escape to solitude

i walk the back woods barefoot thinking i would *escape

but then i realize all around me knows i’m here

when i breathe ,the air comes without announcement

with every step the ground comes up to meet me
 
when i reach up the leaves of trees touch my finger tips

if i look up at the sky with its white crinoline skirt it stares back

whistle and i’m joined by the cardinal, sparrow and bluebird

sing and the howl of the wolf is inspired knowing of my presence

trying not to think but memories entangle me in reflections

my beating heart calls out to those entwined with mine

this soul carries a torch for those that have left me

i guess escaping is not easy, only solitude

* connotes selfless; Tao

 

a cheer to joy

in these days of disquiet

i’d walk barefoot on jagged stones
to distract from pain throbbing
in my heart and in my head,
the tumult

if i could i’d sing a song

with words for all to hear
of how things could be better,
if only we would try

sing of how tender the touch of a child

being nurtured on mother’s breast or
a hand upon the shoulder of a son
by a father’s caress

sing of the gentleness of breath when

love comes and kisses your cheek
and feeling soft warm skin
pressed against your chin

i would dance so that you’d turn

your sight away from the sadness
you’ve witnessed and raise a glass
of wine to cheer of joys that
still can be

for if i don’t sing and dance, i

too will be thrown into a den
of distraught and disquiet and
all would  wallow in the mire
 

The Voice Australia: Karise Eden (@kariseeden) sings It's A Man's World

i care

why’d you cry today

was it because of the pain

that comes with love

 

 

are your children healthy

your partner, also

how are you, my friend

will you survive the day

 

 

i ask because i care

we’ve gone days we

have not spoken, written

or called exchanging our

life's wares

 

 

my efforts will be more

from now on to be there for you

if you wish to cry, my shoulder

will be comfort with a warm embrace

 

 

i know i can’t fix your world

nor you mine but we can assuage

the pain if we’re there for each other

showing that we care

 

 

you know it is said

when the burden is heavy

if it is shared the weight

will be lessen and can be

carried till its end

 

 

so call me and i will you

let’s talk and tell each other

about those burdensome things

so that our days will come to be

bountiful by knowing someone cares

spot of wisdom, maybe

once again i open my eyes waging a battle

with the enticement of slumber where the
cradle of my bed with which i shared a moment
of sweet oblivion whispers asking me…
why denounce our comfort, wait awhile to awake

but then the day calls me, also, with its delight

and its mornings tinge of a soft grey
and it says to me…i shall feed you with verve
from my sun’s energy and provide you with
my day’s script for without this your night
would not be filled with dreams

and so, awake, i ponder the day’s calling

to be one of tender struggles, of smiles
and laughter yet also bringing forth pangs
with tears of seeing plight but knowing
i shall consume some wisdom of life and at
it’s end i shall once again introduce the day
to night and reminding them… that in life
there is darkness and there is light

 

now softly i step

my steps are becoming softer

still committed on my path
my voice seemingly more subdued
i guess that comes when other voices
are heard from farther and further away

small joys are in pieces and bits of visuals

that in my autumn years of life seem to be
so ever present and with a keenness, now,  
is my seeing of the ubiquitous colors, their
contrasts and symbiosis of the day’s early light

sometimes i lay coddling my pillow

with a feeling of not wanting to rise
to the seductive sprinkle of dawn
or the enticing splash of the sun and day
but only wish to lie here in the slumber
of the ritual called sleep and play in
the other reality of dreams

but then i remember the constant conflict

i battle within of my days journey to read
and to write in lieu of time spent walking
underneath the ethereal sculptures of
greys and whites that paint the sky
and the breezes that blow back the hair
on my two little family members that walk
with me in the light of day and under the stars of night

i praise these moments, these hours and days
of sight and sound, of taste and touch, of tears
when needed both of soulful stress and
heartfelt joy and the juxtaposed places where
love is found in the forest of nature
and the hearts of those that surround me
but most of all when with the one that has held me
for better or for worse until my soul does depart

 

a wish

what i behold is not what you behold
the aesthetics of my vision are shaped
by my heart, my mind, my experience,

my choice and yours is of the like, but
yours is yours

i cry for the soul that suffers

whose mouth has not chewed food
for so long, whose taste has not had
the pleasure of its liking, and one whose
skin has not felt the warmth of cotton

i must on occasion allow myself to discard

the seemingly unmitigating anguish within
like when witness to a human having passed away
alone in an uncaring and lonely street as
his only friend, a canine, laying by his side,
growling at anyone's approach. undying friendship

i wish sometimes to be blind to all this,

that my heart and soul could not feel this anymore
i wish that my disdain and anger for this
could be felt by the same broken heart, by more

that those who still have but a caring heart

a human kindness, not beset by self imparted
ideology, religiosity or bigotry, would rise and act
against the presence of this inhumanity

i say now in word, stated maybe unjustly by the

limitations of my limited abilities with words,
that when, as destiny will determine when my
soul shall depart, it will be with love in my heart
for all who shared my vision

like the lonely soul i witnessed in the street who’s soul
seemingly departed alone, i share with him similar
moments where in life some family and friends and passing
random acquaintances feigned affection.

