Love Needs Its Mystery

Poets have an inner eye and write what they see,

The images might be there but they don’t have to be,

Physical reality often means nothing to me,

For in the shadows a new world yawns,

Stretches, shakes, as a new day dawns,

A parallel world without wars or fears,

Founded on love where there’s no need for tears,

It’s there, existing, waiting for me it seems,

To stir my imagination whenever I dream,

In that world love is more than lust,

It’s a choice, an action, truth and trust,

Love in its fullness ready to share,

Bubbling over into my world and everywhere,

How can I open my world to let love pour in,

Why did love stop and can it happen again,

In the shadows the worlds could meet face to face,

Filling the darkness with love’s sweet embrace,

I’ll look to the other world to provide a spark,

When my world’s problems chase love from the dark,

And when science puts my love under a microscope,

Dissects it, inspects it, and neutralizes hope,

I’ll remind the world that love needs its mystery,

Where everything might be real but it doesn’t have to be.

Secret Identity

Who am I in real life?

How do I struggle with poverty and strife?

Do I need a mask to stand against wrong,

Or can I be myself and still be strong?

Do I need a special cape to take a chance,

Or do I know what to do and take my stance?

Should I step from the shadows and make a choice,

Or hesitate to see if someone else will raise his voice?

I choose to love others, even give up my life,

Joining the battle against poverty and strife,

I don’t need a secret identity to help one or two,

I will be there for someone, maybe it’s you.

"Nothing But the Truth!"

I raised my right hand and said,

“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,

And nothing but the truth,”

The bailiff stopped me, I had just begun,

“We don’t do that anymore, son,

There’s no need to plant that seed,

We try to assume no one lies in truth or deed,

“Then why are we here?” my voice loud and strong,

Isn’t somebody being tried because he did wrong?”

“Contempt of court!” the judge roared my way,

“Lock him up, for a week and a day,

He’s prejudiced this trial, I’ll tell you why,

We wanted to find out who would lie,”

I should have been quiet, like I usually do,

I didn’t realize just what havoc would ensue,

“Judge, I have the answer, I surely do,

Anyone who moves their lips, is lying too,”

His face was distorted, he mopped his face,

“I don’t think you have a clue about this place,”

He rolled his narrowed eyes before he said,

“I wish I was a king and I’d say off with his head,”

Instead he sentenced me to a day and a year,

My lawyer explained until the message was clear,

“Justice is blind, and the law is ruthless,

We challenge each person as if he were truthless,”

“See this coffee cup?” He pointed to the one in his hand,

“I’m going to ask you questions until you understand,

Answer the questions truthfully, and do your best,

When I am finished, there will be a short test,”

He chuckled gleefully, “This is as easy as falling off a log,

I’ll lead you to the conclusion this cup is a frog,”

“But what about the truth?” I asked with some doubt,

“Forget the truth,” he snapped, “we want all the facts out!

We want evidence, arguments, burdens of proof,

When it’s all verified we’ll come out with some truth,”

I shook my head, “If a liar tells the truth, will someone believe?

Or if someone normally honest lies, will you know he deceives?

Is truth a mixture of reality and imagination, a poet’s dream?

Or is truth stranger than fiction, just as it seems?”

The lawyer scratched his head and started to grin,

“If you were a lawyer, I think you might win,

Lying for a good reason, twisting truth on a case,

If you stretch the facts a little, you’ll build a good base,

If you lead people to a conclusion with your evidence,

You’ll win most of your cases if the juries you convince.”

He patted me on the back and looked me in the eye,

“You should know the truth, when you’re released by and by.

The truth must be outdated,

At least it’s considered overrated,

However you can get by,

Whether you steal, cheat, or lie,

If you can get away with it,

Don’t let it bother you one bit,

                                   

When I was just a child,

Perhaps I was just a bit wild,

But Dad took me aside and said,

“This could probably be left unsaid,

But just so you can sleep at night,

Learn to treat folks just right,

Be honest when you give your word,

So they don’t have to guess what they heard,

And if you shake hands to seal a deal,

Remind yourself your word is real,”

Through the years I’ve stayed on track,

And I don’t see a reason for turning back,

I found it true I could sleep at night,

Just because I did things right.

(Part one)

My Life Will Not Be a Stagnant Pond

In my dreams there was a pond not far beyond,

Where everything stopped, no frog hopped,

It was there that it was said it’s better to be dead,

Not much can live, no life to give,

Few signs of activity, the home of negativity,

What went in never came out,

It was a resting place for shame and doubt,

A deathly silence engulfed the air,

And I faced my own reality there,

Things I never did hung over my head,

Conversations I never had made me sad,

Risks I never took deserved another look,

I just waited for life to begin and end,

A bystander remembering talents never used,

Ignoring all that were battered and bruised,

Weeks became months, months became years,

The only signs of life were my tears,

When I woke I danced, for I had a second chance,

My life was a gift and others I could lift,

I decided to take the initiative and lead,

Crossing those barriers that might impede,

Building relationships that were filled with trust,

Flowing and active, living a life that was robust,

Not a stagnant pond, for I’ll keep moving on,

Celebrating life ongoing, reaching out,

No longer is there any doubt,

It’s not about me after all, for I heard the call,

Not frozen in fear but trumpeting loud and clear,

Caring for the young, the homeless, and the weak,

Always wanting it to be the truth I seek,

I’ll sleep under the stars, rail against wars,

Be active in my home and community,

Instead of stagnation, choosing generativity,

My dreams won’t be about what I haven’t done,

But about all the victories won,

And I’ll be happy to encounter challenges each day,

Growing, flowing, alive in every way,

My life stream teeming with life along the banks,

For this second chance, I dance, and give thanks.

Small Simple Things With Love

Small Simple Things With Love (One Poet’s Legacy)

Because I am a poet,

I am wiser than I think,

I see the world with clarity,

Able to mix fantasy with reality,

Discovering beauty wherever I look,

Or find ugliness and mayhem out my door,

I can’t ignore the world and waste my life,

I try to create order out of chaos,

And do small simple things with love,

Because I am aware of life and death,

And within the parameters of my time,

I am working on my legacy,

For a poet leaves more than leaves of grass,

For life’s deepest meaning is in relationships,

For all the experience I learned,

Loves once had, so foolish spent,

Were ground powder fine as the world turned,

But my world is much bigger than loves lost,

My fingerprints have left indelible marks,

Doing a thousand small simple things with love,

Comforting those left standing alone,

Who shed great tears of pain,

Encouraging those who lacked hope,

Lifting their spirits from the depths,

Urging those who needed words of action,

Doing something that would make someone’s life better,

Small simple things with love,

My footprints also linger on,

For I’ve walked carefully throughout life,

Stepping forward in truth and purpose,

Walking tall and unafraid to face the world,

Leaving footprints, I’m sure,

Yet unseen by me if I turn and look,

So I go trudging on,

My words heartfelt and true,

Knowing that my words are powerful,

Solving problems, gathering information,

Abstract thinking, concrete thinking,

Words that have the power of life and death,

Should be words of love and peace,

Kind words, affirming words, a chance to show mercy,

I am a poet and I share my essence,

My heart is open and in my dreams,

I leap barriers that block love’s capricious whim,

I do not want to keep love’s fire without,

It has to burn within,

I am vulnerable to the world,

And my dreams are of love and peace,

Each footprint, each fingerprint, that I leave,

Will be small simple things with love,

For I am a poet.