Life is full of twists and turns

     Happiness / Sadness
          Anger / Joy  
      Passion / Indifference
           Love / Hate

Opposites at first glance,
     each necessary in their own time,
    each with a purpose.

Like the swing of a pendulum,
     each tick-tock is inevitable,
each turn in the road purposeful,
     showing us something
         we need to learn from.

If we do not learn,
     it passes us by,
          and it will pass us by again,
     and again,
          and again,
until we learn the lesson
     life intends us to learn,
          then it will move on.

Tick-tock, tick-tock,
     swing left, swing right,
higher, lower,
    until we reach equilibrium,
then tick-tock,
     tick-tock
           all over again.

Live, learn, love...
     Live, learn, love...
          LIVE, LEARN, LOVE!

Balance is the Key.
     And Love!
     And Life!

And to take each day as it arrives
     and make the most of each opportunity,
each smile, glower, crisis and peace in its stride,
     and at the end of the day
          to be able to say:
I have LIVED this day!

Tens of millions
   Of invisible strings
      Hold the world together

As strong as flowing water
   As flexible as the will to live
      As inevitable as time passing

Get hold of one and pull
   And the vibration will echo
      Far beyond the here and now

Normality
   is a myth
      something
   they tell
you to
keep
   you
      in
         line

We sit here
   Bemoaning our fate
On this rock we call Earth

The only one
   In billions of light years
Deigned to jump start our birth

Sheltering us
   From cosmic rays

Surrounding us
   With abundant life

Supporting us
   Despite our ways

And yet...

We still sit here
   Basking in self pity and hate
Pillaging this lonely rock called Earth

Dark eyes that peer out in wonder,
   exploring and discovering
      the new world around him-
Deep eyes heavy with silent knowledge
   of a world beyond ours,
      yet to be forgotten.

Shimmering eyes flooded
   with unconditional love
      of the purest kind,
untainted by this bitter life
   and with unwavering trust
      that he is loved back.

A smattering of stars
     Strewn across the sky
Little pinpricks of light
     Blinking in the soft night air

Planets and Moons
     Suns and Stars
Constellations and Galaxies
     Clustering together
Against the darkness between them

Light from far-off worlds
     Light visible to us
          Light visible to each other
     Light the language of the universe
Light the conversation in the multiverse

And yet we stand here
     Human Beings on this our planet Earth
Contemplating in the soft night air

Feeling large and powerful and in charge
     Our hand is larger than those pinpricks of light
We hold up our hands and block out the light
     And darkness swallows the night

Feeling small and insignificant and adrift
     We are programmed to seek the light
And in this seeking we come ever closer
     To understanding the true nature
          Of the conversation of the multiverse

Wild Child
Crouched inside
A naughty grin
As eyes go wide
Hair untamed
Covered in leaves
Acorn in one hand
Ladybird in the other
The trees her father
The earth her mother

He has slain the Dragon
It lies unmoving before him
The light slowly fading from its emerald eyes

Draped over his weary shoulders
Is the dragon's fiery tongue
Its blistering stranglehold easing as it dies

Dragon blood of the purest blue
Splattered across his scorched chest
His valiant heart still beating at the speed of light

Alongside his sword and scabbard
His heavy shield lies shattered
caught by a single deadly dragontail swipe

Patches of its skin and thorny scales
Have covered his battered arms with scars
A forever present reminder of this epic night

He bows his head in solemn regret
To be standing here victorious
He had to take this magnificent life

Cascades
   Cascades of thoughts
Like stars sprinkled on a cloudless night sky
   Emotions clouding me
   Emotions crowding in on me
Like the grayness of a rainy day

The road behind me is winding but clear
The road ahead of me is shrouded in mist
   Walking on because I must
Eyes wide open because I must
Words rippling around
   There must have been a point
   A point to it all

Words strumming the echoing strings of the emotions
How much of me have I lost?

Shadowy shapes in the darkness ahead
Taking form then melting away
Is there more to me than meets the eye or less?

