Balance

Tiptoe lightly into wakeless

Shades of sweet oblivion,

Fighting sleep and desperate hunger

Til I cross the Rubicon.

 

Would you please repeat the question?

I’m afraid my memory

-Although my wits remain intact-

Is not quite what it used to be.

 

Listing wild from port to starboard,

Tilting hard in stormy seas,

Must hold tightly to the railing

Lest it brings me to my knees.

 

I just need to find some balance

Somewhere between yang and yen.

Looking forward to tomorrow,

Dreaming of what might have been.

 

Are You Here?

Where are you right now

While I’m trying to talk to you?

Are you here in this brief moment

Or a thousand miles away

On some sandy beach at sunset

By a bonfire sipping wine?

Do you hear the words I’m saying

And the meaning they convey?

 

In a world of daydream stalkers

Does your expertise surpass?

Can you cling for just an instant,

Hear what others need to say?

 

Focus.

Simple focus is a bane to your existence,

And I don’t have the patience

To bring you into the fray,

So pucker up and hustle up and

Learn to pay attention

                          Just for once.

It would truly make my day.

 

Whose Dream is This?

I won’t hear of world unrest today,

Even though I know that it exists.

Can’t let anger penetrate

The wall that I have built,

Nothing to disturb this restful bliss.

 

I’ll be turning off the evening news before it starts.

Nothing there but torment and unrest.

Nothing of the goodness

And the healing that I crave,

Puts my patient nurturing to test.

 

Don’t think for a moment I am callous,

Hardened and unfeeling to the plight.

Quite contrary. I have hope for all humanity.

I just don’t want to think of it

Or dwell on it tonight.

 

Give me just one moment of good graces.

Give me peace to close a hectic day.

Let serenity flood every corner of my mind.

Really,

Whose dream is this anyway?

 

Early Morning Splendor

Thunder rumbles deep and low

As storm clouds loom in western skies.

Sol has yet to show his face

And I shrink down to half my size.

 

Creeping, crawling, reeling, rolling

Ponderous peaks of garish gray

Stumble til they reach my doorstep,

Almost takes my breath away.

 

Lightning flashes ever closer

As the deluge comes at last, and 

I, as witness, gaze in awe

Until the spectacle has passed.

 

Who creates such splendid splendor?

What great wisdom might inspire?

Such a rush of rapid rapture

Had to come from somewhere higher.

 

Bigger Picture

Searching through the scrambled pieces,

Hundreds, thousands, maybe more

Scattered loosely, helter skelter

Laid out on the puzzle board.

Trying hard to find an interlocking place

To fit, to be,

To integrate with all the rest

And form a perfect symmetry.

 

No one piece can be forgotten,

Not a single one misplaced,

Else the picture be misshapen

Vision hopelessly erased.

But when the whole has come together

And each piece knows where it should be,

Witness all the bigger picture

Formed with perfect clarity.

 

Wellsprings of Happiness

Bubbling up,

Trickling down,

Springing from somewhere

Deep underground.

 

Growing in strength,

Merging in flow,

Gravity dictating

Where you will go.

 

Soothing the sorrow,

Easing the pain,

Cooling the swelter

Like sweet summer rain.

 

Endlessly moving,

Cannot be still,

Dreams to fruition,

Fortunes to fill.

 

Hope to deliver,

Laughter to deal.

Wellsprings of happiness,

Help me to heal.

 

Welcome, Sunshine

Shadows of the night, be gone.

Your time well-spent in nourishment,

Nurturing the dreams of light

As dawn brings hope of new beginnings.

 

Welcome, Sunshine,

Welcome friend

Smiling down upon my face.

Spread your joy across my brow,

Raise your manna to my lips.

 

Sadness cannot breach your fortress,

Tragic cause must pass you by as

Every creature great and small

Upward turns to meet your stare.

 

Faithful watcher,

Silent giver,

Asking nothing in return.

Not in worship, but our kinship

Bids me pause to offer praise.

