Eyes of the Wind

I wrote this inspired by the emotional performance of Dorota Osinska on "The Voice of Poland".  Dorota is nearly blind physically, but her endless scope of perspective can be heard through the vision of hear heart.  This is written for all of those who who see truly by seeing through the heart.

The notes are rising,

Carried in by the breeze,

Softly engaging,

The eyes of her heart,

Awakened by words,

No ears can hear,

The spirit speaks wisdom,

Which love will impart,

Her eyes see unclear,

As all of ours do,

For light passes through,

With so much unseen,

And to much to blind,

Yet the music is a door,

Her heart passes through,

All things and more,

In images come true,

A beauty beyond words,

Rises up within,

To great to contain,

Pouring forth in voice,

Speaks of joy and pain,

Tears come in sound,

Hearts lift from the ground,

With her soul as the key,

Through her voice we see,

The breeze lifts her song,

As she sees from within,

Gifting vision in her song,

She is the Eyes of the Wind.

Sky Country Spirit - Winner of the Lakeside Library Poetry Contest 2013

This was written for the Lakeside Poetry Contest of 2013 which asked adult entrants to write about cowboys.  I wrote to remind people today of the spirit they embraced and shared, and won the contest.  This is written for all the contestants, especially the students, who showed their spirit of bringing new ideas into life.  I was especially inspired by a blind student who wrote, entered, and showed the power of vision through the heart.  May we all embrace and share the Sky Country Spirit.

There was a time,

Of open spaces,

There was a breed,

Just see their faces,

Eyes that see forever,

Skin tempered by the weather,

Knowing freedom of the land,

Their lives in their firm hands,

They were one of a kind,

Men defining their time,

Riding hard with heart,

Sitting by the fire flame,

They were a breed apart,

Not one of them the same,

They lived on the edge,

Between man and wild,

When tamed by their hand,

Mustangs became mild,

An unspoken song,

Binding their hearts,

A truth unsaid,

Would never depart,

Upon their horses,

Beneath the sun,

The stuff of legend,

The West was won,

Though highways now cross,

The land which they rode,

And the cities we built,

Have become our abode,

Upon the mountain side,

I stand beside my bride,

And it never takes me long,

Before I hear their song,

You must be still to hear it,

And breathe Sky Country Spirit.

The Race of Freedom - (For the people who responded to the Boston Marathon attack - in or out of uniform.)

When the attack happened, strangers ran TOWARDS the danger, when there could have been more explosions, to help other strangers.  That is the truest picture of the American Spirit.

They ran forward,
Carrying our dreams,
They ran ahead,
Carrying our hearts,
They ran free,
Carrying inspiration,
As together by faith,
We stand in strength,
Sharing in joy,
Sharing in pain,
Sharing freedom’s song,

For our faith is strength,

Our strength is in love,

And love is the reason,
We will proceed,
We will provide,
We will prevail,
Together in freedom,
Together in courage,
Carrying their spirits,
In the Race of Freedom.

The Last Train Home

For Lester and Mina

We arrive at the station,

In much the same way,

With eyes wide open,

Nothing much to say,

Babies in arms,

With a world to know,

With our families,

We learn and grow.

We met them in travel,

Along the same path,

A brother and sister,

In love that would last,

Hands on our shoulders,

We walked through the years,

They shared in our laughter,

And comforted our tears.

With a large family,

They were blessed in life,

Mina with her husband,

And Lester with his wife,

Grandkids would learn,

Their wisdom and ways,

While sharing their joy,

In their older days.

We shared time and played,

Our dice games were a blast,

The conversations were warm,

With moments that would last,

On the waters we rested,

In the afternoon breeze,

Through all of life’s troubles,

A precious moment of ease,

We all heard the whistle,

Coming down the rails,

For God sends us his train,

When life’s strength does fail,

Taking one we love deeply,

From our of our sight,

To a place where love sings,

And we live in God’s light.

It is in life to be born,

And each life sees an end,

But this is only a junction,

And is never the end,

Though we must say goodbye,

We will never feel alone,

And reunite in Heaven,

On the last train home.

The Silent Song

A light painting called "The Silent Song"
 

This began in conversation with others during a concert of Gordon Lightfoot where I was asked if I here music in my writing.  I could not help but say yes as the endless music of life surrounds us all.  This is my last piece for my fourth manuscript, and perhaps the theme through it all.

The sky is not big enough,

For all birds to fly,

The land is not wide enough,

For all things to run,

We are here for a time,

We are born,

We live,

We die,

All in preparation,

For true life to come.

A testing ground walked,

With hardship in hand,

Trials and terrors,

Joys and triumphs,

Moments come in the day,

And burn out like a flame,

A farmer plowed years ago,

Where a city now stands,

Footprints beneath foundations,

Where tall buildings sway.

Swaying,

Saying,

Staying in sight,

The Silent Song,

Plays through the night.

Our actions sound,

Like faded whispers,

Yet all do shape,

The heavens and Earth,

As a wind blown seed,

Sets roots beyond the mountains,

Filling a barren meadow,

With flowers to feed the air,

For the deeds of one,

To another give birth.

The sound of all colors,

Are an amazement to the eye,

As I travel among souls,

To which the green mountains,

Sing strength through the ages,

To which the blue oceans,

Serenade our souls free,

As the stars of black space,

Seek words we cannot utter,

They are the muse of the sages.

Swaying,

Saying,

Staying in sight,

The Silent Song,

Plays through the night.

With my words I record,

My travel of all souls,

Though I meet but a few,

I connect through my pages,

For one through another,

We have touched all,

For love is a bird,

We set free into flight,

Bringing joy to the unseen,

Throughout the ages.

The Will of Life

Newton saw lines,
Definition in the universe,
Wheels which always rotate,
By laws which always turn,
A canvass of three dimensions,
Where causes create their effects,
Predictable by life's laws,
If we can observe their detail,
Quite a sensible conclusion,
Which fancied the mind of Einstein,
Who saw a deterministic world,
Where deviance from the norm,
Would be God rolling the dice,
Yet what about the weather?
Simply moisture and heating,
Yet the outcome of the weather,
Seems as random as the stars.
So are the stars random,
Or hanging in perfect balance,
Within an endless matrix,
We only try to comprehend?
For here we are as living,
With decisions in the balance,
Our courses contemplated,
When we can not define life.
Yet our will determines life,
As we set our plans in motion,
Changing things in our reality,
Affecting one another's hearts,
As the moisture in the sky,
With the heating of the sun,
Brings together rain clouds,
Which gives the seeds their start.
So the forces all around us,
Mirror our own spirits,
While changes they do make,
As we change our own lives,
Yet the free will of reality,
Is nature's definition,
For the powers of creation,
Are in the Will of Life.

Failure

We are human,

Do not forget,

You will be reminded,

By your mistakes,

Mistakes being painful,

Reminding me daily,

I am not who I will be,

Reminding me often,

As I look at reflections,

Thinking about currents,

Within dark waters,

Carrying my form,

Away from the shore,

Away from goals,

Longed by the heart,

Achievement unrealized,

Family unfulfilled,

As life flows away.

How far can I see,

Down the river flow?

Can I see the waters,

Just beyond the trees?

I am here for a reason,

We are here in this season,

Only knowing now,

Not even knowing how,

We really came to be,

Nor of future blessings,

Which we cannot see,

While blinded by fatigue,

Underneath the darkness,

Which does not cancel light,

The birds are still in flight,

While around the bend,

Waters clearing,

Within our sight,

The shore is nearing,

As the only truth of failure,

Would be giving up.