L MILTON HANKINS Poems

My three-year-old put his hand on his chin
like he was mulling over something troubling
"But, Papa, " he moaned, "I pway wifh these! "
His room was cluttered from wall to wall--
...

What happened to the time of decency?
When our leaders modeled right and good
Faith and moral judgment rightly reigned
And we did for country what we could.
...

If I were the only poet left in the world today
And all the great verses and rhymes of the past
Were suddenly swept away in the awful crush
Of today's destructive and cacophonous voices
...

I cannot anymore say "I do not give a hoot! "
When a policeman pulls over my car,
First thing I say is, "Officer, please don't shoot! "
...

Take me as I am, just as I am,
For I am broken into pieces
With irregular edges, my flesh
Was scarred by hopelessness,
...

Call it what you will, my friend,
This glowing exhilaration inside my heart
Plucking the pizzicato strings of myself
Exploding, making me feel, oh so, insatiably happy
...

The hint of love-mist in our eyes
My whispered hello, your perfumed sighs

The fleeting moments when we met
...

Sometimes ill wind blows my way, it seems
To cast opaque shadows o'er all my dreams
Sending my spirits downward soaring
Causes my life to lose its fragile mooring
...

Be not afraid, the realm of darkness surely comes
When least you expect the black night of the soul
When you think with confidence tomorrow borne
The very best of you; made you completely whole.
...

Stay here with me while dark shadows fall,
Across my eyes one last shutter close
Before the end, my eternity will call.
...