Saturday, November 16, 2024

An October Morning

After a summer when the sun-kissed earth
Sprung to life, looking green and gay
But before she mourns her fallen leaves
Wearing a snowy veil of dowager grey
Comes an October morning...

The soft warm rays of the golden sun
Rise slowly up from over the hills
And bring a drop of joy, a tinge of heat
To gently nip at the morning chill

Pearls of dew shine on pretty blooms
And on luscious fruit that are just ripe
A fawn awakens with the zest of youth
A bird takes off in the clear blue sky

As life glides through the seasons, come
These times of balance and harmony
I sense perfection, unseen moments ago
And that, moments later, may cease to be
This October morning...

Like the fleeting instant of centered peace
As a pendulum sways from side to side
I feel a stillness, a glimpse of eternity
Between the ebbs and tides of flowing time
This October morning...

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Questions

Can a tender stalk muster strength
  to stand upright in the rain?
In a just war bravely fought and lost
  is the valor spent in vain?
What salve can soothe the gentle heart's
  deep memories of pain?
Can a broken thread ever feel
  unbroken and whole again?

Who forgives you for falling short
  of the bar that you have set?
Should a rolling stone that crushes ants
  feel a modicum of regret?
A true love that wasn't meant to be
  can you ever forget?
Does nature abhor a peaceful race
  of quiescent minds at rest?

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Quiescence

If we know a river must run her course
Along paths she is impelled by gravity
And sprinkle upon them her life force
Before she finds her stillness at sea

If we know a child must go out to play
Run wild in the sun and skin his knees
Before he can lie down at the end of day
On his mother's bosom in a restful sleep

Why then do we think we can still our mind
By holding it back, hushing its inner voice
That speaks of desires held deep inside
Which lead us on paths of pain and joy?

Should we not instead let ourselves go
Floating like a leaf in destiny's breeze?
Rise and fall with the tides of the flow
While trusting the river to find the sea?

Bless me, Mother, with strength and faith
So I may give myself up to the breeze
And leave no urge unmet, no debt unpaid
As I walk on the paths of my destiny

When the time is right, may I land gently
At your feet, a tired yet content child
And rest forever in silent peace
As the calm deep sea on a windless night

Thursday, October 3, 2024

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

Saturday, September 28, 2024

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


Friday, September 27, 2024

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
 

Saturday, September 7, 2024

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...