0113 Dead in the Water:
(a sailor's lament)

What ye saith last night,
though i didst not wail,
hath torn apart me tattered sail.

Though the Wind hath wishes
to drive me forth,
i do the dishes...
but plot no course.

 
Liberae Sentire

    Liberae Mutare

Liberae Exprimere

                            Clouds

Colorful and cheery at sunset…

LOUD, violent, and RAGING  in storm.

One day,

(. . . N   o   t     t   o     b   e     f   o   u   n   d . . .)

Others:

Ugly, dark, and sullen;

Damp, cold, and dreary;

S o m e t i m e s   s o f t   a n d   p e a c e f u l...

i   b e l i e v e   i ’ m   f e e l i n g   k i n d   o f

c l o u d y

now.

0412 Inspiration

Late
on a cold night
she is driving alone,

and i'm on the floor
wondering why
i let her go,

not knowing, for sure,
if i'd lost the one chance
i had had

to wrap myself around her,
pull her in and Love her,
make her feel as sensational
as caressing could instill...

So,
sleepless, i will sit,
poring thought all over it,

attempting to learn
as many lessons
as my intensity permits...

"Fool!"
i said to me.
"Inspiration!"

A poem will come of this
if i can simply
let it flow...

0312 An Ode on the Need for Drums:
(to the bass player who was holding my drum set hostage)

I do not think i can accurately express
the intense desire that rages within:
to sit myself down on the throne i once left,
and beat out a rhythm:
i can hardly begin...

I cannot create
a satisfactory sound,
enough to suffice,
on the ashiko i own;

and i'm in constant longing,
and searching for something
that will sate all the surges
that stir in my soul.

The drums that i left there
have long been the channel:
the kata; the alter;
the place i find peace.

If i cannot connect with them, i will falter;
tension and turmoil continually increase.

So do not stand, between a man and his drum set,
you do not understand the drive, and the force,
that possesses the drummer to beat out his rhythm,
and savour the sound...
his soul as its source.

1110 What Leads the Butterfly?

Is she driven by thought?
Conformance to laws?
Or not driven at all-
Whimsical

So peaceful in flight
that peace itself
exudes
in waves of light
and infects any eye
that can see.

Free to flutter
any which way she happens to go,
in rhythmic dynamics
moving this way and that;

but she is headed somewhere
by whatever leads her
she has a journey,
by a path so seemingly random
you might never notice it.

If you follow her
you may just see what leads her,
or at least where she has been.

If you try to catch her,
she just continues
whimsically on her way

to the next grotto,
or waterfall,
or field of wildflowers,

stopping only where and when she pleases
for only as long as she feels like staying;
and when she happens upon a suitable mate:

she dances...
and frolics...
then flies on...

And where does she go?
I don't know.
I have yet to follow her home.

1010 Striper @ Sunset

It was a crisp autumn evening,
October, i believe,
a nice brisk breeze across my cheek
made me glad i wore long sleeves.

The waning sun was hot upon me,
now it’s sinking low,
as the light gets dimmer,
it grows colder,
and the cloud-lines start to glow.

And as i’m writing and i’m fishing
taking in this painted scene,
a striped bass pulls my pole back—
and i can’t give him slack—

So i stand up reeling easy,
then fight him to the bow,
rod-tip skyward…
playing firmly…
pull him in…
right…
NOW! 

Flapping, slapping, clapping;
Ratt-L-Trap rattles and rolls,
so as i dance across the deck
with contentment to my soles,
i grab the fish over dorsal fin.
Now i’ve reached my goal.

I pull the hooks out carefully,
then pose him with a grin;
smile confidently,
and toss the sucker in.

 0610 Living 

0510 Please Don't Pick the Flowers

No matter what beauty a flower possesses,

   i will not try to make her be mine.

Though she look dazzling in lacy dresses,

   to leave her be is divine.

Should i covet, and she be willing,

   i could clip her with ease from the vine.

Take her home, give her top billing,

   let her scent effervesce as we dine.

Adoring her beauty in the privacy of my place,

   with a memory of the field she is from,

where, we first had our intimate embrace,

   where her sisters still reach for the Sun,

who, in harmony bowing along with the breeze,

   all stand together for admiring bees,

exchanging their pollen,

   every one of them buzzing,

eve’n’ drowsing in the shade of the trees...

But the one that was taken will for awhile delight me,

   yet she will wither away from the field.

