V. Harvest

Life Is But Once

Where are you going?
What do you think shall come of you?
Time is quickly slowing.
Do you think your dream will come true?

I know that today
Is more certain than tomorrow.
And who can truly say
That happiness outlives sorrow?

Don’t wait for the bell
That rings for the regretful dunce.
Live every moment well.
Breath is dear, and life is but once.

Where I Am Sown

Blessed be the flower of hope;
That sprouts roots in any soil,
With all weather willing to cope,
To reap the reward of toil!

I will feast on any table.
I will grow what can be grown.
I will bud as I am able.
I will bloom where I am sown.

Wanderlust

These city walls suppress my breath!
Within a world shaded with doom,
The living live a waking death,
Trapped within an airless tomb.

But my wild eyes refuse to see.
My mind resides on passing clouds.
I long to run from misery,
Far from the maddening crowds!

With the horizon I shall be,
On the trail of the fleeting day,
For the wanderlust is in me,
And nothing can make me stay!

Flowers

    We’re dying – there’s no denying.
    But why waste our precious hours
    On a lot of useless crying,
    When we might be smelling flowers!

O for a palette of colors so fair!
O for a touch of artful mastery!
For a steady hand and the heart to dare
Frame joy with such dazzling symmetry!

Flowers, in your many forms, I adore
The sweet essence that fills you to the core,
And blooms from eternity’s barren soil!
Though your petals wither and your leaves spoil,
Though blossomed to a short season of shades,
There is much of life your spirit may tell!

O for the wisdom to understand well
Of painting boldly though the canvas fades!

For Creation’s Sake

Creation for creation’s sake!
Those mortal pains the divinest souls take
Inspire an inner fire to wake,
And in the end a richer spirit make.

Sanctuary

Sister of sorrow, cease senseless striving -
  Unspoken agonies meditated
Vainly against inner want, arriving
  Long last in yearning unmitigated.
Renounce all proud vows of humility -
  Vying with time, naked in loneliness,
Frigid lies alone to veil fading youth.
  Deny no more moral futility.
Woman, of love and lust-longing confess!
  Fast cloister your heart in actions of truth.

Gaze unashamed upon my countenance.
  Relinquish your ear to my silver tongue.
Repose in affection’s exquisite trance;
  This courtship on lips and fingertips sung.
Cast your raiment aside at my kiss.
  Bare your bosom to my gentle design.
Touch me and let desire set you free.
  In a sanctuary of sensual bliss,
Together we will drink of rapture’s wine
  Until we are giddy with revelry!

Cinnamon Tree

See me dance beneath a cinnamon tree,
With a cinnamon girl, with her arms around me,
    Beneath a cinnamon tree.

See how I shine in her cinnamon eyes,
Dancing till dark beneath cinnamon skies,
    Beneath a cinnamon tree.

I am in a trace with a cinnamon girl,
Lost in romance, in a cinnamon whirl,
    Beneath a cinnamon tree.

I am swimming in a cinnamon sea,
Deep in spicy waters where passions flow free,
    Beneath a cinnamon tree.

I am in flight through a cinnamon night,
Floating on clouds of cinnamon delight,
    Beneath a cinnamon tree.

A Rainbow in the Dark

One enchanted moment,
One transendental night,
My mind with bliss did foment,
My heart on wings took flight.

A rainbow in the dark
Bore me to a rapturous height,
And in me lit a spark
That outshined an infinity of night.

The Way She Smiled up at Me

A lion has no hesitation
When it decides to eat.
The timid deer in its habitation
Relies on the agility of its feet.

Foxes must be clever
Because they are not strong.
A canary must ever endeavor
To sing love’s sweetest song.

The flower pays a nectarous fee
For the mercenary sting of bees.
The way she smiled up at me
Made me feel weak in the knees.

Elation

Oh, my!
Aglow!
I’m caught up in your flow!

You make me feel so spry!
You make me sigh!
You make me want to cry
And try to fly up to the sky!

You make me dance!
You put me in a trance!
I feel that there’s a chance
I’ll prance above all creation!

Elation!
Inebriation!
Inspiration!

I want to shout!
There really is no doubt
You’re what it’s all about,
This high, this raving sensation!

Celebration!
Elevation!
Exhilaration!
Exaltation!

Elation!

