The Poetry of Richard Betts, Jr.
by
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Flowers
People we love are a lot like flowers.
And we are the gardeners who reside.
We get to choose which flowers
Are the centerpieces of our lives.
Some blossoms bloom,
But are quickly taken away.
Other flowers flourish,
And are fortunate enough to stay.
Some flowers live in bunches,
Others live one by one.
Some blossoms burst to life,
And prefer the brilliance of the sun.
Some flowers grow in loving homes,
Others show up alone.
Some blossoms grow wild in the fields,
Some battle in-between stones.
Some flowers grow old and tired,
And quietly fade away.
Others do not mind the twilight,
And prefer the coolness of the shade.
So, surround yourself with many flowers,
And love them for what they are.
For, flowers do not live forever.
The frost may not be too far.
Fail
Your most loyal lovers seem to
Loathe your most basic commands.
Your most faithful followers
Fail to meet your simplest demands.
Those who profess to love you
Fail to love thy neighbor.
While those who live "the good life"
Fail to find your favor.
Those who say they know you
Use your words like a razor.
While those who still seek you
Pray to find their savior.
Your many followers complain
Mankind may have failed you.
While others explain
You fail to award virtue.
The answers may not
Be impossible to find.
They may not lie above,
But more appropriately inside.
For, if I do not love my brother,
It is he and I that have failed one another.
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About the Book
Richard Betts is a philosophical poet. His is an honest poetry, which contemplates, questions and, at times, criticizes the world in his search for the ultimate meanings of life. Some of his poems are meant to prod and provoke, but all of his prose is meant to enrich and encourage the reader. His writings deal with a wide range of contemporary issues, such as religion, politics, philosophy, friendship, love and hate, and life and death. His concise style of writing makes his poems extremely readable.
About the Author
Richard Betts, Jr., was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1964. His mother (a Philadelphia public school teacher’s assistant) and father (a truck driver and Philadelphia catholic high school football coach) raised him and his three brothers in the blue-collar section of Mayfair/Tacony in Philadelphia, PA. Richard Betts, Jr. attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Philadelphia and graduated in 1982. He enrolled at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in Indiana, PA and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in December of 1986. He lives with his wife and two children in Warrington, PA.