I AM NOT BENT by Jim Gandolf

I am not Bent

A poem 

By Jim Gandolf 

©️09292025

The Unbowed Line

They measure all the edges,

They check for signs of give,

They scan the soul's deep ridges,

The way they think we should live.

The world applies its pressure,

A steady, subtle hand,

To shape you to its pleasure,

To make you understand

That straight is out of fashion,

And bend is the true art,

To curb the core's deep passion,

And soften up the heart.

They see the stress, the straining,

They wait for the bowed knee,

They think there's no sustaining

A stubborn liberty.

But the grain within is granite,

The spine, a single pole,

A law across the planet,

An uncorrupted whole.

So ask your question, wonder,

With a skeptical, quick glance,

"Are you bent now, down and out?"

I meet it with a fierce stance:

"I am not. The line holds true.

I am not bent. What about you?"

Jim Gandolf

Triumph in Justification By Jim Gandolf

Triumph in Justification 

By Jim Gandolf 

©️09242025

Triumph in Justification 

Poem 

By Jim Gandolf 

Shattered, scattered, a thousand shards of light,

I lay in ruins through the long, dark night.

Each piece a whisper of a forgotten plea,

Broken by those who swore to carry me.

They looked upon the wreckage, with a cold, hard gaze,

In the hollow silence of those bitter days.

They thought the end was written, the final scene,

On the empty canvas of what I had been.

But from the dust, a gentle hand descends,

A quiet purpose where my story bends.

It gathers up each fragment, each painful chip,

From the broken heart and the trembling lip.

And piece by piece, before their watching eyes,

A new mosaic begins to rise.

Not glued or mended, but forged anew,

A stronger shape, in a deeper, truer hue.

The cracks remain, but they are filled with gold,

A testament to a story brave and old.

And in the light, I stand, restored and whole,

A living proof of a mended soul.

Jim Gandolf

Time to Live Now By Jim Gandolf

Time to Live Now

Poem 

By Jim Gandolf

©️09212025

The sun descends on yesterday's shore,

A fading lesson, and nothing more.

The moon arises, a silver gleam,

To wake you up from a tired dream.

The dust of memories, soft and deep,

Is not for promises you can't keep.

Don't be a ghost in a worn-out place,

With yesterday's sorrow on your face.

For history is a river's flow,

Not stagnant ponds where old pains grow.

Each moment breaks with a brand new sound,

On this fresh, uncharted, hallowed ground.

So let the past be a gentle guide,

A ship that sailed with the turning tide.

Step out of the shadow, and into the light,

Embrace the dawn with all your might.

Live today 

Jim Gandolf

Sand Dollar of Time By: Jim Gandolf

Sand Dollar of Time

By Jim Gandolf 

Poem

©️09142025

The salty air, the crashing waves, a timeless, sun-drenched scene,

My father, brother, and myself, on shores of emerald green.

We walked for miles, a quiet quest, with hopeful eyes aglow,

Searching for a sand dollar, a treasure from the flow.

We sifted shells of every kind, through bits of colored glass,

Each tide would bring new mysteries, as morning sunbeams passed.

We'd race to what we thought we saw, our footprints in the sand,

A perfect, tiny, ocean key, held gently in a hand.

We never found the one we sought, no perfect, fragile prize,

But in the chase, we found something, beneath the azure skies.

A harmony of three hearts linked, by laughter, love, and grace,

Just being there was treasure enough, in that forgotten place.

Now time has turned the tide again, and memories remain,

A silent walk along the coast, a soft and gentle rain.

Though you are gone, my brother, Dad, across the endless sea,

I find a sand dollar in my heart, the moments you two gave me.

Jim Gandolf 

©️09142025

Anticipation By: Jim Gandolf

Anticipation 

Poem

By: Jim Gandolf 

©️09082025

Anticipation,

The engine hums,

a gentle thrum

beneath the floorboards.

The keys are turned, but the door is locked,

a moment frozen,

a breath held in the throat.

This project, this fledgling hope,

sits polished and quiet,

a letter folded, unread.

It knows its story, its purpose,

but waits for the world to turn the page,

for the ink to spill on stranger's hearts.

And I, the gardener of this single seed,

watch the sky,

a patient fool.

I picture the blossoms unfurling,

the colors splashing,

a sudden, quiet gasp of recognition

in a million different eyes.

Jim Gandolf

P.S. To begin, or start a project in a timely manner! On the Lord’s Time = Anticipation.

Coach Our Heart of the USA By: Jim Gandolf

Coaching Our Heart 

of the USA

A Poem

By: Jim Gandolf 

©️09062025

Coaching Our Heart of the USA

America, a land of open doors,

Struggles to mend its broken shores.

The bridges crack, the highways fray,

A nation's promise starts to gray.

For in the rush to build and climb,

We lost the patience, lost the time.

To teach the new, to guide the hand,

And truly rebuild this promised land.

But in this dusk, a new hope springs,

The promise that a new day brings.

To re-coach our nation, with care and with might,

To make our future strong and bright.

Give every worker the tools to mend,

The fractured parts from end to end.

To make our choices, clear and sound,

And build a future, safe and round.

So let's unite, with spirits high,

Beneath this broad American sky.

With skilled hands and knowing eyes,

We'll build a land that will surprise.

From the smallest town to the tallest tower,

We'll reclaim our strength and our power.

A new foundation, strong and grand,

A testament to our great land.

P.S. Re-training our minds to be positive and productive is the key. 

(Life is ready when you’re ready, to 

learn, teach, and lead-Jim Gandolf)  

Jim Gandolf

Balance of Love By: Jim Gandolf

Balance of Love

By:Jim Gandolf

©️09052025

A whisper'd promise, sweet as dawn,

A path of light we walked upon.

I gave my heart, a trusting plea,

And built my world for only thee.

But shadows fell where sunlight played,

A gilded cage, a masquerade.

Each gentle touch, a hidden lie,

A truth that left my spirit dry.

The shattered pieces, sharp and cold,

A story left yet to be told.

I knelt in dust, my faith undone,

Beneath a cold and bitter sun.

Then grace, a river, flowed to me,

And washed my sight, so I could see.

A quiet strength, a gentle hand,

A whisper from a holy land.

No grand design, no sudden blaze,

Just steady love through winding ways.

A simple truth that sets me free,

A quiet hope now guiding me.

My soul at peace, the journey starts,

Two trusting, open, beating hearts.

An open road, a sky so wide,

With faith and love, we walk inside.

Jim Gandolf

To Prosper By Jim Gandolf

To Prosper

By :Jim Gandolf 

©️09022025

A winding path, a stumble, and a fall,

A backward glance, a shadowed wall.

Not to recoil in bitter dread,

But to see the choices, where they led.

For in the dust of yesterday's mistake,

A seed of wisdom waits to wake.

Don't curse the moment, dark and brief,

Instead, find solace, and relief.

For failure isn't failure's end,

But a stubborn, valuable friend.

It points the way, a subtle guide,

To where your truest strengths can hide.

So turn the page with purpose new,

The lesson learned will see you through.

Review the past, but hold no blame,

And find your forward, prosperous aim.

P.S. , A poem for my friend. 

Thank You,

Jim Gandolf 

©️09022025