(The black darkness was mine once …
none obeyed the command to bend and kneel~~~ a few saw us there…)
I fall on the weeds and stones.
In my blood-stained clothes I breathe in the night air.
Some half-living crawl away…
but I am my one light, alone—so
painless I lie…
there by the cold beam of the moon
softly cry… …!
The Servant-Leader:
The role model …
The risk-taker …
The promoter of others …
The initiator …
Not the moocher—
But the giver
Is the one who will walk
That extra mile—stride
In another person's shoes …
Listen! He and she truly
Lead, and are
Always approachable …
The door of the heart
Never closes—
As she listens,
She learns —
As does he—
They work together,
Avoiding the arrogance
That is ignorance—
Both tend to be
Generous,
They wash
Each other’s feet—
And the feet of those
Who need it most!
Her words are matched by her gait,
And with her gentle grace
Those before her feel secure,
And he becomes
Measured, modest and more restrained!
Both by nature are ‘night birds’—
Become leaders
In the sunlight!
The day is breaking—
Suffused by pinkish light
An ascent into a soft sunlit sky!
Strength of nature provides
The wonder of a solitary flight—
On every side the breeze—
As a bird of prey
Swiftly it soars higher
Leaving behind
The curse of common birds, and their
Harsh chattering cries—
Of clannish dependencies,
And dubious delights.
Flight upwards
With sweeping movements,
Closer, closer to the sun—
Suddenly
Flutter of scorched feather and wing,
Terror in the sound—woe!
Is erratic, bloody, beset by fear,
Weakened—
Sick at heart
Flapping wings in the fall...
Beneath gloomy shades
Brooding dark against the sky,
A river sluggish slowly ripples by.
With cold demeanor
They stare—
Eyelids and beaks
Chill,
The chatter stops.
Dear heart
We may be born far, far apart,
And then—
No nearer than the nearest stars.
Never mind!
What is distance when
Heart and soul are one?
None can keep
Away from you and I
That smile within
Revealing a bond
Stronger than
The golden thread
LOVE itself guards.
It is a hidden song!
Tell me
Whose tender image
Reflects these lines,
And is as penetrating as
The sound of the
Cathedral chimes?
My heart ascends . . .
As I discern
Your heart
In accord with the
Ringing bells
As they start,
And heart its heaven tells.
(July 5, 2013)
So the nightingale
fills a whole forest
with its voice—how wonderful!
When I stand by a brook
as it flows through the land
all the trees are still. So
a small place
is mine—
in the shadow
of Love
such laughing joy!
Ah! Sweet mystery—!
a wind in the leaves!
In every tree sways
a nest, in every nest—
birds. A dream.
The nightingale has gone to sleep.
July 2024
I breathe in the air
It is full of rain
Wet!
A golden flower is bending towards me
All is so still—a solitary at midday!
Gently to say, “Ah, can I come near you?
I am not stuck up… I’m in my place, please
Let me come very close,
And you can learn of my dreaming—
If it does not bring us together, then know, it’s nothing!”
Beautiful rose,
You grow and bloom
Wherever the land and the water is!
Glow and I’ll breathe in your
Sweet fragrance
That is floating by in the cool breeze,
A fragrance all of your own,
So you too
Can rest after the sun
Has gone down,
Until a little bird greets a new day…
Early noon—
Overhead the sun shines brightly again.
Revised 2024
