Original Poetry by Various Other Folks

Rat!

What are you doing in my house?

Horrid creature,

Great grey cousin of a mouse!

Stay still!

If you had not moved

I might have found you beautiful.

Like a cat,

Squirrel, beaver, chipmunk,

Rat?

You move too fast, too incredibly smoothly

In one moment you crossed the floor

And were up and over the cupboard door.

Wait!

Who gave you right to run in my halls?

To gnaw, to scrabble in my walls,

To destroy and contaminate?

Are you a lesson?

"Lay not up treasure in this world."

A memo from heaven?

"Here we have no lasting home."

Lost to you, Rat,

You win.

The mice shall inherit the earth.

Mine the greater prize.

Are there no rats in heaven?

Patricia Mary Sinasohn,
December 25, 1980

Untitled

You can kidnap Pharoah's daughter,

And fool the F.B.I.;

You can steal the royal diamonds,

And avoid the Politzi;

You can sink a fleet of warships,

And leave the C.I.A. to guess;

But if you owe a dollar taxes

They'll catch you at the I. R. S.

If you deducted twenty children,

And you've really only ten;

If you gave the Church your fortune,

But took it back again;

If you won the Irish Sweepstakes,

Of just the office pool,

The Revenooer Agent

Is the one you cannot fool.

If you broke the Ten Commandments

There's time yet to repent;

But if you lied about your income,

The I.R.S. will not relent.

So you'd better pay your taxes,

And be honest as a Scout,

'Cause the I.R.S.'ll get you,

If

you

don't

watch out!

Patricia Mary Sinasohn,
January 27, 1988

Out in Nature

The love of your life
grows ever so strong
this peaceful world
where you must belong.

The water is blue,
the leaves are green,
the most beautiful place
that you've ever seen.

Cherish this very short time,
this time much overdue
and when it's time to return,
remember that I love you.

September 20, 1990

A Road To Somewhere?

I have lost control of myself.
I have lost most of my friends.
I sit around and wonder,
Will this pain ever end?

I try hard to be happy.
I try to prove I can get along.
What ever happened to the light
That made me go on and be strong?

I've lost sight of the good things.
My mind is full of negative thoughts.
Those who used to love me.
Run away when stay around they ought.

I am a hypocrite to my profession.
I am supposed to help others survive.
I worry how I can be effective.
When I myself am barely alive.

My actions cause pain to others.
These feelings I do not intend.
I only want to be happy.
But I can not always pretend.

I want a better future.
I want to be filled with glee.
I want to be successful.
I want people to accept me.

I need to get over this.
I need to move on.
I have my health, a home, and some love.
For this I carry on.

My job is my life.
I want my students to be strong.
I never want them to feel like me.
Alone, sad, and unable to move along.

Maybe someday things will change.
Maybe I'll finally feel o.k.
Maybe I'll learn to be happy
And the pain will go away.

I am thankful for the few people
Who have always been there.
Despite all of my problems
They have shown me they care.

For them I go on.
I try to do what's right.
I listen to their advice
With inner strength and might.

My advice to others
Who know someone like me.
Try to be patient and understanding
And keep them company.

With a little love and understanding
Things will only improve.
With a smile and a hug
On a road to happiness I will move.

Thank you for listening
For not judging my prose.
Thank you for your support
From pulling me out of my lows.

July 17, 1997