Poems by Ron…
History.
We all tend to select a poem to try to express the way we feel. Or to share our feelings about something, or someone. Perhaps as you read these, you will find one of them to feel more personal, since you can actually know that someone felt what inspired the poem, instead of just thinking they were "made up" out of fantasy.
I will try to explain the origin if any, and what responses I have gotten from particular ones. If a poem is not listed, then it was inspired by something I heard, or saw in public, or movies.
Maybe you will have your own opinion as to what the message is in some. Several were written with that thought in mind. To make them "fit" more than one person, or one place. That in my opinion, is what a poem should do. Relate to many, and have more than a simple meaning…
While there are poems here that express loss, failure, or maybe even anger, they are there because a movie, or someone talking about someone inspired them. My wonderful Michelle, has been my inspiration for the love poems.
I would like to dedicate this entire book of feelings to my dear wife and life mate Michelle. She is a true romantic, and taught me after meeting her, to share my feelings with others. Listening to her life's story, inspired many of the poems. Her love wrote the rest…
1. "Watcher" Page 1-3 : This poem written in 1982, was written for a woman that was going through hard times. With a divorce imminent, and feeling shut out by family and friends for "failing" in that marriage, "Watcher" was born.
I have had others read it, and find the "Watcher" to be different things. One person asked me if it was God… I simply told them that the Watcher was whomever they wished him to be.
2. "Her Knight" Page 4-5: Written after a long period of not writing and keeping anything on paper. It was inspired by hardships I would see on the streets as a police officer. Listening to people talk in coffee shops of hopes and dreams of finding someone that would simply treat them kind. Most of all it was written for Michelle who had trusted others with her heart, and been repaid in unkind ways.
3. "Dark Angel" Page 6 : This was written for Michelle. It was my description of her when we first met. A kind heart seeking someone to relate to.
4. "Last Testament" Page 7: A tribute to those who have loved and lost, and those that have broken hearts, and matured to know the meaning of what they have done.
5. "Knight Pain" Page 8: A simple story of love lost and special places.
7. "You and I" Page 10: Inspired after a day spent riding in the country with Michelle when we were first dating. We had driven on country roads and talked of sunsets and how peaceful the country roads were.
8. "Love long Distance" Page 11 : Written after a friend related to me about an Internet romance he was involved in.
10. "Walk" Page 13-14: Inspired by walks Michelle and I would take on the dirt road in front of her Parent's house in the country. We would walk at night when we would visit, and talk about anything, and everything in our hearts.
11. "A rose" Page 15: Inspired by Michelle.
12. "She Is" Page 16 : Inspired by Michelle
13. "You" Page 17 : Inspired by Michelle after watching her tirelessly cope and help with her family and friends.
14. “If I said…” Page18: Written for my “Dark Angel” Michelle.
18. “Treasure… (If)” Page 22 : Written for Michelle because of her love.
20. “Listen” page 24: Written after watching Michelle sleeping peacefully.
23. “Believe Me…” Page 27: Written for Michelle, after watching a cute Romantic/Comedy called “Princess Bride”. Where a simple farm boy working on a farm would reply to the land owners daughter “as you wish…” whenever she would ask him to do for her. She realized one day, that as he was saying “as you wish…”, that he really meant “I love you…”
25. “Forgive Me…” Page29 : See 26
26. “Ask Me…” Page 30: Forgive me was written for someone who’s husband had had an affair. Neither could seem to broach the subject, so I wrote these for both parties. This resulted in a happy ending. Sometimes we just need the words to say, or read… they can many times be in a poem.
27. “You touched Me” Page 31: Written for my Michelle
30. “Windows” Page 34: I once heard someone say that the world is seen mostly through windows. This was my take on being a window for others.
33. “Happiness” Page 37: Inspired by a conversation
that Michelle and I had while walking and talking at
34. “Just You” Page 38: Another inspired after Michelle and I having a picnic one day.
42. “Motor Officers” Page46: Written while I was a Motorcycle Officer. Written for the ones that have passed while serving their communities.
45. “Girl” Page 49: Written for my Michelle.
47. “Feelings” Page 51: Written in response to Michelle’s question of “How do you feel about us?”
52. “Christmas Bow” Page 52: Written during hard times when we were in transition with Michelle’s jobs. Christmas was sparse that year, but we enjoyed what we had.
51. “How very much” Page 55: Written for Michelle…
52. “Christmas Tree” Page 56: Written when things turned really bad during December. We still had our stars, and each other.
55. “Long lost Friend” Page 59: Written for all those that meet “soul mates” and have that magical feeling of having lived another life and known them before.