I Raised High a Castle

With bricks of regret and mortar of pain,
  I raised high a castle around my heart;
A cold citadel where despair did reign
  Upon a desolate throne, set apart
From all but nightly echoed grief and gloom.
  But you built a bridge to my rampart height,
And swift brought to pass melancholy’s fall.
  In my silent tower, dark as a tomb,
Pale in my chamber, I closed out the light.
  But your love undermined my strongest wall.
 

The Rosen Arbor

Stand beneath the rosen arbor tonight,
Harbored in a sanctuary of love,
Within a lattice of silver moonlight,
And bask in ardor showered from above.
Out beyond the sleeping grass, shadows drape
Branches barren and bereft of bird song,
To the weeping gaze void of will or shape –
Shades of gray which divide not right from wrong.
Yet, safe in the bosom of affection
You bide in the fold of this sacred place,
In the embrace of scattered reflection
Of purest love proffered no other space.
For strong is the structure framed by the heart,
That hate cannot mar nor time tear apart.
 

Valentine

Forthright take this valentine,
You who lent your heart to me
And borrowed mine.

I am blessed to be
Rendered above
All matters by your love.

The Garden Beside Me

Look! The world is lovely today!

Give me your hand,
And I’ll take you away
To a marvelous land,
Where I’ll sing you a song,
So you’ll never despair.
I will take you along
As I waltz in midair.

With the clouds we will float, one by one.
And we’ll fall with the rain,
Till we put out the sun.
The chance may never come again!

Come, let’s take a look all around us!
Come, let’s see all creation astound us!
We’ll say while we may that the world was thus!
We’ll play while we may, while the world is thus!

And won’t you take this heart that I give you?
And won’t you make a part of this dream true?

Give me the time, and I’ll give you the world!
I will sing you a rhyme till this mime has unfurled!
Give me a chance, and I’ll win you the moon!
Come now, let’s dance, till the galaxies swoon!

And look, my dear, the stars are so lovely,
Like daffodils of fire above me!
And won’t you walk the garden beside me?
And won’t you walk the garden beside me?

Sidewalk Cafe

Remember when we spent one summer day,
  Oblivious to all but opiate
Music playing in some sidewalk cafe,
  Intoxicated by love’s inibriate.
Tis not regret alone I serenade,
  For loss of time or tune, but in truth,
Reminiscence as sweet as I can bear -
  Lovers sharing scenes wherein dreams are made,
In a sidewalk cafe sipping on youth,
  Sitting in afternoon sunshine, somewhere.

Wading

Picture when we waded in some bay,
  And the surf lapped at our knees,
In the final moments of one day,
  Wrapped up in a tranquil breeze,
Blown warm and wet across the ocean,
  When the sun’s last embers beamed,
And the sky clouded with emotion -
  Or so it seemed, as we watched and dreamed,
Neither in wakefulness, nor in sleep,
  Neither by day, nor by night,
Somewhere between heaven and sea, deep
  Immersed in wonder’s delight.

On Kum-Kang Mountain

Mist hangs as a lace veil upon the air,
Over glistening rocks, where cool water falls,
In fraying ribbons of silver and blue,
Through an avenue of fluttering leaves,
Hued by coming autumn’s variegation.

I fancy lost love from the brook calling,
And picture a sparkling girl I once knew -
A scene from some past remembrance or dream.
How the sun in her radiant smile flashed,
When lost in whimsical frolic we splashed
In cascading waters long passed to sea!

Beneath the weight of memory, I recline,
Against the trunk of a consoling pine,
Worn as rock beneath a cascading stream,
Reminiscence pouring down upon me.

And a songbird from his distant perch calls,
Echoing the song that my sad heart grieves,
Making an account of the passing years,
Reminding me that winter shall come soon,
And I shall be gone before it is through -
Gone to some faraway, forlorn, somewhere!

So here I sit, watching water falling,
Drying my eyes of water, mist, and tears,
While cicadas chant deep meditation,
Humming me to peace for an afternoon.

With Blooms Such As These

What gardener’s majestic pride
Planted seeds on this mountainside?
Whose transcendental essence frees
Me to gardens galaxies wide!

In buttercups up to my knees,
I stopped to watch the honey bees,
Drinking deeply of sweet delight,
As I drank in the honied breeze.

Standing on a heavenly height,
I witnessed an immortal sight.
I walked in the midst of fire.
I felt a great gardener’s might.

In faith I will live and expire,
With blooms such as these to inspire.
And I will blossom with desire,
To grow ever higher and higher.

