Wednesday, June 13, 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--

Monday, June 11, 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

Monday, January 4, 2016

What made us friends?






What made us friends?
                                
Well, I'd say:

                        The best in YOU
                        And the best in Me

                    Greeted each other,
                                       in the name of God,
                                       in the name of Good,

                                      Yea! It must have been
                                      His plan --- since life began!




Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Song of the heart....




The emerald song of your heart loves me
And I hold myself up in its light to thee!


Hold me Beloved 
as the Wind of the East 

Approaches the Wind of the West

In this unforgettable Dance of ours

Where our path is not understood
, 

Nay!
 Your buoyancy and my tears

Shall be one song
 that shall be as sudden 

A longing so dear
 from your emerald heart

And soar
 in the midst of the storm,
 and I, 

My lips, 
my heart, 
my poise, shall bend

To thee, to the light of my emerald song!

--eva-maria hogrefe
11.12.14


Friday, November 29, 2013



Faust and . . .
Gretchen . . .




Faust does not seek power through knowledge, but to rise above 
human knowledge denied to the rational mind.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's play “Faust
,” inspired me to compose 
a poem set in a contemporary setting, to show how eternal Love regenerates 
and transforms individuals and thus reveals itself in their lives in its 
fullest power. ------------------------Each verse in italic is from the
 great master-poet Goethe > Faust Part One -- 
(a bit paraphrased by me, and that seen in brackets).




Faust and . . .

 Gretchen . . .

Taken fierce pains, from end to end.
Now here [he is], a fool for sure!
No wiser than [he] was before: 

His thought sober, unspoken, he gazes at a solo flyer,

An eagle going up higher and higher into a calm

Morning sky. He feels the fire of a wish to be as wise,

To leave behind earth-bound views, mortal design’s

False luster, shattering happenings in youth, and

Paralyzing gloom of mentally destructive moods,

Absorbed by an overriding desire for love and wisdom

True, to saturate his mental attire, he scans the broad

Horizon anew. From the heavens at last he hears

An angelic voice: “Love knows the longings of your

Heart.  Be strong!  Fear not!"
This--a brief message, and rich with healing flare

Gives him courage and with forward, easy air,

He calls the one he knows most fair.

[He is] not plagued by doubt or scruple,
Scared by neither Hell nor Devil –
Instead all Joy is snatched away . . .   

Now and here he keeps her in his keen sight.

At length they meet; this is the chance for his desire
To be near her is his way to join an inner fire!
She, in soft shades retires as his intense love abides,
Buoyant with love he yields to love’s demands
In bright light’s enchantment--love on fire has

Commandments: “Be tender, thoughtful, deluge with

Rapture!” Skirting his loins, he pines, “What we have

Transcends a downward pull, and lifts us
 to
New heights. I love you hundred fold, of all
The women I knew, God knows I love you most,

It is YOU who makes me feel whole!

She reflects: “I see … but wait, dear”— she ponders,

“To what height of soaring should we wander?”

To see if, through Spirit powers and lips,
[He] might have all secrets at [his] fingertips.
And no longer, with rancid sweat . . . 

Within his heart burning—turning, “O amazing

Moments gloriously bright, my love, you are the light
Of 
my life.” She pauses … on the brow of time she
Reads
 the sign: “Love’s commencement a temporary

Madness, its oath of dauntless power an intoxicating

Wine.” His voice resounds: “My love, why hush?

Why make a pause as if waiting for dark clouds to part?

The tone of your voice speaks of doubts, doubts make

Trust debark.” She entreats him, “Dear,” with an urgent

Plea, “Explain: You gave hints of flirtatious stints,

Reckless plays with simulated fire, women beautiful,

You said, you desire. You have as friends a group of

Birds for your delight—of one you spoke as funny, light,
And
 sweet, and enjoyed her near your seat on a flight.”

[He] binds the world’s innermost core together,
See all its workings, and its seeds,
Deal no more in words’ empty reeds . . .  

Deep in her throat she cries: “What does that mean?

Strange to say you are flirtatious, even though
You spoke of your own nature godly wise.”
A sigh, “Do you think of God so slight?

Do you expect me to condone a playfulness so wild?

