never is never forever

 

never is never forever.

the distant sun burns day and night

indifferent to the neediness below.

'I will do what I do for as long as I do it',

he cried in a voice both defiant and plaintive.

the Muse paints, awakening the Poet too long asleep.

 

never is never forever.

waves nudge the sandy shore

and, as the wind explores the trees,

i run my fingers through your soft hair.

gulls circle above like lovers' lips

brushing against the urgency.

around and around.

 

a fire crackles in the evening

and the wine sips away

as musicians bare their souls to the stick-people

dancing, swaying, stomping out their passion

like there is no tomorrow.

they do this night after night

as we dream of gentle embraces,

the heat from our entwined bodies a surprise to you.

'I thought this would never happen again', you sighed.

 

'never is never forever', i replied.

        

5/10/11

Color and Shadow

some roads are never long enough

but well traveled.

their relentless lines wander from place to place

while going nowhere.

you chose a more abstract path,

a different dream,

and followed its bright images

until the shadows, murmuring their sorrows,

sank into the darkness.

the night wind turned away

with a shuddering sigh

and the colors became silent.

7/13/2020

grasping

lifetimes separate us,
like the empty space between two worlds.
the few star ships that could bring us together
are unwilling to transport what fate has cast adrift.

so i gaze into the night sky, helpless,
your distant warmth touches me
as i reach out to you
grasping forever dreams.


5/28/1991

anywhere with you

the streets after midnight tell a different story,
of echoing footsteps and the chill of fog.
the glow of a streetlamp provides scant reassurance.

it rained earlier.
the pavement still shines and puddles dot the walk.
a pale mist rises from them like ghosts.
like memories.

i turn a corner and realize
i have no idea where i'm going,
or if i even have a place to go.

i should be sleeping. dreaming.
in a warm, dry bed somewhere.
or anywhere with you.


5/26/1991

Seeking after the Truth

i broke down the door
trying to get at the Truth,
i thought sure it was hiding
under the bed - or in the closet

it wasn't

the breeze through an open window
sent shivers up my spine
this is eerie i thought

although i didn't find the Truth
i did get around to cleaning my room
now i need to fix that door


5/17/1991

Reason

God created reason
so that man may find a path
leading away from chaos.

man used his reason
to construct walls to imprison his soul,
and endless roads, leading nowhere,
upon which he could lose himself
while racing madly through life
trying to make sense of things.


5/17/1991

a good day

it was a good day to stay inside.
the winds howled angrily
like wolves in the wood,
cold teeth biting deeply
as frightened clouds fly away crying.

it was a good day to stay inside.
fire crackling contentedly,
the wood giving up its secrets,
filling half-closed eyes with dreams
as we lay in warm embrace,
smoke and fire.


2/27/2020

footsteps

most of us stumble through life
footstep after footstep
with only the shifting of the sand
to keep us from realizing
we are walking in circles.  

if the great mysteries of life were revealed to us
would we be amazed?
humbled?
or would we blink and shrug
and continue to stumble
footstep after footstep
until the sand swallows us...


5/14/1991

your eyes

your yesterday snow filled my today sky.

it covered the walk and caused the boughs to bend.

i tried to see it through your eyes.

it will never look the same again.

circa 2008

reluctant dreamer

i am the silence of the night,
the shadow in a dream.
i am the face that stares back
from the stillwater pond.

[you break the image and look away
then wake to add more wood to the fire.
shuddering, you draw closer,
eventually to dream again.]

i saw the tree that no one saw
falling to the forest floor.
go there with me,
help me pick up the pieces.

i am the silence of the night,
the shadow in a dream.
i whisper your name as the breeze
softly kisses your cheek.


5/12/1991

traditions

God grant that each generation
produce in sufficient numbers
those who would honor and preserve tradition,
and those who would challenge it.


5/11/1991

the sunrise

no one saw the sunrise but i,
shivering in the sand.
the soft lapping of the waves, hypnotic,
lulling me until a coal popped in the campfire
sending red sparks in every direction.
the first blush of sunlight
hinted on the distant horizon,
like color glowing on a new bride's cheek.
then, gradually spreading across the sky,
it set fire to the clouds trying to escape.
soon the heat reaches me
and everyone else stirs awake.
too late - no one saw the sunrise but i.


5/10/1991

banking on life

i always thought
time was like money in the bank
and i was a millionaire

but i began to worry
when the interest rates fell
and my credit was suspended

i got religion 
the same day i received
my first overdraft notice.


5/9/1991