Fragmented
   Chaos
      Space
Whirlwinds of Nothingness
   Time lost
      A white light in the distance
Hope
   A yellow flicker-flicker in the dark
Peace
   Possibilities

Undertaking to puzzle the pieces back together again
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Love is the glue
Hope is the catalyst
Light is the way shown ahead

Shadows slowly ebbing
Peace returning
Pieces
Needing to be whole again

“Why? Why? Why?” I shout inside
But on the outside I nod and smile

No peace
Just pieces of me
Shreds of me dangling in the wind

Rambling
I am
Sensing it all
Touching the sides of places not touched in a while

The Poet inside me awakes
Chaos thrashing around
And a smile to me makes
A rippling rebound

Ripples
Ripples with potential
  Potential to upset
Potential to change
Potential to rearrange

Turning the world around
The right way up
The right way round

Rounding off my love affair with myself
Self-judging
Self-repressing
Self-loathing
Self-denying
Se­lf-controlling

So self-satisfied I don’t need you

Self-burying
Deep
Deeper still
Deeper within

I can
I will
I am

A step in the right direction
One step away from chaos
One step closer to the truth
Chaos is just a state of otherness

Ebbs and flows
   Ebbs
And
   Flows

A ripple effect on a still pond
Where ripples meet
Not a sound
Not a breath of movement
Immobile
The eye of the storm

Peace
Less pieces of me
More sanity
Another bad taste in the mouth
Another plane of existence challenged

But more importantly
Opposite ripples meet
While together they are moving in the same direction
With the same goals
With the same plans
With the same dreams

Purpose

I am split inside
Needing to join the apparent contradictions of me
Into a single entity

Whole
At inner peace
At inner strength
At inner me

Rhyming
Reason
Purpose
Peace

Self-doubt
  Always constant
Changing moving
  Movement changes
Chaos order
  Ordering chaos

Up down
Down up
Sideways?
Surely it’s just a state of mind

Rebel
   Peace Maker
One and the same
   Living side by side at opposite sides of being

Waxing prophetical
   Philosophical
      Lyrical
         Satirical

Yet

Inside weaving a web
A soft cushion against the harshness of the world

Surely I have said enough
But not nearly enough at all

Sleep, as the healing within begins
Waking on a different plane

Slowly but surely
   Hope
Peace
   Definitely
      Me

Do I have something to say to the world?
Or merely a need to listen to myself listen to the world?

so fragile
     like glass
destined to shatter
     but when the sun catches her eye
nothing else matters

My soul lies prone
Trapped under
The weight
Of the world
Squashed
Pressed flat
Against
The ground
Lifting it
Requires
More energy
Than I have
So I will myself
To accept the
View of the clouds
Passing me by
From this
Flat
Flat
Perspective

Pitter
  Patter
Ever thought of the life of a raindrop
  Flying through the atmosphere 
Such an idyllic trip
  Then Splat!

Shhh
   Shhhhh
But that's not the end of the story
   Filtering through rocks and sand
An inevitable journey
   Then Splash!

Swishing
   Swashing
Travelling in underground caverns
   Darkness slowly ebbing
Light sneaking in
   Then Flash!

Trickle
   Trickle
Rivulets become streams become rivers
   And all the while flowing to the ocean
A delightful destination
   Then Ouch!

Whisper
   Whimper
Old Sol beams down his scorching rays
   Drawing water vapours into his embrace
Rising, grouping, clouding
   Then . . .

Finding inner peace
   is like
Searching for a cat
   in a
      Hurricane

shh
hushed
a breath held
for a brief second
an echo of a heartbeat
as trepidation creeps inside
almost silently tiptoeing in
taking root in tiny cracks
settling like grey mist
upon a weary soul
seeking shelter
breath held
hushed
shh

Pitter
  Patter
Ever thought of the life of a raindrop
  Flying through the atmosphere
Such an idyllic trip
  Then Splat!

We are South Africans
   We live in a real live circus

The Clowns run around acting serious
   just one look at them walking proud
      and the World laughs out loud

The Chimpanzees run amok
   Their handlers ail of Culture shock

Chasing Trapeze artists round the ring
   Men on stilts are finally suffering

The Lions have sold their claws and roars
   For a few extra child subsidy encores

The Tigers crouch in fearful shame
   The latest casualties in the Blame Game

And the crowd just stares on dazzled
   As everything fails, likely embezzled...