57. “Our World” Page 61: Written after visiting our park together during the gentle March winds.
58. “Forever Times” Page 62: Written for my sweet Michelle. We would always respond “Forever” when we would ask one another, “How long will you love me?”. I would usually say “forever, and two days” Which would cause her to giggle and ask why two days. I could never really say. This would later become a poem…
60. “The Words” Page 64: A tribute to the easy communications that we have.
62. “Wonder of You” page 66: For Michelle, after watching her work and play.
63. “Anger” Page 67: Just as “Forgive Me” and “Ask Me” helped someone else, this poem I wrote helped Michelle and I. Written after stresses from the job and terrible long hours she was working. It served to reconcile us and remind us of “the previous roads traveled”. Although we never “slept in empty beds”.
64. “Your Love” Page 68: Written for my love.. Michelle.
65. “ Your Monument” Page 69: Written after walking in the park along the river and seeing where other couples had pledged their love with initials carved in trees…
67. “Moments” Page 71: Written about Michelle and I, inspired by our first meeting so long ago.
80. “True Love” Page 84: Written for Michelle
81. “Forever and two days” Page 85: The year 2000 saw
both of us injured at work. By this time we had lost most everything we had. We
were living in
After lovingly laughing at my response to her asking how long I would love her, and I had again said, “Forever and two days…”. I decided to write a poem to explain what the phrase meant to me.
83. “The Light” Page 87: After two years of pain, and economic loss, we hold our hopes high and look for the “Light” at the end of the tunnel. I wrote this after reminiscing about times in the last two years, when we would lie in bed at night, and it be so cold in the room, that you could see the fog your breath made in the air as we talked.
85. “Nothing” Page 89: Inspired by her worry about not having enough to get me something on my birthday. I wrote this to her, to show how much she has done, just by being herself.
86. “Our Passion” Page 90: For my Michelle, to show that there are things that do not cost, nor require travel to enjoy. How fortunate we are to have each other.
87. “Do this for me” Page 91: After conversing with an old friend by email. He repeatedly mentioned how he missed his recently passed wife of many years. He felt guilt at being here still, and her not sharing this life with him. This was for him, from the times I had met and spoken to her, I thought this is what she would say to him if she could…
88. “A Daughter” Page 92: Written for Marissa. She came home from school excited about poetry. Asking if I could write a poem about her, I responded with this writing.
89. “Darkest Day” Page 93: While counting my blessings of all I have in my wife, I thought of those that might be suffering from rocky relationships, and how they might feel losing someone as dear as my Michelle.
92. : “Design for Living” Page 96: In January 2003 I sought treatment for depression brought on by my intense, and always present pain from injuries to my back and neck. I was referred to “Design for Living” by my doctor. There I met Dr. Mike Darnell, and his lovely wife.
I was inspired by the kindness and concern shown at “Design for Living”, not only for me, but my entire family. There seemed to be a familiarity to the name, but I could never quite put a finger on why that was so.
After attending counseling for nearly two months, and while sitting and writing the first four lines of this poem, it suddenly struck me that I had been briefly touched by this ministry nearly 20 years ago.
In a prior marriage, my wife of that time, had gone to a “Design for Living” to seek counseling with her stress at work. Although I never met the people that operated the “Design for Living” in 1984. I would never have guessed, that fate would direct me across the same path again. I am fortunate that God was watching over me… for they are truly Warriors of the Heart, and his greatest witnesses of the Christian Faith.
93. “ My Angel, Sue…” Page 97 : Written for Mike Darnell at Design for living for his wife Sue on her Birthday in March 2003. After watching their interaction in the office where they worked. Especially nice was the way she sat in his lap one day while talking to him.
94. “The Picture” Page 98 : Once after a session with Dr. Mike Darnell. Michelle and I were standing in the front area talking to him. I noticed a picture hanging on the wall to our left over a chair and Michelle commented on how pretty it was. A simple pencil or charcoal drawing of the Lord holding a baby lamb. One of his nail scarred hands resting on the baby lambs back. Mike asked me what it said to me, my heart was flooded with all kinds of feelings. He removed the picture from the wall, and showed me the back of the picture where he had invited people to write their feelings. He said, “Maybe you could write a poem describing what it says to you”. I told him perhaps I could…
About three days later, I came in the office to sit down for a few moments, there on the bulletin board awaiting a frame, was the copy of the picture that he had on the wall of his office. As I sat there, I began to think of how I had first seen the picture, and what it meant to me. The words just seemed to flow onto the paper as I wrote about how I had first encountered it, and what it meant to me. I hope you find your special meaning in, “The Picture…”
Ron Walker
Last updated May 14, 2023