Excellent Poetry by Sam Hendrian

BIO

Sam Hendrian is a lifelong storyteller striving to foster empathy and compassion through art. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, he now resides in Los Angeles, where he primarily works as an independent filmmaker and has just completed his first feature film Terrificman, a deeply personal ode to the power of human kindness. You can find his poetry and film links on Instagram at @samhendrian143.

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Just the Way It’s Always Been

Turned on the news for a minute or two,
Turned it off between the first and second minute,
Not finding it particularly insightful
Or halfway entertaining.

War was raging, people were dead,
A man shot his wife then turned it on himself,
But what else was new?
Same old Cain-and-Abel conundrum.

Instead of being shocked and standing up in a raw outrage,
We shrug our heads and say “That’s just the way it’s always been,
Maybe offering a stock room prayer
Then turning the TV back on to watch re-runs of ‘90s sitcoms.

As long as the blood isn’t in our backyard
And we can sleep without hearing bullets out the window,
The biggest call-to-action at the forefront of our minds
Is to make restaurant reservations first-thing in the morning.

There’s a chance we’re simply logical,
Aware of our perpetual helplessness
Yet perhaps if we dared believe we aren’t helpless for a moment
We’d help reduce the front page headlines.

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Autumn Breeze

Glanced over at the recycling bin
Then immediately glanced away,
Too ashamed to acknowledge
Evidence of yesterday’s excess.

The things we do to make life more bearable
Usually wind up making it even more unbearable
Albeit after a hallucinatory trial period
In which the tunnel fills with distant light.

Stepped outside and felt a kiss
I surely didn’t deserve
From a newborn autumn breeze
Not yet at the age of judgment.

Pointed me in a fresh direction
Where a familiar stranger sat against a tree
Reading something about home
Or its persistent nonexistence.

Couldn’t tell if it was love or curiosity
That drew me to her smile
Although I hoped it might start with the latter
And end with the former.

Sensed each other’s primary language
Required no vowels nor scripted phrases
So we said hi with our eyes
Before sharing silent longings.

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Please do not forget to check out the latest book published by Literary Revelations: Celebrating Poetry by Cindy Georgakas. The book was recently discounted.

Thank you everyone.

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