Richard Lackman

Richard Lackman Poems

I set out to write this poem and I had a simple plan.
I'd avoid all things prosaic and I'd do the best I can
To optimize the content and the grammar and the rhyme
And of course I'd tell a story that would echo for all time
...

When I scurry about on a rainy day
Acting annoyed at the rain
I sometimes remember a time far away
When I viewed raindrops with no disdain
...

I still remember my first kiss though fourty years have passed
The beauty of the moment and the thrill will ever last
Etched into my memory as words into a stone
Clearer than the clearest night that I have ever known
...

As I look out upon October leaves
And brown grass weathered by the Autumn sun
I see the shafts of light a bare branch cleaves
And so much of creation now undone
...

As I go through life I understand
The changes that my body must endure
And as for me I've learned how to withstand
My aging as I pass through every door
...

I learned today that I am almost dead
Although I've felt but just a little pain
The cancer in my lung went to my head
And life for me will never be the same
...

How is it at the age of sixty I am still alone
Each day walking, eating, sleeping always on my own
How did I miss the partnership that most of us attain
My only walking partner seems to be my walking cane
...

Now at the age of sixty, I am quite prepared to die
I am neither old nor sickly but have no reason to try
To add another decade for no purpose or no gain
As I've had all the experiences I wanted to attain
...

10.

Walking by a meadow I see April in full bloom
Each blade of grass come back again from winter's frosty tomb
Each tree and shrub and hedge are wearing green to mark the time
Each vine is ready to repeat its daring upward climb
...

I woke up from the surgery minus my left leg
With searing pain below my hip as if a powder keg
Exploded deep within my thigh leaving nothing there
But tissues sewn together which was more that I could bear
...

When I was just a little child playing in my room
I saw the sudden lightning strike and heard the thunder boom
I'd run out to the front porch to sit and watch the show
Awed by Mother Nature and the power that would go
...

Today I met a man who thought that he was truly dying
This brush with his mortality had left him lost and crying
He never really understood how fragile life can be
And now his hopes and desperation focused square on me
...

What is it about a pond or lake or ocean
That attracts us so and sets in motion
Feelings of serenity and peace
So that common worries seem to cease
...

I thought again today about a friend from long ago
He was a lovely person and at times I miss him so
Mike Fallon was his name and him I never will forget
His young life ended suddenly, for me with much regret
...

Each day as I go out I see the tree in my backyard
I think it is a pin oak and its wood is very hard
The tree was here when I moved in about 10 years ago
Since then it got much larger with new branches that did grow
...

From March back through November landscapes draped in black and white
As knife-like shadows in the forests pierced the dimming light
And even mighty rivers disappeared under the strain
Of crushing flows of ice after a night of freezing rain
...

I spied him on a park bench, my how happy he did seem
As contented as a sleeping man within a pleasant dream
So full of equanimity, so tranquil and refined
Obviously no distress disturbed his state of mind
...

Mankind is a mystery and I don't understand
Whether we are here by chance or guided by God's hand
There is so much good about us it could clearly fill a book
And yet to see the darker side you merely have to look
...

I am trying hard to understand
Why God placed us here in such a state
Still I am afraid to reprimand
Him who put me here and tempt my fate
...

Richard Lackman Biography

I have worked for the past 40 years as an orthopaedic cancer surgeon and find that reading and writing poetry is a good release and a good way to relax. I most enjoy poems with set rhythm and rhyme although I like a lot of free verse as well. While most of my poetry is non-medical, about one-third of the poems relate to medical practice. These comprise contemplative poems that have allowed me to further consider and better understand the issues associated with diseases and their treatment as they affect both the patient and the physician.)

The Best Poem Of Richard Lackman

A Poet's Shame

I set out to write this poem and I had a simple plan.
I'd avoid all things prosaic and I'd do the best I can
To optimize the content and the grammar and the rhyme
And of course I'd tell a story that would echo for all time

I thought about the subject and the role the hero played
But when I penned the verses then I saw the hero fade
I read my lines and wondered if all poets had the same
Misunderstanding with the words and felt a poet's shame

I struggled with my concept and the form the poem took
Yet I doubt that you will ever see this poem in a book
For only I can understand the effort and the time
And a parent's love responsible for each and every line

And so like children poems cause you happiness and pride
Or conversely they cause torment as you quiver deep inside
And yet I do still write them and some I think are fine
But some are just so terrible I wish they weren't mine.

Richard Lackman Comments

Robert Winthrop 06 May 2012

I like your poems. Keep writing

4 0 Reply
Ozark Mountain Homegrown 13 March 2016

I enjoy your poetry...straight forward and simple...I must confess, that is my favorite kind of poetry...not too complicated, or hard to understand....

0 0 Reply
Adouda Adjiri 06 May 2014

I really love your poems; simple yet deep and all beautiful. Adouda (Author of Colours of Love)

0 0 Reply
Anne Havell 06 May 2014

What a beautifully written poem. Well structured with meaningful content. Guess this poet will be well read.

0 1 Reply
Melissa Carey 07 May 2012

What a beautiful thing to do, to share these poems with us. Thank you for letting us into this world of yours! Enjoying your poems to the fullest capacity!

3 0 Reply
Mary Lanosa 06 May 2012

OMGosh Richard, love your poem Poet's Shame. That is every poets nightmare. That had me laughing until my stomach hurt. Great stuff!

2 0 Reply

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