Monday, November 28, 2011

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.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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

Monday, November 14, 2011

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

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

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

Friday, November 4, 2011

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