Behold

What dream is within your power?
Blossoming there, in your bower,
Blooming in your finest hour,
What is the form of your flower?

Behold the fair faces of faith!
Look on creation, and adore!
Marigolds with their golden smiles,
Mimic the sun’s shining glory.
Tulips vie with the waking day.
Trumpet vines herald their truth,
Blaring in a skyward vector
The summer daylight’s breaking news.
The aster mimes the evening star.
The rhododendron rears her head
As some whimsical shadow wraith.
Jasmine shines where moonbeams are,
Scenting the midnight with her name.
Everlasting peas presume youth,
With faces frosted and hoary.
Bee balm sets out alms for the bees,
Hears butterflies pray on bent knees.
Poppies make a calming nectar,
To convalesce the deepest hurts,
And bring jubilation instead.
Morning glory climb from the floor,
With determination that wins
Even the most difficult test.
Daffodils wear formal fashion,
Even as winter tears their skirts.
The wallflower burgeons her best
With the most humble of garbs,
Setting aside every regret.
Lavender puts on her best dress,
And dances her worries away.
Snapdragons flash their happy grins,
As about the fence they slither,
Unrestrained by time’s heartless vow
To render them toothless and lame.
Roses are blossoms of passion,
Radiating love’s many hues,
Though tormented by wicked barbs
Their hearts prevail over all trials.

All flowers at long last wither,
But while they may, they effloresce.
Set your nightshade aside for now.
A blush remains in your cheeks yet.

Before Thy Day Doth Fade

Today, with all thy heart,
Love the bloom that wilts tomorrow.
Though from love thou must part,
Waste thou not a tear on sorrow.

At the sudden onset of night,
In the deepening shade,
Love thou dearly that precious light,
Before thy day doth fade.

Tangerine Evening Song

Sing, tangerine evening breeze,
Verse of reflection composed,
Of long-bygone memories,
Whose tune only evening knows!

Croon of glowing sunsets of yesteryear,
Of lost words whispered in the ear of night;
Secret oaths once sworn in earnest desire
By poets enthralled to transient cheer,
Empowered to sing by some godly might
That fills the heavens with ensouling fire.

O radiant tether!
O undying endeavor!
Our souls whisper together
Of song now one with never.

Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?

Harvest Moon

Most divine eye of night,
  Keeper of secrets old,
Here beneath thy keen sight,
  What tales must have been told!
Thou scorner of the morn,
  At high nocturnal noon,
Here witness on the vine
  All creatures ever born
To rise and swiftly swoon!
  Bestow thy silver wine!

Fair light, immerse me now,
  My house of flesh and bone!
Consecrate my pale brow!
  Hear my low-throated drone!
For all songs e’er begat
  Beneath thy history,
Pine on, O endless tune!
  For all the ages that
Looked on thy mystery,
  Shine on, O harvest moon!

Of Ghost Ships

  A picture unfolds before my mind’s eye,
Where entwines the courses of Main and Rhine,
  Beneath a sun setting low in the sky,
When you and I witnessed the flow and shine
  Of moments that in innocence confide.

  Now I see the radiant face of joy!
I hear the current lapping at our feet;
  As the voice of some ancient siren’s ploy,
Whose echoes to restless spirits entreat,
  Beseeching love beneath her skirts safe hide.

  Now glide the alabaster swans on glass,
On the face of a golden mirror cast,
  Like concentric ripples that subtly pass
Into deepening eve – not meant to last,
  As lost memories that in dreams abide.

  Now we stand on the hazy banks of time,
Embarking from our port of flesh and bone,
  As the elements of some divine rhyme,
Rigged to sail on fleeting visions alone,
  Across endless stretches of cosmic tide.

  Ah, but where is the book wherein to write
Words formed from the shards of fast-fading light!
  Where is the meaning of bygone delight,
Lost on lips that sing between day and night
  Of ghost ships that never again may ride.

The Strength of Your Hand

Mortality has shown me a world of pain -
  Dark hours wherein my touch could find no friend,
When I thought I would never see you again,
  Yearning for a swift and merciful end.
I have wallowed in deep mires of sorrow,
  Swallowed gall until it lost all taste,
But now on the foundation of you I stand.
  Though time plunders tomorrow,
And suffering is thrown to waste,
  I am steadied by the strength of your hand.

She Loved Me for a While

She loved me for a while,
Though that fire is now an ember,
And the memory faraway.
On some mist-veiled isle,
The thrill I still remember
Of one long-ago day.