Though i keep her in water, and sing to her softly,

   cut off from her nurture she can not be healed.

I feel it is better to come home without her,

   basking content in a passing embrace,

with the memory of her standing along with her sisters

   and the glow of the Sun on her face.

0410 Hugs All Around

Although i cannot hug everybody,
and but one man be,
i can hope to inspire you all
to hold each other for me.

My goal being
a Universal Embrace.
every molecule:
US,
face to face,
standing,
cheek to cheek
and breast to breast.

Our arms all around us,
like a cardigan vest,
wearing compassion-

-in Love being dressed;
with all our affection
sincerely expressed.

0310 For Valentine's Day (Nothing Personal)

Before you fall in Love with me,
be aware, my heart's not mine, for thee,
but for The Artist, whose creative eye
saw fit to doodle me, by and by;
and on ev'ry solitary stroke of the brush
that's been pressed to the canvas,
i posess a crush.

I am in Love with:
each gentle, passing breeze...
...bubbling waterfall...birdsong...butterfly...and tree...
each evening's dimming, every drop of rain,
all of the stars in the sky, and each kernal of grain;
the canvas, itself, the brush in The Hand,
the palette of colours, every granule of sand.

Each breath i ingest just:
fills me with joy!
Please, be unoffended, i wish not to annoy,
but you see, i can not be, in Love with thee, alone,
for as much as with thee, i am in Love with a stone.

0210 Be Mine, Oh Please Be Mine

Before you feel today is good,
Each day you're special. Understood?

My love is constant.
It does not wane,
Nor ebb, nor flow,
Each day's the same.

Other emotions all have their place.
Hurt feelings may cause a need for space.

Put plainly, though,
Like Sun and Moon,
Each day it's shining,
And if there's gloom,
Still shine it does,
Each day like noon.

Before you feel today is great,
Everyday I love you. It is my fate.

More or less, today is time, I know,
In certain ways to tell you so.
No matter what, I love you heeps.
Err not, my Love, it never sleeps.
 

0110 The Disclaimer of the son of a Saint

Should i open wide my heart, 
and so, let you see my soul,
you would be under some ruse
if it seemed i had control,
or were somewhat enlightened,
or was somehow above,
any of the "goovna"
we all groan to Love.

Like you, i've got issues,
which, with at points, i conflict,
and i tense up - more than sense up
embracing stress - i constrict.

I am driven, almost senseless,
past the point of intense pain,
and i criticize and tend to judge
anyone critical or judgmental;
and complain about how others
always have to keep complaining.
(Also despite my best attempts
i still pre-judge those who practice prejudice.)

But occasionally i become aware
of how i've acted in unawareness,
and i get the chance to judge my Self
with sincerity and fairness,
and learn compassion in the fire
of Self-judgment and forgiveness.

Strengthened by my finding fault in my Self like every other,
though i struggle hard within my Self to be a loving brother,
i commit my Self to Love my God
even better than my mother. 

 1209 Thoughts Inspired on a Walk in the Woods

There is a pace at which all things become visible,
another when everything is audible,
and a third where one becomes invisible.

The obvious escapes the driven.
Shift to neutral - do not brake,
just allow your self to slow.
Quiet your mind - listen...
Quiet your spirit - hear...
Breathe in deep through your nostrils - sense...

Synchronicity may suggest
that you are on the proper path,
but signs can only show you
where you think you ought to go.

To the one who slows themself,
who hears, sees, smells, and senses,
to them the path will be revealed.
Do not follow - but lead...

If you find your self given to criticism,
judgment, or complaint,
you have been successfully distracted.

1109 It's Lonely at the Top: Ode to a Leaf  

0909 I Watched A Butterfly

 0609 Mt. Allamuchy:
a silly but accurate account of my first (and last) solo climb

Atop of the summit i was standing alone, 
wondering if i should just leave and go home, 
or climb by myself, so green and unsure, 
hoping my harness would keep me secure.

0409 A Poem for April: Fools

Misery and discontent
can often spread without intent,
for as we worry, we wear a frown,
and tend to bring each other down.

It takes the fool to be the one
to inspire joy in everyone,
each their own specific style,
infecting all with pleasant smiles.

Should you find it in your heart
to play the fool and do your part,
you will find before too long
that your world is filled with song.

