Into the Face of Fear
It flies into the face of fear
in darkness never shies away
it pulls the loved ones close and near,
stands up, keeping terror at bay.
With courage strong and life at risk
it pushes onward quick and brisk,
decisions made and action true,
supports what's right and wrong eschews.
And when it feels like all is lost
new strength emerges with full force,
its engines throb despite the cost.
And soon the worst has changed its course,
now in new light, no need to grope,
this is the essence we call hope.
Beginning
Each brings optimism –
a new baby,
a new marriage,
a new job,
a new hobby,
a new friend,
a new year.
New is not tarnished with history,
it is an open ticket
into the next chapter.
Anything is possible –
why not imagine anything
as something joyful –
a new discovery,
a new idea to explore,
a new book to read,
a new hairdo,
a new neighbor to meet.
And it is not that history
with its disappointments
or sorrows disappears,
but it is past. The future
is a door, now open,
waiting for us to act.
My neighbor has a sign
in her front yard that says,
Be a good human.
Let's start with that.
Lynn M. Hansen is a retired Modesto Junior College professor of marine biology. She is a member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, Orinda, CA, charter member of the Modesto Stanislaus Poetry Center and past president of National League of American Pen Women, Modesto Branch. Her work reflects her sense of place and the art of story-telling. She enjoys gardening with native plants, photography, cooking and writing. With her husband Richard Anderson she has traveled to all five continents and enjoys adventures in different cultural realms. In 2013 a collection of her poems was published by Quercus Review Press entitled Flicker, Poems by Lynn M. Hansen. Her most recent publication, March of 2022, is an historical novel about her maternal grandmother entitled Journey to Sky Avenue: The Life of Mernie Daisy Lewis (1882-1963).
It flies into the face of fear
in darkness never shies away
it pulls the loved ones close and near,
stands up, keeping terror at bay.
With courage strong and life at risk
it pushes onward quick and brisk,
decisions made and action true,
supports what's right and wrong eschews.
And when it feels like all is lost
new strength emerges with full force,
its engines throb despite the cost.
And soon the worst has changed its course,
now in new light, no need to grope,
this is the essence we call hope.
Beginning
Each brings optimism –
a new baby,
a new marriage,
a new job,
a new hobby,
a new friend,
a new year.
New is not tarnished with history,
it is an open ticket
into the next chapter.
Anything is possible –
why not imagine anything
as something joyful –
a new discovery,
a new idea to explore,
a new book to read,
a new hairdo,
a new neighbor to meet.
And it is not that history
with its disappointments
or sorrows disappears,
but it is past. The future
is a door, now open,
waiting for us to act.
My neighbor has a sign
in her front yard that says,
Be a good human.
Let's start with that.
Lynn M. Hansen is a retired Modesto Junior College professor of marine biology. She is a member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, Orinda, CA, charter member of the Modesto Stanislaus Poetry Center and past president of National League of American Pen Women, Modesto Branch. Her work reflects her sense of place and the art of story-telling. She enjoys gardening with native plants, photography, cooking and writing. With her husband Richard Anderson she has traveled to all five continents and enjoys adventures in different cultural realms. In 2013 a collection of her poems was published by Quercus Review Press entitled Flicker, Poems by Lynn M. Hansen. Her most recent publication, March of 2022, is an historical novel about her maternal grandmother entitled Journey to Sky Avenue: The Life of Mernie Daisy Lewis (1882-1963).