Let the light fall from the sky!
Let night dim my fading smile!
The world shall not deny
That she loved me for a while.
 

A Word of Love

Love, ask a gift of me amongst all things,
An unblemished flower in fullest bloom,
The joy a morning moment in May brings,
A sunbeam to brighten the deepest gloom!
Would you have the stars like diamonds strung -
Around your neck all of celestial grace,
Or night like velvet on your shoulders hung
To adorn the radiance of your face?
What gift can I with mortal power impart,
That in your nights of woe you may recall
And feel my sincerity cheer your heart?
I give you nothing, and I give you all.
What gift might suffice to bring you redress?
A word of love is all that I possess!

Rhyme for Rhyme’s Sake

Say that my poem was about you.
  Lying one wakeful night, wresting
With vision of an endless view,
  The limits of magic testing,
I saw a part of what is true;

As to the weight of time and space.
  By the flame-flicker of watch fires’
Distant twinkling, I found a trace
  Of the subtle power that inspires
Me when I imagine your face -

Peerless of beauty, as the light
  Of stars a million years burning.
Seduced by the raven-haired night,
  Intoxicated with yearning,
I fancied my spirit in flight.

Then as waves on solid land break,
  I roared forth my eternal word -
Your sublime name alone I spake,
  Like an emancipated bird,
Still in love with rhyme for rhyme’s sake.
 

Genki Girl

Genki girl, I miss your kiss,
In moments like this,
When I am alone in the night.

I fix your image in my mind,
Lying on my side to watch the moon,
Silver in his fantastic flight.

The sole consolation I find,
Is telling myself that soon
You will be

Next to me.

Love Attack

Stand back!
See how she jumps!
My heart pumps
From a love attack!

Try!

Pursue the Sun
Across the sky.
You can’t catch it,
But you can try!

The Heart Is Stronger Than the Mind

Forever know that love is free.
Try to cage it, and you will see.
Try to stop it, and you will find
The heart is stronger than the mind.

Little Devil

What a wicked thing to do,
To make me fall for you!
What an evil thing to say,
To make me feel this way!
What a monstrous thing to be,
To have this ache inside of me!

Little devil, tell me love is a liar!
Extinguish this fire before it gets higher!

No One Here to Hear

The moon is on fire and stars are shimmering blue.
Hot burns my desire to pass this moment with you!
I had a dream you were sharing this dream with me.
I had a dream but my dream was not meant to be.

I never wanted to fall in love with you.
This love is only going to break my heart.
I fell in love; now what am I going to do?
This love is only going to tear me apart.

Such a silly way to feel,
When really nothing real is real!
Such a silly cause to pain!
Why fall in love if love’s in vain?

The moon is on fire and stars are shimmering blue.
I’m dying of want and no one can save me but you.
I will abide another night with no one near.
My heart is beating but there’s no one here to hear.

Dream of Peace

Dream of peace, although it may elude you,
Vain though it seems in your darkest hour!
Believe that harmony may soon ensue,
That by planting a seed it might flower.
Vanquished be the wicked will of sorrow
Leaving streaks of weeping upon your face.
Sleep soundly, in the hope of tomorrow,
In the serenity of earnest grace.
Discredit not the power of desire
That turns love to hate, and makes brothers clash,
Or easily extinguishes the fire
Which otherwise burns all purpose to ash.
  A vision might all of our sins redeem.
  Reality is wrought by what we dream.
 

When My Love Says She Loves Me

When my love says she loves me more than breath,
I am inclined to believe her sweet song.
She vows to remain faithful until death,
Whispering that love can never be wrong.

But her deceit is translucently clear.
She lies to me, well knowing that I know.
She falsifies the words I wish to hear.
And her shrewd guile makes my love for her grow.

With each tender deceit, I love her more.
My heart is bent willingly to her will.
Her wholehearted fraudulence I adore.
My love is a liar, but I love her still.

  Her lies are more of love than she can see.
  My love loves me enough to lie to me.
 

A Distant Rose

I sought a very exceptional rose;
  A flower supreme in every way -
Bloom that not age, nor blight, nor aphid knows,
  Whose complexion is as clear as the day,
From whose countenance magnificence flows,
  As the Sun presides over lowly Earth,
From which celestial radiance glows,
  Surpassing any common flower’s birth.

