Carl Martin Johnson
Poet, Author, Slayer of Dragons
© Carl Martin Johnson, All rights reserved
LOOK NOT BACK
By Carl Martin Johnson
That which is done is done.
That which is written is writ.
A conqueror’s victory is won.
He who has lost is quit.
So look not back on the past.
Focus your eyes straight ahead.
Only there is the die not yet cast.
And the path only ends when you’re dead.
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BRIGHT CLOUD
By Carl Martin Johnson
That bright cloud will lift me,
Take me far above the crowd.
Its soft arms will gift me,
Give me reason to be proud.
But hubris can destroy me,
Make me less than what I am.
And those who now enjoy me,
Will no longer give a damn.
I must each day recall
My words come on angels’ breath,
And their value, if at all,
Is how I’ll live past death.
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WHERE BEAUTY LIES
By Carl Martin Johnson
I’ll tell you where true beauty lies.
Not in a comely face,
But the spark deep in a woman’s eyes,
And how she moves with natural grace.
These are things that do not age.
They last her whole life long.
And her sweet passion’s fire will rage
Until she hears death’s song.
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THE RAINS CAME
By Carl Martin Johnson
And the rains came
To wash away my pain.
To take away the shame.
I thank the soothing rain.
My face held to the sky
To feel the raindrops bless me,
So none could see me cry,
Or how my shattered heart distressed me.
When the sun returns,
It will grow back my smile.
Though now my sad heart yearns,
Grief will leave me in a while.
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WISDOM IN AN OLD MAN’S EYES
By Carl Martin Johnson
Look into an old man’s eyes
To see the stories there.
Search past his thoughts held in disguise
To find his special prayer.
Take the lessons you see learned.
Treat them as your own.
For the wisdom he has earned
He will gladly loan.
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MYSTERY OF LIFE
By Carl Martin Johnson
Life is a great mystery,
How we are here and why.
And the answer, though we try to see,
Stays hidden ‘til we die.
So we accept the wonder,
Giving thanks that we are here,
Pray we are not a blunder,
But beings God holds dear.
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MOMENT WITH MY ENEMY
By Carl Martin Johnson
For a moment we stood face to face,
My enemy and I.
We both knew that in this place
One of us would die.
Our faces did not show our fear,
Our expressions only frozen,
As we came to realize that here
Was the grave one fate had chosen.
And then our world stood still
Though the battle raged around us.
It was time to kill.
The sword of death had found us.
We locked each other’s eyes
Like lovers before they kiss,
Seeing the light that dies
When sent to death’s abyss.
Fate we both were cheating.
Our time to die was gone.
We would kill at our next meeting.
But for now we would move on.
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A FINE WORD
By Carl Martin Johnson
A fine word fell in love with me.
I loved it in return.
I thought to make it poetry,
And its affection earn.
I searched for a line where it would fit,
Would stand out for its beauty.
Day by day, I would not quit.
As a poet, it was my duty.
Then I tried another route.
I looked for the great word’s rhyme.
At last, I wore my poor brain out.
I was just wasting time.
Now, I have courted many a word.
After all, they are my trade.
And always, whether read or heard,
A poem could be made.
But, this one word would just not bend,
This word and it alone.
But, I will keep it as a friend.
Some words are best alone.
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THE SUN WILL SHINE AGAIN
By Carl Martin Johnson
Sunshine tears the clouds apart,
Bringing joy back to the earth,
Lighting fire in each sad heart,
And giving life new birth.
It matters not how dark the day,
How hard the falling rain.
Clouds are never meant to stay.
The sun will shine again.
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SOFT TWILIGHT WIND
By Carl Martin Johnson
Soft twilight wind caresses me
With angel breath perfume.
God’s whisper mild, it blesses me
Exhaling the earth in bloom.
Soon the day will sleep.
The gentle breeze will die
As night’s warm dark grows deep
And stars smile in the sky.
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RISE UP
By Carl Martin Johnson
Venezuelans, rise up singing!
Freedom’s song is on its way!
The hope that God is bringing
Is in the land to stay!
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THE ANGEL IN THE CLOUD
By Carl Martin Johnson
That cloud has an angel face.
It could be a disguise.
I think that it’s a perfect place
To watch with guardian’s eyes.
My sweet mother lives up there.
My father told me so.
I bet she has the angel taking care
Of her boy here below.
I’m sure she’s told him I’m her son,
And to keep me from all harm,
To help me get my battles won,
In the cold night keep me warm.
Clouds don’t last, so it will go,
But the angel will find another.
And he will find it quick, I know,
Or he’ll answer to my mother.
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NIGHT VOICES
By Carl Martin Johnson
Voices call me in the night,
Soft whispers through the trees,
Like angels’ prayers put to flight
By the gentle evening breeze.
They fade to silence with the dawn,
But with darkness they return,
And with sacred knowledge carry on,
Teaching me what I must learn.
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SANCTUARY
By Carl Martin Johnson
I wish we had a secret place
Where we could be alone.
In private share a warm embrace,
Without fear our love is shown.
Our lips would join in passion’s kiss.
Our fingers would caress.
No lovers could have greater bliss
Than our hidden happiness.
And there unseen each night we’d meet,
Undiscovered in desperate scheme.
Our sanctuary would be dear and sweet,
Though it be just a dream.
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A LOST SOUL PASSING BY
By Carl Martin Johnson
A shadow crossed the moon just then.
A lost soul passing by.
Searching for what might have been,
If it did not die.
But the sad spirit has no chance.
Life once lived is done.
The orchestra has played that dance.
Now the next tune has begun.
The errant ghost must find its way
Onto the new dance floor,
Or a dark moonshadow it will stay.
