Briefcase with an Engine
Enjoy these wonderful poems written by John McLeod. Poetry touched with humor and good sense. May the wisdom of these verses bring a smile to your face. Published by Catherine Pulsifer with permission.One evening I wrote to John and I guess I was expressing my frustrations with not having enough time as I had a briefcase full of work to do that evening. Jaymac, in his wisdom, sent me back the following funny but inspirational poem:
Briefcase with an Engine
Poet: John McLeod
Fit your briefcase with an engine
Go skateboarding in the sun
Loop the loop, do aerobatics,
Laugh a lot and have great fun!
'Cock a snook' at paper empires
Save a forest, every tree
And remember, above all,
To do it happily!
The poem put a smile on my face!
It reminded me life is too short to let work frustrate me. Reading John's words of wisdom helped relieve my stress as I found myself smiling when I finished reading the poem. And, smiling and laughing is a great stress reliever!
Many times during my career I let my work control my life. Looking back at the times where I allowed my work to create stress and frustration in my life I now realize what I thought was important really was not. I am not saying you should not take your work seriously, what I am saying is that we need to realize that life is all about balance. And when we lose balance in our lives, we are the ones that are creating the stress in our lives.
Looking back at the night I wrote to Jaymac, it was my choice to allow my life to be out of balance by bringing work home. I really think I would have been more productive if I had left the briefcase at work and enjoyed time with my family, rather than feeling pressured to work.
So the next time you find yourself stressed, take a few minutes read words of wisdom in a poem or story that will make you smile. It will help relieve the stress you are feeling. Also, remember to keep your life in balance!
Genius I Met . . .
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1988
Genius I met the other day
He looked at me and walked away
What did he see, thought I with frown,
Fellow genius or happy clown?
I laughed, then, at my own self-folly
(And safe beneath my humour's brolly)
I walked with lightsome feet grown free
By the happy clown I strive to be!
Into Each Life
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1988
Into each life
Some rain must fall
And though you stand aloof
It's an even bet
You'll get soaking wet
If your house a leaky roof!
A Five Minute Poem About Doughnuts
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1988
A five minute poem about doughnuts
Can only be five minutes long
Unless it's a two minute sonnet
Or a six and three quarter hour song;
Of course if it's written in Gaelic
You can cheerfully sing it in Dutch
Except when the weight is in gallons
And then it would cost you too much.
Whatever, it's taken exactly
Four minutes nineteen to arrive,
At the crux of this poem about doughnuts,
Which as everyone knows….
takes…. five!
A Handful of Laughter
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1976
Can I give you a handful of laughter
A smidgen of giggles to boot,
A cupful of tease and a comical sneeze
Followed by a hilarious hoot.
Can I offer an hourful of happy
Throw in an odd chuckle or two
The time spent is worth while
If the mirth brings a smile
To the friend I am writing this to,
The Smile
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1989
The Smile
May be the only sunlight
One can give . . .
But Living touched by Love
Becomes much more
Given the moment out of Time
And, or course,
The Smile!
Lay Deep Within You
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1976
Lines to the intrepid explorer Tri Ing Hardly
Who searched the world for oil and found it
In his own back yard!
"Oh, venturer, where have you gone
To find the sought-for, promised dawn?
The pearls you searched for, the sublime,
Lay deep within you all the time!"
The World of Dreams
Poet: John McLeod, (c) 1976
Such fantasies one finds
Within the confines of one's mind
That surely point the truer way
To sight, from being blind.
Only in realms of consciousness
Its gates lower to conceal
In waking hours, the world of dreams
So infinitely real.