Carl Martin Johnson
Poet, Author, Slayer of Dragons
© Carl Martin Johnson, All rights reserved
THE AWAKENING
By Carl Martin Johnson
He looked into the fire,
And saw the face of God.
The sparks flew up and higher,
His gaze followed, his soul awed.
From then he left the Garden.
He knew now who he was.
Life would henceforth grant no pardon
If he countered Nature’s laws.
And Death, its dread and terror,
Now companion to his life,
Became a constant mirror
To his daily toil and strife.
He glanced at the other hunters.
Did they see the same?
But their eyes betrayed no wonder,
Dully fixed upon the flame.
He pulled meat from the embers.
The huge beast was their kill.
Enough to feed the whole tribe.
A testament to their skill.
The change within he pondered
As he gnawed the creature’s bone.
His mind, now free, had wandered
Into Truth he bore alone.
He would mark signs on the cave wall
To show what he now knew.
He would try hard to describe to all
The thoughts he felt were true.
And from then he would never sleep,
Nor take an easy breath.
The Idea was far too deep.
It would haunt him until death.
With him, Man crossed the Portal,
Bitten the Fruit of the Tree.
Trading fear of being mortal
For hope of Eternity.
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DEGUELLO
By Carl Martin Johnson
Cain’t see their faces... no more moon
Jus’ see their fires tonight.
An’ I’m still thinkin’ on that tune.
But I ain’t scared to fight.
Let’s just get it done with soon.
I wish the moon would get back out
From hidin’ in them clouds.
An’ I wish I could stop thinkin’ ‘bout
Me all wrapped in a fun’ral shroud.
I worry over that some, ain’t no doubt.
Don’t mean I ain’t glad I got to come here.
I ain’t never been so far.
Like Colonel Davy Crockett said “Don’t fear”
“It’ll be a real quick war.”
Still, I feel like bad times is near.
My big brother said he’d watch over me
Or Momma wouldn’t o’ let me come
I told her I ain’t no baby,
But, I guess to her I’m one.
One who fights man-like, she’ll see.
My birthday’s comin’, this March six.
I’ll be seventeen, that’s a man
An’ if Santa Ana starts his tricks,
He’ll be learnin’ what kind o’ man I am.
A Tennessean wins the fight he picks.
There’s a singin’ bird there below
Keepin’ me comp’ny with his song
While I stand watchin’ the fireglow
An’ wonder if I’ll be stayin’ long
In this fort called Alamo.
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FREE FALL
By Carl Martin Johnson
I am slicing through the atmosphere,
Arms held fast at my side.
I feel like a god up here,
But on a demon’s ride
I have a mission in the dark below,
But, for now, it slips my mind.
I’ll recall it before I land, I know.
It’s a recon of some kind.
I’ll wait long to pop my chute,
Near to ground as I dare.
If I’m spotted, they will shoot.
I’d be an easy target in the air.
I won’t think about that yet.
These seconds could be my last.
Better to just forget,
And enjoy this going fast.
This free-fall is my time and place,
Gliding free between Heaven and Earth,
No worries here, a state of grace,
Like I’m having a new birth.
I would hold these seconds if I could.
Make them my world entire.
Then I would always feel this good.
I’d have all that I desire.
Suppose I don’t pull the release,
Just keep flying into night.
My soul would breeze right into peace.
But, I can’t. I don’t have the right.
Other men depend on me,
On what I’ll see and find.
Until that’s done I am not free.
Well, maybe another time.
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TEMPORARY VICTOR
By Carl Martin Johnson
I declare myself victorious.
I have fought myself and won.
My conquest was quite glorious,
And I used neither blade nor gun.
The enemy I knew well.
He dwelt within my heart.
I sent him back to Hell,
Defeated by my art.
Selfishness is his name,
Great enemy of mankind.
He must surely take the blame
For most evil I’ve designed.
I allowed him full control.
He lured me with his pleasure.
He spun a web around my soul
That strangled all I treasure.
I reached deep in desperation
For strength to wage the fight
To surmount his cunning temptation,
To reject the Wrong, and embrace the Right.
Now I see the enemy fleeing,
Chased off in coward’s retreat.
Yet, I know in spite of what I’m seeing,
It is not the last time we will meet.
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MOONDUST AND TEARDROPS
By Carl Martin Johnson
The moon looked back, full and creamy,
From the water, surface still.
The girl’s gaze held it, dreamy,
Hoping her heart’s emptiness would fill.
He had been the first,
Completely owned her heart.
Quenched her passion’s thirst.
They could not exist apart.
One day they fought, as lovers do.
Words said that cut and tore.
She yelled at him that they were through,
That she was his no more.
He left their town and went to war,
Died bloody in a foreign land.
Their wished-upon evening star
Had not blessed as they had planned.
The pollen fell from Spring tree flowers
Like moondust on the water,
While she dreamed of him for hours
On the shore where first he brought her.
Her tears dropped, making tiny holes
In the moondust on the pond,
And she prayed for lovers’ souls
To meet again in the Beyond.
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THE COMPROMISE
By Carl Martin Johnson
Honor makes a man.
Without it, he is not.
It drives him to do what he can
To improve humanity’s lot.
Principles birth the guide
That lights an honorable man’s way,
Strengthening him inside,
Causing evil enemies dismay.
However, he must adhere
To what he believes right.
He must keep his conscience clear
Stay ready for the fight.
There was a time when I was such,
A man of honor, without doubt.
My character no vice could touch.
A man on a virtuous route.
But I am an imperfect man.
Temptation had a win.
A great wickedness it was much less than,
Nothing as excusable as sin.
I simply met someone halfway,
Gave half what I knew was right.
I thought it was the easiest way
To avoid a lengthy fight.
While it is true we made a deal,
I am no longer whole.