A lost soul, nothing more.
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JENNY’S YARD
By Carl Martin Johnson
Flowers grow in Jenny’s yard,
Yellow, red and blue.
Marble angels stand silent guard,
Letting only prayers through.
Trees give shade to cool her rest,
Home for birds that give her song.
Jenny feels her small yard is blessed
With peace from the maddening throng.
The flowers grow above her here,
Yellow, blue and red.
There is beauty and no cause for fear,
Here among the dead.
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THE POET’S WORLD BY STARLIGHT
By Carl Martin Johnson
I prefer the world by starlight,
Bathed in their soft glow.
I find the moon shines too bright
For my fantasies to grow.
The sun is a great wonder.
It’s beauty fills the day.
But all that it shows under
Keeps my mind from play.
Only stars in the night sky
Illuminate my soul,
Let my imagination fly,
And make my verses whole.
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CLOUD FACES
By Carl Martin Johnson
I see faces in the clouds,
Soft people in the sky,
Single or in crowds,
Way up where eagles fly.
I watch them tell their story,
Like actors on God’s screen.
Tales of love and glory
Billow past in white-piled scene.
At times they share a smile,
‘Til wind blows it away.
Then I’m saddened for a while,
But I know clouds can’t stay.
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THE TREE WHERE GOD SINGS
By Carl Martin Johnson
I found the tree where God sings.
I hear Him through the leaves,
With the joy his voice brings
To each soul who believes.
And when the breeze is still,
His silence fills the land.
Then Man can feel the will
Of his Almighty hand.
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DONE IS DONE
By Carl Martin Johnson
What is done is done.
We cannot change the past.
The race can’t be rerun.
The deeds we do will last.
Beware the thoughtless act
That may cause endless pain.
Once completed it is fact,
And as history will remain.
In seeking sweet brief pleasure,
Take care of wounds you leave.
Let kindness be your treasure,
And give no cause to grieve.
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SWEET SUMMER RAIN
By Carl Martin Johnson
Summer rain falls sweet,
Bringing life to thirsting flowers,
Cooling grass beneath my feet.
I pray it rains for hours.
I raise my head to feel
The drops upon my face.
Holy water that will heal
And my sad tears replace.
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A YELLOW ROSE
By Carl Martin Johnson
A yellow rose blooms fresh and bright
Where my dear lover lies.
I come to visit every night,
For no one truly dies.
I smell the fragrance of her flower,
The sweet scent of her soul.
And I feel my lover’s power
As she makes my shattered heart whole.
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SPEAK GENTLY TO THE NIGHT WIND
By Carl Martin Johnson
Speak gently to the night wind.
Whisper softly to its ghosts.
Call out to those once a friend,
Those not of Satan’s hosts.
Fear not the eerie moans.
It is only their souls crying.
Tortured spirits’ groans,
As they complete their dying.
Offer up a prayer
To ease their final pains.
‘Til they dissolve into the air,
And only the wind remains.
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TAKE ME WITH YOU
By Carl Martin Johnson
Take me with you if you’re going.
I don’t want to be alone.
I can’t stand not knowing
If I’ll wake to find you’ve flown.
There’s nothing for me if you’re gone.
The sun will no more shine.
I could not carry on,
If you’re no longer mine.
So, darling, take me or stay.
Do not leave me crying,
Even if the price I pay
Is with you to be dying.
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LAY YOUR BODY DOWN
By Carl Martin Johnson
Time has come for you to rest.
Lay your body down.
It is your soul that will rise blessed,
When they put you in the ground.
It is your spirit and your dreams
That journey on forever.
So leave behind all mortal schemes.
Earthly ties all sever.
For now the time has come to sleep.
Lay your body down.
This is the promised peace you’ll keep.
A better life you’ve found.
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NEVER LOOK BEHIND YOU
By Carl Martin Johnson
Never look behind you.
Your future lies ahead.
Don’t wait for love to find you.
Seek it out instead.
In your future joy is waiting.
You will have your share.
Soon you’ll be celebrating
The happiness you’ll find there.
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I FOUGHT THE STORM
By Carl Martin Johnson
The great wind threw me to the ground,
And challenged me to rise.
But men like me will not stay downed.
Weakness we despise.
I threw myself into the gale.
I would not let it beat me.
It was strong, yet it would fail.
Its force could not defeat me.
With a scream the storm blew past.
I had won the fight.
It is always Man who will outlast,
To defeat the great wind’s might.
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THE HIDDEN WORD
By Carl Martin Johnson
Somewhere hiding is a word,
A word that’s never said,
Describing all things not yet heard,
But living in my head.
I will search until it’s found.
I will make of it a prayer.
I will give it life and sound,
And bless the magic there.
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WILL YOU TELL ME
By Carl Martin Johnson
Will you tell me that you love me?
Will you set my heart on fire?
Will you hold no one above me,
And let me quench your sweet desire?
Then I will hold you fast.
I will never leave your side.
Together we will last
Until all Heaven’s stars have died.
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MICHAEL’S SWORD
By Carl Martin Johnson
Lightning is the archangel’s sword,
Slashing through the night,
Cutting down the demon’s horde,
Scattering the monsters far in fright.
Thunder is Michael’s battle cry,
Filling evil things with fear.
So flee, damned Satan, or you will die,
For God’s right arm is here!
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LIFE FLOWS QUICKLY
By Carl Martin Johnson
Like a wisp of evening mist,
My life flows quickly past.
Though dawn I’ve barely kissed,
I find day dissolving fast.
Night comes far too soon,
And I have not yet proved my worth.
I have long since crossed the noon
Between my death and birth.
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