Southern Cross

This piece was partially inspired by the classic song of the same name which has always been in my soul.

To all who know the ocean,

On the waters and in dreams,

All who know her life song,

Know life is never what it seems,

I have walked in exploration,

Along her lengthily shores,

I have risen above her waters,

As life I do explore,

Since the time I was a man,

Alone along the path,

And when my heart was stolen,

Soulmate found at last,

To feel the waves beneath me,

And the wind upon my face,

Whether seagulls dance in sunlight,

Or the stars mark course with grace,

 I have been to southern waters,

With the cross to light my way,

I have made friends in new cultures,

Beneath the light of day,

In communing with my soulmate,

The depths of life are shared,

She understands my wordless whispers,

For no other love compared,

Sometimes the deepest wisdom,

Has come through silence shared,

Through many shores we've seen,

God shows life's meaning true,
Becoming one with the song,
Each day I travel with you,
The truth remains consistent,
Through any joy or loss,

As we find our way together,

Beneath the Southern Cross.

Sons of The Edmond

This was written in memory of the 29 men who lived and died aboard the Edmond Fitzgerald, immortalized in song by Gordon Lightfoot

As long as we remember those who have gone before,

The are always with us.

They were boys along the seashore,

Young men who rowed the waves,

The felt the calling in their hearts,

For the sea knew their names,

The storm took them from her,

Through rain she shed her tears,

The sun then rose upon silence,

Confirming all our fears,

Then the mourning had begun,

Wives for husbands,

Mothers for sons,

Yet their hearts will live forever,

As long as we remember,

Though our humanity,

We never forget,

These valiant souls,

Shining stars in Heaven,

For they are,

The Sons of the Edmond.

Shadows Among Us

This poem was inspired by the work

"I'm Not There," by Barcelona-based photographer Pol Úbeda Hervàs

Walking among us,

Can you see them?

Speaking among us,

Can you hear them?

When you pass them by,

What are they feeling?

When you speak to the faceless,

The person on the phone,

What have they been through?

We are given each other,

We are like no others,

Individuals and unique,

Part of the whole,

Humanity as one,

The song which continues,

Song of life from the heart,

Sung through air without words.

I am one of them,

You are one of them,

As seen through other eyes,

Can they hear our crys?

Do they know our laughter,

Share a smile,

Deliver some strength,

In times of darkness,

We are the light,

God shining through love,

Never alone,

Under the stars above.

Why I Write

 
We were just following an ad, after making a phone call.  My wife wanted roses, and this lady was giving them away for free.  And it happened again...

It has happened before,

It has happened again,

As we traveled into the night,

With my wife by my side,

My inspiration and pride,

To the reason why I write.

We met them at night,

For roses to gather,

To bloom again on our land,

A daughter and mother,

Both strong together,

In love together they stand.

Illness had come,

Like a thief in the night,

Without a face to see,

Yet in smile and in truth,

From her heart and soul,

She shared words of beauty.

Her daughter delighted,

As dinner she made,

To greet us as we came,

Souls come together,

Background shared,

All of us never the same.

Pain is to be shunned,

Sayeth the world,

Yet it bridges hurt to heal,

Inspiration to share,

Heart’s magic in the air,

I write to share what is real!

Faces

In the past few days, I started to ponder the very real possibility that if there was a way to view each of our souls, something of what are faces portray might be seen.

  

In who we are,

And what we do,

There are no two alike,

Showing where we are from,

In linear blood,

And where we are going,

In all that we do,

Our eyes are bright or dim,

In reflecting passion of life,

Wrinkles that are placed,

Show history of a heart’s joy,

While in other places,

They can show anger’s scars,

From one’s own will choice,

Of how to deal with pain,

And yet there is such gain,

As when you look through eyes,

Which sift the very soul,

Eyes cresting quiet lips,

For what they have seen,

The heart already hears,

And the face becomes a portrait,

Of the soul trapped deep inside,

For as the face before you speaks,

Of a man who’s seen the world,

Or the woman by my side,

With my universe in her heart,

And then the view expands,

From the face of one,

To three,

To hundreds,

To millions,

With each an eternal soul,

Within each a wondrous story,

Part of the eternal story,

Within the song of life,

With different notes and words,

Each one is a page,

A tale of eternal life,

Captured in faces.