Winter Sky

 

 

 

Straw sky

Westerly

Moonless, Sunless, Starless

Leaveless trees point gnarly fingers

to the heavens

deepening into darkness.

 

Frayed and tattered demons

Lucid praying

A feeling beyond touch

Beyond fear or sadness

A feeling unlike hope

Without reason

Formless

Yet delineated

Like constellations

 

I make motions with my hands,

move my skin into contact

with ineffable realms.

Move, oozing miasma.

Creating signs in faint luminescence.

Bit by bit they encompass

the night’s horizon.

 

But there is more.

It comes to me in brief emanation.

Droning, encircling, swooping in and out.

I organize a study chamber.

Pull out maps and ruler.

Set my quill to taking notes.

Images engaged in excited conversation

pull me in to their heady company.

 

I can feel the sky breaking around me.

Bits of colored prisms falling.

Make a wish.

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ago and away

 

 

 

    Long ago and far away

    In the inner plains of time

    A fair voice was heard to say

    We will meet to love someday.

 

    Through centuries of waking dream

    Varied tongues have shared the rhyme

    Each meeting, new though it may seem,

    Another pattern in the scheme.

 

    Running now through you and me

    A thread, a wisp of fleeting song —

    An ever-mending tapestry —

    This treasured bit of life we see.

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And Why Not Now?

 

 

 

The 4th dimension embraced to spatial 3.

Length, width, depth —

will may move within.

Yet we travel always in time,

whether we want or even know.

Ever onward through duration;

moment to moment

encompassing all of our lives.

 

And yet they say there is no time,

only now.

 

Every precious second, every interminable hour,

every slippery slovenly unrelivable day,

an unrelenting onward and inward and outward,

soulesque surrounding.

 

Where is now?

Yes, everywhere, of course, but how do we divine,

make sense,

manifest intention,

measure meaning to instant that

expands into infinite unknown?

 

How do we comprehend what extends true and real,

stands the test of time,

that continuous emergence, strands

playing in the breeze entangling and evolving?

 

How do we tame Now

and make a dance of time, swinging and swaying,

executing formal twirls of shadow

and light to uplifted applause?

 

How do we account for time,

yet spend it like raindrops,

yet savor forever awakening?

 

If it must be done, it must be done now!

There is no waiting room in eternity.

Yet there is no being done.

There is only doing, and being,

and bravely swimming uncharted seas.

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Not with a Bang

 

 

 

Stillness.

Light calmly shines

through bare-branch silhouettes.

Ice, frozen in time

sparkles, giving no reasons.

Still.  Cold.

Natural cycles.

Out on the battlefield of man,

brutal bleeding,

shattering of bones and dreams

too loud and crazed

to be heard

reverberating in shattered brains.

Once a molten planet

shot out of star stuff

creating plains and seas,

rocky terrain,

spinning so merrily

with no idea of sadness

set into motion.

Spiraling cycles.

In crystal stillness

frozen tears break and fall

slowly, silently, into time,

knowing not what we have wrought.

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Weather Vane

 

 

 

Wintry White lace

drifts through my mindspace

etching out images

unknown to common sight.

One express demand

worries at my grand plan,

how to follow laugh lines

in flight out of fright.

Juries listen closely

to tales out of turn

spun so very grossly

it’s very hard to learn

what is True.

What to do?

Singing of silence

doesn’t fend off violence.

Dancing ‘neath the Moon

never keeps out harm.

Transfixed in wonder,

still we may blunder.

But caught up in the tune,

in the moment, in the form,

what seemed obdurate

dissipates into rain

into storm.

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Gods rest ye

 

 

If only that were what this season’s all about.

Communal fire, warm and glowing.

Cooking up feast enough to

fill bellies and larders

for wintry weeks to come.

Exchanging gifts our separate

crafts empower

with wishes of good will,

good cheer.  Inebriating spirits

raised and quaffed against

chill fear of dark’s dangers .

If only peace and sensitive portrayal of

our shared condition of human frailty

were the point and purpose of

traditions,

voices pitched to harmonize

for beauty’s sake.

