DR. DOUGLAS YOUNG - POEMS

​

Born in Bartow, Florida in 1961, Dr. Douglas Young was reared a faculty brat in Athens, Georgia before becoming a full-time professional nerd himself. He taught political science and history at Gordon College in Barnesville, Georgia from 1987 to 1999. He then taught at Gainesville State College in Gainesville, Georgia from 1999 to 2013, and he taught at the University of North Georgia-Gainesville from 2013 to the end of 2020 where he also advised UNG’s multiple award-winning Politically Incorrect and Chess Clubs. His essays and poems have appeared in a variety of publications, and his first novel, Deep in the Forest, is set to be published in 2021. ​

Out of Reach 


I saw a gorgeous sunset 
That reminded me of you – 
Too beautiful to forget 
And out of reach, too. 
 
You are the ethereal golden moon, 
Forever amber and always in June, 
A lovely voice on the radio singing a lovesick tune, 
Romantic as a rainbow, and gone just as soon. 
 
As fresh as a garden in early spring, 
Yet vanishing like a comet at night, 
Your memory lasts like a golden ring, 
Or hot coals still glowing bright. 
 
You’re the most vibrant bloom that does not fade – 
Or an ever lively, pretty parade – 
Then suddenly absent for another year, 
Like a fleeting glimpse of a fabulous deer. 
 
As if sitting on the porch in summertime 
And savoring the tranquil twilight, 
Time with you is truly sublime, 
Yet all too soon takes flight. 
 
You recall a roller coaster ride – 
Intense, thrilling, and thoroughly fine – 
But then it’s over so fast – oh for more time -- 
As if you were swept far out with the receding tide. 
 
How I long for an endless merry-go-round, 
One we could ride together, forever bound, 
No longer absent, a love apart, 
But at last united, body and heart. ​

​The Beach Parade

At dawn an old lady walks her dog along the beach, 
Smiling and savoring the breeze, she has found her niche; 
Later young lovers stroll the shore hand in hand 
While lasses seek a tan lounging in the sand. 
 
Soon families arrive and children jump the waves 
As boys dare each other to explore nearby caves; 
Surfers excitedly take their boards way out to sea 
Watched by grandparents in lawn chairs content just to be. 
 
After lunch the clientele changes 
With a whole new set spanning ages; 
Many will play and others think; 
Some just try not to turn too pink. 
 
In the evening comes yet another cast: 
Loners walking alone, trying to forget the past, 
Students roasting marshmallows, laughing loudly, 
Couples bathed by moonlight, kissing soundlessly. 
 
So much intrigue, frivolity, and thought, 
A thousand different dramas are each day wrought; 
But the shore remains tranquil and somehow beyond reach, 
Still welcoming all, beckoning us to the beach. 

I’ll Listen to Bach ​

As the world I knew continues to disappear, 
Replaced by new norms that largely elicit fear, 
I refuse to merely graze with the flock; 
Instead I decline and listen to Bach. 
 
As old standards plunge and few are held to account, 
Traditions get expunged and needless troubles mount, 
Rather than parrot the dominant talk, 
I cling to the past and listen to Bach. 
 
As morals slide like water over a fall 
And, if you complain, then you’ve got too much gall, 
I no longer care if I’m the one they mock 
Since I stick to principles and listen to Bach. 
 
As more folks eagerly search for a slight, 
Hoping to find an excuse for a fight, 
I avoid them to climb on my rock, 
Mind my affairs and listen to Bach. 
 
And while religious conviction so rapidly declines 
And believers cowed by seculars sit on their behinds, 
I will not compromise or veer from my walk, 
For I embrace my faith and listen to Bach. 

​