Pat Luedke

Work Before All Else

Always striving to please the earth’s guardians,
He rose early and went straight to his duties.
Never afraid of hard work, even if it was dirty, tiring, or even dangerous.
This manager dealt with numerous problems and the people related to them.
Low prices, expensive production costs, not enough room to store the earth’s bounty,
He struggled daily with meeting the needs of his customers, hoping to satisfy at least some.
Their needs put before his own and that of his family.
His family wondering why others were more important to him.
His comments to his family were I have to put food on the table.
So continued his routine of putting his job before his family.

Support

In times of war,
In times of pain,
We need to show our support.
We need to remind those fighting for freedom that we are behind them.
The soldier is willing to give the ultimate sacrifice
So the least we can do is offer a little pray that they are kept from harm’s way
Until they are back home, safe in the arms of their loved ones.

Rewrite from last week’s Imagistic war poem

In times of war
In times of pain,
Soldiers need support.
A prayer is offered today
And always
For a safe return
To their loved ones.

Leather, canvas, suede,
Buckles, ties, slip-ons,
Why the frustration
To find
The perfect pair of shoes.

Loving sisters
Playing together
Later there will be
Hair pulling and
Name calling.

Orange harvest moon
Rises slowly in
The autumn sky,
Crunching leaves
Along the path home.

Cars, trucks, SUVs
Red, silver, green,
Test drive
To find the one that
Pleases.

People everywhere
Some stroll fast,
While others meander,
Why can’t I find
A clerk to help.

The Tryout

This cannot be happening,
All the hard work – practicing, training, sacrificing,
Only to end with the bitter taste of disappointment.
Sweat has poured, muscles ached,
And now a heart is breaking with the realization
That a dream is gone, like smoke up a chimney.
Still I must keep trying,
Starting anew to keep the dream alive
To one day accomplish this goal
Or maybe more importantly
To set my sights on a new goal.

Rewrite in clas

Young studs parading
Horses rearing
Shoes clattering on cobblestones
Leave temporary impressions
Amid the sunshine streets.

Untitled

Entering with misgivings
Finding my place, we begin.
Staring forward, trying to concentrate.
Gold and green stripes stare back.
Their lines intertwining,
Interrupted by one bright point reflecting back.
Continuing to proceed until this struggle ends.

after the argument,
finding peace
in the yellow tulips
swaying
in the breeze

flashes of light
in my bedroom window
storms threatening
as I drift off to
sleep

skiffs of snow
in the sidewalk cracks
beckoning winter
to come
in full force

dirty hands
from smudged, stained paper
never ending
always counting
this paper currency

outside the window
the sky is gray
where did the
sunshine
from this morning go

Home Alone

At night he sits
In his home all alone
Reminiscing about the way his life used to be.
A loving wife,
Adoring children
His life was full of love and happiness
But now he sits all alone is his home.