I sought among roses a perfect rose,
  Among peerless leaves, among tender buds,
Among thornless stems arrayed in flawless rows,
  From which the essence of pristine dawn floods
And ambrosial fragrance constantly blows,
  Whose dew-kissed petals delicately sway
To the hymns hummingbird’s gay wings compose,
  To flutter of butterflies come to play.

I wanted to believe that desire sows
  Blossoms as pure as a pure heart conceives.
But blooms wilt, and waking dreams at last doze,
  And defect alone excellence achieves.
And I see that only from afar grows
  The flower by blemish unpolluted.
Perfection in a distant rose best shows,
  Whose wine’s bouquet is best drunk diluted.

Forcing Love to Earn Her Wings

Tedious is the idiom spoken by attrition,
Relentless in defamation of all that is pure,
Foe to all ardor, for no apparent reason
Than joy in thwarting from complete fruition
The blossom of infatuation’s lure -
Harvesting sorrow in full season.

Passion purloined by years, lust burnt to dust,
Zeal must turn inward for the questions that confound,
While forgiveness perseveres and hope softly sings.
And though time turns the most endearing charms to rust,
Stoic loyalty stands his eroding ground,
Forcing love to earn her wings.

Unfading Oath

To you who stood beside me while time raged:
I will stand by you, though broken and aged.

A Last Kiss for Eternity

Save the last light for me -
That wane spark in your eyes
Before you are set free,
While in your worldly guise.

At the close of your day,
At this hour grown so late,
Before you slip away
To your eternal fate,

Let me sing a final dream.
Before you set out on your own,
Upon a heavenward sunbeam,
Before you leave me all alone,

Let me send you reluctantly
Off unto your celestial role -
A last kiss for eternity,
To ease your fear and soothe your soul.

Together We Will Fly

If I lied deep in lavender,
  And you reclined in bay,
If we were resigned to splendor,
  To while all time away,
I wonder if I’d still know you,
  If you’d remember me,
And if we could grasp through and through
  Just what we’d come to be.

If I abode in leaves of gold,
  And you blew in the breeze,
Do you think when the days grew cold
  We might meet in the trees,
And whisper of days that are past?
  Shall we then comprehend
Why temporal things cannot last?
  Do severed bonds ever mend?

I wonder if there is some land
  Where in love we may stay.
Straightaway we’d go hand in hand,
  But I don’t know the way.
Lead on, whether or not you know!
  We’ll never say good-bye!
It matters not which way we go.
  Together we will fly!

Garden I Wander

Garden I wander, garden of wonder,
Garden around, within, above, under!
Garden, in thy yard I remember when
I found myself a new-born denizen,
Gazing profoundly in dumbfounded awe.
O the marvelous miracles I saw!
Shapes of mystery, of fear, of delight!
O overwhelming color of my sight!
Joy so sweet my spirit was ether-filled!
By sound instilled, by scent high, by touch thrilled,
I wandered the path in earnest yearning,
The fair faces of creation learning.
Lo! Morning-sunlit sward so green and free,
That bound with faith my innocence to me!

The stuff of pleasant dreams is made of such.
Should that the bee had never stung my touch!

Light would be my heart, bright would be my eyes,
Could time forget his tiresome lullabies,
Were I gifted to see beyond my tears,
And blessed to live a life of countless years.
But I am bound to obey the dictate
Of an uncompromising magistrate,
Who grants but a meager portion of breath.
Dolefully I approach the grove of death,
Consoled only by the lingering thought
That as the laws of creation are wrought,
Whether I long come to heaven or end,
Upon the garden’s will I must depend,
To see me drift peacefullly off to sleep,
And in her flowers my significance keep.

Expectations of Something More

    Am I the product of all that I sense -
    Just fantasy, and nothing more intense?
    Or is there a more refined conception,
    Of which I lack a means of perception?

One enchanted moment of paradise
Arrived in my mind one bright afternoon,
Wrought by some supernatural device
That sent my spirit into a deep swoon.

Would that I could purchase there forever -
Transcendental reality capture,
And hold it in a never-failing clasp!
Henceforth, let bliss be my true endeavor,
With adamant claims to total rapture,
A dispensation of dreams in my grasp!

I am content with earthly enterprise,
But I look e’er to the opposing shore,
In hope that eternity may arise
Per my expectations of something more.

Time to Wake

Hand-in-hand we walk along some bright lane,
Going where we are going,
All attempts to turn aside in vain,
Knowing without knowing
That we must move along.

