Stargazer

 

(The "stargazer" lily is named so because the flowers do not face down like those of other varieties of the lily, but instead, look up to the "stars".)

She bides her time with fortitude

Through the winter months of snow

Come spring and the warm rays of sun

She puts out green shoots to grow

She stands tall on her tender stalk

And even though her feet are tied

She looks up with hope to the stars

With the joy of the heavens in her eyes

Her delicate petals of crimson pink

Embrace the world with such gaiety

That brooks no fear of being hurt

By the sharp edge of nature's cruelty

Her subtle fragrance and heady charm

Linger around, do not waft too far

But those that come sit by her side

Are forever held in her thrall

Someday, she gently quivers and falls

For she knows when her time is spent

And as lightly as she walked in life

So she glides to its peaceful end

As I see this beautiful life

Of silent strength and elegant grace

I cannot believe She that made her

Also sculpted our human race

Vision

To see the order of natural laws

In the apparent chaos of the universe

And dervishes dancing on ellipses

In the wayward paths of the "wanderers"

To see the beauty of restrained passion

When a diffident flower waits for her bee

And in the tango of a couple's daily grind

A tender and touching love story

To see in the ebbs and tides of life

The balance and harmony of nature's flow

And the withered leaves that fall and die 

As one with the green shoots that grow

To see a palace of fulfilled dreams

In the bricks and stones of youthful hope

And a liberated soul in the lost monk

Who wanders, not knowing where he goes

To see a sublime Truth in imperfect words

Of the canon from which the pastor drones

To see thus is to truly see, my friend

The rest is just light on rods and cones

A dream

Last night I dreamt I lived a life

In the mountains someplace far away

A place where time moved so slow

I saw eternity in a single day

I was woken in the lap of the earth

By the misty whispers of the dawn

I filled my breath with the crispy air

And my soul with a sweet birdie's song

I spent my day walking the woods

On paths untouched by the guile of men

I tended to those around, in turn

They sustained me, made me one of them

At dusk, I sat by the mountainside

And watched the golden sun dim away

With it they went, the cares of my mind

For I hadn't paid heed to them all day

As the stars began to dot the sky

A quiet joy twinkled in my mind

I turned to you, and took your hand

We danced to the silence of the night

You, who knew the depths of my soul

So words unspoken were understood

You, whose company was just almost

As intoxicating as solitude

But now in the warmth of the morning sun

I watch you and the mountains melt away

I wake up from the truth of my dreams

To live a life of lies for another day

 

I wait

The skies are grey, the thoughts blue

The cold night brings in a pall of gloom

I wait for the warmth of the sun at dawn

I wait for the joy in the morning song

The trees droop under the weight of snow

A seed lies cold under the frost below

I wait for the bright green shoots of spring

I wait for hope and a new beginning 

The cruel summer has cast a dry spell

No water trickles up the village well

I wait for the rains to drench the earth

I wait for the wells to quench our thirst

My heart, it pines for its kindred soul

But fate has cast you to distant shores

I wait to hold you close, share your pain

I wait to drown in your laughter again

Some dreams are not meant to be chased

Some pangs must be borne with silent grace

Let life pass you by, as you stand still

Watching Fate unfold the tapestry of Her will 

For the warmth of the morning sun I yearn

I wait for the tides and seasons to turn

I wait to be washed by the first drops of rain

I wait for the day I will see you again

I wait...

The child

Who do I see, my dear, by your side

A little boy, perhaps no older than five

For the light of the heavens he was born with

Has not yet faded from his innocent eyes

I draw him into a tender embrace

He fills my heart with his happy smile

I feel a love that brooks no limits

As the love of a mother for her child

He regales me with his funny tales

And frolics around in playful mirth

He floats to the sky in a bubble of joy

That no rule nor duty tethers to earth

He brings to me his little trophies

With a smug yet demure look in his eye

He shows me his scraped elbows and knees

From when he fell but was too proud to cry

After my balm of calm solace

He rests in my lap, cares left behind

As I watch him nap, I feel blessed to have

Earned the affection of a blameless mind

Soon, life beckons, and he scampers away

To hide in a crevice of your adult mind

I wonder when I will see him again

That golden little drop of sunshine

The (inner) child

Things not found in nature

A bird soaring high in skies of blue

That is confused about which way to fly

And stops at every imagined fork to rue

The paths it chose that weren't right

A deer that strolls through lush meadows

Worried that it is just twiddling toes

It ponders on life's purpose and goal

And wonders if it should strive for more

A lion that kills a thousand prey

When all it can eat is but just one

And carefully stashes the rest away

Saving it for the generations to come

A honey bee that one day stops drinking

Its sweet nectar laced with morning dew

And walks out its hive in protest thinking

It is being denied the credit that is due

A tree that knows not the time of year

To sprout bright flowers or luscious fruit

For every fallen leaf, sheds a copious tear 

And honors its memory with an ornate tomb

A delicate lily and a golden butterfly

That moan their fleeting lives on a sunny day

And concoct theories of heaven and afterlife

To keep the fear of death at bay

A man that hears the harmony

In the silent melody of nature's song

And knowing his place in the rhapsody

Strikes the perfect note to sing along

Things Not Found in Nature.

The best swimmer

Many swimmers cross the river I see yonder

But to what end they swim so hard I ponder

And now that the time for me to swim has come

I wonder which of them I should be learning from

Is it the one who swims to distant shores the fastest?

Or the one who reaches across waters the farthest?

The one that always chooses to swim against the tide

Flailing arms and legs around with Herculean might?

But none impresses me more than this swimmer I see

Who has the aura of a monk meditating in peace

Wisely she surrenders to the flow of the stream

And swims as effortlessly as walking in a dream

She moves with grace, there is no splash nor sound

She is barely seen, she is one with the water around

She slices the surface with strokes clean and precise

And the river opens to her like butter under a knife

She doesn't resist but rides out the undulating waves

With the poise of a person standing steady in place

She treads the dark waters with a calm serene smile

Born in a heart full of joy and a clear quiescient mind

As she swims, not caring for clocking the miles

But only to push and glide, one breath at a time

It has now become clear as a summer's day to me -

When I swim this River of Life, that is how I must be