Beneath rich blue skies
wisdom exonerates time from theft
It’s not what time took
but it’s what it left behind
It’s the maturity of imagining
what it’s like to be unbreakable
…..to be remarkable
This…
is what wisdom teaches those
crawling up the vine
Jul 13, 2020
Jul 13, 2020 at 11:02 PM UTC
In life’s rearview
Rosa refused to stand
Nelson paid the price for his land
King’s dream was shattered by a bullet
which birthed more bullets for the chocolate man
Until we said NO MORE!
Jul 12, 2020
Jul 12, 2020 at 11:05 PM UTC
Awakened by the scent of angry winds...
her heart thrills in anticipation
Others flee
but not she
Instead...rising to
greet the hysterical storm below
Spreading her wings
welcoming the screams
closing her eyes
as she’s lifted
by raging winds
to soar with grace
across bemused skies
Jul 4, 2020
Jul 4, 2020 at 1:33 PM UTC
The year 2020 was the year
grief wrapped itself around our bones
and tightened its grip
as thousands of spirits were ripped from flesh
and hurled into the night sky
The year 2020 was also the year
the cup of injustice overflowed
with rage embracing bitterness
while history demanded
closer scrutiny
The year 2020 will be remembered as
the beginning
the end
the turning point
the arrow that pierced
hope reborn
beauty for ashes
and not simply
as the year of fires and screams
Jul 4, 2020
Jul 4, 2020 at 1:28 PM UTC
A tree stares in disbelief at
an axe with an unsharpened edge
Unsure if its fate is to be beaten rather than
chopped to death
before giving birth to tables and chairs
A pavement recoils in disgust
that weeds and not roses sprout from its crevices
Indignant at the unfairness of it all
Even the pictures painted
by words scrawled on anguished walls
seem to have something to say
While I’m lost in thought
on a park bench
trying to make sense
of masked
lockdown/murdering/rioting days
Jul 4, 2020
Jul 4, 2020 at 7:56 AM UTC
Be as wise as water
and take the path of least resistance
Be as mean as water
and drown all the sorrows can you find
Be a patient as water
and erode all the mountains over time
and
Be as loving as water
and leave oases of yourself behind
© Vivian Zems
Jul 3, 2020
Jul 3, 2020 at 2:35 AM UTC
A view of the ocean
reminds me of relationships
I watch the rocks either
being kissed by the waters
ever so gently
again and again
Or the rocks being pounded
into a form of submission
by an insistent ocean
ever so violently
again and again
The rocks never move
The ocean never gives up
And yet...the rocks erode ...over time
There's a lesson in there somewhere
I'll ponder it later...maybe in a poem
I carry on with my walk under
the hot summer sun
leaving rock and ocean
relationships behind me.
©Vivian Zems
Apr 20, 2018
Apr 20, 2018 at 2:08 AM UTC
When life throws up roadblocks
I don’t sit around
feeling sorry for myself
or letting the grass grow under my feet
Nah! nah! nah!
You’ll find me with my shovel
carving a path
across vast fields
venturing into new terrain
stopping to admire the view
partaking of a new menu
Yeah! yeah! yeah!
An avidity for life
that’s me to a ‘T’
you’ll find me with my shovel
carving the earth before me
Mar 5, 2018
Mar 5, 2018 at 4:20 AM UTC
“stay low, go fast,
**** first, die last,
one shot, one ****
no luck, all skill”
(Unofficial Navy Seal Slogan)
I stand at the graveside watching
as each person steps forward
to throw dirt on the coffin
I study each face closely
and marvel at all humanity
What is it about funerals
that causes all to attend?
And yet in a life well spent
not a visit, not even a scent
I laid down my life, as you see
laid it so they could be free
It must be a sense of duty
now they come to visit me
Oh- the hypocrisy of humanity!
And now another journey awaits me
I soar to meet passing clouds
caught in the upstream of wind
a final glance, and just by chance
I catch your eyes following me
©Vivian Zems
Feb 25, 2018
Feb 25, 2018 at 4:56 AM UTC