You sing some tune from childhood,
Your voice blending with meadowlark song.
And I would sing, too, if I could.
But my tongue can find no notes to sing.

Strayed to streets cobbled with bones a million years old,
I am a stranger to everything.
The sun shines silver and cold.
Black cherries on stems of alabaster grow -
A taste too sweet to be real.
Hollow lutes from the treetops blow
Some emotion I can no longer feel.

Then you whisper softly in my ear.
And I know that it is time to wake.

Too long have we feared fear.
Too long have we slept for sleep’s sake.

Taunt away, specters of past!
The pain cannot last.
Your time is through,
As all I ever dreamt or knew.

That Far

I walked beneath heaven tonight,
Stood underneath endless sky,
Gazed upon a celestial sight,
Looked the gods straight in the eye.

Will you longer detain me here,
Hide behind a bolted door,
Cower under your roof in fear,
Damned earthbound for evermore?

I would fly if I were able,
Recline on a shining star,
Dine from an immortal table,
If my hand could reach that far.

Silence Is Kind

Father Time, don’t leave me behind.
Set my hourglass at never.

Silence is kind.

If you don’t mind,
Wrap me in the hush of forever.

A Poem Composed on the Slate of Never

Let not my life be deemed a fleeting dream,
Fast dissipating into nevermore,
Adrift upon time’s everlasting stream,
Floating away to oblivion’s shore!
Let not my breath be aspiration vain,
As transient wind passing through the trees,
An inspiration without lasting gain,
A dying utterance, a wistful breeze!
Let me live each day as my final day,
Breathing each breath as though it were my last!
Let my thoughts in this precious present stay,
Reflecting this universe, deep and vast!
Let this one moment echo forever,
A poem composed on the slate of never!

Roses Pink

Roses pink are the sign of my morning,
Symbols of hope for the new-waking day,
Both a greeting of peace and dire warning,
That all things pure and precious pass away.
What is death if we know a day of life?
What is loss if we love but an hour?
All the heavy hurt of our mortal strife,
Redeemed by the blossoms of a flower!
How fragile are the petals of being!
How weakly clings the dew upon the leaves!
How fleeting is this sight I am seeing,
For soon this tender moment wilts and grieves!
 
The thorns and tendrils of impending death
Magnify the worth of each fragrant breath!

Sonnet for an Atheist

O, how free was I when I went my way,
Each dogma cast as grit beneath my tread!
And how the simple facts in order lay,
When rid of every falsehood in my head!
Atheist I am called for my worldview,
Denying lies which render theists blind,
Seeking the path toward all that is true,
With a stalwart heart and resolute mind.
But I have more than rejection of lies
And cowardly comfort of endless breath,
Which religious fools and liars devise
To dull away the sting of certain death.
  Rich in the lavish lap of truth I live,
  Possessing gifts that gods can never give.

Of Tea

My cup of tea is steeped in deepest lore,
From olden times in lost, exotic lands -
The stuff of ardent scenes since days of yore.
I hold a cup of legend in my hands.
Reposed upon my thoughts as on a throne,
Beneath a tropic jungle’s misted light,
In visions of fragrant haze, I am shown
Incense scent from some ancient temple height.
Sweet wisps of Gypsy secrets at my lips,
I recollect the wealth of friendships past,
Dispelled to naught, like vaporizing ships,
‘Cross seas of mystery and romance vast.
  With kindred souls I sip, and muse, and dream,
  And sail away on wafts of sultry steam.

When You’re Old And Wise

When time has slipped from your feeble hold,
And your sands have turned to dust and mold,
When winter winds pass right through you,
When the sun won’t shine and the clouds rain rue,
When you’re left to wonder what it all was for,
Try to succor your soul with something more
Than empty words and lies -
When you’re worn, when you’re old and wise.

When the fight is done,
And the world has won,
Abandon yourself to the forces that control you,
Console your dashed hope with anything that might do.
If you lose your faith that another day shall be,
Of fear and regret be free,
When you come to face demise,
When you’re learned, when you’re old and wise.

Perhaps we shall meet another day.
Suffice it well enough to give hope a say.
Before you take the hand of fate, I want you so to know
I’m proud to have you as my friend – I’ll follow where you go.
And if our time is finished forever,
To make the bond less painful to sever,
I leave this poem to sing the sadness from your eyes,
In the end, when you’re old and wise.

