Being Human in This Crazy World

By Patricia Fleming

It is a daily struggle trying to navigate this crazy world as a simple, emotional, and superbly flawed human being.

The poems contained in this book delve into relationships that we as human beings must juggle and ultimately master in order to survive this life and become fulfilled, reasonably happy people.

The hope is to inspire, educate, amuse, and touch the hearts and souls of the reader through honest and relatable poetic pieces of work by a fellow, sympathetic human being.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Dec 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781638298052

Patricia Fleming

Patricia Fleming was raised in Trenton, NJ, the middle child of Irish parents. She enjoyed writing from a very young age for fun but when she realized her dream of becoming a psychiatric social worker, she satisfied her writing itch by composing legendary histories on her patients. After 36 years, she retired from her profession in 2016 and began writing primarily poetry on a daily basis. Her poetry reflects the struggles, joys, and conflicts of human beings in this difficult world. Fleming still resides in Trenton with her partner and her two cats.

Book preview

Introduction

This life can be insanely difficult, especially when you’re trying to navigate through all its pit falls as a magnificently flawed human being. In my poetry, I like to examine this struggle in depth, by focusing on all the relationships we human beings juggle in the course of our lives every day.

As solitary human beings, we offer a wealth of angst and misery to examine and write about, but I also believe the real teeth lies in our interconnection with everyone and everything else who we share our limited space and time with on this earth.

Every morning when we wake, we must prepare ourselves for all the humanity that will mercilessly ambush us from the moment we crawl out of our safe, comfy beds. From our chaotic, mostly loving, relationships with our family and friends, to our random interactions with strangers, and those routine and sometimes competitive associations with our co-workers, we are caught up in the mire of human nature at its worst and its best.

However, figuring out how to master these human obstacles is only compounded further by our complete frustration and bewilderment in establishing what, if any, our true relationship is with God, with moody Mother Nature and with this entire overwhelming and broken world.

Thus I have created pages of poetry aimed at further analyzing our beautiful humanness, providing some personal experiences and pearls of wisdom along the way and even some inspiration and hope to bring along with you on your own journeys.

I’m a rather simple-minded, straight forward, no fancy frills poet, so I will not be taking you on some lofty, dream-like adventure. I will, however, with a few chosen words, provide you with the camaraderie of a fellow human being who has all those same human feelings, realities and ponderings as you do. Sift through my rhetoric and hopefully glean your own lessons, secret messages and grand revelations from my heartfelt, honest words.

I wish you all well.

Childhood in Poetry

Ice Skating at the Pond

I miss those days of childhood

When a winter’s day brought outdoor fun.

When we’d bundle up from head to toe

And enjoy the winter’s sun.

When the freezing cold instilled no fear

But invited us to play

And we’d gather at the local pond

And don our new ice skates.

The sky was gray and the ice was hard

And all our friends were there.

We’d laugh and skate in circles

In the frosty, snowy air.

Our faces red from the bitter cold

Our toes and fingers numb.

We’d speed across the frozen glass

And share our thrills with everyone.

The bon fires all were burning

A warm and welcome yellow glow.

We’d take a break and gather round

With all our friends in tow.

As crowds of kids would fill the ice

What a joyful, carefree time…

And memories of those frozen days

Warm me so when brought to mind.

With our ankles aching from the cold

The sun would start to set…

And we’d say good-bye with skates in hand

To a perfect day we’d not forget.

How I miss those days so long gone by.

I was so lucky to be there.

I had a place where I belonged

And something magical to share.

With all those loyal childhood friends

Whose faces I still see,

Who helped to make those winter days

The most special days for me.

In Support of Those

Kids Who Are Bullied

Before he crawled into his bed

He prayed his soul to take.

Then curled up in the darkness

And spent the night awake.

He dreaded tomorrow and all it would bring

But believed that it never could change.

For with the dawn of each new day

That face in the mirror remained.

For him school was a battlefield

A place where he never felt safe

And at times he bore so much anger inside

He worried how much more he could take.

He felt bruised and battered inside and out

So he escaped into himself.

He longed to fight back but didn’t know how.

He wished that someone would help.

So he silently shouldered the vicious abuse,

So ashamed that he acted so weak.

He tried not to cry and never complained.

