Carl Martin Johnson
Poet, Author, Slayer of Dragons
© Carl Martin Johnson, All rights reserved
FADED
By Carl Martin Johnson
She worshipped at her looking glass
Until her beauty faded.
Once her looks had been world class,
But with the years, degraded.
Many men had been her slaves.
They had served her every whim.
Most now were in their graves.
All forgotten, save for him.
Of all those who sought her,
She loved only one.
It was his gentleness that bought her.
The kindnesses he had done.
He stood back from the others.
Looked on her from afar.
Her smiles upon his brothers
He saw as light from a distant star.
Never did she near him.
She was far too proud.
Her love made her fear him,
Her heart remained unbowed.
So he moved on with life,
Seeking another chance.
He found an angel for a wife,
A lovely partner in the dance.
Now the old woman was alone,
Little comeliness left to show
Only a love she once had known,
But her childish pride let go.
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SOUL SONG
By Carl Martin Johnson
Today my soul sang a fine song,
A melody felt, not heard.
It set right all that was wrong,
Without music or a word.
It made me smile though there was no sound.
Drove me to dance, yet had no tune.
I knew for certain I had found
Life’s path with joy all strewn.
The theme filled me with glory.
Told its silent message well.
I think it was an angel’s story,
One he felt bound to tell.
I’ll remember it forever,
Poem with no verse or rhyme.
It will escape me never,
My soul song for all time.
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DISTANT MOUNTAIN
By Carl Martin Johnson
The mountain seemed so far away.
The desert so hot and dry.
But if he could make it through the day,
There was hope he would get by.
He’d forgotten what pursued him,
Or if he was still its prey.
Yet fear of it renewed him,
Spurred him on his way.
Looking back over his shoulder,
He saw an elfin silhouette.
It was approaching ever bolder.
And he feared the growing threat.
If he could reach the mountain
And climb it to the top,
He could drink from the gods’ fountain.
Then what hunted him would stop.
He knew he must trudge on,
Nearly dead from his soul’s thirst.
Should he stop, all hope was gone.
He must reach the mountain first.
So he pushed himself ahead.
He could make it if he tried.
His soul was not yet dead,
Only his body that had died.
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BLOOD MOON
By Carl Martin Johnson
Bleed your light on me, Blood Moon.
Illuminate my sin.
Dry dirt will be mud soon,
Where shredded enemy have been.
The earth shadows you with shame,
So your light be dimmed and red,
To hide from God my blame
For the men I’ll have left dead.
Here in this crimson night
Mangled corpses will rot and swell,
As the Devil cheers the fight
And shepherds the victors home to hell.
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IF I LOOKED INTO YOUR HEART
By Carl Martin Johnson
If I looked into your heart, dear friend,
Would I find you much like me?
Waiting fearfully for the end,
In need of sympathy?
Would I see a hunger for the truth?
For answers to Man’s quest?
A dread of losing youth?
A soul in need of rest?
How different are we, brother?
Deep down are we the same?
Intertwined with one another
From the Soul whence we both came?
If I looked into your eyes,
I’m not certain what I’d see.
It would come as no surprise
If I were looking back at me.
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ORPHAN THOUGHT
By Carl Martin Johnson
The thought floated unclaimed through the air,
Searching for a mind to take it.
There was a willing brain somewhere,
And the thought would soon awake it.
It was a beneficial thought,
That desired to help mankind,
Could it encounter what it sought.
But a good brain is hard to find.
It had lit on a skull or two.
Still had not found a home.
Not much the poor thought could do,
Except continue on his roam.
If planted on a fertile spot,
It would grow and bloom.
If it landed where it is not,
That would be the idea’s tomb.
Nothing beats a brilliant dream.
This one knew its worth.
On many souls it might have to gleam,
‘Til it found a place for birth.
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DESTINY
By Carl Martin Johnson
I will find you.
You can’t hide.
Look behind you.
Look inside.
You won’t see me coming,
Until I close the chase.
I’ll set your heart drumming
When I look you in the face.
Clasp me to you.
Clasp me near.
I’ll pursue you.
But have no fear.
I am what you’re meant to be.
The reason for your birth.
Embrace me, your destiny.
I’m why you’re here on earth.
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SWEET LUST
By Carl Martin Johnson
Sweet lust overcame me.
I succumbed to hot desire.
There is no god can blame me
For surrendering to her fire.
In our bodies burns such heat
Our kisses burst to flame.
Each time our eager loins meet,
We explode and bear no shame.
The sight of you ignites me.
Lights wild passion’s fuel.
Thought of our tryst excites me.
To deny me would be cruel.
We’ll gorge on the erotic feast,
Ravage each other’s beauty.
Set loose the carnal beast.
Our pleasure is our duty.
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MESSAGE TO THE BOLD
By Carl Martin Johnson
In the night ‘tween earth and moon,
I woke from a restless dream,
Surrounded by a celestial tune,
Bathed in a blue star’s gleam.
I turned to look behind me,
And much to my surprise,
There was an angel sent to find me,
With a warm light in his eyes.
I saw a message in his glow.
No spoken words were needed.
It took only one look to know
His wisdom must be heeded.
He told me I had been too long
In the cradle of the earth.
That I must grow up and be strong.
It was time for a new birth.
He said Mankind has grown in worth.
To the brave there are no bars.
Yes, the meek will inherit the earth,
But to the bold belong the stars.
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HOLD MY HAND
By Carl Martin Johnson
Will you hold my hand?
Today I need a friend.
I’ll face life’s hard demand,
But my vigor has reached its end.
I need to know you care,
That you will stand behind me.
Help me this load to bear.
Be close when troubles find me.
With you I can be strong.
You fortify my soul.
At your side I belong.
Only with you am I whole.
