You hear that whisper?
You feel that nudge?
It’s leading you to a door
A door of mystery
A door of adventure
A door of opportunity
And now it’s time
My dearest friend
Open that door
Walk into the sunlight…
Winter
On a gust of icy air
Marking the sacred solstice
Decorated with bells,
Candy canes, fireworks
Arriving under cover of night
With jeweled stars above
And snowy vistas below
Gaia’s children safely asleep
Winter came, softly
Like an old blanket
Abating the sun
Eclipsing the moon
The fire of life
Has cooled to an ember
It will shine brightly soon enough
But for now
Dream
Flourish
I wrote this poem on February 13th, 2019 after watching a video of a bagpipe and drum processional. It evoked memories of my cousin Dale’s funeral. There was a similar procession of bagpipes and drums that broke the dam of my emotional reserve; I could no longer keep it together, and the tears were unstoppable as the music played on…
With a flourish
Both young and old
March to an ancient tune
Fierce, implacable
Sharply nasal
Punctuated by drums
Genetic memories?
Or memories from old lifetimes?
Who can say
My Gaelic roots
Are activated, excited
Who knows how deep this goes
The bagpipes and drums
Bring forth a cultural longing
An inextinguishable sadness
And still they march on…
To Be Vulnerable
To sit alone and just be sad
Because of covenants undone
To shed hot bitter tears of pain
And know, down deep, you’ve just begun
To feel the gloomy weight of time
A burden that’s beyond belief
To hear the lonely seagull’s cry
Of chances lost, regrets, and grief
To open up old fetid wounds
That never, ever really healed
To let the light come in at last
And shine its truth on what was sealed
O listen well, my golden friends
Emotions, all, to us belong
For sharing them, you are not weak
Contrariwise, you are the strong!
Tears
Up ahead, a mounting squall
Darkened skies and bitter rain
Mirroring collective pain
Groping for a clear way out
Clouded minds, so full of doubt
Just like that, our teardrops fall
Sinking fast, into the deep
Delving in the ocean blue
Landscape of a different hue
Memories of brighter days
Dancing under golden rays
Weighted down, we gently weep
Floating on a wayward stream
Trying to forget our aches
All at once, the old dam breaks
Rapids howl, there’s no escape
Helpless with our mouths agape
Shattering our sylvan dream
Softly rising, like a kite
Buoyed from our jaunty youth
Knowing that we’ve found our truth
Tears of sadness cleanse our soul
Finally, they make us whole
We emerge into the light!
Vanilla
A warm desert night
In the car with grandma
After the rains
The fresh air filling our lungs
Promises of sweet joy
A knowing wink and a smile
Memories of gastronomical delights
Not the least of all
A taste of ice cream
Vanilla!
Drifting
You and I
Drifting, sailing
Toward the unknown
An ever-changing horizon
Beckons, sweetly
Above us
Sky of black
With glittering stars
Diamonds
A silvery moon
The music of the
Spheres
Lulls us into slumber
What dreams come
On this gentle sea
A faint glow
In the distance
Growing larger, brighter
The bountiful sun
Rises!
Desert Journey
I ride along a lonely stretch of road
Across a cold and dreary desert plain
The grainy asphalt, almost black as coal
Leads onward, straight and true, an endless chain
The snow has fallen, crystals hard as nails
Yet winter’s reign is ending, like the night
Enchanted, in the distance, mountains rise
As sunlight plays among their peaks of white
The road leads upward, skyward, to the ridge
Precarious, and twisted like a snake
The forest view, so lavish, green, and wide
Fulfills a sweet desire I’ll not forsake
And when I reach my destiny tonight
I’ll marvel at the stars, so clear as day
For in this northern Arizona town
My spirit will be comforted, I pray
under a purple sky
under a purple sky
dotted with silver stars
i strolled along a beach
of crystals, small and bright
so peaceful, with each step
like tears, my sorrows fell
there was no past, future
only glorious now!
and then i came to know
that i was, in spirit
far greater than this shell
beautiful, eternal
Autumn
Leaves of green are turning red
Mourning for a summer’s end
Pumpkin spice and harvest bread
Winter’s chill around the bend
Autumn’s here, and in its thrall
Life’s own tempo, runs apace
Kids at school, so young and small
Fam’ly time with warm embrace
There’s a coolness in the air
Days grow shorter, nights grow long
Holidays both old and fair
Sing this time, our autumn song
Todd's Place 