The Four Winds

I. East Wind

O East wind, I have awoke to your song
Through lilacs sung, until I am in need
Of nothing more than your voice my life long,
Quickening my spirit with such sweet mead!
With spring you herald the new-dawning day!
Upon wings of glorious being fly,
‘Cross the horizon’s mountain-framed sashes!
O azure angel, have you come to stay,
To cleanse the heavens, clear the clouds, and dry
This dew glistening on my eyelashes?

II. South Wind

South wind, I heard rumors of far-off lands,
Breathed, languid and sultry, soft on my ear,
From wide seas where memory never stands
Still long enough for the meaning to clear.
A tranquil song of carelessness you sing,
An offhand ode to some tropical noon
Seen sailing through palm-secluded harbors.
Tidings of full-blooming blossom you bring,
Swaying cypress beneath the evening moon,
Settling perfumed among rose arbors.

III. West Wind

O west wind whispering from the sunset
Secrets of otherwise-forgotten dead,
Hushing the meadowlark’s joy with regret,
Ushering bulbs and seeds to a cold bed,
Before your low dirge flee the autumn leaves,
Like reluctant spirits on the threshold
Of demise, clutching at the hedge and gate,
While the willows weep, and the lodgepole grieves.
And I am moved to tears; as I grow old,
Believing more each year your words of fate.

IV. North Wind

North wind, in your raving where is the soul?
What fury makes your warlike trumpet blow?
Across the sullen seas you heave and roll,
O’er lifeless lands entombed in ice and snow,
Bringing the march of a barbarous hoard,
Leaving all forests and fields destitute
Before an onslaught of conscienceless harms.
Proud fool, you have put all life to the sword!
Now nothing answers your call for tribute,
Save a rattling of the alder’s arms.

Mother Fair

Who has not wondered at the waking morn,
When day opened dew-wet lashes anew,
Of essence who watched while the world was born,
Wearing fragranced lace of virginal hue!
I saw her extend tender fingertips,
Forth aspiring as towering spires,
While shy cherries scarcely dared bare their limbs.
Her bloom proceeded from mystical lips
That whispered of timeless budding desires,
In a choir of a thousand sacred hymns.
__________

Do you remember one warm afternoon,
When she danced in the form of leaves of grass,
To a beat of monarch’s wings and bee tune -
And frolicked free, in revelry and sass,
Until the tulips colored to the rims,
And daffodils brimmed over with nectar!
She was passionate in yielding a gain!
As a sparkling sunbeam in a brook swims,
She reflected her radiant specter,
Dwelling in rainbows after a light rain.
__________

A season of plenty came to her door,
When grain weighed heavy the harvester’s hand,
And no unsatisfied want could ask more
Than a full portion of her fruitful land -
A share in her bountiful granaries!
She had stocked her store with goodness to share.
Thus with no greater virtue to impart,
She gleaned the magic-laden apple trees,
Partaking of the crisp October air,
Until sweet-ripened to the very heart.
__________

In an amber glow of low-setting sun,
Weary drooped below the edge of the sky,
Where bare-boned beeches and alders are done,
I have seen resignation in her eye.
Now remorseless northwinds blow cruel and cold,
Sifting the stubbled fields with wisps of snow.
And storm clouds threaten from their lofty lair.
She has forgotten, since she has grown old,
All of her promises made so long ago.
O where are you going, my mother fair?

God for the Day

Place a laurel upon your beaming brow.
Forth assume your rightful title to fame.
Hear how the crowd proudly cheers for you now.
All thumbs direct heavenward your great name.
Though cheers soon diminish, and laurels sour,
And in time, king and vanquished are the same,
Though the brightest shining star fades away,
Come forward, and be anointed this hour!
To the victor go the spoils of the game!
Glory be unto you, god for the day!

Divining Your Eternal Sigh

See how the stars shine for you -
Countless points of divine light
Whose glorious fires imbue
With promise eternal night.

See how heaven pines for you,
Divining your endless sigh;
Dreams of poppy fields come true,
When in peerless peace you lie.

Garden of Dreams
(Epilogue)

Though withers fast the vine of ambition,
From the seeds of imagination
Hope shall come to a fruition.
Godhood is my insinuation.

With eternity as my goal,
I can grow anything my heart esteems
On the arbor of my soul,
In a garden of dreams.

Now I Am Free

Keeper of my destiny,
Hear my final plea.
Bear these words on cosmic flow,
Across eternity.

I declare in parting, so that all may know,
Should time remember me:

Homeward I go!