 

Music, Food, Wine and Sunshine

Don’t need much to make me happy,

Just music, food, wine and sunshine.

 

Music from within, without,

In my ear or in my mind,

Floods my thoughts,

Feeds my soul,

Fills my day with warm delights.

 

Food to fill my basic needs,

To tempt the pallet,

Curb the craving.

Feasting follies filled with flavor

In my nose and

On my tongue.

 

Wine to stimulate my senses

Breaking soft upon my lips,

Help me gently to remember,

Bid me fondly to forget.

 

Sunshine chase away my demons,

Spread your light upon my brow.

Show me all my wondrous blessings,

Give me hope so I may dream.

 

Autumn

Autumn and I are fast frequent friends

With memories mixed with the colors of rainbows.

We’ve weathered the storms,

Survived the transitions,

Sharing the anguish and bliss on the way.

 

Many a time have I witnessed her change,

The spinning of lush fervent green into gold,

The transfer from swelter to fresh fragrant foliage,

The crisp, clear allure her aura endows.

 

Who holds her miracle?

Who might explain

How the muse of the seasons so often inspire?

I stand in awe clinging fast to her bosom

Praying this slow dance might go on forever.

 

Heaven but knows how many more seasons

Await down the road before fate seals my end,

But Autumn and I will go on forever,

Here and hereafter,

My steadfast friend.

Filled To Overflowing

People always talk about

A cup half full

A cup half empty

 I’m too busy dealing with

A cup that’s filled to overflowing.

Hefty measures

Great and small

That weigh into the overall

Decisions to be battered round,

Which direction to be going.

Tossed into the everyday,

The mix and mesh is simple play

And I can deal and get away

Without the devil even knowing.

Too content with happiness,

So intent, a simple guest,

Always looking for the best

My soul just keeps on growing.

 

New Beginnings

Fortune rises from the depths where

Darkness once caressed my soul,

Lifted out from marbled crypt to

Fly on wings of feathered light

With hope rekindled,

Faith renewed

I seek horizons in the distance.

Forests fall as roads unfold to

Wind their way in new directions.

 

No longer shall the demons haunt

Nor slackers taunt to block my view.

Blessed to know the up-ahead

Holds no resemblance to the past.

Striding bold into the sunset

Where tomorrow is today.

Every day a new beginning

Offered on a silver tray.

 

Are You Happy?

Do you wake up every morning

Looking forward to the day?

Are you happy?

Does the smell of coffee brewing

Put a faint and hopeful grin upon your face?

Are the dreams that you dreamed yesterday

Still living in your heart

Like a sweet desire that cannot be replaced?

 

There are questions to be answered

And tasks to be completed in the offing.

Priorities to order

And people to be greeted on the way.

But this grownup world you’re living in

Shouldn’t kill the child who dwells within your body,

And you owe it to yourself to always

Set aside some time to simply play.

 

So I ask again, quite honestly.

It’s a simple question,

Really…

Are you happy?

 

Oxygen

Can’t see it,

But I know when it’s there,

Know when it’s being denied to my lungs.

Can’t taste it,

Though some may insist that they

Know it exists at the tip of their tongue.

Can’t feel it

Except for the breeze as it

Brushes my cheek with a warmth or a chill.

Can’t keep it.

Must give it back once its sustenance ends

And its mission fulfills.

 

Blessed giver…

     Warden of life…

          Imperceptible stream.

Though I’ve never seen you,

     I know you are there

          Upholding my dream.

 

Positives

Mama always taught me that

There’s good in everyone,

That I should seek the positive

And overlook the rest.

 

Must admit, sometimes you have to

Look real deep to find it.

Some people give the microscope

A grueling, daunting test.

 

But if you seek, and seek you must,

And dwell on positives,

You just might find that

Life’s more kind

As you ponder your quest.

 

Is it worth the effort

To seek people at their best?

I believe that it’s the key

To life’s true happiness.

