William Martin: Author - Actor - Voiceover Artist
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Neither of Us Knew

7/19/2024

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Neither of Us Knew
​
Neither of us knew

what lay on the other side

Touching my hand

she whispered,

"...I'll go ahead first...

...you come along after..."

A quick hug,

then she ventured forth,

Head held high...

            ... and I never saw her again.

                                                                  - William Martin

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Understanding Values

6/17/2024

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Understanding Values

I asked what she thought,
She said, "It doesn't matter."

I put forth what I thought,
She said, "It doesn't matter."

Like a bumblebee,
I flittered,
Trying to find a place to land,
That still connected us.

She said, "It doesn't matter."
That’s when I knew,
The ‘we’ were two,

And I tried to make it not matter.

                                    - William Martin

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The Rolling Hills

6/17/2024

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The Rolling Hills

The sun eased down over low rolling hills
We sat in our lounge chairs
The stress of the day melting,
Slowly easing away with the sun

We talked of small matters
Not wanting this time to end
Knowing sleep, too quickly would bring
The next day’s weight of work
And the sun struggling back up in the sky
I know she shares my thoughts

Then the gunshot
A specific crack in the distance
Pushing through dense air
Its echo fading over the rolling hills

A single shot –
not enough for target practice
hunting season long since over
accidental or on purpose

So we wondered if…
A simple embarrassment
Or injury
Or a life gone

And the sun
As though
not wanting to know
slipped behind the rolling hills
                                                            -- William Martin
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When We Were Immortal

7/1/2023

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When We Were Immortal
 
Our bikes flying down,
A treacherous hill,
Dirt roiling off the wheels.
Rattle and bounce,
Legs absorbing shocks,
Wind watering our eyes,
And we smiled.
 
A split second of flight,
Leaping from the roof,
Hit ground, tuck and roll.
Ladder shakes and slips,
Scrambling up for another go.
Imaginary “S” on our chests,
Our fists planted firmly on hips.
 
An unknown concept,
Change.
No, we would always stay that way,
Adventures waiting each day,
And dusk came too quickly,
On the kids’ dirt streaked faces,
Arms circling shoulders,
As we walked together,
And we smiled.
 
                                                    -- William Martin
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Extended Sonnet Number One (Will Echoed)

6/17/2023

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Extended Sonnet Number One
(Will Echoed)
 

Love, forebear allowing me to outlive
 thy grace. As it shines before me, I know
radiance brings life, continues to give
so long as thy heart continues to glow.
 
As petals drift from the flower, my time
passes in expectation of thine own.
Yet deprived of thy life-giving love I
count friendships, count loves, count all time alone.
 
Thrust off this heavy, mortal cloak I bear,
allowing spirit uncoiled to ascend,
gazing down o’er thy heavenly share
with eyes knowing all and all that transcends.
 
Yet let not life above prove false in deed,
pulling down death’s darkness that cloaks the day
into a murky loveless sea. My need
for you outlives, out-loves the heavens’ play.
 
So forebear allowing me to deny,
as it shines before me, your loving grace.
A hollow heart would arc the endless sky
seeking only to glimpse your love, your face.
 
T’were a burden upon this earth-bound place
and my time upon it an empty space. 
 
                                                    -- William Martin
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You Are the Poem

6/3/2023

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You Are the Poem

You are the poem I’ve always wanted to write,
The story I’ve longed to tell.
Devoid of armored cynicism,
Omitting my trips through hell.

A poem arcing through all emotion,
Showcased in an effortless grace.
Lines crafted with an easy eloquence,
Transcending hearts, time and space.

A poem complete in simply holding you,
A heart held in the warmth of your trust.
The rhyme whispered in soft, warm breaths,
The rhythm felt as sacred blood rushed.

It was to be a poem of soul and of love,
An experience of lives touching lives.
And although pen never caressed the page,
The poem was there within your eyes.

Just waiting to be discovered,
Within the warmth of your loving eyes.


                                                             --William Martin
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If They Never Knew

5/20/2023

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If They Never Knew

We touch so many lives
 During a lifetime
 How can we not help
 But fracture a few?

 We try to mend
 Before our end
 Yet we wonder…

 If they never knew
 What we knew
 How much stronger 
 Would they be?

 Yet we touch them 
 Nonetheless
 And it’s an unkind 
 Selfishness
 A way to give meaning
 To the meaningless

 We make amends
 Toward our own ends
 A soundless thunder…

 And if they never knew
 What we knew
 How much stronger
 
Would they be?

                                                       --William Martin
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A Pair to Draw To

5/6/2023

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A Pair to Draw To

Two jokers, 
Wild cards,
Recognizing their mirrored image,
Anxious,
Ready to disappear,
Within the safety,
Of a card-crowded deck,
Hesitant, 
To join the Game again.

 He wears a coxcomb hat,
While a morion shades her face.
Both are drawn,
To a suit of red.
They contribute, 
Yet are out of place.
 
Both shield surprises,
When they are in play,
Potential pitfalls,
For any who take up a hand.
Yet they too are surprised,
To see a similar self,
And a shared, 
Affinity for strong, 
Steady,
Beating Hearts.

 Their cards bend,
Each bows to each,
Reflections of the self.
Neither of them knew,
Another,
Even existed in this Game.
 
So let the Jokers revel,
In their discovery,
Delight in seeing Each,
In themselves.
 
Perhaps they’ll sit out this round,
Allowing the usual cards,
To be dealt, 
And engaged in play.

They would only, 
Upset the Game,
Pushing against,
The rules, 
That players insist,
Must be obeyed.

                                                  -- William Martin
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The Grandest Art

4/22/2023

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The Grandest Art

I watch as you walk slowly past,
Reflections in a looking glass.
I wonder what it is you see,
If I’m still there and will it last,
Or if, in looking, fade too fast.

A shimmering glimpse of the sea,
A depth so pure it frightens me.
Sunlight haloing us as one,
An image that has set me free,
Opened my eyes to what could be.

My battles now have all been won,
Lay down my sword they’re all but done.
Drop to my knees with arms spread ‘part,
Embrace the warmth of a new sun,
It arcs the path it’s always run.

Each day with you I see a start,
Each day with you I see a part,
Of how life joins all together,
How we all share a common heart,
How all of life is grandest art.

Our hearts embrace one endeavor,
One miracle held forever.

                                                      --William Martin
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Our Hearts Askew

4/15/2023

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Our Hearts Askew

Looking up into the bright pale blue,
A silver jet slowly slices the sky.
Leaving a narrow white trail so true,
It must be lonely up that high.

Traffic runs rampant, roaring right by,
Flashing signals tell us what to do.
A hurried, hostile crowd will comply,
It’s somehow lonely down here too.

Try stepping away somewhere fresh and new,
A peaceful place in our mind’s eye.
Away from the steel and glass we grew,
Yet we cannot create the fractured lie.

It’s enough to move a grown man to cry,
We’ve lost our ability to break through.
We’re on the grid amid the greater “I,”
Plugged in and counted –there is no 'you.'

And we all know it’s true.
And there’s no way to deny,
Our minds have led our hearts askew,
Endlessly progressing without asking why.

                                                     -- William Martin
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    ​William Martin's Poems

    Here I'll share just some of my poems. Keep a lookout for a book of my poems...available soon on Amazon!

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