How did the poet say?

A gift from One, Boundless Being ---
Ah, such adds no sorrow to our joys, for
We certainly can hold fast that which is good!
And cherish the enrichment of our soul! -- 
How did the poet say? "Clear and sweet is my soul...."
Those that are slow to anger are the strongest because
For them a wise estimate of consequence
Guides all motive and action.---
O but false pride goes before destruction,
And so a haughty attitude before a fall!
Better is humility--you, dear friend who handles
A matter wisely has peace!
Like you, the wise shall be called Prudent!
And does not the example of their thoughts and character 
Increase learning and understanding?
Surely your pleasant words are as a honeycomb i.e. sweet?
For the soul they are as a summer shower--
But think of that leader who has loose lips--
Is not he a pain to the heart of the people?
Can a man cast self-love behind him? Nay!
For as he thinks, so is he!
He that loves transgression loves strife--
Does not a person that has knowledge spare his words?
And by the use of reason
Check mindless impulse? --
A person of understanding
Shows an excellent spirit. Good counsel is like 
Clear water; however
Only the wise know how to draw it out!
Does not the just man walk in his integrity?
To him God is as an intimate friend!  
There are things too wonderful to speak of:
A strong, gentle nature, intelligence and richness of discernment--
Many such things are an everlasting foundation!
A person possessing mental strength bows before 
The unity of the one Mind! --he fans it's inner fire! 
Ultimately the heart will bend towards Love,
Forever shining bright in splendor, day and night as if 
On an arc of rainbow colors!--
But evil has no place thereon, 
It rages on the dark surface of a furied lake, 
Reckless and destroying everything in its way--
Thus at the end evil destroys itself.
I say,"Yea,--in goodness we live!"
For wisdom recollects the higher ways
Until we reach the mobility of its inner strength,
And in somber compassion and stillness
Angels of our better nature blow the fresh winds of peace!--
Bells ring melodiously in the distance,
Holy memories reinstate themselves
And greet us to the world of spiritual metaphysics,
Where the wilderness and the solitary places
Rejoice and bloom as a rose----! 
Strengthen your hands and feet,
Be calm and confident, and fear not! --Surely 
All sorrow will flee like chaff before the wind!--
Your joy will be reflected in still waters and green pastures,
And in those prosperous fields of the verdant earth. 
Behold! Multitudes 
Of brooks, trees, blossoms, birds and sunrises,
And-- moved by time, flowers blooming!
These are for all creatures
Throughout the manifold lands far and wide--
They'll arrive at Love's call.  
Vistas open! The moments that make us happy
Make us wise! And --
We shall exult!


--Eva-Maria Hogrefe / May 2018 

Manage

Spring

The nation 
Is troubled,
Mountains and rivers remain.
In the city
It is spring,
Grass and trees grow deep.


Emh--2018

In a troubled world

In a troubled world
Rivers and mountains remain—
Mothers weeping—
Broken hearts,
Separation—a startled bird's cry!
Blossoms scatter tears.

Emh--2018

Here I Stand

Here I stand
In the midst of my friends
By way of parentheses--
The musician; the sportsman; the father who raises his child; the conductor; the Chef; the mountaineer climbing the heights of the world-- winds spitting snow; the traveler, the farmer who works his land with his own hands; the botanist; the gardener; the grammarian rich in years; the journalist who withdrew to a country home; the pilot; the retiree, whose loneliness an image flowing to the edge of the sky; the actor; the designer; the mother who guards home--a weaver of dreams; the accountant; the spiritual explorer for whom Mind is the essence of all things; the recluse with a long beard; the entrepreneur; the artist who "frames" what is in his sight--
By way of parentheses--
The musician; the sportsman; the father who raises his child; the conductor; the Chef; the mountaineer climbing the heights of the world-- winds spitting snow; the traveler, the farmer who works his land with his own hands; the botanist; the gardener; the grammarian rich in years; the journalist who withdrew to a country home; the pilot; the retiree, whose loneliness an image flowing to the edge of the sky; the actor; the designer; the mother who guards home--a weaver of dreams; the accountant; the spiritual explorer for whom Mind is the essence of all things; the recluse with a long beard; the entrepreneur; the artist who "frames" what is in his sight--
And I sing 
A song of the innocent hearts
And we thus behold the emerald light 
In all creatures!
As the Wind from the East
Approaches the Wind of the West
In an unforgettable Dance of Nature
Where it's path is not understood!
Nay! The buoyancy and its tears 
Shall be one--
A longing so dear for the trust
In Love, but we are buffeted by the gusts of chance
And drenched by the rains of disappointment--
We hear the voice of a contemptuous man, but justice
Will find him! Words cruel with sarcasm and mockery are like
Flies sucking an open wound, swell in another's misery.
But I say, "wait!"--
The fire will separate the flame, for the lie is not consumed
But exposed! The wilderness will shake, and we have the courage
To wait upon the Truth, for It strengthens each heart!--
Only we can be the captains navigating the sea
Of our lives!
Only we bind our world’s innermost core together,
See all its workings, and its seeds,
Deal no more in words’ empty reeds . . .  
Look at the flowers that bloom, a mystery
In the pollen
As well the humming bee,
For these we bow and smile!
Clouds chase the wind over a stream--
And we hear birds singing 
In white blossoms of spring!

---May, 2018--

roses

A shame to pick them
a shame to leave them--
the roses

2018  emh

Wave after wave

Spring rains--
lunging at the sea
wave after wave


2018 emh

I gain the day

Rose-colored shawl
For the naked neck--
Not just rose in color
But warm--
And I gain the day!

2018