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