 

Sometimes Wonder

Sometimes wonder

     As I wander aimlessly

          From think to thought,

Picking pieces

     Of the puzzle

          Looking for the perfect fit.

Does it matter

     If the meter runs completely

          Down to naught?

Consequences

     Consequently run the

          Entire alphabet.

Tiresome to be contemplating,

     Worried what

          The world might see.

Wholesome to be

     Born in wisdom,

          Knowing what will be will be.

 

Fantasy / Ecstasy

Feathery fingers gently touching

Soft on alabaster skin,

Titillating tender ripples

Up and down a supple spine.

 

Sweet caress along each breast,

Lightly touching,

Moving on

Fill your sensuous universe,

Quench the thirst of your desire.

 

Passion building… ever building

Til you reach your pleasure peak,

Raise you to the summit of

Euphoria and back again.

 

Only then I think of self,

Only give til you are sated

Knowing you will grant ten-fold

When I become recipient.

 

New Day

A new day

     New time

          New era dawning,

New plans and challenges

     Seem to abound.

 

Old friends estrange

     As priorities change

While lives rearrange and

     New friendships are found.

 

New blazed directions

     Discover affections

          So many selections

To batter about.

 

And I in my wisdom

     Will brave criticism

To choose from among them

          And count them all down.

 

Forward projecting,

     Backward protecting,

          Ever correcting to

               Sight and to sound.

 

Laughing and weeping,

     Time crawling or creeping,

          Constantly keeping

               My feet on the ground.

 

Silly Giggles

Nostalgic for the good old days

Of life’s simplistic interludes,

When dreams were fresh as lavender

As sunlight burns the morning dew.

 

Silly giggles way back then

Were all the sport we ever sought,

No responsibilities could

Trump the task of levity.

 

And weren’t we happy with our lot?

Time and trial our last concerns.

Foresight was for other fools

To dole and dither fitfully.

 

Sad to lose the youthful verve

That spawned so many memories, but

Time can be a spiteful mistress

If allowed to have her way.

 

Now in twilight do I find

The subtle nuance of her gift.

The looking back rekindles joy that

Silly giggles gave us then.

 

Princess Bride

Sleepy nation wakes the dawning,

Spies the bunting on each ledge,

Something special stirs the scent of

Incense wafting in the breeze.

 

Quick to dress in finery

To suit such glorious occasion,

Chins held high and chests puffed full

In maximum anticipation.

 

Four white horses lead the carriage

Fully draped in ceremony

As the trumpets sound the herald

Echoing glad tidings all.

 

Out she steps to breathless watchers,

Daintily her footfall glides,

Steadfastly her regal father

Leads his angel down the aisle.

 

Now she stands before the altar,

Nations watching, filled with pride,

And her young prince stands beside her

Proud to wed his princess bride.

 

Heartshine

Mindful embraces form

Elegant sources

Gently caressing the

Lace-covered edges of memory 

Harboring every emotion,

As I feel your Heartshine

Soft on my face.

 

Brighter than sunlight,

Fresher than springtime,

Warmer than summer

I bask in your glow.

Supple as willow trees

Free-flowing branches

Dancing with breezes,

I hold your embrace.

 

Welcome sweet Heartshine,

Come stay a while.

Linger til long shadows

Fade into night.

Joy is your reverie,

Truth your companion,

Beckoning all

To join in your chase.

Shifting Sands of Time

Time has a habit of slipping away

As she constantly moves in a finite direction,

No stepping back,

No childhood do-overs,

Only now and tomorrow,

Only here and hereafter.

 

But that doesn’t cede that

The past holds no meaning,

Or should be diminished in memory’s vault.

Her treasures are deep

And her lessons are many.

Her halls and her chambers

Lined with love, dreams and laughter.

 

And though the sands may shift underfoot

As the tides roll out,

As the tides roll in,

We stand at her shore

And search her horizon,

Amazed at the bounty she holds deep within.