MARK F. LINDSEY - POEMS

Mark F. Lindsey grew up in the South and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. He has been published in The Inner Voice, The Drabble, and Vita Brevis literary magazines and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.

The Soul Parade

There are spirits marching down the street,
Raising banners they silently speak,
Protesting wrongs created in their lives,
The Soul Parade speaks out tonight.
 
See the veteran walking with a crutch,
People wonder how he lost so much,
For what poor reason did he fight?
The Soul Parade speaks out tonight.
 
There’s a little girl doll in her hand,
A bad little girl her parents couldn’t stand,
And when discipline reaches its height,
The Soul Parade speaks out tonight.
 
Now a woman passes us by,
Pills in her hand, why did she die?
I think her loves didn’t do her right.
The Soul Parade speaks out tonight.

 
A young boy hungrily cries,
His stomach bloated he hungrily dies.
Make no excuses for what we did or might.
The Soul Parade speaks out tonight.
 
As the last of the banner fly,
And our ghost friends pass us by,
Teaching us things that we don’t understand,
At least someone has lent a helping hand.
 
Why can’t we live in harmony?
A peaceful world we should try to see.
We’re all part of the world we’ve made,
And we’ll belong to the Soul Parade.

 ​

​Water, People, Birds, Reeds

1
Shifting and shapeless
Dancing on sand
Forming different coastlines
A new kingdom
Within life awakens, plays
The old teach the young
And vice versa
 
2
I cannot count the times
We have gathered to worship
A congregation to the world
Forgetting our loses and pain
To awaken to a new day
We love to see the children
Discover the moon
A million miles away
In our own backyard

 
3
Above this way and that
They float like angels
Busy and carefree
Tasting the offerings of humanity
“Come and see what they give us!”
Look another fallen angel
 
4
A sea of green
We wade through the barrier
Looking for life
Now we build over it
To preserve our green
Despite the lone beer can

 

​

​Song

Sing to me O’ children
Dance with me divine
Can I talk to the wind?
Can I lie in the earth
To find a place to hide?
 
Catch a grasshopper in a jar
Put a frog in a box
Sometimes I’m the catcher
Other times the victim
 
Turn the clock on
Time is numbers
The clock is ringing
The clock says it’s time to go
 
Give me a shovel
I want to dig
My hole is bigger than yours
A man can only work so hard

 
So sing to me O’ children
Sing to me divine
Tell me all your woes and worries
Don’t watch the time
The time is mine

 ​

​From Harold

Don’t cry for me


I’m heading for a new start


It’s a beautiful thing and bound to happen


Though we can’t speak anymore


And won’t see each other again


I’ll always be near you


My home is in your heart


I now live for a new dawn


Soon my friend you will be here


You know death isn’t permanent


I’ll be alive in a better place

​

​Breath

Her voice whispers to me,


     Like the wind.


Her breath dancing in my ears,


     Close to me.


 


Flowing through my hair, soft,


     Cold and clean.


Familiar fingers,


     Friend, lover.


 


Perfume trapped in my thoughts,


     And my soul.


Voice soft and assuring,


     In my heart.


 


Her resonant tones,


     In my head.


Never spoken word,


     Did I hear.


 


Never a kiss to taste,


     Just a wish.


Never holding hands,


     Just a dream.


 


Though I cannot touch you,


     I feel you.


Though I cannot feel you,


     I am with you.


 ​