Submitted poetry

Golden Eye
By Larry Elevier

Gentle breeze, tree tops sway, learning to catch an early ray,
To this I awake and begin my day,

Tiny dust motes dance, ballerinas on slender beams of light,
I struggle to begin, as I shake off the warm sleep of night,

Comfort pulls my legs back towards the sheet,
Negating obligations I need to meet.

A slow turn of my head, a gentle resigned sigh.
I once more embrace anew, the great golden eye.

From Badger to Show Me
By L. Wayne Updike

From New York harbor to the Golden Gate,
A nickname was chosen for every state.
There are Badger, Beaver, Hawkeyes and Peaches,
Cowboys and Rushmore and Beehives and beaches.

This poem goes on, ‘til it names the whole 50
Great Lakes, Pelican, and Golden, so thrifty.
North Star, Magnolia, Enchantment, Sunshine,
Peace Garden, buckeye, and Tar Heel, so fine.

Yellowhammer, Grand Canyon Aloha and Gem
Centennial and One Tree, that’s not half of them.
There’s Old Dominion and the Hoosier State,
and every one of them helps make this country great.

Silver and Granite, Cornhuskers and Garden.
Natural, Sunflower, Blue Grass, Green Mountain.
With Delaware, First and No. 50, the last
these names tell a lot of our nation’s great past.

Constitution, old line, Bay State and treasure.
Volunteer, Keystone, Palmetto and Sooner,
Mountain, Lone Star, Prairie and Ocean
You can visit them all if you take the notion.

It’s great to live here in the Show Me State
Half-way between Empire and the Golden Gate.
Just two more to name, one called Evergreen,
And the Last Frontier, this one I’ve not seen.


Missouri Heartland
By Doyle “Bud” Pugh

In the heartland of these United States in which Missouri’s children grow,
Where pride runs as deep as her mighty rivers flow.

A place where early settlers chose as home,
As from her grace they felt no desire to roam.

It was Missouri’s peaceful tranquility, of which they had been blessed,
As our forefathers sought a haven in their expeditions West.

Here man could plant the seed’s of his dreams in God’s fertile earth,
Then harvest the profits of finding his true worth.

Though daunting challenges would test their enduring grit,
They would persevere where lesser men would readily quit.

It was that stubborn tenacity, of which the early settlers possessed,
That gave them the fortitude of the renowned Missouri mule, when put to the test.

As displayed by George Washington Carver as he unearthed secrets of the soil,
Then shared with all the rewards of his toil.

Twas Harry S. Truman, a farm boy from Missouri that rose to the top,
Then proclaimed to all, “That’s where the buck would stop.”

It was an unrelenting commitment shared from the start,
For the love of this land in the heart.

Here the Dogwood trees sprout their floral array in the spring.
As Hawthorne flowers add fragrance to the air in which the Bluebirds sing.

The beauty of the land would ignite man’s inner fire,
Thus stirring the soul’s of those of whom it would then inspire.

As the passion depicted in the depth of Thomas Hart Benton’s art,
Or the pleasure derived by word’s from Samuel Clemons heart.

While artists sought to capture the essence of her endearing grace,
It was Missouri’s inherent diversity that made her such an inviting place.

Where once the path finding endeavors of Lewis and Clark would prevail,
Today one may partake of nature’s riches while venturing the Katy Trail.

The Gateway Arch looms lofty proud and tall,
As to beckon those westward traveler’s one and all.

As once Scott Joplin’s Ragtime Jazz filled the air,
Today the Ozark Hills echo Branson’s music for all to share.

Far away places one may chance to explore,
Till their Missouri heartland calls them home once more.

Until time has come to approach heaven’s gate,
I’ll savor my days here, in this great “Show Me State”.