My compromise has made me feel
I’ve lost part of my soul.
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DREAM LUST
By Carl Martin Johnson
I felt you in a dream last night,
Kissed all your secret places.
The moonglow throwing amber light
Over the ardor on our faces.
We explored our bodies, head to toe,
Vibrations surging o’er our skin.
No greater pleasure could we know,
Our lust far beyond sweet sin.
We twisted together, writhed like beasts,
Teased and tempted without shame.
Made of each other lovers’ feasts,
Flesh glowing with erotic flame.
And now I take you when awake.
The dream we will act out.
Until fervor makes our bodies shake,
And in climax we cry out.
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IN YOUR EYES
By Carl Martin Johnson
I looked into your eyes tonight
To see how you perceived me.
The image that came into sight
Hurt, and sorely grieved me.
The bold and brave I tried to act
Had near escaped your view.
Instead, I saw you felt I lacked
Many virtues, to speak true.
I looked again, and focused hard
To see if there was more,
But now your thoughts seemed barred
Your mind had locked the door.
I forced myself to try again
To give your heart a shove.
It worked, and when I looked within,
What I saw was Love.
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IN THE NIGHT RAIN
By Carl Martin Johnson
Do you feel me in the night rain
Between wake and sleep.
In that part of your brain
Where the memories keep.
Do you imagine my touch,
My caress on your thighs,
While I tell you so much
By the fire in my eyes.
Does your smooth soft skin
Blush with heat
As you grow still and pretend
We are once more complete.
Do you quiver in rapture
As our dream bodies unite
And briefly recapture
Our love that took flight.
When others lie with you,
Do your thoughts turn to me.
Does your heart remain true,
Though your body can’t be.
And should we die before
We come together again.
Will our next lives restore
What, in this, should have been.
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BLOOD IN THE RIVER
By Carl Martin Johnson
There was blood in the river
As it washed o’er my soul.
My wounds bathed in the current
Yet I would never be whole.
And I drank in the stream
No regard for the gore.
But my thirst was unquenched.
It would be slaked no more.
I turned to the killing ground
Where my enemies lay
And my soul groaned in agony
While I tried hard to pray.
My spirit was corrupted.
My innocence fled.
There would be no redemption.
What had lived once was dead.
So I returned to the battle.
To the pain and the screams.
From now and all forward
Hell owned my dreams.
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NOOSPHERE
By Carl Martin Johnson
I began at the Beginning
When God spat out the World
When matter was sent spinning
Before Life’s flag unfurled.
Then pieces came together,
Over eons Life took form.
In the chill of cosmic weather
In the violent celestial storm.
A mind, albeit primal,
Awoke and looked around.
A consciousness, not final,
Yet aware of sight and sound.
I grew from this, and in me
Strong forces came alive.
Competing as to win me,
To make me feel their drive.
Time passed, and I fought them
The Good and Evil both.
My changing soul had caught them
Before they could impede my growth.
Now my mind was wide.
I gazed upon Creation.
Nothing could ever hide
From my ravenous concentration.
And I saw I was becoming
Something more as Time moved on.
A creature wise and stunning
Bred to meet Eternity’s Dawn.
So I fought the Forces in me,
Let neither hold my fate.
What I was now or would be
Or small, or perhaps great.
I took hold of my transition,
Bent it to my will.
Guided my ambition
To be more, to be fulfilled.
At last, I saw the blueprint,
A plan of my own design.
A coin that I would now mint
As partner to the Creator’s Mind.
What I have become is human,
But will ripen even more,
Until I reach the Perfect Fruit
To lay at Heaven’s Door.
What God has set in motion
He gave me power to harness
To prove with my devotion,
And feed with Life’s bizarreness.
So I will keep advancing.
Improvement must be done.
Myself I will be enhancing,
Until God and I are One.
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FATE’S HIGHWAY
By Carl Martin Johnson
On a dark desert highway,
A straight path to my fate,
I ignored all in my way.
I feared being late.
All obstacles avoided,
Or crunched under my wheels.
My motor full steroided,
Like a speeding comet feels.
Neither mercy nor caution
Could temper my pace.
Nor did my heart soften
For those killed in the race.
Now nearing the finish,
I see that the prize
Will only diminish
The love in your eyes.
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MY DEATH
By Carl Martin Johnson
My death surprised me.
Guess I wasn’t clever.
Like most humanity,
Thought I would live forever.
The pain was quick,
The fear soon passed.
A magician’s trick
Performed quite fast.
What I had become
Was something strange
I was taken from
My world and changed.
No body now,
Though I can still see.
I don’t know how,
But I am still me.
I know I have grown.
Metamorphosized.
The soul stays on,
When the body dies.
I have left the cocoon,
Wings new and bright.
Far past the moon,
I await the light.
Whatever is next
I know I will be
In Eternity’s text
Still written as ME.
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SUMMER NIGHT
By Carl Martin Johnson
I lie down on a summer night,
And gaze up at the sky.
I feel the stars, white, twinkling bright,
Tiny torches burning high.
They pull my soul up to them,
As if they want me for a friend.
Perhaps, I think, I knew them
From a world that’s met its end.
Their glow becomes a symphony
That penetrates my being.
It is especially composed for me,
I am tasting, touching, seeing.
I sense that I am changing,
Losing form, becoming free.
I perceive the rearranging,
Transforming into ME.
The stars embrace me as their own.
They cheer my evolution.
I understand how I have grown.
Coming closer to fruition.
Passionate is my desire
To keep on toward the Light,
Chasing primal Life Source fire
In the distance burning bright.
Yet I know I must return.
I am human, though renewed.
I still have much to learn,
More awareness to be pursued.
Another summer night,
With stars like these I see,
I will, at last, take flight
Into the Mind of Eternity.
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