Do not speak ill of anyone,
(include yourself here, just for fun,)
and see the good in every soul,
(then help them see it, that's the goal.)

While you wander through the weeds
singing songs and sowing seeds,
you may find upon occasion
that you have run across abrasion.
Do not tarry there too long,
cast your seed and move along.

0309 Looking Up

One clear dark night as i lay down supine upon some grass,
i stared intently at the stars as not to let one pass.
While counting meteors i recounted how my hard life has changed
since i have started looing up i've seen things rearranged.

It used to be, i could not see through the clutter and confusion,
but peace-filled night-times such as these has ceased my disillusion.
Now wide-eyed, i lay, open-minded, no thoughts of obligation,
i let the lights of long ago illume my meditation.
Enlightened by a billion suns, my details seem so minor,
i organized them on a napkin stained with coffee at the diner.

0209 Blizzard in a Cedar Swamp 2003

I'm lying in a cedar swamp on a snowbank piled high,
listening to the north wind as the cedars sway and sigh,
seeing through the sillouette, the moon is shining bright,
rising up beyond the trees and lighting up the night.

I walked a mile through knee-deep snow to rest here in this place,
to see the sunlight disappear until there wasn't any trace of light,
or treetops, or snow around me, no contrast to be found,
only wind, and scraping trees, but not another sound.

I watched the sun set, then the moon rise,
i saw the tree tops reappear,
i lay softly on a snow drift while i contemplated fear:
i'm not afraid of my aloneness; i'm not afraid of night;
i'm not afraid of falling; or of climbing any height.

I'm not afraid to meet my Maker, i try to do my part
to understand the Artist through the study of his art.

0109 Plain As Day

I saw a sculptor, plain as day,
chiseling, on some hardened clay;
as all the pieces fell away i closed my eyes.
The image stayed...

For years i pondered; and tried to draw
the image of this metaphor
in hope i could record the scene
before it was no longer seen
on the palette of my mind.

One eve's repose, as i reclined,
through the opening of my eye i find
a deeper image has come in view.

The sculpture holds a chisel too;
gently sculpting,
the sculptor's heart.
The artist, smiling;
a world apart;
doing what he loves to do.
Watch fir this, you'll see it too.

12/08 The Destiny of a Water Molecule

If you get in my way,
i will flow around you.

If you cause too much resistance,
i will smooth your edges with soft persistence.

If you dam me,
i will grow deeper
and rise above it.

But i will
reach the ocean
eventually.

I am water.
It is my destiny.

1108 Reflection on Lake Calhoun

i've looked for god in every tree,
in every flower, and every bee.
i've listened for god's spoken word
in every single sound i've heard.

i've learned enough to tend my ways
toward compassion, love,
and beauty's praise.
i understand
i'm just one part
of the masterpiece
that is god's art.

i trust one day that i will know
how deep in love one man can grow
and on that day i hope to see
the face of god smiling back at me.

1008 Beauty's Curse

Beauty is a blessing but can also be a curse,
for those of limited scope
would exploit it for its worth.
The flower in the field will flourish
bringing joy to every bee
who buzz about its pleasant scent
in peaceful harmony;

But if a lover likes its looks
they kill it when they can
to gain a smile from their love
while it withers till its end.

The beauty of the big brown bear
lies in his coat of fur
which is the reason why he's killed
to make a covering for the floor.

And in the tree its beauty lies
in its standing tall, and proud.
But men would profit from its strength
and aim to chop it down.

Why would man not wish to be one
with all these living things
and let them live their fullest lives
while in harmony, he sings?

Oh, woman, i have seen you sought
by men of selfish lust
who would attempt to take your soul
once they have gained your trust.

I'm not like them,
though i am drawn
to your blossum
by its beauty.
I am the bee,
content to buzz,
producing poems
as sweet as honey.

0908 Susan B. Anthony

Oh, my Lady,
i hope it don't disturb you
when you find
that you've become the object
of my romantic mind.

The Muse is always searching
and it seems that she has found
inspiration in your eyes
and in the soulful sound
of the softness of your voice.

So you see, it leaves no choice
but for me to write.

It was just last night
when i met you on the lane,
almost immediately
my brain began to swim.

So please don't think me dim,
or just another dope,
because i kind of got the hope
of meeting you again.

At least, to be your friend,
and see if you inspire my Muse to catch on fire
(or something even higher)

Please tell me, lovely Lady,
what is your desire?