Open Heart Surgery

By Joseph Hathaway

The title “Open Heart Surgery” refers to the actual event for the author, but also reflects that he tries to reveal what he internally feels about current events in America. The 74 poems are on such subjects as MAGA, Pro Life, the Border Crisis and Global Warming. The conservative view on these issues is not found in typical books of poetry. He writes in a traditional poetic style, with meter and rhyme, but he enjoys a touch of humor in much of his poetry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798893458411

Book preview

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Open Heart Surgery

Joseph Hathaway

ISBN 979-8-89345-840-4 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89345-841-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2024 by Joseph Hathaway

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Cover Design by Ashley Shaffer Watcher, the Author’s granddaughter

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The poems in this collection are almost all written after I became eighty years of age. In many of these poems, I reflect the feelings of my elderly friends. We are all Conservative Christians of various denominations. Poems enable us to reveal our reactions to these troubling times. I am now a great-grandfather, and I have deep concerns for the future of my children and their families. I hope a few poems such as The End Times will make you think, and others such as Well Dressed will make you smile.

Only the first poem was written long ago. On September 2,1974, we were returning after a Labor Day family weekend from a Pittsburgh Pirate baseball game when we were hit head on by a drunk driver. My wife Mary died at the scene. She was only thirty years old. After I got out of the hospital, I wrote thank you notes. It turned into a poem. A few months ago my brother Tom sent me a copy of the poem which he said he has treasured for fifty years. While I do not expect this from anyone else, I hope some will remember them for a little while.

Thank you to Beverly Hedtke, a dear friend, for your support and encouragement.

September 2, 1974

Five Haikus for Easter

First Love

Torment

USA vs USSR

Sonnet to the Sea

Swan Lake Death

Open Heart Surgery

Sehnsucht

Loss

God Revealed

Night Strangers

The Reality of Mentality

Fireside Family Sonnet

My Junk Drawer Sonnet

Seaside Selfie

The Late Spring Frost

The Recurring Dream

Seeking Misery

A Burning Infection

COVID and Riots

COVID and Pentecost Sonnet

The End Times

What We Carry

The Whether Report: A Sonnet

We Built a Home

Wishes

Travel

A Word from Mother Earth

Saving the Environment

A Sonnet to Diversity

The Boarder Disorder Sonnet

MAGA Sonnet

Free Speech Sonnet

Sonnet to Getting Smart

I Want to Be a Stalker

An Address on Military Dress

Pro-Life

Ash Wednesday 2024: A Sonnet

Memories of Childhood

My thoughts at Eighty: A Sonnet

Teaching the Old Dog

Love and Loyalty

I Gotta Get Out of Here

Right on Time

A National Cheer

Death by Drone 1/29/2024

A Sonnet to The Political Prisoner

A Sonnet to Injustice

A Sonnet to Dumpster Diver

Sonnet to an Innocent Soul

Sonnet to Our Deconstruction:

Well Dressed

Sonnet to the Elite

My Fellow Americans…

PTSD: a Sonnet

How We Are Equal

Sonnet to a Pet