This is false, and a wrong bestows no peace of mind.”

Defensive—he turns and winks. … She thinks:
“He does as if he cannot hear, or wish not
To see the Light.  O innocence, what is my lot? Is this

Empty air surrounding me, a plot, and his wooing the

Fiddle of his art?” Thus she bears in mind the concerns

Of her heart, however, she feels his tenderness

Dispenses bliss; her eyes soft, they blink; she needs to

Understand or sink -- “Gracious Truth, please reply!”

Ah! If on the mountain height
[He] might stand in [her] sweet light,
Float with Spirit in mountain caves . . .

“Is
 not God’s will a constant guide as joyful unity

Provides eternal happiness the bride?” 
He speaks again, “My dearest, have no fear, be patient

With a mother’s son!  Even though this is a dark day --
One thing is sure—it is my love for you!”
As she within grapples, he in-tune with her, dazzles,

“Are you alright?” His caressing voice gently

Persuasive, puts her at ease, and she finds peace.

“My love be bold, perilous notions banish,
Most challenges are over least important

Points, best to let them vanish. There, you see,
Our love is soaring.”  With a voice full of passion,

His behavior—rising, falling, dashing, “You are with
Me, it’s all that counts, I’ll keep my arms around.”

This is [his] world! And what a world!
And need you ask why [his] heart    
Makes such tremors in [his] breast? . . .


Brilliant sunlight, sea breeze blowing, her mind out of
A haze, thus her voice is raised, “Can you hear me?” Asking

With a sober gaze, “Is an accomplished creature, one

Like an eagle so unlike himself? To speed through vast

Skies to apply your wit to earthly gains,
 worldliness and 
Fun?  Such feebleness. … And what a
 pun? Please, tell me
The purpose of such a one?” He now in plain words tells her
Of his own demise: “I am at
 odds with a former wife, she is
A bird of a different
 feather; disproves of my routines in life.
Her fettered mass pitiless applies to loveless

Working of inflicted lies, removing those by words

Heartless, … a callous power of the human mind,
Bustling with friendships of various kind, she

By intent a charming socialite.”

Why all [his] life-energies are
Choked by some unknown distress?
Smoke and mildew hem him in . . .

Alas, her mate one of the most commanding birds in the

Sky, and as such appears as a highly valued plum

On her feathery bun, in the company of dim lights --
He calls to apologize, and explains, “You would have to

Once in a while forgive me for some blunder,”
Casually phrasing, “I think of you with gratitude and

Wonder, you are a blessing set apart.” He then, having

Said this starts his drive to the river where his

Former wife and his child, in a country cottage reside.

Led by the ways of love, Love’s counsel brings release:

“I know you long to see her face, go after her! Don’t
Go in hiding. Have your peace.” He obeys, as an eagle
Discreetly upward gliding, his yearning for her makes

Him spy, and as he finds her, he cries: “My dearest,

When I know the starry road,
And Nature, you instruct me,
My soul’s power, you shall flow . . .  

Why
 are you cautious, and circumspect with respect to me,

I know, it’s conditioned by trouble caught …
we can talk,
As you correctly thought about our 
feelings,
Without holding back, please let us
 return to that
Enthusiastic sharing, to hear the sparkle
In
 our voices and the shear love in oneness daring.” Ho!

On lifting swells of joy she glides but still takes it all

In thoughtful stride, and cheerfully replies,
“The
 worth of love at our side is the strongest force in life,

And it is our one and only might!” Straightway he

Admires, “You are so wondrously wise, I knew it when

I saw you at first sight, let's rejoice, recapture, and

Continue our journey towards even closer ties, and
To
 be more grateful for the evidence of so much joy.”

Ah! In a moment, what bliss flows                            
Through [his] senses from this Sign!
[He] feels life’s youthful, holy joy: it glows . . .

She, “Generous heart, you take my breath apart, know,

With gladness I have spoken of a friendship as

Unbroken.” He answers with delight, speaking in a deep

Voice: “Let us sail the winds of pure love’s token,

In our own heavenly world so bright.” 




--eva-maria hogrefe



(September 27, 2013 -- edited November 28, 2013)