when time comes i shall lay my body down somewhere
devoid of all possessions, worldly anchors, but only
with my canine friend by my side and if lucky,
my human love holding my hand

 

a good beginning

i wish to enter into thy warmth of nest

huddle closely chest to chest
if thou let me kiss thy neck
entice the lust in both of us without rest

whisper to me if this be of your liking

soft and gentle with my touch
onto the small of thy back 
and let my kisses do as much

before all this, if i may serenade thee

with a song and words i’ve gathered
having saved them for much too long
for just the right moment when together alone

we have walked hand in hand

from dusk till sunrise many times
sometimes sharing sweet words
listening to the quiet and silence in
the nudge of dawn

we have played in waters running

through tall mountains when the sky
has cried upon its tapestry like
ornamental strands streaming
down their face

we have traversed trails in forested plains

to escape the noise of man’s rumbles
to the disdain of Mother Nature’s ears
for the careless waste of years and years

so when we come together tonight
let us wash away the grime of day
as we sit in a tub of water warmed
i sponge you and you me then caressing
as our bodies to each other, belong

after, we shall lie together naked

only the eyes of the moon upon us
and we’ll kiss ourselves to sleep
until the wake of morning to begin
another day of love at our feet

 

feliz año nuevo

many a daylight reveries and night time dreams

have passed, ruminations and interpretations
of where reality resides. what for are my peripatetic
dispersings in my awakenings but only to depose them
onto sleepless nights of confusion

the god of gods, the maker of my being, provides me

with the will of choice or has he ?
is my trail paved with palatable terrace stones
so that my every step directs me toward a
predetermined path and all of my contorted and
juxtaposed moments are of a duped puppet on strings?

has the residence of my being in this universe of

dark and light, of cold and warm, of noise
and silence, my tears having been heartless
only to the dysfunction of metabolic incarnations
and my sensorial portrayals having been but
valences, less than benevolent and without cause?

 

do my queries even purport anything in the

discourse of existence where if there is
no god of gods, no divine intention or intervention
to give all this some value or worth that we dupes
believe to be the ‘good’?

to this, though, i shall not deviate from my direction,

to give with appreciation of myself even if impoverished
with misgivings to thoughts of godlessness, 
these curious interpreted thoughts of my doing.
for i having noticed smiles of comfort, a joy
and warmth of being, to this i shall go on until
the end. i wish to be integral and heartfelt of all this
for this is what my new year will bring

give of yourself

a veil of tears fall gently

down my face as i ponder
who, for what, i am
they fall onto an open hand
trying to understand why they’re shed
and i sooth the pain by saying…yes i do,
thy heart laments in the sorrow of others

…feeling the burdens of hunger

the pangs of strife and loneliness
knowing life’s music is not heard
when the struggle is deafening

a body left unclothed, sheltered from the cold,

hunger pangs go unfed of mother and child,
an uncaring hand that has so much is
blinded by perceived riches of self indulgence

i catch the tears upon my open hand

holding my soul, my heart tight, walking,
day and night trying to wipe away tears
on faces, share food with child and mother

for when the human heart is promised yet it

becomes complacent, not a smile or touch,
many are scorned thinking no one cares
for even in the presence of others
an emptiness resides within

dark or light

dark , dark ~ black

        surrounds

                  i let it embrace me

                       in this empty space the absence of color
 
             a void without light

                         no longer with fear

portentous disappears

                  thoughts scramble, jumbled

                             breath is shallow, quiet

                                          heart beat slow
    tears appear and flow

                          days bygones

         saddened memories

                  loves lost to the absence of life

                           and so i sit here  

                                 wondering why the past came so quickly

           soon my tomorrows                          will disappear

 
                              is there light

or dark dark

                                        where i will be ?

A musical genius | Usman Riaz | TEDxGateway

Kate Davis- "Glad To Be Unhappy" @Kennedy Center www.KateDavisMusic.com

do you see what i see

while my eyes are closed but cannot sleep

tell me of what your eyes behold
do they see the azure of a sky who shares
its space with those who wish to fly like
the miracle of the mariposa that flutters with glee
where once tethered earth bound and now
it flies free

do your eyes avail themselves to the light

of a yellow gold sun that hovers high
giving nourishment to the plants and trees,
the glistening of the springs that run through
valleys at the feet of grandiose mountains
as the eagles perch on the edges of their peaks

tell me does your heart beat with the rhythm

of life’s drum that is in sync with the wind
that has traveled above the oceans waves
and through the caves and caverns of antiquity
carrying whispers of the past of how love prevailed
over the blood of war otherwise our souls today
would not be sharing the tales of yore
 

do your eyes perceive as mine do even though

they are closed trying to gather dreams of where
two lovers dance as in stories of Brothers Grimm,
foretelling of how tomorrow will bring a calm and peace
unlike what the lecherous speak or the haters reap
but of joy and laughter where our souls shall ever after
be set free like the transcendent miracle of mariposa’s wings

shelter from the storm

as the trees were bending

the wind was swirling, gusting,
a darkness, an ominous setting i
as a storm was evident

