Category: Poems
The True Way
Have you ever braved the lonely road?
For we are here but a short time,
And the wind blows us all away.
Have you ever braved the lonely road
And found your true way?
Have you ever sung your own song?
For we are here but a short time,
And the wind blows us all away.
Have you ever sung your own song
And found your true way?
Have you ever loved?
For we are here but a short time,
And the wind blows us all away.
Have you ever loved
And found your true way?
Literary Challenges
Making my way slowly, arduously, and meticulously through the Odes of Horace and Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Not for the faint of heart.
No One Else Now
Alone.
No one else now…
Not for years.
An empty corridor leading to
Another empty corridor…
And another.
Alone.
There is no one else now.
But there is unbounded freedom,
And the world beckons.
Alone.
There is no one else now.
Will I succumb
Or take flight?
Retiree
Morning stroll.
Crossing a bridge over a busy highway.
Below, cars jockey for position.
At high speed, they dart in and out,
Passing one another,
Frantic to get somewhere quickly,
No matter the risk.
I walk on.
Every forty yards or so, I hear the next birdsong…
Each repetitive, but musical and unique, and therefore beguiling.
Relentless, they call out for a mate every morning.
They are so determined,
And will not be denied this.
Now in my 70s, I am in no hurry to get anywhere.
Nor do I need to mate.
What’s left?
Musing from quiet observations.
No One Else Now
How alone I am.
No one else now.
Hasn’t been for a while.
Isolation…an empty corridor leading to but another empty corridor.
How alone I am.
No one else now.
But there is unbounded freedom, too,
And the world beckons, an open invitation.
How alone I am.
No one else now.
But will I succumb
Or will I explore?
Weathered Steps, Old Friends
Steps to the back door…
Not even a fleck of paint remains…
Wood worn and frayed at the edges.
Years and years of faithful support.
Always there to help you inside,
While dismissing the harshest weather.
They still bear up, uncomplaining, under heavy weight,
But greet you happily in the morning,
And wave a soulful goodnight in the evening.
Silence
Never proud in death’s sad embrace,
And when the winds blow and the harsh rains descend,
The soul doth but meekly ascend.
Here but a few moments in fleeting time,
When it is time to go, we do not mend,
As the hourglass comes to its crushing end.
Nothing to say about such a journey…
No soothing comment for who must follow.
Silence — the only reply from the cavernous hollow.
Divergent Attitudes Toward Death
“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Dylan Thomas
“Just as if a god told you that you would die tomorrow or at least the day after tomorrow, you would attach no importance to the difference of one day, unless you are a complete coward (such is the tiny gap of time); so you should think there no great difference between life to the umpteenth year and life to tomorrow.” Marcus Aurelius
“You are a little soul carrying a corpse.” Epictetus
Let It Go
All the disappointment;
All the heartache;
All the despair.
Let it go,
Let it go,
Let it go.
All the hardship;
All the failure;
All the sorrow.
Let it go,
Let it go,
Let it go.
All the grievance;
All the resentment;
All the anger;
Let it go,
Let it go,
Let it go.
Be here now,
Be here now,
Be here now.
That is all.
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