Ron Nicely Kansas City, Missouri

I was born 10-19-43 in Kansas City, MO. I am now President and General Manager of Nicely's Leach-Hurlburt lumber company located in Grandview, MO. I am active in community affairs. I am the 1985 recipient of the "GRANDVIEW MISSOURI CITIZEN OF THE YEAR" and the 1987 "GRANDVIEW MISSOURI SMALL BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR". I have one daughter Leslie Rebecca Stevenson (poet), and three beautiful grandchildren. Current Publications: THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF POETRY, "THE PATH NOT TAKEN", "BEST POEMS OF THE 90'S", "TRACING SHADOWS", "THE ISLE OF VIEW". "THE BEST POEMS OF 1997", "THE COLORS OF THOUGHT", "PORTRAITS OF LIFE". THE ILLIAD PRESS, "INSPIRATIONS", "MEDITATIONS", "BEGINNINGS", AND "KEEPSAKES". SPARROWGRASS POETRY FORUM INC. "POETIC VOICES OF AMERICA" (FOUR EDITIONS). POETS GUILD, "BEST NEW POEMS". THE AMHERST SOCIETY, "AMERICAN POETRY ANNUAL". CREATIVE ARTS & SCIENCE ENTERPRISES. "JOURNEY TO OUR DREAMS". AWARDS: PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE (THE NATIONAL AUTHORS REGISTRY). 1995 AND 1997 EDITORS CHOICE AWARD (NATIONAL LIBRARY OF POETRY). ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MERIT AWARD (CREATIVE ARTS & SCIENCE ENTERPRISES). HONORABLE MENTION AWARD (ILLIAD PRESS) MEMBERSHIPS: INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF POETS (DISTINGUISHED MEMBER) AND THE NATIONAL AUTHORS REGISTRY. "THERE IS NO MORE GRATIFYING WAY OF EXPRESSING TRUE EMOTION THAN THROUGH THE POETIC VOICE".

SECONDS OF TIME Each moment is a mystery Each second a brand new day Each hour brings a different world Each day leads a different way Life is filled with moments And seconds of time evolve Hours slip by so quickly As the days of autumn fall Then life begins to shrivel The moments about to end And increments of time unravel And all begins to blend

Voices Of The Past Voices of the past are calling as echoes of herds abound. The soft sweet swish of the arrow as the buffalo hits the ground. The sounds of dancing with war paint the settler's wagons are near And the drums build up to a fury drumming out any doubts or fears. The feathers that are worn so proudly speak of their victories past. Eyes that light up in terror as the enemy's guns start to blast. Innocence, pride and glory; centuries of freedom are gone. Once a proud and happy people Who's voice have been quiet too long.

AGE OLD TREE Have you ever really wondered When you looked at an age old tree How many different changes It could tell- If it could see? Was it just a sapling When the buffalo were free And the prairie grass grew so tall It looked like a giant green sea Was it there to watch the settlers As there wagons plodded past Was it almost cut down in its prime To be a boatmans mast? perhaps its been a shelter For young lovers in their teens Who may have carved their initials So that the letters still can be seen Could it tell who built the roadway That runs along its side How many birds and squirrels Has its branches helped to hide How many glorious sunrises How many settings suns If only it could tell us We might know from whence we come.

Ron Nicely welcomes letters. Write to:
WWW.RONNICELY@AOL..COM
All poems Copyright © 1997 Ron Nicely. All rights reserved.