there i sat looking out my window
wondering whether my fear was
justified and how to take shelter
not realizing, forgetting that i was
not alone in this fear

i fear the noise, the banging

of window shutters, the gray then
the dark covering all where but
moments before had been clear and
discernible, seemingly to be forever present

the lilies lavender peddles and rosette

bulbs that stood before me and had
been giving pleasure to mine eyes
now had been blown off only a
denuded stem stood

calm and peaceful stillness besets
the canvass with gentle beauty
but when life’s storm rumbles through
what was once beauty before mine eyes
now only tattered resemblances remain

i think to myself, could I have covered

the lily and rose with shelter if i were not
enthralled in fear, concerned for myself
without consideration of other life
that surrounds my every moment

the storm shall pass and i will be left

with only that which i sheltered then
i realized that if all was taken from me
while distracted by my personal fear,
i would be alone. life can be a storm     

lore of love and hope

where before we’d read about in

the bibles’ prophesies or the myths in writ
of old where fires would rage and burn houses
down when once they were homes
all because love no longer ruled and
the ire and the daggers of lust for power
purchased by a currency of jealousy and
judgment railed and by so, the killing of their
children, wantonly, supplanting of their dreams
and futures as destined by the dictates
of a hand clenched and filled of hate

these are readings no longer or in writ

but if one walks out their door they will see
the houses burning as children align
the streets marching in bloodied faces,
torn and frayed shirts from battles fought
with the soldiers armed by the pockets of
institutions from grandfathers whose edifices
were built to house their hoarded truths
and gold, gathered on the backs of native
peoples and those enslaved to maintain the
trophies, selfishly stored, never to be shared
by anyone other than their own

will the souls of righteousness prevail and

take back the land, filling the hands of time with
a writ of history telling of how the children fought
for the rights of all and the good that breathed
nourishment once again into the souls, leading them
to refresh the air, the seas, the land of trees,
leaving myths for those in future reads of how
once upon a time; the feet that roamed this earth
had carelessly assailed its fruits and almost left
a paradisiacal gift in mire for the children of the
future never to behold or stories never to be told ?     

human rights

was but a child of eight

walking on a street so foreign
in a country so strange
felt all alone

a stranger strikes me in my stomach

expels all breath inside me
he runs away and yells…
‘go back home where you belong’

incessant tears cascade my face,

running running not stopping until at my front door
mamasita comes up to me…’que paso mijo’?
i asked..’what’s wrong with me, mama’?

she sits me down with her hand

tears are wiped from my face
gives me a tortilla with butter, sugar
sprinkles, looks at me and says
‘nene, te falta nada, eres un angel’
(nothing is wrong with you, my angel)

hate, I’ve learned, arises for different reasons;

because of differences, because of fears,
insecurities gathered through the years
are groomed by ignorance, stupidity is the
attire of choice.

to this day my stomach aches not from

a strangers hand but from the strain
of hatred running through people’s veins
that cause human rights violations on the
disenfranchised via prejudice, bigotry , racism
with insidiousness for oligarchic gains

 

[ for Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Human Rights

 

 

evolving world

there’s coolness in quiet
a warmth in silence
feeling the presence
of life’s essence

as violins play

and song birds sing
running rivers dream
of an oceans roar

the blooms of Spring

then a sSmmer breaze
array of colors in the Fall
a freeze in Winter’s tease

through it all we've come

the pains and sorrows
but also tears of joy
to welcome our tomorrows

let there be light

our creator said
rest your head
upon my bed

so when the star

shines bright at night
reminds us that
after dark there’s light

 *James Write leaves us with a darkness in these two poems. thought i'd give a little light after the dark
 

entwined

i shall wander into your ponderings,

lose myself in you no longer feeling me,
will see how you see me and as your heart
beats in rhythm of your breath, I will feel
your pain and cry your tears

i will do this and

 
your fears will be mine,
your desires with mine entwine
and as i kiss your cheek
hold the warm of your hand
love will be different as i
drink from the cup of empathy

veil of gray upon us

the day that once covered me in light

now is misty and gray
in the light i’d run like the wind blows free
sometimes as a breeze and sometimes as a
gust so strong that would shake even the
sturdiest of trees

in the light i’d sing and jump with delight

roll around uncaring of twigs and stones
the grass being healthy and strong
all around me would stop to smile and stare
the blue jay and robin would, upon a limb,
perch to see what brings about this fair
the chipmunk and the squirrel would
stop their scurry and sit up on haunches
tiny front feet gathered at their chest

but as the mist and gray fell like a veil

upon the lights rays t’was not only i
who stopped playing but all around me
became so solemn, no longer wishing
to play and so the joy, the delight
ceased and light became gray

hoping the light to shine through, someday soon

and the world will gather this veil of gray of our own
creation, with the same hand, crumble and throw it away
the heart will recover, feel the grass under dancing feet,
rolling about and running in the swirling wind
the chipmunk and squirrel will once again
scurry about, the blue jay and robin will feel
the wind underneath their wings

fly away free birds let not the gray make your day
and realize that all is not 'black and white'
we’re in this together