Poem: Futility

Goals are futile

setting goals is futile

reaching a goal is futility

Gain is futile

chasing wealth is futile

the lust for more is futility

Men plan and work

toiling in hope to earn

wealth, influence, noteriety

Dreams of empires

visions of conquering

longing for monuments to themselves

Yet empires fall

monuments are ruined

and futility reigns over all

Mankind reaps wind

and returns to the dust

wealth inherited by the living

But rich and poor

get joy from food and friends

fresh air and rest and simple living

When life is lived

with plain, simple graces

small joys are the spring of true pleasure

Poem: Transience a.k.a. A Tribute to a Barrier Island

waves roll up onto the shore

bringing sand, leaving shells

building up, taking away

grain after grain

the sand shifts

waves move and rearrange

impermanence and longevity

intertwined in a cycle

of erosion and redistribution

purposeful transience

planned impermanence

forever moving

forever changing

Author's comment: People who build their homes on barrier islands should not be surprised when their homes get washed away.

Poem: In Death Be True

As I leave this mortal life

I have one request, dear wife

In death be true

Please long for no other

Never find another

Let your heart be mine forever

As I draw my last breath

And approach certain death

Please draw near

Lay your hand in my mine

Swear to be true for all time

Swear you will always love me

As my life slips away

Confirm your oath this day

Seal it with a kiss

Tell me that you'll never leave

That your heart will always grieve

When death takes me

As death takes my hand

Draws me into his land

On the other side of the veil

I fear what awaits

But hold on to faith

That you will remain true

As I slip from life

My darling, my wife

Tell me that you'll be true

That you will honor this vow

For forever from now

That in my death you'll be true

Poem: We The Dying

We recognize death

and curse its presence

as it surrounds us

and weighs us down

dogging our every step

Many fight to prolong

the inevitable end

while many are alive

and never live

they merely wait

We however face death

with determination

to live fully and completely

as we rush towards death

the conquered enemy

We the dying declare

that we will face death head on

knowing we will live once more

awaiting the destruction of death

and the enthronement of life

once and for all

Poem: Ode to Time

Time is disposable

wasted

abused

and misused

Time is relentless

unstoppable

unable to be tamed

or reclaimed

Time is a trap

a jail cell

a deception

a room with no exit

Time is invisible

unknowable

unchangeable

irreversible

Time is unreal

an artifice

an imposition

a prison

Time is measured

by the snail and the light

when our time is done

Time will go on

Poem: The pictures in my mind

my favorite horsehair brush

loaded with paint

strokes canvas

lays on color

forms shapes

that will become

the pictures in my mind

mental snapshots

come to life

a colorful life of paint

in a flat canvas world

each stroke

defines, redefines

the pictures in my mind

my favorite brush

an instrument of life

delivers color

and shading

each new stroke

breathes life

into the pictures in my mind

Poem: The Age of Eternal Summer

in the days of the summer sun

we were young and strong

and wise in our own eyes

we cared for the moment

and lived for the present

everyday was a wonder

a new exploration

an opportunity to live

we laughed and sang

we danced and loved

under the blue sky

lying in the grass

letting the sun warm us

our hope lasting

only to the next day

every day like the one before

no concern for the future

no fear, no worries, no threats

never hungry or thirsty

taking everything for granted

thinking it would never end

time washed over us

passing unnoticed

months, weeks, years

we were young and free

in the age of eternal summer

Poem: Leaves

Photo by Jo Garrett

I remember the brilliant evening glow

of changing leaves

golden canopies

waving in the crisp autumn breeze

I remember the dance of falling leaves

the gusting wind

plucking them off

tossing them gently to the ground

I remember looking up at the sky

deep blue

with wispy clouds

coolness kissing my cheeks

I remember falling asleep under the leaves

and waking to find

the sun had set

my bones were chilled to the marrow

I remember going into the house

and crawling into bed

exhausted and refreshed

by the colors, the wind, and the cold

I remember waking the next morning

and believing

that it was a dream

until I saw the leaves lying next to me

Book Review: Deadline

Deadline by Mira Grant

Welcome to a world that was invaded by zombies decades ago. Now zombies are one of life's daily hazards. Most people live in fear of contamination; many rarely go outside of their homes unless absolutely necessary. Blood tests and showers laced with bleach are everyday experiences. A select few 'Irwins' make their living by 'poking the zombies with sticks' and blogging for all the world to read.

