Kent Krauss

Has it been 51 years that she's been gone from my life, taken too soon?
After having given me the blessing of her loving, caring ways, been a boon
To so many others, including me, in spite of the health concerns she had
From youth, in spite of which she had done well in school, not becoming sad
...

Getting to do something you enjoy for a living is an incredible blessing
That should not be taken for granted, as then you'd truly be missing
Out on how fortunate you are to have the work of your hands be such joy
To yourself that you look forward to going in each day, not just as a ploy
...

When you know you have no other choice than to keep going, looking back
doesn't really help
Other than to remind you of where you've been, how far you've come since
you were a young whelp
...

My family has developed an unconventional way of going at a nightly meal
that, upon examination
Might be something other families would want to seriously think about
giving some consideration
...

...

There comes a time in most people's lives when
they're on fire about something
Whether it's involving work, an idea, or an ethical
issue that makes them sting
...

Needing a jaunt into the past seems to occur at regular intervals
Especially when life seems to slow to a crawl and occasionally stalls
So you turn on the old music you used to listen to, that motivated you
And try to remember what it was you were doing that imbued you to
...

You can, at times, be too motivated about some subject, to the point of obsession
When it takes over more than a decent amount of time, causing regression
In your progress within life, heaping problems caused by the constant distraction
That this thing has been to your normal existence, as evidenced by the consternation
...

Going out to enjoy walking around an area with trees will usually calm you
To the point of making the rest of your day dissolve, even if you had to stew
Over a variety of problems or everyday issues that were a bit unpleasant
During the working hours, irritated by chords that struck a bit dissonant
...

How do you start to get out of a monster rut that has taken over your life?
That has aggravated you to no end, taken a toll on not just you, but your wife
As well, along with your attitude, your finances, and most of the interactions
You have in your environment, leaving many of your friends split in factions
...

What can you do to jolt yourself out of a bad mood, even if it's had a cause
Whether out of your control or not, it seems to have broken a few laws
Along your life, such as the rule that you need to treat others more kindly
Rather than staying in and feeding your grudge, stumbling along blindly
...

What would I do, if I was blessed to have seventy million dollars dumped in my lap
Would be to immediately give thanks to the Giver of all good things, He who never takes a nap
But is constantly watching over His creation to see which of His creatures might do His will
Without hesitation or pause to think about the momentary money his pockets did fill
...

I took a drive on a familiar route with the window open
To take in the particular aromas, not a word to be spoken
And I noticed at first the rushing warm wind did dominate
The sensations, but then baked bread did come and sate
...

I'm often comforted by the familiar musical sounds I enjoy
Regardless of the means I might find best to employ
To get the melodies to my ears to soothe a crazed day
When things may have been overly hectic in pursuit of pay
...

What we see with our limited view in our small part of space
Is almost beyond comprehension, but like a glimpse of a face
Which has these wondrous curves, beautifully crafted
By a creative hand which has artfully and specifically wafted
...

Fortunes can be vastly different things to a variety of people, if you care to ask
From the obvious pile of money to do with as you wish to success in a simple task
Either of which could significantly brighten your day, giving a sense of accomplishment
Which spurs you on to pass the good feeling and help to those to whom you're sent
...

There will always be those people with whom you just won't get along, no matter how you try
Because they've chosen to be abrasive, unapologetic, disagreeable individuals and hard to be by
To the point where you don't bring up too much in their presence or within their ability to hear
As you know it would simply spark an unprompted argument, ending in a a rather unfriendly sneer
...

When I'm gone from this earth, I'm hoping they'll never be able to say I had bigger barns built
Due to the fact that I was of help to others with all the extra I was given, without guilt
Or excesses from the rich bounty that was allowed to me, which was shared
With anyone I might touch, any small influence I might be, my motivations bared
...

Traveling down a road where we find ourselves, we feel as if it might go on awhile
In the manner to which we are accustomed, at the same relative speed and style
With the occasional bump in the road, a small hole around which we must navigate
To avoid undue shaking or discomfort that inevitably happens in the bounds of fate
...

Being a friendly, easy-to-talk-to person will serve you well with others, opening more than one door
Giving you the chance to be a seed planted in decent soil for someone, not an impersonal, inert spoor
Allowing you inroads that might otherwise be closed off to a person who looks in from the outside
Which will help your prospects for future contacts and provide more options from which to decide
...