through sunny days and stormy nights,

He laughed and sang aloud.

The prince was loved by everyone,

Through few did tell him so,

He stood there in the shining sun,

And never thought he’d go.

But one night Neptune’s ministers,

Did gather one and all,

And vowed to roll the wave of waves,

To crumble the prince’s walls

It was not that he laughed at them,

For his laughter pleasure gave,

It was that they admired him,

So young, and good, and brave.

And thus, they rolled this wave of waves,

And King Neptune did decree,

"I have need for one so young and brave,

Bring this Prince to me."

One morning when the sun came up,

The majestic wave did come,

The young Prince did not quiver once,

He would not turn and run.

It landed with a clap of thunder,

A sound to beat all sounds,

The brave young Prince was taken under,

His castle’s walls came down.

In the days to come it did subside,

The castle was no more,

And those who loved him stood and cried,

Together on life’s shore.

They shared their tears and memories,

Their laughter and their pain,

And on life’s shore by Neptune’s sea,

His spirit would remain.

And on that day beneath that sea,

King Neptune said to he,

"I’ve brought you here my brave young Prince,

To rule the waves with me."

And without question or delay,

His title he did take,

Forever more he’ll rule the waves,

And leave laughter in their wake . . .

ACCEPTANCE

We take the good days with the bad.

We persevere.

We do the best we can.

We always do the best we can.

We hope for the best.

That’s all we can do.

That’s the best we can do.

We accept!

A COLD RAIN

A cold steady rain falls

It slaps his bald head

It drips frigidly down the back of his neck

It’s how he feels right now

Dark

And cold

And lonely

Chilled

Shivering

He hears the drops dripping

Slapping upon the leaves

Fallen from brown trees

It’s how He feels right now

Black

Brown

Hidden in the depths

Of his self-inflicted darkness

Like a man bent on emptiness

Nothing can stop him

From being nothing

From being no one

Nothing can keep him

From himself

Nothing can heal him

From the constant reminder

Of his sadness

Of what he has lost

Of all that he has sacrificed

Unrequited

A cold steady rainfall

He ponders failure

It slaps his bald head.

AFTER THE FALL

After

After the fall

Will you hear the music

Of my memories

With your ear

Pressed to the wall

Will you listen

As I try to set them free

After

After the fall

Oh will your touch

Still linger on my skin

Will the sound of

Footsteps in the hall

Make you recall

All the nights

You let me in

Will you long for me then

Like I long for you now

Will your longing ever find

Its way to me

If you beckon me with sighs

I’ll be sure to hear you calling

I’ll be listening intently

For the sweet sound of your sighs

For a lonely time

After

The fall.

ALMOST THERE

I am almost there

I think

I am going to do it!

Just you wait and see

I am standing cautiously upon the B

RINK

And if you were to ask me

I would have to tell you

That I am almost there

I think

It is almost as if

I am on the edge of a cliff

I am primed and pumped

And ready to

J

U

M

P

I am almost there

I think

It feels like this

Is the precipice

One more step

Into the A BYSS

I am almost there

I think

It feels like I am sailing

Over the horizon

And if the world is flat

I fall off and go… S P L A T!!!!...

I am almost there

I think

I know the end is near

It is just around the

B

E

N

D

I am almost there

The End.

AND SO, IT WENT

I loved you

You didn’t know it but I did

It just happened after one of your smiles

It was the light in your eyes

It was your beautiful lips

It was that first touch of your manicured hand

It was the first hug

Feeling you next to me

Hugging me back

It was long before the first kiss

Although that was magical too

As improbable as we were

I was sure that we could make it

For a second, I thought you loved me too

Maybe you did

We would have been a wonder

And perhaps even wonderful

People would have talked

Look at them

Defying convention

Unique in so many ways

A perfect union

Of night and day

Timing is everything

Timing is nothing

I wanted you

Not for anything superficial

Even though I would certainly have been the proudest man in any room

For my best friend

My confidant

And more

I wanted it to mean something

Deeper

Truly abiding

A child perhaps

A consummation

I went there in my mind

For a second, I thought you went there too

I wanted to care for you

To make you smile every day

To treat you like my queen

In the mere hope that one day

I might be your king

Fate is everything

Fate is nothing

And so, it went

Time ran out

Our meters expired

And so, it went

Once again

Promise would be dashed

Upon the rocks of destiny

And so, it went

The fines were paid

We drove off in different directions

You to your place

Me to mine

And so, it went...

AN EX

It was good to see her

She looked really great

It was love for a while

But it just wasn’t fate

She screwed up

I’ll take the blame

She’s another man’s wife

With another man’s name

I’d be lying if I said

I had no regrets

I really bled for her

I’ll never forget

She loved too fast

I loved too late

It was definitely love

It just wasn’t fate

We talked for a while

About our kids and careers

What we left there

And what led us here

There were so many things

About which she