spring warms
blossoms
open
secrets
reveal
long kept
during
coolness
of still
winter
it is
as such
inside
my heart
each time
i look
at you

poem written by a. justin baker of on 4/10/08 on commission of Bill F. for Dru for “A Lunch Date to Remember”..

i.
when great men
in halls of power
stand on lecturns
turning phrases
with great pomp
amidst airs of importance
rattling sabers
speaking of great victory
let us hope
they count the cost
the price?
sons, daughters
brothers, mothers,
uncles, aunts,
husbands, wives
belonging often
to others
powerless to object
stuffed into shells
and sent to a hell
where air bursts
into screams
simultaneous
to onslaught
whizz of bullets flying
lungs choke
on acrid smoke
youthful flesh torn
spraying red mist
amidst screaching cries
for mother
and prayers
to a quiet God Father
presumably
presiding above
as savage actions
claw the supple tissues
of the young
as they cling to earth
clutching their
beloved brothers
in arms
wrenching and twisting
in throws of death
hearing the unhearable
last requests
goodbyes to loved ones
through nashed teeth
agony unleashed
to darkness
dragging a jagged chain
of misery
to score ground
rising and falling
in waves of panic
soaking to red
as the deafening
roar of war
reverberates
all around
in spite of pleas
cries for mercy
it does not end
only roils round
begging for an end
that seems
forever yet to come

ii.
on the homefront
children play
unaware of their future
recessed from decay
of institutions
while old men read
papers delivered
people sit in cars
going nowhere
power from all it
derived from pipelines
and tankers
laiden in liquid
that one glance to the next
changes from red
to black
as fat cats
too lazy to count
their own green
spend offshore accounts
others are paid to do it
while those who truly
pay (children)
cannot count the cost
their innocence
deprives them of knowing
their world
is a runaway train
that drives them in suv’s
to mcmansions
the unsustainable
sustained
by war
only answer?
stay the course
set by great men
standing on lecturns
turning phrases
rattling sabers
speaking of victory
hollow words
to families
missing pieces
staring blankly
at empty places
can’t replace warm spaces
once filled
cold sheets
to greet
longing loved ones
meaningful moments
gone to history
never to return
to empty arms
now only cold walls
to stare back
why are those
who pay the price
the little ones
belonging to those who’ve
paid the price
now abandoned
as orphans
why, why, why
is the question
i beg to hear
ringing from sea
to shining sea
before again
we see
the bold, the brave,
the beautiful
our beloved
be closed
into breach
of conflict
beyond
control

iii.
again
i go
seeking
shipment
flowers flown in
only to greet
a cardboard box
with label
“human remains”
escorted by two
friends
Marines
Majors
standing
resplendant
in full dress blue uniform
symbolizing sacrifices
they know
firsthand
as they stand
by the side
of a fallen brother
not leaving his side
til they return
him to mother.
never again
will i shiftless
watch news
look the other way
never again
will i
cease to ask
before
such sacrifice is asked
why?!!!

poetry written by a. justin baker
after returning from picking up flowers from delta air cargo on april 5, 2008. justin is a vet of the united states navy. it is a salute to the us marines who served with lt colonel hall.
you guys truly live “semper fi”.

Justin, at BiZi Bee Floral, is a bit of a character and always goes above and beyond for our customers.  Something you may not know about him is that he writes some of the most beautiful poetry (usually upon the request of our customers) to express the sentiment that usual words cannot.  Here is one poem he wrote in celebration of a birthday from a husband to a wife:

Today

I celebrate you

The day you were born

A flower came into bloom

Which I inhale deeply

Daily

Before I leave this world

I’ll cast back

One last glance

Knowing you brought to me

Everything

Sweet

Because of you

I am complete

–Justin Baker

Beautiful.  If you ever need any help with words..give Justin a call (206-440-8819)  He’ll be more than happy to help you find the right words.                                                                                              

Thousand Lights

i mourn my dead
even as i know
they have not died
indeed they yet live
in the flame
lit by them
in tinder:
memories..

when at last
my own flame
flickers
and goes out
i know
they’ll dance brighter still
in the thousand lights
i’ll leave behind

written by A. Justin Baker
on the 7th of December 2007 at 11:08pm