Deadline focuses on Shaun Mason and his team of After the End Times bloggers. The team runs afoul of the CDC and are left to figure out their next course of action. We follow them on adventures into the dangerous world of zombie hunting and mystery solving. Its like Scooby-Doo with zombies.

The follow up to Grant's Feed, Deadline is just as much of a page turner. While it may not earn any great literary awards, Deadline is a thrilling read. Often humourous and grim in the same breath, this book is recommended if you like zombies and action.

Thumbs up!

Poem: Ode to the butterfly (through death to life)

Part 1 - Death and Burial

In death find rest

Oh worm that I am

I welcome the coming rest

The dying sleep

Swallow me

In my slumbering cocoon

Envelope me

In the sleep of death

Part 2 - Resurrection

Push through the dead shell

Into the living world

Leave death behind

In new life be free

Unfold new wings

Rise into the sky

Embrace the world and soar

Alive and free

Book Review: The Map of Time

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

The Map of Time commences in the Victorian era London then moves into the far future.  H.G. Wells, author of The Time Machine, plays key roles in a series of time hopping adventures. Three distinct, yet connected, stories move between Victorian age London and the year 2000.

This is one of those great books that will keep you guessing.  There are several 'Aha!' moments throughout this book.  Palma definitely keeps things interesting and makes you want more.

Recommended if you like Susannah Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.  With twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing, The Map of Time gets an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Poem: Pull

wrapping her hand around the grip

placing her finger on the trigger

she hesitates

for one second

two seconds

three seconds then

(pull)

fires off her last desperate shot

and misses

overwhelmed by despair

she slumps to the ground

in a heap of tears

Poem: Angel Dance

The skies are filled with angels

I see them dancing in the sun

They twist and twirl and spin and shake

And sprinkle me with dust

They whisper sweet songs of mercy

And tell me that they love me

I fall to the earth and cry

The angels dance and the sunlight sings

and the warm earth embraces me

in its gentle lovely womb

Book Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I read this book because Stephen King called it one of the best things he has read recently.   And if Mr. King, one of my all time favorite story tellers gives a book the thumbs up, it is probably worth my time.  I also read it because a movie is being made from it, starring Jennifer Lawrence, the female lead of Winter's Bone (also seen recently in X-Men: First Class). 


Set in some indeterminate future, The Hunger Games take place in a confederation of states called Panem, comprised of the remnants of the former USA.  Each year young people from each district compete in a battle-to-the-death survival challenge called The Hunger Games.  Katniss the female protagonist, is selected by lottery from impoverished District 12,  along with Peeta, a baker's son from the same district.  They two are taken from the poverty of District 12 to the opulent Capitol where they are prepared for the Games.  The preparations and the Games are broadcast across the entire nation.  And the Games commence. 


The Hunger Games is a cross between Survivor and Running Man.  Classified as science fiction as well as 'young adult fiction' Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games transcends both genres.  I can't wait to read the next two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.  Recommended if you like dystopian or speculative fiction.

Thumbs up!

Poem: An Excess of Compassion

an excess of compassion

leads one to believe

that the world can be changed

that people can be delivered

from whatever excesses

they chose to indulge in

that their deeply rooted faults

can be ripped up by their stems

and that someday good fruit will be produced

that hands devoid of resources

can reach for their own bread

rather than looking for handouts

an excess of compassion

is a dangerous vice

one that I choose not to indulge in

Author's Note: this work is satirical and meant to as a polemic against hardheartedness towards those in need. Its intent is to invoke compassion rather than discourage it.

Poem: And He Died Silently

"AND HE DIED SILENTLY"

that's what my tombstone should have said

that's all i ever wanted

to live quietly

to die quietly

to let life

wash over me

pass over me

and then finish

without fanfare

without eulogy

without recognition

dignified

silent

new blog, post #1

The title of this blog comes from a quote from C.S. Lewis:

"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. "
 
This blog is dedicated to literature and the vibrancy that it adds to life and to the way that it enhances our everyday experiences.  In it you'll find original pieces, quotes, book reviews, and other literary related miscellanea.