http://slow.writerscafe.org/GBernard1956 The original writings of author G. A. Bernard en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1775970676 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 “In the City"Worlds colliding each dayThe rich and the poorThe unknowns and the famousThe healthy and the ailingThe striking and the unattractiveThe happy and the troubledThe young and the oldThe pessimists and the optimistsThe Liberal and the ConservativeThe pious and the atheistsThe enslaved.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2810080/ “The Waiting” At the café he sits - coffee is an excuse Time to daydream the reason he is there at all His lover.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2809865/ “Blinded by the Darkness”They went down a rabbit holeWhere they found the human conditionWailing and wallowing in agonyThe body so long without the light of happinessLay twisted and frail in a state of self-inflicted sorrowTheir soul blackened and body weakenedUnable to climb up and acce.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2809864/ “The Morning Mirror” She looks in the light Her soul gazing from deep in the dark recesses Promising to live fully She’s.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2809863/ “The Red Rocket” Time stops as the wheels turn In rhythm to the pedals The wind whistles through my helmet Reminding me I am alive My mind now free to explore opportunitie.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2809862/ “To Be a Princess” Many would think to be grand She who was designated lived a life Tortured by a dysfunctional system And expectations of an obsessed public Who thought they knew her .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2809861/ “Just a Man on the Bench”The smoke curledskywards from his amber-coloured fingers His eyes scannedthe street for some compassionHis tiltedbaseball hat covered a head of flowing, curly black haira geneticdisposition he inherited from his momSomeone once toldh.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2808160/ Notin Front of MeNotBehind MeShestands Beside Me© G.A. Bernard 2022 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2808159/ “LivingSpace”Theworld holds its breathWhile Ukrainians recoilReason has failed them© G. A.Bernard 2022"A Writer-and-Philosopher in-His-Own-Residence" http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2806662/ “War”The ego kindles the fireThe shallow character then fuels itThe delusion of grandeur propels it - now unstoppable!The wailing and dying repulse most that see the devastationThe somberness of the funerals slows it for a few moments but no words can consoleThe aftermath never fulfills .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2806587/ “The Message not The Messenger”Words spoken are frequentlyJudged by who says themAnd not on their own meritThe feelings we have for People often clouds our objectivitywhich makes pushing backfrom our own perspectivesuch a challenging situation© G. A. Bernard 2022 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2806586/ “Goodness Hidden”“Inside each of us is a flame waiting to be ignited. An encouraging word might be the spark to light that flameand the light now revealed may change the world forever.”© G. A. Bernard 2022 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2806124/ “AllThat Glitters is Not Golden”Lookaround and you may see that many in our midst possess “gold-leaf happiness”Theirouter façade glistens in the light of day as they brush on a new facewhile their true-self is rotting from theinside-out in the dark of.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2805894/ “Just a Man on the Bench”The smoke curledskywards from his amber-coloured fingerswhile his eyesscanned the street for beautyHis tilted baseballhat covered a head of flowing, curly black haira geneticdisposition he inherited from his momEach day for thelast n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2805888/ “They Cast Their Vote and The Majority Rule ”They became of age to do it, so they went tothe polling station to do their duty as citizens, even informing themselves ofthe issues at stake in their local community and the country at large.They put pencil to paper and then watched a.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2805836/ TimeMerchantsThey stop time in an instantFrozen for eternityWith the click of lensThe moment once fleeting Is captured for all to reliveMemories flooding brainsEmotions flowing from the deepestParts of our humanityRecorded history some wishRemained hidden fr.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2805293/ “The Hit”He never saw itcomingBlind-sided, hewas unable to avoid itThe noise of thehelmet-to-helmet collision was heard across the entirestadiumThe collectivegasps signaled the horror of the fansHis body lay onthe ground for what seemed like an et.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2804271/ “ThePunch”He saw it coming but too lateHe was out before he hit the iceA large pool of blood formed as he lay thereInitially the crowd cheered then that tribalinstinct gave way to one of horrorThe enforcer had gone gladiator and his attack wasgrotesqueThe ma.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2804270/ These thoughts came as I was reflecting about Holocaust Remembrance Day. I have been to the Dachau Camp outside of Munich when I was studying in Germany and Austria one summer. