It is 5:30am
Back to work I go, again
Same structured routine
Expecting nothing to change

Patiently I wait
Upon the transit platform
A lonely pigeon's cooing
Amidst a darker foreground

I listen as the notes
Softly leave her tiny throat
This unassuming melody
Becomes my soul's remedy

I smile
Lost within her beauty
I am gone
Whispers of love embrace me
As she welcomes in the dawn

Neville said,
"A change of feeling
is a change of destiny"
Today it set me free

Sand escapes the hourglass plane
Each grain a thought inside my brain
I seek what I cannot sustain
As Time she leaves me wandering

Imprisoned in my ego mind
This space my keeper I am confined
Eyes wide open yet I am blind
As Time she leaves me wandering

Each step I take upon this path
I face the devil and battle his wrath
Locked in the mind of a psychopath
As Time she leaves me wandering

With darkness I cannot compete
I bow my head and take my seat
Evil’s looming, I accept defeat
As Time she leaves me wandering

Lost, confused and filled with fear
I contemplate that final frontier
Knowing the result will be severe
As Time she leaves me wandering

A shadow cannot exist without light!
The voices scream with all their might
Hope inside starts to ignite
As Time she leaves me wandering

As shivers tingle up and down my spine
Peace encompasses my soul aligned
In love I sit reclaimed by Divine
As Time she leaves me still

Old patterns, new changes
Idle hands, empty pages
Sleepless nights, days apart
Tattered sheets, broken hearts

Empty promises, Full denial
Forgive me, Betray you
Seeing red, Feeling blue
Depression, Breakthrough

Blind love, uncovered sorrow
Dessert tray, eating crow
Straight ahead, circle back
See light, fade to black

Open road, abandoned trail
Successes, Epic fails
Repeating patterns, lessons learned
Extending faith, Bridges burned

We devour time
like it’s our last meal
gorging on the future’s ideals
as we forgo the delectable
dessert of Now
we savour dried crumbs of the past
long after the expiry date
unaware they are mouldy and stale
repeatedly consuming it’s poison
all the while wondering
why we feel so sick
inside

She’s crying on the stairs again
it may be the loneliness
I don’t ever ask
I know she won’t answer

She keeps to herself these days
sleep her sanctuary
I don’t often wake her
I think she needs the rest

Most days I feel guilty
she needs more than I give
and I often ponder
how much longer will she live

Her mom left on August 8th
Heaven called her home again
she weeps in silence
in the still of night, alone again

I can’t help but wonder
what words do escape
as her lips gentle quiver
and tears soak her face

Court is now in session
With gavel in hand
We are the Jury
And justice we demand

No you cannot plead your case
We’ve heard it all before
We find you guilty on all accounts
and sentence you once more

Your life hangs in the balance
What punishment will you receive?
We the judges;  the all mighty
Won’t offer you reprieve

We are far from perfect
But won’t ever let you know
Why we turn a blind eye
To the persecution we bestow

Judgment is a reflection
of the punishers’ history
and the condemnation
appointed by their own jury

It is all so wry
And plain to see
We the Jury are the punished
And these prisoners will never set you free

Roots of a deeper life
intertwined within this heart of mine
and so the tree grows
watered with wisdom
nourished through love
veins pulsing with the richness
of the vibrancy of life
and together the leaves become
collected in the waves of stillness
as branches untangle and extend
to reach the light of heaven
where the flowers will bloom

Twilight paints persimmon
onto cold winter trees
just before the dusky night beckons
them into a dreamless sleep

a subdued canvas
enlivened with vivid hues
resuscitates dead branches
and they sway to its melodious tune

until every faint ray scatters
as darkness shrouds the sky
civil twilight attempts to turn back time
and failed to convince it not to fly

the drifting sun cast its final shadows
albeit tempted he won’t be persuaded
so the moon silently gathers her stars
to shimmer where twilight has faded

undulating in the night’s breeze
wrapped in the crispness of its linen
the cold winter trees sleep
waiting for dawn to paint them crimson

Who am I that I love a muse?
Composing verse
by light of the moon

Who am I that I cherish the morn?
Inhaling hope from the stillness
of a new dawn

Who am I that I talk to trees?
Embracing their trunks
to connect our energies

Who am I that I adore the blossoms?
Delighting in their beauty
as my hardened heart softens

Who am I that I face adversity?
Weathering each storm
with emotional security

Who am I that I walk with courage?
Stepping into the darkness
knowing through it I will flourish

Who am I draped in compassion?
Driven to abolish suffering
for unity consciousness expansion

Who am I that I display affection?
Care and consideration of others
with the greatest of intentions

Who am I that I yearn to know?
My connection to the universe
and purpose in its flow

