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Please take the time to read and enjoy my poetry! It is my ongoing project and I am looking forward to translating my poems into Turkish, Portuguese, and French. JFB
Dark Hour
My friend said that we are living in a dark hour The news is dark; sad events hide the sun from our eyes Cruel words hide the song of...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Bravery
Brave heroes ride on horseback Arjuna in his chariot Or little David facing Goliath’s taunts. Or brave in spirit Rosa Parks on her bus Or...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
The Untouchable (Ambedkar)
Every land has its untouchables Not Just India Only in India, they openly call out untouchables But we too have the disdained, The...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Affection: Happy Valentine's Day!
What is love and what is affection? It is amazing! If you take a genuine interest in someone else’s life They often take a genuine...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
The Arrowhead
I have arrowheads Crafted long ago in the forests When it was still called The Dawn Country Perhaps used for hunting Perhaps used for...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
The Light of Hope
Is there a place inside the heart Where sadness never dwells Where the pain of loss Cannot penetrate as a poison To kill hope? Is there a...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
HUMILITY
Humility is the result of gratitude for things great and small And to see how small one is In the face of great things To realize that...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Summer Contemplation Memory
Today it is hot, mercilessly so But the smell of the hot earth takes me back To a time of the same smell When I was about 14 and it was...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Istanbul is My Heart’s Hometown
I see its kittens playing hide and seek around Mossy, lichen-crowned stones carved in Greek Or perhaps between the tombstones of...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Regret
Much time is spent on regret To relive what one would rather not relive To repay an obsolete debt you may not owe with a vanished...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Fear
Fear is a thieving barbarian Who robs you of your peace Who robs you of your sleep Who robs you of your mind Who robs you of your balance...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Resilience: Borinquen
A hurricane Creates apocalyptic destruction Until another arrives Bringing more destruction But beyond tears There is a determination A...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
My wife is out of town
It’s just me and my old cat Two old men Minding the house while Mom is gone. No need for an alarm clock For it is me, and not my wife...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Farm Hands
Have you ever looked at a farmer’s hands? There are likely to be a few nicks and bunps They are rougher and stronger Than your hands...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
My Ratty Sweater
Fall is here And out comes my ratty sweater That I cannot throw out! It has patches on the elbows And strings that hang down like Spanish...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Grief
(For my friend Seda) To lose someone Is to lose a piece of oneself A void opens that is filled, in time In a strange and beautiful way...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Morning
The sky moves from black to violet to red to pink As the slightly cool breeze hits the cheek A rooster cries and birds chitter My old cat...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
The Coin of Kindness
I heard once that “Kindness is the currency welcome everywhere.” But the idea of kindness as a “currency” Devalues its intrinsic value By...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
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