Jim Yerman Poems

When I was young…working with crayons…no matter the design…
my teacher was adamant…when it came to coloring…one must stay within the lines.

And I tried to color her way…the way she comprehended…
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On his 100th birthday celebration surrounded by his family…
he was asked, ‘what is the secret to your longevity? '

He was silent for a moment…they thought, perhaps, he was too weak…
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He gently touched his cheek to hers…
at a time when sadness interrupted their nights
and spread throughout their days…
and the moment their tears blended into one…
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Isn't it amazing how love can make your courage soar…
how it can make you braver than than you've ever been before.
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If we were given 86,400 dollars every day to spend any way we could
And at the end of the day what we didn't spend would be lost to us for good,

What would we do? We wouldn't have to think too hard, or engage in a long discourse
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There is a timeless, fundamental truth the ancients would convey
that, when you stop to think about it, is apropos today.

lt has to do with knowledge, not the kind you gain in school,
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Couples fight about money, about communication and control.
But an unsung cause of trouble in a marriage is the toilet paper roll.
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They say the corner bookstore as an institution is a dying breed
For people now use the internet or E-books when they read.

I was one of those people...as I walked by I would frown
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May we strive from the beginning to keep all children safe
allowing their hearts to sing…
because we know from the simple beauty of small beginnings
can come the greatest things.
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What if our planet…the mountains, the oceans, the rivers, the trees the animals…the land…has developed its own language…a language we have yet to understand.

What if they communicate with one another…to make right anything that goes wrong?
What if this is the reason they've survived on Earth so long.
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