Time Misspent Lament, and Other Poems

Michael Kroth • May 25, 2019

Time Misspent Lament, And Other Poems. Michael Kroth. Profound Living

Time Misspent Lament


Every day too short

to finish what I wish

Every day too filled

with taking sitz and pish


Too much sleep required

for constant overwork

Too much sleep a waste

like dancing when it’s twerk


Ev’ry brush of hair

or showering excesses

Ev’ry razor’s shave

swiped only to impress’us


Every phish that’s caught

on rod and reel electric

Every Trojan horse

deleted quite frenetic


Time goes by anon

without or with intention

Time cares not one whit

our thought or inattention.


Time Misspent Lament, And Other Poems. Michael Kroth. Profound Living.

Gone Like Last Summer's Flower

The roses are growing

Yellow and red

Where I’d cut them to the quick

bleeding leaves and petals

to the nub, away, away


My vines of grape, once

interlaced with backyard trees,

cut back


My friend, clippered away

chopped out of my life, roots pulled from the ground

that way

Won't see him again

gone like last summer’s flower.

Time Misspent Lament, And Other Poems. Michael Kroth. Profound Living.

But I Like Country Music


How many country singers never rode a tractor, they’re just actors

How many got no slang, just say “thang”

When putting on the cowboy drawl for you and me.


It’s ain’t she, don’t she, won’t she when they’re singin’ for their fans

And isn’t, doesn’t, yes won’t she when they’re talkin’ to their friends

Those private school kids turned yodelers

Playin’ music about hollers,

And sellin’ tix for concerts

To fifty thousand country-wanna-be’s.


But I like country music, the good old boys and gals.

I like when they talk about patriots and long lost letters, dyin’ kids, God and Country,

Dads and moms, the girl who got away

And drinking lemonade, on hot days waitin' for'er,

when I know they’re ackshully, truly drinkin’ beer.


But I love that country music, if you must really know the truth

Because I understand the words and hum the melody.

The stories ones I’ve felt myself, the people folks I’ve known

And I've had beer and called it lemonade myself.


I say ain’t and I ain’t country.

When hummin’ country song.

I’ll put on country airs for you and me.

Cause country’s unpretentious, something ordinary

Inside every boy and girl,

who ever missed each other

And every son who thinks about his dad.

Cause country’s elemental, it’s who we are inside

And the simple life we wish we could have had.


I think most country singers are the real authentic thang,

No matter if you've never roped a calf.

I think most of us just want to be as free as we can be

Meant to be

With whom we'd love to be

Liberty

For you and me.


I think most of us would love to live where people care

Less ‘bout corporate lifestyles

And more ‘bout Boy Scout Jamborees.


Yes, I love that country music, if you must really know the truth.


Time Misspent Lament, And Other Poems. Michael Kroth. Profound Living.

Her family was her life, and now she’s past


My mom don't have a memoir to tell, no scrapbook to sell, no fairy tale.

She don’t have no funny bone, smart phone, tart cologne, no headstone.

Mom loved wildflowers, taking walks, reading books, her kids, grand kids.

Simple stuff.


Mom was taken fast, her God didn’t let it last.

She weren’t fancy, not classy, not flashy.

But love? For us? It never failed, didn’t trail, wasn’t veiled.

Her family was her life, and now she’s past.


Mom grew up poor, never swore, was honest to her core.

She never made no law firm partner, got no votes, walked no runway, no famous quotes

Mom was simple, saved her nickels, when I had pimples, we ate pickles.

Nah that’s not true, but it makes me smile

Cause Mom’s the sort, that’s her style.

I’ve missed her cautious, quiet care, her humble, introverted ways.


Mom loved wildflowers, taking walks, reading books, her kids, grand kids.

Simple stuff.


But Mom was taken fast, her God didn’t let it last.

She weren’t fancy, not classy, not flashy.

But love? For us? It never failed, didn’t trail, wasn’t veiled.

Her family was her life, and now she’s past.

Yep, passed.


But present....

And future....

By Michael Kroth May 11, 2025
Most of all, she is crazy about her brood. She smiles more when she’s with them. Laughs more. Enjoys more. Relaxes more. Has more fun. She just loves her family.
By Michael Kroth May 10, 2025
“…there must be millions of aging males, now slipping into their anecdotage…” ~E.B. White 1
By Michael Kroth May 6, 2025
Author's Note: I originally posted this in the Profound Bartender on April 8, 2018, and then reposted it here at Profound Living on April 25, 2018. I thought it might be a good time to repost it again.
By Michael Kroth May 3, 2025
Author's Note: This is a repost of an essay I published in 2018. I thought it was a timely topic to revisit.
By Michael Kroth March 30, 2025
“In Celtic wisdom we remember that our soul, the very heart of our being, is sacred. What is deepest in us is of God. ”  ~John Philip Newell 1
By Michael Kroth March 2, 2025
We may be lights under bushels, but we can shine brightly against the dark even if we are mere candles. Together, the light may shine bright.
By Michael Kroth February 20, 2025
February, 2025 Haiku Narratives
By Michael Kroth February 9, 2025
Silence speaks to us Listening in deep quiet… Hear what you long for! ~Patricia Leyko Connelly 1
By Michael Kroth January 22, 2025
"Elegance is the harmonious integration of simplicity, refinement, and intentionality across diverse contexts, combining timeless beauty with functional sophistication." ~ChatGPT Synthesized Definition
By Michael Kroth January 13, 2025
My Motto for 2025: Colendo Curam Personalis
More Posts