Beauty and the beholder

There it lay on the sands of the beach
A precious stone amidst worthless shards
On its outside, scars from the rough waves
Inside, a brilliance beyond words

On that beach one day walked a girl
Whose search for inspiration along the shore
Ended when she picked up the stone and saw
A beauty that no one had seen before

At that moment it was hard to say
Which was brighter - the sparkle of the stone,
Or the glint in the eyes of the girl
Because she could call that gem her very own

The devotion of an admirer is sometimes as beautiful as the object being admired itself. There is beauty indeed in the eyes of the beholder.

October 23rd, 2010.

On a somewhat related note, here is an old poem of mine from many years ago.

Goddess in Stone

I search for beauty, day and night
To quench my restless and thirsty mind
I drink from every brook I find
But I am still thirsty, I know not why

Then I see her, a goddess in stone
In the middle of a forest, standing alone
Ah, my heart, with joy it leaps
And lands itself right at her feet

Her cold eyes (as cold as stone can be)
Tainted by no feelings, desires, or need
Have a pristine beauty that only I can see
That makes my heart dance with glee

The world thinks I am insane
To waste my life at the feet of a dame
Who cannot love me the way I do
Who cannot say "I am yours too"

But I do not expect the stone to melt
Just to worship at her feet I am content
All of myself I offer at her feet
In the ocean of love I forget I was ever thirsty

August 26th, 2006.

Strength

From the roof a heavy weight hung low
Held up by strings in number three
In time the weakest two snapped and let go
And their loose ends fluttered in the breeze carefree

With the lone string holding on as hard as it can
I began to wonder if it was fair
That the world should reward the strength in a man
With the burdens that the weak cannot bear

What scares you more?

Being blown up to pieces in an airplane midair,
Or spending New Year's eve alone in your rocking chair?

Dying from disease at an age very young,
Or living a long life, yet ending up nameless and unsung?

Getting laid off at work with four mouths to feed,
Or getting paid less than a friend who has not your fancy degree?

The vagaries and randomness of the world around,
Or the voices in your head that never let you sleep sound?

December 29th, 2009.

Wishes for a very happy 2010.

Dilemma

Up in the cloud, O drop of dew
You are so clear, white, pure and true
Do I wish you rain down to earth
Wash us all and quench our thirst
But lose yourself in the mud and dirt?

O lofty ideal, high up in my mind
You are the dream that keeps me alive
Do I take you from thought to deed
To lend a meaning to the life I lead
But see you twisted by practicality?

From a pedestal up high, you always inspire
O dear mensch, whom I deeply admire
Do I wish you come down to me
So your virtues from close I get to see
But along with them, your human frailty?

October 3rd, 2009.

Air

The reason you're born, the reason you live
The reason a fire burns from deep within

Never shows itself but in the subtlest way
Like the gentle sea breeze on a summer day

For more space it never begs or pleads
Only fills up the void and makes you complete

And in a suffocating moment when it's gone
You'll realize its worth all along

True love, a treasure to cherish forever
Like the air we breathe, as priceless and dear


April 10th, 2009.

Raising a plant

It takes a lot to raise a plant
An art it is indeed
Knowing when to sow and how to tend
To nurture life out of a barren seed

But when to stop too one must know
And accept what it has grown to be
For no nourishing can ever spring
A palm tree out of a poppy seed!

Raising a plant, like raising a child,
An art it is indeed!
Between nurturing and overbearing
Is a very fine line to breach

January 31st, 2009.

The Sea

(An old one, written on June 1st, 2006.)

My heart pines
For the land of my dreams
The land across the seas
Where nothing is amiss

The desire is no joke, no whim
It burns me from deep within
So into the sea I dive in
But know not I how to swim

My dream sets my soul alight
I tell myself 'I must fight
I must swim to stay alive
Only in the land of dreams must I die'

The sharks of the sea bite me deep
A different man I am when the scars heal
Soon I learn all I need
To stay alive in the stormy seas

At last one day I reach my dream -
The shore, all quiet and serene
The feel of this land under my feet
Is for what I have so far lived

But I am a seafarer, a dreamer no more
I do not belong among the people of the shore
My hands are rough and my voice hoarse
Back to the sea is where I must go

My heart pines
For the dangerous seas
Where I tame the sharks that bite deep
Where only the brave dare to be