24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
The Universe is everything
Planets are the thing
orbit their suns
they do not hum
galaxies shepherd their many suns
some will become
mighty blackholes
others, bang goes
we are less than a speck of dust
to learn we must
knowledge awaits
we conquer fate
Tethered to the command pod
at the time of advent
a brilliant flash of Knowing
and I sleep.
As it was before, so it shall ever be.
At second light I awaken
and return to the ship.
A new world awaits
and we go.
As it was before, so it shall ever be.
We arrive, plans in hand
for great transformation,
eradication as business plan.
So it begins.
As it was before, so it shall ever be.
I disembark with my crew
the forest calls out.
I can hear it, feel each one.
I go to them.
As it was before, so it shall ever be.
They speak. I listen
and already Know.
It is time.
It is my destiny, as is all
to Know and love.
We can change this
all of us.
As it was before, shall never be again.
My car crashed through the concrete
went falling through the ground
to a deep dark hole filled with broken
rocks and worms slithering around
My car dropped through the concrete
and jolted me inside. I hit the window
with a thud and dared to hold on tight
My car tumbled through the concrete
and when I crawled outside, I saw
the sunset glowing, reflecting in my eyes
Girls shriek and twisted around dangerously,
Orange lights grow large
Insect eyes were windows,
Touched the ground as lightly as a shadow
“Never again”
Marched in obediently
Foraging for scraps of rotten food
Moonbeam illuminate the worn path from the cabin to the lake.
Coffee brewing on the fire, steam rising in swirls.
“Hush,” he said as his arms embraced her.
The morning fog creates a curtain as sip from the canteen of love.
Damn the morning and what the concrete cities bring.
Fir trees line the path, shelve the doubt until tomorrow.
Love waits on the dock.
Dear Younger Me,
You knew on some level that life was magical.
Mystical. Enchanting. Unbearably new.
You were all full of possibilities and dreams,
always too headstrong to follow on cue.
That was always a part of your charm, that absolute certainty
that all life would unfold in a way good for you.
Impossibly it both hasn’t and has. You’ve lived
as you wanted. You always had love.
But life is far different now than you could expect
when your greatest concern is wearing white gloves
out on the field of Friday night glory,
Somehow you’ll be guided always from above
Or within or without or wherever help comes from.
You didn’t know how your religious vocation
would dictate your friends, your loves and your study.
Could you know that New York would be your destination?
How strange for a Texan, your family all said.
More strangely, it becomes your favorite location.
Be ready for five loves, none of whom you’d expect,
One you love now, then the one who made you whole,
One many years older, and one as many years younger.
The best will be the middle, who will love your pilgrim soul.
But birthing two children will fill your heart with purpose,
and mothering will turn out to be your most beloved role.
You’ve always worked hard to achieve what you wanted.
Sometimes you’ve failed, most times you’ve come through,
a professional life to be proud of
though all jobs don’t end happily for you.
Your life will be a good one, you’ve the courage to live it.
Stay courageous, outspoken, bold, balanced and true.
I am a cat
in the summer heat
with a soft breeze that
blows through my ruffled fur
soaking the rays of sun
deep down to my bones
browning my whiskers–
or burning them, really
since I’ve never been good
at tanning
Banana man
Sad and groggy
Soaked in milk
And feeling soggy.
Life looses it’s a”peel”
When you find out, YOU’RE the meal.
And not just a funny fruit!!
Dear Cristy, Sitting at the Hairdressers, 1984
___________________________________________
Don’t do it!
Only two days before the drive
across the Rockies,
through the pass
a ferry ride
to the island, then drive
up the curving highway
home to my second home –
back to Comox
for your wedding.
(Thankfully, your marriage continues
to outlast my hairstyles)
I repeat – don’t do it!
Days before the practice –
the walk down the aisle
to turn and smile as
you make your way
to the future. The photos
that night, in your parent’s
basement – the photos
on THE DAY – pink
and burgundy.
Your long, blonde locks;
your sister’s long, blonde locks –
80’s hair, where everyone
had long, softly curled locks.
Don’t do it!
Days before the wedding,
before the play-list of your
favourite songs, before the food
tables lined with pot-luck
favourites
before the first
dance…
don’t let that beady-eyed
hairdresser shear your
longer than shoulder-length
hair to just above your ear –
don’t let that nasty-toothed
hairdresser put your silky
auburn locks in
little orange rollers,
permed to a
tightness
forever captured
on polaroid –
that belies
your spirit.