The Ones Who Ne'er Came Home

God bless the ones who took a stand

who stood their watch on foreign soil

duty-bound by their command

God bless the ones who held their ground

who never waivered in defeat

when fires from hell came raining down

God bless the ones who ne'er came home

the ones who paid the highest price

with grateful hearts we bow our heads

and honor what you sacrificed.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

On Hiatus

I cannot share in your debates

the never-ending brouhaha;

combating anger and such hate

just leaves me feeling frayed and fraught.

It’s not that I have blinders on

am ignorant, without a clue,

the lies keep changing every day

out on display for our review.

My focus has turned singular

as if,  perhaps, by will alone—

I could fend away the fear

against this dark and great unknown.

So should you wonder where I am?

I’m right here where I need to be

battling unbending foe

never ceding to defeat.

And when this campaign’s finally done,

when I’ve done all I can do,

and when I’m sure that we have won

that’s when I’ll return to you.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Moonstruck

I step into the cool night air

to see her face among the trees—

her soft white light shines down on me

I pause a moment just to stare...

in quietude I am renewed

erasing burdens that I bear

Hard-pressed to let this peace recede,

I linger in the cool night air

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Finding Grace

We dwell in a place between there and here

between then and now

between now and when…

a limbo of circumstance

designed by fate to strip away faith.

The minutes tick by,

stripping away slices of us

bit by bit, piece by piece.

No one is exempt from the hands of time;

it is an ever-constant reminder

that all things hinge on us:

on who we are, on our willingness

to change, to grow past our pain

to grow past sad endings

to believe in new beginnings

to believe that there has to be more.

And somewhere in this equation we realize

that we, each of us, are a part

of someone else’s puzzle

Grace emanates from the depths of our own exhaustion,

in the willingness to reach out

and lift the weight of another

even as we struggle with our own.

We draw our strength from each other,

and somehow, through this, we go on.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Non-functional (Life On Hold)

Night now slowly dissipates to day

overhead the skies are filled with dread

—nefarious, these voices in my head.

Familiar now, this rain against the sill,

under endless mantle of pale gray,

nothing seems to change, the clock stands still.

Come what may, we’ll weather what’s ahead,

together we can fend away our fears

if we don’t let uncertainties adhere.

Once more, we'll face despair and doubt head-on,

not ceding to the darkness before dawn

…and all that we have faith will come to be,

    lies somewhere in the heart of you and me.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

True Lies

A world spinning backwards, who would’ve thought…

aggrandizing leader whose policies have brought

a shift to this country,  with promises grand…

while he does what he does with his head in the sand.

His defenders, they say “What a great Christian leader!”

while ignoring the porn star that proved he’s a cheater.

All the rats jumping ship to distance themselves

from the guilt just keeps building the further they delve.

A train wreck’s a coming, there’s blood on the tracks,

the avalanche is growing, there’s no turning back;

the web you have woven is falling apart,

but with all that is wrong, where do we start?

Not everyone’s lying, if I have to choose

I believe both the Post and the Times with their news.

It’s amazing to see how the country’s divided,

and how you promote this with lies and with chiding.

And your base just stands by, as Republicans waffle,

walking their tightrope ‘tween crude and unlawful

We cannot deny that this country is hurting

the lack of true leadership’s quite disconcerting.

Where will you stand when the smoke finally clears,

when the guilty are named or have lost their careers?

Can we find our way back through the anger and shame

as we try not to cringe at the sound of your name?

How long will it take the good guys to ride in;

less talk and more action, where to begin?

© Ginny Brannan  2019

Written in 2018, still current. Sharing 2019. Because "change" is slow to happen.