Who am I that I suffer alone?
In the depths of ego
I remain disconnected from the whole

Who am I when I accept my identity?
One soul attuned to the richness of life
committing to serenity

Most times I am choppy and chaotic
churning in an edge less void
I’ve forgotten my beginning
and don’t ever think I will reach the end

it is not till the wind turns its back on me
that the moment gives way to silence
where this light has room to be
casting it’s rays past the greyness
above which the blue sky remains

it is not till I am bathed in a wakeful
but silent presence do I know
I am not only the waves
churning, choppy and chaotic

I am the ocean that has always cradled it’s waves expanding with every fallen droplet
of my all encompassing existence ebbing and flowing as the infinite spaciousness of all that is

She walked back in
into the Lions Den
an undeniable fierceness
raging within

She had awakened
a beast so savagely wild
but it was no surprise
to the memory of this child

Though it’s presence was felt
fear was not her concern
She had tamed that beast
every scar they had earned

She took one step forward
it was two steps back
a bold move to bait the devil
anticipating the attack

She led with courage
dropping the armour of her past
the potential risk to survival
would be her greatest conquest

Finally, there was no epic battle
this time, no need to run
One step back in to the lions den
the war had already been won

Bullies have no power
when you realize your worth
so feed your self compassion
and commit to loving yourself first

Wisdom whispers
In the aftermath
As calm greets the storm
And anger takes its seat

Wisdom whispers
In the dead of night
As I cross against a flashing light
And moonlight fills my eyes

Wisdom whispers
In the reflection
As time stands still
And my soul begins to speak

Wisdom whispers
In the break of dawn
As rays give birth to awareness
And adversity has lost its place

A challenge invoking miracles
You talk about the Angels
With that crooked
sideways grin

Eyes that lure you closer
As *******
leaves your sultry lips
You have them hook, line and sinker

You promise to bring peace
And the biggest of all prizes
Eradicate the fear inside
And **** the lies that bind us

You brand yourself a healer
I guess I'll give you that
Not the only hat you wear so well
The "biz" is where it's at

You seal the deal
With love and hope
Many buy your cryptic lies
Desperate to be saved

Once you are In
The magic begins
Mystic tinted glasses
Fit you like a glove

Found a leak in your container
Foundation is more like it
Universal truth seeps through
Exposing your hidden agenda

Many eyes will open to
The deceptions of your craft
The witch that stirs the cauldron
Needs to take a cleansing bath

The space between the trees breathes with me
it is me, I am it
The vastness holding the sky is alive
it speaks to me with wordless truths
and I with it
we are One
a blissful peace becomes the stillness as it desires nothing that I have
while beckoning all that I am
I am home

Don’t just observe me
wander deep into my eyes
Fix your gaze upon my soul
unspoken words implied

Embrace me
captivate my body like you consume my mind
Nurture and be nurtured
let’s enfold in time

Kiss me
throw caution to the wind
Let your lips linger
then please kiss me again

Whisper to me
leave nothing unsaid
Feel the pulsing of desire
as it quickens our breath

Touch me
leave me breathless and weak
Weave me into bliss
until I can no longer speak

They painted her a portrait
that reminded them of her
Told her she was an outcast
She believed their every word

There are no explanations
for their blatant cruelty
The portrait of the black sheep
wasn’t a spitting image of me

I spent years trying to convince them
In every perfectionistic way
Always striving for greatness
but there never came a day

I took to beating myself up
Because I couldn’t get it right
The scars left on this body
Reflect a deep internal fight

Anxious and exhausted
I stepped out of the ring
broken and defeated
by the demons I was battling

I lived my life on false hope
believing the day would finally come
When they would love and accept me
for who I had become

Today that day does not exist
their portrait still taints the wall
but I realize I can’t win this battle
by keeping myself small

So I painted a self portrait
Of much more than what they see
Forever on my wall it speaks
“You are good enough for me”

I devoured it
every last morsel
your beliefs and concepts
the distorted images and judgements
you baked, I ate
knowing they were the only meals
I would ever get from you
I gorged on your infection

Years would pass
before my stomach began to churn
poisoned by your scanty rations
the thought of another mouthful
was more than I could bear
You tried spoon feeding me
But I choked on every toxic ingredient
you blended into my existence

Not so long ago I found someone
who knew exactly what I was craving
she dishes out compassion
bowls full of the sweetest of truths
I consumed platefuls of her love
until I satiated my starving soul
and devoured every last morsel
as she taught me to nourish myself

Today I tend my fruitful oasis
planting bountiful seeds of intention
appetizers of love I serve myself
with impeccable kindness
followed by self-respect; a favourite ingredient in all my main courses
and the toppings on my dessert
generous sprinkles of serenity and awe