Countdown Mandate

The whole world waits,
breathlessly;
It's a countdown to fate:
I see eight minutes left;
Will he or won't he take the bait?
I can't watch;
I can't listen to the debate;
Our beloved men and women
have the most at stake;
No matter what I believe,
Their dedication I celebrate!
One minute left now, they say;
No, it's zero hour, checkmate!
Only this is not a game...
Infiltrate, Eradicate,
No longer communicate...
Update, Alienate,
We will still demonstrate...
Validate, Evacuate,
Now I can only speculate...
And wait...

Lora Frikken ~ 3-19-03

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
~Mahatma Gandhi

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...
(Part One)

I
In my windowsill...
A brass paperweight:
A compass and a tiny sundial,
embedded side-by-side, on the top;
pleasingly ornate,
yet rather
masculine-looking,
the name ‘Ross London'
stamped on the side.
Sometimes I contemplate...
Were you the owner
or the maker?
I can only speculate!
I love this piece...
It is solid, comforting.
When I held it in my hand
for the first time,
it seemed to radiate
a life force...from somewhere,
from someone...
It still gives me a warm, quaint,
turn-of-the-century feeling...
Out of time...Out of place...

II
One book in particular...
A favorite of mine:
An antique schoolbook,
‘Comley's Reader,
To Spell and Define,'
published in 1845,
before our Civil War.
It has a broken spine,
but I don't care,
this book contains
a special secret:
On the back page
are several handwritten lines,
faint, ancient writing
from over a century ago.
A family from the past,
The Shannon Family...
I can read the names of:
Sarah Jane, Mary Emily,
Francis Amelia, and John,
with several more
too faint to read, followed by:
"and the old lady
I don't know her name."
One more thing, possibly a sign,
swirling down the inside cover,
a series of lines, a spiral design...
The exact same pattern
that I drew constantly
as a child.
Now your book and names entwine
with mine, Shannon Family!

III
My father's letters...
They speak of being alone:
His sadness, his depression,
separated from his first wife,
missing his home,
his children,
mentioning ‘ending life,'
feeling completely disowned.
In his words, I see myself,
being lost and lonely,
living in the unknown;
yet somehow finding courage,
reaching deep inside,
knowing I had grown
enough to live on,
at least for another day...
He became a hero to me,
showing great strength;
I might never have known
that he felt so alone,
or that I would come to face
some of the same demons...
How ironic, that due to
the death of his brother,
I was able to learn more
about his early life!
By ‘rescuing' his letters,
I was inadvertently shown
the real man, with real
emotions, and real fears!
The man inside my father...

Lora Frikken ~ 3-16-03

The Winds of War

When war and conflict cease to be,
And the world no longer runs red;
I will rest my head upon your knee,
And dream away these words in my head:

The Winds of War blow foul and fetid,
Never whispering the songs of life;
Screaming only what is sad and morbid,
Stabbing faith in the heart like a knife.

One hand reaching for another hand,
Reaching for another, without pause,
Can prevent another damnable wasteland,
Left dead and barren by eternal chaos.

Let the dreams of peace finally prevail,
The dreams of those awake and asleep;
And though many tried, and many failed,
They slowed the Winds of War's steady sweep.

At the end of my dream everyone agrees
That our days no longer seem strange;
And as I raise my head from your knee
At last, I awaken to the Winds of Change.

Lora Frikken ~ 3-15-03

Your Gift of Sight

You are blind and yet you see;
I guide you often,
though you always lead me.

We talk and share, day by day,
while you seem to sense
everything I try to say.

You know my heart's desire,
I envy your gift;
I envy your strength and fire.

I wish I knew how to visualize
all that you can see
through your inner eyes.

Never seeing what is evil or unjust,
you have taught me how
to sense only beauty, and to learn to trust.

Now, when you hold me near, I find,
my heart sees clearly,
and neither of us will ever again be blind.

Lora Frikken ~ 3-16-03

My Dad
(Carl Dobos)

I felt safe...in your car...
Lying in the back window
I remember being that small
Listening to the radio
Fibber Magee and Molly
And other wonderful shows

Though I didn't want to move
I knew I had to share
My brother took his turn
Up in the window, back there
So I stretched out on the seat
Until, completely unaware
Suddenly he would fall, saying,
"Dad stopped too fast, I swear!"

Dad would stop the car
A line was drawn down the seat
Right down the middle
No one was allowed to cheat
He said we had to stay
On our own side, hands and feet

I could look out the window
And begin counting one by one
The miles of telephone poles
Odd, how simple things were fun

I wondered how voices traveled
Along wires leading to a phone
I wondered how other people lived
Was their home like our home?

Sometimes I could sit up front
On that special fold-down ‘seat'
Or Dad would let us drive the car
Which was a very special treat
Sitting happily on his lap
It was me driving down the street!

Duck your head under the bridge
Lift your feet over the track
Life seemed safe and sound
Riding in the front or the back

I wish I was small
I wish you were here
To drive away the fear
I no longer want to steer
I want you to hear
I wish you were near
I tried to persevere
Now one thing is still clear
I felt safe...in your car...
Let's go home, Dad...

Lora Frikken ~ 3-8-03

Spirit Serenade

My Spirits...
Spirit of Life or Spirit of Death,
Which Spirit will come to me this day?
One morning I wake up with my life force strong,
The next, I see death guiding my way.
My Way...
If I could choose which Spirit should rule,
Would I be strong enough to make the choice?
There seem to be more evil days than good,
Which inevitably stills my voice.
My Voice...
Why do I wish for death to come,
When to value life is what we are taught?
This weariness I feel is weighing me down,
With death controlling all of my thoughts.
My Thoughts...
Why is it I cannot seem to make up my mind,
When there are only two Spirit Paths to choose?
No one else can say which road is best for me,
In the end, my life or death will reflect my views.
My Views...
Will I suffer more on the road ahead,
If death becomes my final advocate?
I feel it can't be worse than this life I live,
As each Spirit struggles to decide my fate.
My Fate...
How long will I be able to endure the strain,
Before the inevitable decision is made?
Only the Spirits of Life and Death now know,
The final rhythm of my life's serenade.

Lora Frikken ~ 3-8-03

Ribbon of Friendship

Don't tie it up too tightly
You can't make someone stay
Don't tie it up too loosely
You don't want them to slip away

Tie it up with many colors
One shade for each memory made
Tie it up with beautiful bows
One bow for each kindness displayed

Treat each friend like a gift
Treasuring each moment that you share
Treat each friend like a jewel
A glittering treasure beyond compare

Lora Frikken ~ 2-22-03

More Childhood Memories

Jumping rope and hopscotch,
Catching fireflies, but letting them go;
Roller skating 'til you get it right,
Monopoly and hangman and tic tac toe.

Swimming 'til we all look like prunes,
Playing on the beach all day long;
Weaving grassy fronds into placemats,
Campfires at night and singing songs.

Ice skating 'til you can't feel your toes,
Watching scary movies on Saturday night;
Making forts under tables and chairs,
Comic books under the covers by flashlight.

Horseback riding and pajama parties,
Learning to dance with American Bandstand;
Friends forever...'til I have to move again...
This time I hope we end up in Never Never Land!

Lora Frikken ~ 3-1-03