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Best Poems From
LAURENCE OVERMIRE
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397.
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When Flora Opened the Door
At the Bonnie Prince there standing
The blood of war hard upon his face
His eyes defeated, all hope lost
She covered his pain in a blanket
As best she could
Water to drink and a bit of bread
Ferried him across in the dark of night
The breaking heart of Skye
Set him down on a farther shore
The sun of some other day to come, surely
She thought, as winter before spring
When the bloom of the heather will
Take the hill and dance with the bagpipe
Again.
Historical Note: Following the disastrous Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746, Flora MacDonald helped the defeated Bonnie Prince Charlie flee to safety.
(Previously published on Ancestry.com,2003)
Laurence Overmire
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398.
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Who's Glad To See Me?
The dog in the house
Always cheerful, tail wagging
Love offered without condition
A refreshing breath
(I kid you not)
Sweet sanity in a maze of
Humans gathered
Within walls, knocking heads
Against their many wills.
(Previously published in The Short North Gazette, Apr.2002)
Laurence Overmire
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399.
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Willie at the Foot of the Bed (An Ode to Mary Todd Lincoln)
Every night he comes, Mary
Do you see him?
Smiling as he did before
No pain in those forgiving eyes
Can he put your mind to rest?
Give you comfort in these terrible times?
A world gone mad
The thunder of guns pounding in the brain
Fires burning, men running, screaming
Limbs falling, hand and foot, out of the sky
Blood oozing in rivulets from the sodden ground
This nightmare we dream together
Why cant we will it, ever to end?
Pull the bed sheets close, Mary
Willie, take your mothers hand
Your father weeps outside the door
And the night, so long and cold
May never end.
Historical Note: Willie Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, loved learning, wrote poetry, and excelled in math. He died in Feb.1862 at the age of 12. His parents were devastated. Afterward, the grieving Mary Lincoln slipped into mental instability. She claimed, 'Willie lives. He comes to me every night and stands at the foot of the bed with the same sweet adorable smile he always has had.'
(Previously published in Ancestry.com,2003)
Laurence Overmire
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400.
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Wind Whipping (haiku)
Wind whipping through bone
slammed against a wall of air
each step contested
Laurence Overmire
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