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

A magical night

The bright leaves of autumn

    orange and red

In the lap of earth, they have

    laid out a bed

For you. Come, lie down.

A cool breeze from the hills 

    gently wafts in

Bringing with it the scent

    of sweet jasmine

To caress your soul.

And it carries up its wings

    on its way out

The burdens you bear which were

    never really yours

Just let them all go.

A little bird on your shoulder

    has come over to whisper

A silly joke in your ear to make

    a hearty smile appear

On your beautiful face.

A silver feather glides over

    and softly lingers

Over your eyelids, as if stroking

    with its smooth fingers

Your tired eyes shut.

Soon the sun takes your leave

    in the western sky

Pulls down the golden blinds

    turns out all the lights

As he tiptoes away. 

The dark soothing stillness

    of the tender night

Like a warm cozy blanket

    wraps around you tight

Drift into sleep, my dear.

In your dreams, you must look

    up the starry sky

I'll be floating in the clouds

    waving with a smile

Can you see me?

Now take my hand in yours

    lets dance through the night

With true love in our hearts

    and the stars in our eyes

Just you and I.

Thoughts in a tea cup

(A poem inspired by the beautiful image above...)

The sun rises lazily over the eastern hills

A cool breeze wafts in ever so gently

Carrying with it the fresh scent of earth

And of fragrant spring flowers in bloom

We sit around a table outside our home

In the green valley between majestic hills

The wicker chairs are wet with the morning dew

Greetings are spoken, we pour out the tea

And caress the warm cups with our cold hands

Conversations flow, as we sip the brew, slowly...

I feel a sudden rush of warmth deep in my being

Is it from the ginger root steeped in the tea

Or from the sun that is now well over the hills?

Or from the love I am surrounded by this morning

From three generations of my family around the table?

Tomorrow, we will all be gone our separate ways

To chase our dreams, to fulfill our duties

But I wonder if someone can tell me this:

How much ginger in the brew, and how much sun

Would I need to feel this warmth again

When I sip tea all by myself, someplace far far away?

A lonely rooster cries a sad note from somewhere

And brings me back to the present moment

I hear the end of grandma's joke, and laugh along

I mustn't wander off in my thoughts, I tell myself

I must hold on to these precious moments now...

Every story being shared, every tease, every wink

The sound of laughter, of love, of the birds singing

The scents of the tea, of fresh earth, of flowers

The cool breeze on my face, the crisp chill in the air

The slanting rays of the sun, the dampness of the dew

The feeling of grandma's wrinkly hand over mine

The warm golden glow that washes over us all...

Why would she?

The storms of life, the plays of destiny

She faces them head on with a heart of steel

Stand tall in the lashing rain do the trees

They never cower and hide, so why would she?

When she does fall, she does so with grace

With a tired yet hopeful smile on her face

A jasmine flower fallen at the foot of the tree

Doesn't lose its fragrance, so why would she?

She wears with pride the scars on her skin

Whether from the battles she did lose or win

Dark stripes on gold do not mar her beauty

A tigress doesn't mind them, so why would she?

Some lessons she learns, but some she won't

She lives her life on terms of her own

No matter where it goes, the wild wild breeze

Never thinks it is lost, so why would she? 

The moon's monologue

Poets on earth sing paeans to my beauty

Basking in my cool rays

Little do they know the pain that sears me

Or the angst that fills my days

Many moons ago, she was a part of my soul

The beautiful, undulating sea

She'd fill my emptiness and make me whole

In her embrace I'd feel complete

But she was lost to me by a cruel mischance

We are but pawns of destiny

All I have left are dry ravines where once

Her fingers used to caress me

She now consorts with the blue-green earth

A lover, perhaps, more worthy

For, together the marvel of life they've birthed

Oh, look at their fecundity!

I stand alone in the cold nothingness

As self-doubt chokes me tight

A celestial impostor, a pock-marked mess

I only glow in borrowed light

Many times, I yearn for a glimpse of her

And earthwards I turn my gaze

I expect she won't make time for this lover

As she mothers her playful waves

But tonight, the earth is in a deep slumber

And the waves perfectly still

So I am gifted a sublime moment with her

As if by divine will

With loving tenderness, she draws me near

Into her warm embrace

In the heart of her waters, calm and clear,

Is a perfect reflection of my face

I drown in her love, it is boundless and deep

And unchanged by our time apart

I am no worthless rock, for she sees in me

A luminous king of the stars

I hold back tears as she now whispers

These words that touch my soul

"You are worth all this love, my dear,

 You are worth so much more"

The taste of you

An enigmatic floral note in my glass of wine

That barely touched my palate, but lingers in my mind

A boisterious and endearing pint of hard beer 

That gives me a high, brings laughter and cheer

The mysterious and warm-scented vanilla bean

That pervades my senses, though hardly seen

A humble bowl of vegetable with piping hot rice

That fills me all up and makes me warm inside

A scoop of frozen icecream, hard, cold, and distant

That turns tender at my touch, melts in an instant

A soft sponge cake, sweet and pleasant to taste

Despite the hours it spent in the oven being baked

A drop of wrinkled pickle tucked on the side

That packs years of wisdom in one stinging bite

Clear tasteless water, an inseparable part of me

Take it away for a moment, and I will cease to be

When I hunger for you on a long lonely night

How do you think you taste to my craving mind?