He would accept the attack and retreat.

Every day he faced bullies, petty and mean.

They were always lurking out there.

They tried to destroy every ounce of esteem

And convince him that nobody cared.

His life was a nightmare he had to endure

But he wasn’t alone in his pain.

There were others like him who were bullied

And their torment and shame was the same.

So is this life we wanted for them?

Should our children feel anger and fear?

And is this the legacy we’ll leave behind?

Or should we save them while we are still here?

So instead of us arguing after the fact

And taking a stand that’s too late.

We must teach them the power of kindness

And that differences should be embraced.

That the human spirit can be fragile and weak,

It can break in the blink of an eye

So we must treasure the value of others

Or humanity will never survive.

The days of their youth remain in their hearts

And will color their futures ahead.

So let’s help them create a warm, welcome place

Instead of a world filled with dread.

My Best Friend Became My Bully

In those callow, carefree days of youth

We were the very best of friends.

Our bond so indestructible

We never thought that it could bend.

You loved me for just who I was

And I loved you just the same…

And we believed that trust we deeply felt

Could never fade away.

Our hearts naive and open

We pledged our loyalty and faith.

We’d be pals right till the bitter end

Through every hardship we may face.

Life was ours to fully live

No matter what may come.

We shared everything together

True adventurers and chums.

But as we grew into our teens

The world came crashing in…

And suddenly you were my enemy

Instead of my true-blue friend.

I missed my friend so terribly

You were gone without a trace.

And this cold and shallow bully

Boldly took your place.

You taunted me incessantly

While your lackeys watched and laughed.

I spent my days in panic

That any second we’d cross paths.

It was as if I never knew you

You were so adept at being mean.

I came to doubt my own reality

Perhaps all my memories were dreams.

I not only lost my trusted friend

But I also lost myself.

My closest confidant was gone

And I had no body else.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I became a coward on the run.

I couldn’t face another sleepless night

But I dreaded the rising sun.

And so now I lay here quite alone

While the end keeps drawing nigh.

I will offer my forgiveness

And a sad, relieved good-bye.

And then she left without a warning

Leaving all to ponder why.

While her dear old friend and torturer

Just cried and cried and cried.

She just wanted popularity

To be adored by everyone.

But in the process caused a tragedy

That could never be undone!

My Patti Play Pal Doll

When I was just a little girl

I had a favorite doll.

Her name was Patti Play Pal

And she was my favorite doll of all.

My sister had a doll like me

And on warm summer days

We’d take our Patti’s to the yard

And for hours we would play.

I loved my Patti Play Pal Doll

But she had one vexing flaw

And that was when I stood her up

Inevitably she’d fall.

I’d dress her up and stand her there

And look at her with pride.

But then she’d teeter and fall flat

And each time this made me cry.

It became a private family joke

Which often was recalled

To them it was quite comical,

Poor Pat and her tipsy doll.

Their laughter roused my anger

But now when I look back

I have to say in retrospect

It even makes me laugh.

And in memories of my childhood,

Those were my favorite days of all.

In the back yard with my sister

And our Patti Play Pal Dolls.

No One Saved Us (Dedicated

to Victims of School Shootings)

As the morning bell was sounding

We settled in our seats

And Ms. Williams wrote upon the board

The list of work we would complete.

It felt like any other day

With no apparent change.

The sounds around me so familiar,

Every moment seemed the same.

The whispers of my closest friends,

A class singing down the hall,

Ms. Williams’ soft, assuring voice,

And the squeaking of her chalk.

Anticipation of our lunchtime break

And my choice, PB and J,

Then back to work until the final bell

And the end of our school day.

But then in one split second

Our whole world came crashing down,

When the safety that we all had shared

Was shattered by a booming sound.

That booming sound continued.

It seemed to come from everywhere.

I could hear some children screaming

And a smoky, egg smell in the air.

Ms. Williams looked so frightened

That my heart began to pound.

I felt myself begin to panic

As we all dropped to the ground.

Beneath our desks we huddled

While we held our best friends tight.

I closed my eyes and held my breath

And cowered there in fright.

I thought about my Mom and Dad

And knew that soon they’d come.

But then he breached our classroom door

And started shooting everyone.

Sally drooped inside my arms!

We were