
reflections
Gone but not Lost

Number of days shorten
A shining light begins to fade.
Bearers assembled
Eulogies sing out.
Absence marked
At dining tables,
End of text and phone lines.
Keys, cars and clothes
All untouched.
Cried and uncried tears
All await their turns.
Triggers.
Simple stories and songs
Photographs and jokes.
Oh my lovely!
Where art thou now?
Among the stars?
Flying with the angels?
Watching over me?
Something tells me
My yearn
My memories
Of what weβve shared,
Is my solace.
Your presence
No longer physical,
But still remains
Warm, charming
Undeniably lovable.
You live on, my dear.
Maybe not as I once knew.
But now, in a new phase
Here for me to face.
I learn anew
Life always goes on
Presence changes form
True love never ends,
And you and I
Will always be one.
What Possibilities!

Stride of a stallion
Bridled with passion
Energy magnetic
Endowed with stamina
Forging forward
Racing ahead of the curve
Strength of an army
Yet soldiering solo
Battles conquering
Here is a man
In tune with his mission
Breaking conventions chains
To be that man
To be that woman
Takes more than presence
Yes you are here
Yes you do yearn
To be your authentic self
So silent walk
Or forceful charge
Be sure of direction you go
As it is for sure
That moving you are
Question remains
Do you know where you go….
Reyana

Reyana
Resting quietly
On a family breast,
Reyβnd a love
Of a sweet little babe.
Big brown eyes
And a gentle spirit,
She sang a song
With her own fresh melody.
Rooted deep
In cultures rich,
Sheβs cocktailed to perfection
Both contemporary and ancient.
Princessed with abundance
Yet wise like a Goddess.
Rise my lovely
You have all our love to soar.
Thanks for Giving

At the end of each day
Before the eyes close.
And as the dawn breaks
Before the eyes open.
Youβre marketed.
Drawn by the glitter
The glamour, the clatter.
Youβre hounded like prey
Trapped like the stray!
Heart beat races as if by a thrill.
But poorly differentiated
Is this pleasure and pain.
Are you the consumer?
Are you the consumed!
Are you falling or climbing?
Finding goal or demise?
Yet confused at the summit
As oblivious to this play!
Look, listen and learn
The way of the world,
And rote cloned youβll be churned
Like manufactured humanoid!
Upon the pages of your heart
Your mind, your soul.
Erase, erase the messages
Allowed in by the gull.
The self talk,
The ego
Reinforce the convictions.
Drown out the pound
Of your screaming heart,
Gateway
To the tethered soul.
To escape the cycles
The conformity, the pressures.
Takes a presence pristine
A perspective reborn.
Slow, to feel the calm
So breaking the chains.
Shift the focus
Perspectives can change.
Challenge the noise makers
For phantoms they are.
True joy is no acquisition
Itβs a gift of the Divine.
Weave in your kindness
Your currency of love.
Such priceless commodities
Stock market left dumb founded!
Let the changing light
Take you deep to your rest.
So fully, you can embrace
The quiet of the night.
Then rise each dawn
With the voice of your heart,
Saying,
βThanks for Givingβ
The wholesomely completeness
Of your being
Upon this earth.
Autumn π

Spring came and she was but a bud,
Full of eager promise.
Green in every torturous way
Simply daintiful and delighting.
With the summer heat
She strengthened with turgor
Resilient to the power of the beaming one,
Enriched by each dawn.
Now with the sun distanced,
Shadows and chilled air govern.
She flaps and fights
Hanging on with brittle stems.
Bursting or bruising
Colors brimming,
Amber to terra cotta
And every shade between.
As departure arrives
Her cabaret is at its height
Her glow, her draw
Never greater, never stronger.
Either gentle float
Or sweeping dive
She brushes downwards
Landing with crisp grace.
Piled in with company abundant.
Crumble awaited
To merge once more,
And merrily feed Mother Earth.
Entwined
Now I know
Inseparable
Entwined
Conjoined
We are.
Like the wind
Blows and cools
My brewing heat.
Like the sun
Lights and warms
My lonely times.
Like the rain
Waters and washes
My dulled mind.
You walk alongside
Wanting of nothing
Giving of everything.
Bringing reminders
Of our sublime unity
Over and over.
With every lesson learnt
My weight lessens
Yet my gains increase.
As closer to the core
Of my existence
I reach.
How oh how
To thank,
With this heart
Of gratitude’s fill?!
Eyes brim
Heart glows
Sweet nectar
Smothers my skin.
This is
That promised land
Of milk and honey.
Satiating the hunger
Not of bodily organs
But of my soul seeking
Existence.
Artwork by James A. Eads.
Non Nobis Solum – Not Only For Ourselves.

(Motto of Orchardleigh Village Estate in Somerset, England.)
Great beauty with legacy
800 years and still standing,
Orchardleigh Village Estate.
From times of bartering
To more complexities
Of social structures,
Survival of honor and simplicity,
Depends on the motto:
Non nobis solum.
Unaware
Oblivious
Every move, every thought
Yours, mine
All entwined.
Whether vows of marriage,
Neighbourly existence
Or humans of a given time.
Our lifetimes leave footprints,
Marks on minds
Impressions on hearts.
So tread softly on the blades of greens,
Carefully on jagged gravel.
Speak gently to sprouting minds
And sparsely to older vines.
Love deeply and passionately your betrothed,
And kindly every other fellow on your road.
Now as we leave this Estate,
This county, this land.
One day this planet.
Leave only what can be enjoyed.
Leave legacy of life lived well.
Life full of love and joy.
Debut Poetry

There’s that book, on the bookshelf, it’s a treasure trove, full of every word you always wanted to read, speaks to what you’ve felt, what you know and where you want to go in your journey in this life… and even though you know each page, every once in awhile you have to pull it off the shelf…
Prior authors for me have been, Tagore and Gibran…
A lofty statement, but here is another from today’s world.. Atul Ranchod, with his debut book, Top of the Water…available on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/atul-ranchod/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aatul+ranchod
The first poem in the book is ‘Human Time’… when I first came across this poem it inspired me to make this audio recording…I hope it gives you a taste for the book..
Embrace Time

In this cavern of time
Seconds tick
Hours slip
Days merge
And years fly
‘Tis human nature
To grapple and look
Ask,
‘What happened in all these years?!’
True wonder
Laid in tiny seconds
Just as every raindrop
Yields a forging river
As every sun ray
Sprouts fields of grain
So does each second
Culminate to those years
Capture the magnificence
Look no further
Raindrops fall to your feet
Sun rays beam on your face
Moments delivered as breath
Tune into this finite time
The song and dance is on
No vocals needed
No taps shoes required
Once tuned in
The music is on
Yet midnight will strike
When magic runs out
The carriage disappears
So be forewarned
Do not procrastinate
Quiet yourself
Listen for the song
Feel the dance
Be in your present
Let melody and rhythm unfold
