The Seasons of the Tree

Spring brings

a budding

new life

to all that is green

a promise

of replenishment

Summer

in full dress

trees drink in the nutrients

from the sun

through the ground

that they may bless the earth

Fall costumes

the trees don their colors

the leaves celebrating

their job finished for the year

sharing their joy

giving us a show

Winter

baring their nakedness

the true character

of the tree branches are now seen

ever patient

awaiting a new season of growth

A Tale of a Salt Trail

He watched as the refugees wandered by

forced to leave their homes

all they would have left in this world

was that which they could carry on their backs

Food gone

Water in short supply

In their weakened state

much of what they started out with

was lost by the wayside

few had more than the clothing upon their backs

His heart was broken

for he had nothing to give

he knew

that he would soon be joining them

The new government was cleaning house

This was not the first time

he had been moved before

it was time to gather what he could

as he gazed in the mirror

he could see the trails of salt

still present upon his cheeks

from the tears

from last time

Is This His Weakest Link

Men often try to hold back their tears

through their tough exterior

they see this as strength

Do they not know

even sieves have a rough exterior

yet cannot hold water from passing through

Our heart are the source

Our bodies the sieve

Our emotions must pass through

To stop the water

from passing through the sieve

every hole must be blocked

Our source continues to flow

Our sieve fills to its brim

Our lives are made a mess as we now overflow

Their purpose has been altered

their usefulness is no more

their tears can no longer protect their hearts  

Careful With That Reaction

Is it not better

to live out on the edge

than deep in the middle

becoming a wedge

destroying a family

breaking them far apart

leaving them broken

when we could just depart

what about family bonds

shouldn't they be for life

regardless of differences

through good times or strife

are we really that shallow

when our feelings are hurt

that we give up on our family

just take off and desert

relationships ain't easy

they require some work

they're our responsibility

one we should not shirk

next time you've a beef

work it out, now don't scoff

after all, this is family

you'll be much better off

Distractions Are Deadly To Words

There is a way between voice and presence where information flows. In disciplined silence it opens. With wandering talk it closes. ~ Rumi

Often I have wondered

where the words have gone

they were there

really they were

just a moment ago

they were but an instant away

of the present moment

there was a slight distraction

and they were gone

I've searched everywhere

but they are nowhere to be found

the frustration

I began asking myself

aloud

what could have happened to them

soon I became frantic

Realizing the futility

I gave up

and yet still

shouting at myself

said

“TO HELL WITH THOSE WORDS”

“WHO NEEDS 'EM ANYWAY”

