moved beyond place and time
on an eternal plane

this is where peace reigns
were love beckons your name.

to become who you really are
realising all your powers to love

that's a mountain to climb
but you do not climb alone.

each encounter with another
rounds the sharp edges

some edges take longer than others
but love will never give up.

When archaeologists pull
something out of the dirt,
they call it a discovery.

I imagine them years from
now, "discovering"
skyscrapers and microwaves
and styrofoam cups. I can see
them with my broken body.

There's something different
about these bones, they say,
something heavy.

There is a message in here
somewhere. There is a riddle
that still twists my hands up.

They said there was a place
inside me where the music
had gone wrong.

I said, There is no such thing
as wrong music.

I've been at myself with a pick
axe for a long time, trying to
discover something new and
groundbreaking underneath.

*just sediment

but one word pounded in my head
echoing in my mind
I have a headache
I feel sick
"No chance... I'm sorry..."
you're not
you don't know
the pain,
heartache..
but one word pounded in my head
echoing in my mind
*"Gone..."

Chinese bells red tassels
scarlet swaying winds
Mongolian warriors on horseback
leather gauntlet falcons
grip with strong talons
Face-bent good and hot
Cheese curds steaming
in the cold winter night
on the mountain snow-covered
steppes step back front
door and took out to the
horizon horses drive towards
the mud and centre of our camp
Young girls wrestle in embroidered boots
helmets on lacquered heads black
as satin and moth wings...

Maybe twilight time
Is a small slice of heaven
Seeping through the cracks

I was strolling down the aisle
We were shopping there in style
With my daughter sitting smiling in the cart,
I was stretching out my hand
For the Martinelli's brand
When the apple of my eye gave me a start.

With the bottle in my grasp
I saw, coming toward us fast,
A high heeled damsel, scarfed and towing her caddie
And she smirked as I, condemned,
Stood up to comprehend
The reason, as my child said "Whisky Daddy?"

There was nothing I could say,
To make it seem another way,
To vanquish the conviction so compelling
It was the color you could tell
And the shape she knew so well,
The question that my daughter asked was telling.

Neil Stewart McLeod

.
                    Time,
                    space
           ­         and everything in between.

                    Heartaches,
                    tea­rs
                    and secrets that don't come clean.

                    Gambols,
                    laughter­
                    and smiles beaming keen.

                    Deep thoughts,
                    aloneness
                    and the dark places we've been.

                    Handholding,
                    carel­ess hugs
                    and ready shoulders to lean.

                    Reckless stabs,
                    impulsive jabs
                    and caustic words we don't mean.

                    Contentment,
                    count­ing blessings
                    and hope we can glean.

                    You,
                    me
        ­            and everything in between.

.