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A SHADOW CROSSED THE MOON
By Carl Martin Johnson
A shadow crossed the moon last night,
Like a witch her swift broom riding.
Flickering briefly the soft cream light,
While the world below was hiding.
It fell in silence across my face,
As if seeking to caress me.
I felt it whisper an embrace.
Its darkness sent to bless me.
Perhaps a quickly passing cloud
Stirred my imagination.
Or a new-dead soul was shedding its shroud,
In fresh immortality’s elation.
But I prefer romance,
The sweet witch’s kiss.
She who chose me to dance,
On a moonlit night like this.
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ILLICIT
By Carl Martin Johnson
We meet in shadowed places.
Our love must be well hidden.
We cover our embraces,
Because our kisses are forbidden.
Yet the feelings are so strong,
Our secret we barely keep.
Oh, my darling, just how long
Can we hide passion so deep?
I burn when you are near.
You set my loins on fire.
It must be obvious, I fear,
How you consume me with desire.
Our eyes, they dare not meet,
Or the world will see our lust.
Many will say we cheat,
Though we do only what we must.
We wish to cause no pain,
But we cannot stay apart.
Your images flood my brain.
Your love controls my heart.
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IT’S COMING
By Carl Martin Johnson
It’s coming, I can feel it.
I smell power in the air.
Time will soon reveal it.
Anticipation’s hard to bear.
The raw energy excites me,
Only a taste of that to come.
The challenge so invites me,
My heart’s beating like a drum.
I will rise to the occasion
Whatever that might be.
I’ll need no strong persuasion.
Life will be proud of me.
May the test be hard and great,
So success’s juice be sweet.
Let me proudly meet my fate.
Let my victory be complete.
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FOUND
By Carl Martin Johnson
Beyond word.
Beyond thought.
Unheard.
Unsought.
Suddenly I could feel.
Suddenly I knew.
All about me that is real.
All about me that is true.
Finally I see.
Finally I find.
What I am to be.
What is in God’s mind.
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BUT FOR THE GRACE
By Carl Martin Johnson
I took the path where honor led
When I was in my youth.
Could have found a safer one instead,
But mine was the route to truth.
It may seem that my loss is deep.
Many joys of life I’ve missed.
There are no sunsets where I sleep.
There are girls I have not kissed.
I departed early in my years.
Too soon my debt was due.
No need, friend, to cry more tears.
Who dies once is through.
Had I walked with cautious tread,
I’d have lived a longer span.
Yet sacred honor would have been shed.
I’d have been a lesser man.
Now my body’s in the ground.
My soul is in the sky.
With his honor, I have found,
Is how a man should die.
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I DIDN’T KNOW
By Carl Martin Johnson
When I awoke this morning,
I did not know I’d die.
The clouds gave me no warning
That I’d no more see their sky.
I thought I’d smell the rose again
That grows beside my gate.
I should have kissed my children then,
But I was running late.
I could have helped the girl next door
Get her cat down from a tree.
It would’ve taken just a minute more,
But I was hurrying, you see.
I heard sweet notes from a violin
A boy played on the street.
It brought a memory from back when.
I should have dreamed the thought complete.
Now I am breathing in my last.
Too much time I’ve wasted.
I forgot that life goes by so fast,
Each moment must be tasted.
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VOLCANO
By Carl Martin Johnson
The mountain belched smoke, gray and white,
Angry red mouth open wide.
In the close black of the night,
Glowing rivers streamed his side.
He was only a mountain now,
Not the god that he had been.
Yet he would show these humans how
He would be feared again.
They’d left him for another Lord,
One they called Creator.
It was once the mountain they adored.
They saw no god as greater.
Soon the mountain would explode,
Vomit out fiery death.
He would teach them respect was owed,
Though they learn with their last breath.
Then the ground began to shake.
The volcano ceased to rumble.
Before Great Earth’s mighty quake,
Even mountain gods bowed humble.
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SUNRISE, LET ME DRINK YOU IN
By Carl Martin Johnson
Sunrise, let me drink you in.
Fill my veins with joy.
Let the search for good begin.
Help me evil to destroy.
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THE NIGHT KNOWS
By Carl Martin Johnson
Night brushes me softly with her lips,
Whispering secrets she would share.
I suck her air with eager sips,
Inhaling all I dare.
Her black blanket hides Life’s face,
But I know truths there sleep.
Vision fails, yet I embrace,
And kiss her knowledge deep.
With Night’s mysteries I merge,
Becoming a spirit new.
I feel Being within me surge.
I am part of all that’s true.
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AUTUMN LIGHT
By Carl Martin Johnson
Soft and cool flows autumn light,
Rolling off earth-hued leaves,
Glistening on blades fluttering in flight,
Like escaping orange thieves.
Buttery shades pour across the ground
Where yellow sun drips through.
Footsteps crush with muffled sound
On thin branches fallen new.
Crisp aroma in the air,
The smell of life fermenting.
All the trees would soon be bare,
But there’d be no lamenting.
What died would feed new living.
Spring would bring rebirth.
World takes, but then is giving,
Restoring life to the dead earth.
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VANISHING DAWN
By Carl Martin Johnson
I saw a brilliant dawn today.
It will never come again.
I begged the glimpse of God to stay,
But it let the day begin.
It started as a red-hot coal
And set the clouds on fire.
Burning slowly, growing whole.
Lighting the world as it climbed higher.
Morning birds called out their greeting,
Saluting the rising sun.
Like dawn itself, their song was fleeting.
The new day had begun.
The golden orb emerged fullborn.
The wondrous dawn had passed.
The flaming disc from horizon torn.
A sunrise cannot last.
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TODAY I LIVED FULL
By Carl Martin Johnson
I lived life full today.
I rose to greet the sun.
I acted in every way,
As if today were the only one.
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