I forced myself quiet

emptied my mind

letting it all go

it was then that a strange thing happened

the words

all of them

returned

Rumi's River

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. ~ Rumi

From the heart flows

a river of love

this, a tributary feeding

a river of compassion

which offers up

a delta of hope

and finds its way into

an ocean of joy

Our heart we must share with another

Take Your Own Lead

Don't let others lead you. They may be blind or, worse, vultures. ~ Rumi

Life was grand

but you know how it is

there was never enough

it has been said

he who dies with the most toys

wins

as much as he had

there was still more

and he just had to have it all

he had run out of options

could not find a way on his own

to increase his hoard

one day he received a call

the voice on the other end of the line

had a proposal

FINALLY he thought

a way to have it all

with no sweat of the brow

he gathered together all he could

mortgaged his home

made the investment

he never heard that voice again

one was blind

the other a vulture

Crossing Paths

The crossing of paths

this is not accidental

there's a reason we meet

and it's quite fundamental

We each have a lesson

or a blessing to give

this is something we do

each day that we live

It might be some laughter

or their sorrow you'll share

it can be so many things

of which you're not now aware

Your day may be lifted

to heights you've not known

it could be the bad news

of a lost friend back home

But each path that is crossed

helps keep our lives underway

we become part of each other

molding our lives on the way

There's Nothing Like It

It has the warmth

of a hearth

alive with the embers of hard woods

on a cold damp evening

satisfying more than your outer being

It has the freshness

of mountain air

crisp and clean

free of the filth and odor

created by the polluters

It has the feel

of crushed velvet

soft and comforting

delivering a sensation

more pleasurable than any trip to a spa

It has the taste

of chocolate mousse

so rich

topped with whipped cream

drizzled with caramel

It is LOVE

Storms

The day so gray

the clouds hang low

you can smell the rain coming in the air

the distant rumble of thunder, warnings of a storm

They come more often this year

with them, more devastation

leaving death and destruction

in their wake

Tornadoes measuring a mile wide

hail the size of baseballs

rains so voluminous

a mountainside buried a town

Is that what's on it's way

how bad will it be this time

will the sirens sound in time for us to find shelter

whose turn is it today

Up the Crowded Down Escalator

Our peace can be lifelong

and we can float right along

like a leaf traveling down a calm river

One thing we must know

we must accept the natural flow

of what the river of life has to deliver

Sure daily we deal

with all that which is real

the key is to not to let it shake us

See when we act while we're shook

it's ugly stress that we'll book

and that's just not really worth all the fuss

We damage ourselves

trapping our lives on shelves

when unsettled dealing with our conflicts

When we fight tooth and nail

we'll be sure to fail

it's tough kicking against all of life's pricks

Duty or Heart

There's quite a big difference

between duty and heart

and the folks who need helping

can tell them apart

When you treat it as duty

you may get a “thank you”

but when it comes from the heart

you'll create life anew

They can see in your face

the direction you've come

if you feel burdened by them

it was duty you're from

But when it's compassion

causing you to be kind

you often give birth

to a new hope in mankind

It's written all over

folks who really care

it's shown in their eyes

and the attitude they wear

But either way

a man might sleep in a bed

a woman less cold

a child be fed

Does it really matter

whether duty or heart

when it comes to helping others

they can still both be a start

The Ghost

Before There Was Anything

There was the Ghost

And the Ghost was without form

Wandering the non-existence

Of what we today know as the universe

Cold and lonely

In his nothingness

It became time for the creation.

Looking about

He realized that all that was

Was within him

He was the only raw material

(so-to-speak)

And he decided to sacrifice himself

For the sake of creation

Imploding upon himself

Our universe came forth

What Makes A Poem

Rhymes and metre

is that what makes a poem

or is there a style

you can make all your own

Maybe that's prose

how the hell would I know

I'm not all that schooled

I just write on the go

The one thing I've learned

and it's been a great start

has been to sit down and listen

to what's being said in the heart

It's there you'll find truth

and there's no better way

of sharing with others

that which you have to say

Take Life In Stride

Life can be easy

when taken in stride

but it must be lived

without too much pride

For an ego too large

brings with it a fall

many say no not me

but it happens to all

We rush through our lives

thinking we're in total control

not realizing that someday

we must pay the toll

It's that simple mistake

confidence starts to tumble

disappointment takes over

our world seems to crumble

But this need not happen

don't run off and hide

just slow it down some

and take life in stride

Seven Letters That Just Might Make The Difference

I've a word, just one

that can truly make a difference

eliminate needless bickering of neighbors

change lives and birth peace

create a brotherhood among men

Imagine

no crime in the streets

no abuse of wives

or husbands for that matter

the end of war

People would care enough

to feed the hungry

to shelter the needy from the elements

to provide a coat to one who's cold

treating all as equal

regardless of their stature

their clothing

their color, creed, political beliefs

even their sexual preference

It is just one word

a mere 7 letters long

when practiced

will make all the difference

R eturning kindness while

E ngaging others with

S ensitivity being

P aid to who they are and what they believe

E qually in a manner

C ivil in our speech and

T reatment of them

The Deep and The Shallow

The deep

so quiet

as they ponder

what they see

and what they hear

their lives flow

in peace

without confronting

the turmoil

of todays world

The shallow

insist

that they

be heard

carrying with them

tumultuous times

living as if

a day without

confrontations

is a day lost

Both have lives

that flow

toward a final day

one is

at peace with himself

and the world

while the other

has fought

tooth and nail daily

without any real

happiness

Drones Don't Take Names

Innocents die

there's no wonder why

when the wars that are fought

are from drones in the sky

you see the way that they're flown

is too much like video games

yet the targets they strike

well they have actual names

sure some are combatants

but many are not

should an innocent child

be in that cross-haired spot

what about grandma and grandpa

should they die for no reason

has war become no more

than a mass killing season

in war we must know

where the enemy lies

how can we be positive

from those far reaching skies

with no eyes on the ground

can we really be sure

you see once innocents are dead

there just isn't a cure