If only we could reach into

legends’ epiphany,

reach out in poignant empathy,

if only we could simply be

merry.

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Merry Triptych

 

 

 

 

season’s greeting

 

 

For this season’s greeting

I give the gift of joy.

Hold it close and wear it well.

Share it with the ones you tell

Your season’s greetings to.

Open wide your heart, your eyes

Breathe deeply, smell the warming spice

Reach out, reach up, reach to the skies

Believe again in “fellow men”

Believe in wisdom’s beauty

Believe in joy — and tell your friends:

“This is our greatest duty.”

For as joy fills our hearts, we leave no room for

  doom/destruction

As joy fills our lives, we learn to live in peace.

 

 

 

Holiday Giving

 

 

Outreaching love

Deep healing warmth

Safe harbor home

Benevolence assured

Fulfilling Hope

Affirming Joy

Abiding Peace

Hugging’s good

Laughs are fun

Relaxed in love with every one

Gifting Peace

Gifting Hope   

Gifting Joy!

Merry Christmas

Happy Solstice

Every day of light and play

Every spritely holiday

Opening to heart

Cherishing each part

of the living

of the giving

Voices lilt in melody

My song I give to you:

Live in joy   Live in peace   Live in love

 

 

 

Enthralled in Light

 

 

    Christmas trees enthralled in light

    Bright red and green displays

    Shop windows decked in frosty scenes

    Concerts, Carols, Plays

    Santa’s sleigh displayed on lawns

        and rooftops

    Holly!  Mistletoe!

    Christmas cards arrive each day

        with memories of long ago.

    Welcome to another season’s

        greetings, parties, gifts and cheer

    Make it wonderful; make it grand!

    For you and all whom you hold dear —

    Merry Christmas, once again;

    And dreams of peace for the new year.

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Winter’s Eve

 

 

A

 

quiet fall

 

of snow

 

whitens night’s field.

 

Unwritten, clean sand

 

greets tomorrow’s shore.

 

Tomorrow is the blessed eve

 

Lords and Ladies, leaping,

 

dancing, holy abandon, ecstatic rites.

 

In dense, secret forest, legends gambol, rise

 

honorably to masters, speak sage truth.

 

Spirits imbue damp, fresh scent.

 

Words melt, evaporate, flavor brew

 

of ancient melodies, renewed

 

each Winter’s Eve.

 

 

 

Picture each animated creature enlightened

Each candle warmly, brilliantly ignited

Animated faces dance with excitement

Creature comfort gifts encircle trees

Enlightened pleasures whirled in peace

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Saturnalia!

 

 

 

    Hurrah the Saturnalia!

    Bacchus reigns on high

    And all the world’s a feast of fun

    So pass the pipe and pour the rum

    And flash a smile o’er everyone

        A twinkle of the eye.

 

        Hail the merry Season!

    A boost for love & joy

    When packages that yell “surprise!”

    May dance before excited eyes

    from “Santa Claus” that merry, wise

        & venerable old boy.

 

        Joy to all ye revelers!

    It’s time to join in play

    where roles are dropped and laughter raised

    We’re all buffoons, so clowns be praised

    It’s time to shout out loud, ablaze

        “Enjoy the best of days!”

 

    A very merry holiday

        to each and all I say!

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Winter is coming III

Winter is coming

 

She arrives

Conviction strong and glorious.

Brilliant astral presence, at last.

Swollen with destiny, swirling in ecstasy.

Feel air breath-moist in tune to Her sway.

She drinks, uplifts the cup of our prayers, feasts upon homespun tales.

Listen! She reveals.

Torso spun forward, head arched back

dervish aware. She incants, caresses, blesses,

sweeps through this startled assemblage. Chase if you dare.

A child of shadow slips behind, catches at her tresses.

Slow secret smile grows, their silent delight

snow white, bare of guile.

Time freezes. Hungry eyes press against

icy glass. Inside, twinkling eternity blazes, laughs.

All future awaits. We need but reach through

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