Where must I go What must I do To find You? For as long as people have populated this earth The same search has haunted humankind But most have failed at this quest Some have secluded themselves in the desert Others have traveled to the highest mountains Or ventured out onto unchartered waters And some have taken pathways Into the heart of wild forests and jungles Are the solutions instead to be found within myself After years of meditation and prayer? The goal once clear With definite ideas of the steps required To reach the desired ends Now this plan…
Some evenings the moon and stars
Shine so brightly
It is as if seeing them in high definition
Like old friends being sharply outlined
Your eyes are almost tricked into
Believing that with an effort of will alone
You can reach out and touch them
But they cannot be held hostage to our wishes
Their light doesn’t generate any warmth
And can be quickly obscured by clouds
There are days when people are like that for me Highlighted Personable without presence Their bodies give forth no heat A deceptive closeness only accentuates The distance between us We can touch one…
(Some need no explanation, others a little annotation is in order)
“ It is better to be kind than to be right.”
This one took me well into my adulthood before I grasped what she meant, and now I still struggle to live it. Having to be right, to win every argument with my facility with words, and a quick wit, never brought me any happiness, and only occasionally some slight satisfaction. It alienated would be friends, and confirmed the opinion of people who didn’t like me. Whereas performing acts of kindness always make me feel better about myself, lifts…
Most people yearn for a leader and mentor
That they can trust and rely on
Someone to point them
In the right direction
At critical decision points in their life
Others at very least want a person
That they can bounce ideas off of
Without fear of being ridiculed
Or made to feel foolish or wrong minded
Children have their parent(s) to follow
And perhaps an older sibling and/or an extended family member
There may be religious figures to guide them
Teachers to instruct and attempt to civilize them
As they get older Children find role models among peers, Entertainers…
A beacon of hope amidst the storms of life
Or a mocking of one’s insignificance?
The sun will rise tomorrow
Prayers of some faithful ascend
And permeate the air we breathe
Expressing belief in a common spirit
For all humankind
The sun will rise tomorrow
While others of faith
Vent anger and hatred towards
People different from themselves
The sun will rise tomorrow
Women refuse to be defined and limited
To roles and behavior propagated by men
The sun will rise tomorrow
Women continue to be oppressed
And preyed upon
By those threatened by their liberation
The sun will rise…
You are always there
Sometimes just a ripple in my consciousness
An awareness that I do my best to ignore
Other times, you are like a massive dark cloud
That reduces me to a state akin
To a terrified child curled up in a fetal position
Hoping, praying, for the storm to pass by
Without striking me down
My long dominant rational self Had long ago determined that If I could but come to terms with my mortality, The fact of the inevitable last breath, The final cessation of volition With this acceptance Then ironically I could at last enjoy…
Spring, glorious Spring
Birds are singing exultantly
Celebrating their triumph over yet another Winter
Adventuresome crocuses are
Taking a peek above ground
Flowers and shrubs of every variety will soon follow
New parents proudly parade their babies,
Born during the Fall and Winter,
As they make their neighborhood debut
The sound of sneezes constantly disrupts the silence
Eyes water
Inflamed sinuses lead to headaches and sore teeth
Postal nasal drip brings sore throats
As allergy season explodes on the scene
With whimpers rather than bangs
There is more daylight To brighten our days and our temperaments Trees start to pulsate…
There is a butterfly inside of him
Wanting more than anything to be released
It has been there so long
Hope has dimmed, but a spark persists
She wonders what she did wrong
To be held captive long after her maturity
Warranted her release
Am I not pretty enough?
Are my wings insufficient to keep me aloft?
Does he not love me?
Or is he afraid of me?”
In response she hears Her voice She who has sustained her during all the years That She has been neglected “Little one, you are most beautiful Your colorful radiance would delight kings…
What remains to be said about you? You who has inspired so many words and works of art Poets inspired by your countenance Have praised and honored you There is something about your presence That gives rise to a visceral reaction Of fascination and wonder That compels comment from those who recognize its source You appear so close at times that One imagines they can almost reach out and touch you You have become a reliable fixture Always reappearing but somehow new each time Lovers have found romance under your gaze And comfort in your familiar visage Children throughout the…
What is my first memory of this special life-long companion of mine? Hard to say really, it is as if one day he was just there, waiting to be acknowledged. Certainly by the time I started high school, he was with me all the time. He was irritating and had no sense of humor. I tried my best to leave him behind whenever I could, but he was tenacious.
Whether strolling down the crowded boulevard at a nearby beach, or at party surrounded by friends, even at home despite the buffer of my large family, he would always find a…