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2804056/ He was a skinny kidHis hair bleached blonde by the sunSmiling the days away as fast as they cameOlder guys looked down on him and the girls looked awayNo one knows the outcome after youth fades into adulthood© G. A. Bernard 2022 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2803582/ “The Simple Act of Walking”I think of those I love, who can’tAnd I walk on!I am StrongI am HappyI am FreeI am at Peace© G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2796154/ “Red”Redroses bloomed in the gardenACardinal sang his song there tooWhilethe poppy struggled in the windThebeets underground lay in waitingAndthe red wine flowed Thered lipstick caught his eyeButnot before the redness in her cheeks and eyes.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2796151/  It was a wet day as the sky ran tearsWhile the organ-grinder chased his monkeyThe lady in the red hat had an umbrella fullof holes but she walked onThe old man on the corner wondered what he hadsmokedA priest looked up - not to pray but to drinkthe rainA y.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2795806/ In the early morning light, I was aloneAnd the band played onBy midday, I was still aloneAnd the band played onBy twilight, darkness was becoming my friendAnd the band played onAt day's end in the dark of night, I was aloneAnd the band no longer played onI was gon.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2794399/ All warsleave the stain ofshame on our souls evenif "patriots" say different“Death” lives© G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2794369/ This week Veterans Day and Remembrance Day will be commemorated in the United States and Canada. This piece was written in reflection of the day http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2794216/ Our eyes look out at the world from lenses formed by our past experiencesOlder eyes often need help from glasses while the young see the world through rose-colored lensesTo see the truth we all may need to look into our hearts and minds to remove the plaque of opinions we have accumulated over timeF.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2794215/ When there is no shelter from the stormYou must go inside and find your own warmthGoing inside means letting go of outside forcesthat seduces you to go their way and be like themGoing inside means giving up on many of the trappings of successthat will be falsely promised to y.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2793774/ Some were told once that “work sets you free”Others were told it would "make them rich"Others were told it would "make them famous"Other were told it would "make them powerful"Others were told it would "get them to heaven"Those who “told” often seem to be the only ones who ga.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2793336/  Springso young and excitedComingout of winter and searchingFornew adventures, all wild-eyed and shedding its winter coat Summerso hot and full of passionForendless days and nights when loversFindeach other, if only for a fling Autumns.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2792739/  They all made me muchbetter than I wasbefore,maybe I helped one? © G. A. Bernard 2020 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2792706/ Waiting for the traineach day is the routine allwho want success nowgive in to with heavy heartshoping their kids will be safe© G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2792489/ The darkness hanging over me clouds my thinking day and night while Iwait for news on my friend's deathI long for times of old now© G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791950/ Blowingacross the water through my hairTimeStopsCoolnessand warmth of the sunGrassswaying in time with the crashing wavesSolitudeand silence in my head©G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791681/ Freedomaconcept ofdesireknown to so fewasnot all prisons have walls toholdus©G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791680/ WhenI've left - no wordsaboutmy life please - onlythosewho knew me will carenow and they know who Iwasand who I loved always © G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791675/ Lookingpast me againpaying lip-service toour relationship - I am asomeone©G. A Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791608/ Anxiousdaysare always therebehind eyes that lookoutat a world that confusesthemind http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791571/ The rainfilled thehole withsunshine ifyou look atyourreflection in the puddlemaybe? http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791569/ Peoplecryout in a faroff land - we see the shockingimages only to gasphelpless http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791568/  Looking down upon themasses they toleratethemwhile waiting for theirchance to spit out a slightora glare - always smiling http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791567/ I watched from behindmy expressionless façadeas his words flowed fromthe mouth of a charlatan Yet all in the room bowed down                        &.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791565/ Theroadroseup as theenginekept the pace - a longwinded story he told hergood-bye©G. A. Bernard 2021 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791564/ Children know the freedom of play http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791562/ Our experience is our own but we can all listen to others to understand better http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791561/ Commuters at war with their jobs and environment http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/GBernard1956/2791492/