Aging (A Poet at 51)
And what has aging brought?
Beyond the sagged jowl and chin,
The eyebrows that flourish unbidden
And the final strands of hair,
Wisped and threadbare, stubborn
And steadfast refusing to leave.
And what has aging brought?
To accompany the reluctance of
The finality of youth
And belt buckle loosened
And the truth of girth's gain
And waisted time.
And what has aging brought?
Beyond the slowness of step
And blurring of sight.
The straining of the ear
And
Lifeforms by the Sea
Fading shoreline and
The evening watchers
Mingle with the waves.
Expectant for the
Final sun colours.
Fire flame pulled
To a horizon.
Extinguished to purpling
Orange and crimson,
The light coalesces,
Seared to retinas.
Memories burning pleasant.
And the glow
Of sea dark,
Wraps the lifeforms
In happy thoughts.
Wave light recedes
To abandoned shoreline.
The evening watchers
Sated and silent,
Leave as silhouettes.
Lifeforms fading to
Beyond the Cloud lands
Beyond the cloud lands,
Where those who exist are
Memories made steadfast
And solid formed.
Where the dissipated souls
Regather and rekindle
The flame of life.
Where tranquil gardens
Perfume the warming air,
And the wearied feet
That once trod earthen sod
Are cooled in sunlit streams.
Beyond the cloud lands.
The saddened heads turn
To the heavenly sky.
A desire one day to join
The rested ones.
A joyful reunion where clouds weep,
To please the hidden d
Distance
Let the distance be but a moment's silence.
That fraction between lightning flash and thunder crash.
Let the distance be the quickness of a memory.
A spark of happiness recalled.
Let the distance be the pause between words spoken.
A brief respite, a momentary nothingness.
Let the distance be the millisecond between heartbeats.
An ever present stillness.
Let the distance be the flicker of a candle flame.
The possibility of darkness, but never extinguished.
Let the
Trees and Shadows
I remember when we walked
Under shaded trees and dappled sunlight
Your hand held tight in mine.
But now I walk through shadows
Shivering in their chill sadness
And your hand is only air and memories
_____________________________
You remember the times when you were together. You recall each moment. You feel the hand still in yours. Even when those times, that precious hand, have become air and memories.
Grief is an unforgiving partner. You turn a corner
The Well The well stood untended,
Bricks, red and weathered, hand-fired
Rounded and smoothed over centuries.
Absent-minded, I tossed a coin into the darkness.
A coin, heavy, a reassuring solidity.
It disappeared into the blackness and
Fell unheard, unseen, unnoticed.
Until I had forgotten it had ever nestled in the warmth of my pocket. I did not hear it splash in the bottom of the well
I did not hear it clatter against the side walls
Nothing. Just a silence that flo
Last Light
What do you recall of today
As the sun sinks into
A horizon of waiting black?
Do you remember your
First thoughts upon waking,
Or the first words you spoke?
Can you envision every person
You met, or saw, smiled at or said nothing to, but noticed,
Whether such moments were fleeting or lingered long?
Can you feel the sensations,
The tastes and smells, the touch and sounds
Of the places your feet have trodden?
In last light we should not
Discard mem
Drop, Fall
A single rain drop,
Pure, untainted,
Suspended, weighted.
Tension filled,
A perfect sphere,
That delighted and thrilled.
Until the illusion, shattered
But all that mattered,
Was that it had once
Been weather sent,
A moment, enthralled
Present and ready to fall. #life #impermanence #mindfulness #thoughts #rain
Ocean at Dusk
(Bali Haiku)
Light that slowly dies
Sunset farewell, ocean claimed
Reborn to morning
_____________________________
The sunset from the beach beside Tanah Lot, Bali.
To witness the end of daylight and the sun's reemergence in dawn light is a privilege, a wonder and a joy. And every sunset and sunrise instils emotions and reaffirms life.
Never tires. Never fails to impress. #sunset #ocean #haiku #thoughts #night #day
Written Acts
What makes us
The people we hope to be,
Is not just what we say
But also what we do.
And if those actions
Can change the world,
Then write them down.
Write them down. #thoughts #words #writing #people #life
The Blur of Morning
A half light,
In a dawn of unfinished dreams.
Clarity fails.
The blurring of the last of night
Blends with daylight,
Tentative, reluctant, new.
As darkness lifts,
Waiting on the sun.
And the moon fades
To invisible respose.
The sky cleansed of black,
And colours emerge.
Sharp, fresh, lucid.
How joyous the full light.
When you dream no more. #dreams #night #day #morning #dark #light #thoughts
Bird Thoughts
Do the birds
Sit and watch
And wonder
At us, curious?
Pondering upon
The strangeness
Of people,
Rushing past,
All in a flap,
Arms waving madly.
But never
Leaving the ground. #life #birds #thoughts
Daylight. Darkness
Daylight glowed with memories
As the sky shone in resonant colour
And clouds in silver scud
Passed over, a pleasing mass
Yet beneath lay darkness
In silhouette and shadowed pools
Where light could not penetrate
Or ease the pain #daylight #darkness #sadness #thoughts #memories #pain
10 Seconds
A second
Tick
A second
Tock
A second
Gone
A second
Forever
A second
Until
A second
Stopped
A second
Silent
A second
Silent
A second
Lost
A second
.
.
. Stopped. _____________________________
We never consider the seconds that comprise our lives.
Until the seconds of those we love finally approach their
Waters Still
I stood above waters still
And dreamed of currents,
Fast, flowing, unstoppable
That carried me distant, far
To waters peaceful, still #water #stillness #calm #peace #thoughts #memories #loss #sadness #bereavement #grief