And for This, I am Grateful

 

The work I did to earn my way,

the wasted time of tens of thousands

of days past served to get me here

approaching my 77^th year.

My travels, my artworks, writing and

photography, the seriousness and wit was

my gift, portraying the chronology and

essence of the person I came to be.

Looking back at my personal impressions

and expressions of life, I could not have

asked for or wanted anything more diverse,

fulfilling and glorious than that.

                      -30-

Chris Hanch 9-30-2023

Creation

 

From the mountain

the boulder rolls.

From the boulder,

stones fractured

and weathered into

pebbles then sand.

Eons and light years,

a time in passing,

the before and after.

On the beach

awash, the rolling

sea, a grain of sand

and all creation.

This grain of sand

I hold in my hand,

eternity. Ergo, but

a grain of sand I am.

               -30-

Chris Hanch 9-29-2023

Something About Today, Part II

 

Who was it said,

life is lived

one day at a time?

AA is famous for

this claim.

I say that many

meaningless

days are lived

that way.

I want to know,

who gives a damn

anyway?

Some have a purpose

in place.

What was the day

like when Beethoven

finished his last

symphony?

On what day

did Salk deliver

his polio vaccine?

Was it cloudy and gray

the day the first

steam engine ran?

Did the invention

of the rubber band

change the way

things are done

every day?

What was happening

the day Bill Gates

earned his first

million dollars,

or when the first

gold nugget

was discovered

on Planet Earth?

It was a cloudy,

rainy, Good Friday,

Spring day when

I was born in 1947

my mother told me

so many years ago.

And who could

really care? Made

no appreciable

difference to me.

It could have been

during a winter

snow storm

on a Tuesday

as far as I’m

concerned.

As the old song goes,

“What a difference

a day makes, 24

little hours…”

In our days of

habitation on

this Planet

things are happening

all over the place, or

not on any given day.

Once a day is gone,

never again to return.

For some, today will

be memorable

and for many others,

today shall pass away

unacclaimed like so

many which are yet

to come.

What is for certain,

today removes you

from yesterday and

gives possibilities

for another hope-

filled tomorrow.

One day, and day

after day in

continuum is what

got us here,

my friends, some

of us anyway.

                 -30-

Chris Hanch 9-26-2023

Today, Yet Another One

 

What words to describe this day

other than another one under the sun.

Music perhaps, having chosen Nora

Jones to jazz me up this morning.

Or friends with whom I select to

relate. Pain, I refuse to let dominate.

Words, words and more I spill out

profusely to communicate.

Today, what of today can I say as

billions of stars shine in cosmic

parody. Sounds as if all has been

said before.

Nora Jones, had I mentioned her

before? Lovely, soothing and alive,

best used over and again and again

to describe.

Today, one more I’ll add to

this litany of mine, one more

glorious day for you and me

under the sun.

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 9-25-2023

Measure by Degree

I am renewed today

and showered in my

advancing old age.

I am left with my

memories hovering

over me and with

something left to say.

76-years measured

in mankind times is

both bittersweet and

sublime.

I am who I am, no

longer the man I was.

It is what it is and

always has been

because,

because,

because.

And the future

ahead of me

is measured

incrementally in

the unknown yet

dwindling degree.

                 -30-

Chris Hanch 9-23-2023

                

My Way and Yours

 

As with most days,

I am resigned today

to allow most folks

to have their way,

but not over me.

I say, mind your

own damn business,

and leave me the

hell alone.

Maybe I’ll call

you tomorrow.

Thank you, and

have a nice day.

       -30-

Chris Hanch 9-22-2023

In My Time

 

Never illustrated for Disney.

Had my own cartoons to draw.

Never made the staff at Marvel

or DC Comics either. My super

heroes included the everyday

likes of folks I knew.

Never had my artwork included

in any of the world’s renown

museums. Critics said I lacked

a consistent and identifiable style.

I submitted poems to notable

literary publications, but never

enough to gain acceptance

and recognition.

I have sold some of my works

from time-to-time in my day.

Had some written works

published in local/regional

news and small liberal arts

college poetry reviews.

Had a few art and photographic

shows with various groups and

own my own.

I have lost and given away

more of my works than I

care to remember.

I did submit 40-years of

my life’s artistic works

to The Historical Society

of my native State of Missouri.

I shall one day in the not to

distant future pass away un-

adorned with stature or acclaim

and that’s perfectly okay.

I did what I was inspired to

do with my life, knowing

that some of the work

I produced is likely stored

a few shelves away from

fellow Missouri natives,

artist,Thomas Hart Benton,

and writer and humorist,

Mark Twain.

Which reminds me, I have

been known to tell a few

off-colored jokes in my time.

Although I was considered

somewhat of a clown by

some, I realized early on

that stand-up comedy would

not be a suitable profession

for me.

                -30-

Chris Hanch 9-21-2023

Oblivious

 

On occasion a word comes to mind,

a word seldom used by me. And too,

may have come to you should the need

arise. That word today is, oblivious.

Got to thinking about who may have

first come up with and used that word,

oblivious—not aware of or not concerned

about what is happening around one?

I suppose not being aware is the more

common form of oblivious than knowing

but not giving a damn, but who can say?

Anyone can choose to claim being oblivious.

I can be totally unaware and say I was

completely oblivious, but to have chosen

to avoid making a decision to care or not

to care doesn’t make sense in properly

defining oblivious.

Having seen the accident happen rules out

the claim of your being oblivious in the

matter. I was oblivious to the man’s

intention, now that makes perfect sense.

Be all that as it may, I wonder about the

first person to come up with that word

and its definition? Who first allowed it

to be included in the dictionary? Was it

a man or woman who came up with

the word and its definition? I guess

you could say, I’m oblivious.

But in this case, the vernacular I would

choose to use would be, “Beats the living

crap out of me.” Vernacular, now there’s

a word.

               -30-

Chris Hanch 9-18-2023

You and Me

Where on Earth

would we be

without you and me?

Question is

why you and I?

There are some gems

out there

between they and them,

quite a few assholes too.

It’s easy to figure out

who is who and why.

Best be they and them

rather than you and I.

Or sometimes

otherwise,

I know it’s proper

grammatically

to put you first

instead of me.

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 9-16-2023 

Who and Where We are Today

 

Good, bad or indifferent, all of us

now dead or alive have taken part

in or a backseat to the progression

or degradation of mankind and

society.

Each of us has our likes and dislikes.

Cultures come and go; things change

for the better and worse.

Through art, photography and writing

mankind is revealed and on display.

There were good hippies and bad.

Likewise, not everyone in an Armani

suit or designer dress is or was a good

guy or gal.

Today, more people per capita are

hooked on or die from drug abuse

then ever before in our history.

Mankind has made a mess out of

our planet and it’s natural resources.

Oh, but I could go on and on.

Suffice it to say, here we are today.

The planet, democracies and mankind en

masse is in grave peril. Baby boomers,

hippies, yuppies, gen-xers, millennials

and the rest of us are facing a serious

threat to our very existence.

Glad to say, in my time, I have known

a few good folks from all stripes.

                -30-

Chris Hanch 9-15-2023

Thoughts Today

Not thinking about Rome

or Athens today, been there

though, and it is worth a

shout out to them.

Not thinking about Peoria

or Joplin either, been there

as well. How y’all doin’

over there?

Can’t say as I’ve been to

Mumbai or Shanghai. Gave

it some thought, though,

once or twice.

Seems that Pluto suddenly

came to mind today. I know,

it’s 3.1829 billion miles

away.

Just wondering how they’re

getting along out there these

days since their primary planet

status was taken away?

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 9-14-2023