Darkness so resilient
   It's vastness is too great to grasp
Throbbing veins of light, so feint,
   Turn out to be clusters of galaxies,
Each unique, a masterpiece, brilliant

   Black Hole so silent
Slowly slowly swallowing
   Devouring the light
Gathering, trapping, binding,
   Each galaxy's unwavering pilot

Stardust cradled with light
   Nebulae stirring and Supernovas exploding
Worlds colliding and Comets a-flight
   Violent beginnings and violent endings
Each a link in the chain of Life

Unlike that famous song
   Words can come easy
When arranged just right
   They can numb or astound
Pack a punch or a hope
   Make you laugh or cry
Deepen the darkness
   Or enlighten the soul
And in the depth of despair
   May bring a glimmer of light
      To ignite a spark in a heart
   Here or in some far-off Galaxy

The sun rises over the red horizon,
and sets again as the red clouds roll in;
The moon which had once shone so bright
can hardly be seen through the smokey night;
No more do the stars shine as they had before,
and the smokey red sky seems easier to ignore;
Red tinted buildings crowd around the one place
which seems (for now) unaffected by the waste
of the threatening endless sea of dry red sand
and the harsh hot wind that burns the dying land;

Hidden behind the stone walls of that red city
sits an old man, huddled in a chair, mumbling: "Pity ...
Oh, the pity of it all ..." and talks of things that used to be
To tired dusty children perched around his knee;

He watches their intense delight as he tells his tales
of a different world (not too long ago) without hot gales,
of how that world used to flourish in lushous green
- a colour which has never since on this earth been seen -
of how that land was covered by the most beautiful flowers,
and of how he, as a child, used to while away the hours
in fragrant fields of green grass and tall trees spread about;
He told of animals which not too long ago had roamed about;
He told takes of soft white rabbits, of ferocious lions and tigers;
He told tales of history,  of adventure and deadly dangers;

And then he'd fall quiet and smile at the children sadly
as they looked up at him expectantly;
Then he tells them in his own special way
of how such a beautiful world became what it was today:
"Oh, the pity of it all ... We had it all those yesterdays,
but we were selfish so we threw it all away!"
Then the story-teller of yesterdays would sigh in despair,
snuggle up comfortably, and doze off in his rocking- chair ...

From my point of view
   I am always right
From your point of view
   I am totally wrong
From his point of view
   I am out of my mind
From her point of view
   what I do is so alien
From their point of view
   I mean absolutely nothing
Perspective is ever changing
   But always needs a key

Wondering in the corridors of my mind
     I came across a different time
It was so familiar I felt at home
     At the same time it was so bizarre
          It entangled my imagination
Up was down and down was around
A field of mirrors reflecting sounds
     Like fire flies in the moonlight
I drank in the sight
     and it tasted of long forgotten memories
I touched my fingertips to the sound
     And a symphony echoed in my heart
I breathed in the feeling
     And nostalgia filled my taste buds
I heard the aroma of lavender fields
     Celebrating the first rays of the sun
I tasted the echo of drops of music
     Painting to the rhythm of far-away drums
          And in the middle of it all
               I met my soul
          Why are we here, I whispered
     Because we are here, boomed the reply

The morning alarm has rung
     But getting up is getting old
The sun is shining outside
     But my coffee cup is cold

What comes to mind is a whip
     To chase me outa bed
Either I get up and get going
     Or lie around like lead

And yet time slowly creeps by
    And I'm still cuddled in this cocoon
Waiting wondering anticipating
     For someone to pop this inertia baloon

From the
   very first
      moment
   we take our
very first
   breath
      in
   this
life
   we
      start
         to
            die

Death
   is a part of life
Death
   is inevitable
      but
run run run
   is all we do
      run run run
   all the way
      run
         run
            run
               away

Needing space, I have to say
   Just a little space today
Just enough space so I can breathe freely
   Without letting go completely
Space to contemplate existence
   Without too much interference
Just enough space to find myself
   Without disturbing the dust on the shelf
Space to push a little at the world out there
   Without it pushing back everywhere

Thunder in the distance
Rumbling ominously
This dry dry earth longs for those
Precious few drops that promise to fall

The wind blows the dust around
The wind blows the dead leaves around
The wind blows the hot dry air around
The wind just blows and the sky is brown

The wind stills for a moment
And the earth sighs
But the rain does not fall
Not a single drop to quench her thirst

There is a long long pause
And then nothing
The wind sighs a silent sigh
And then a drop falls

Another drop follows
The earth holds her breath
And another drop falls
and then another

Pretty soon the rain smell follows
Forgotten is the heat and the dust
Forgotten is the oppression
Only concentration on the drops

Each drop life giving
Each drop rejuvenating and cool
Each drop precious
Each drop quenching her thirst

Eyes blinded by sight
   Hands numbed by feeling
Smell suffocated by senses
   Heart crushed by blood
Humanity shrouded by shadow
   Love drowned by greed
Dreams displaced by reality
   Wisdom replaced by savvy
Sunlight blocked by pollution 
   Trees reduced by buildings
Time accelerated by technology 
   Souls infected by emptiness
Earth overrun by humans

Relaxing to the core

Watching the blanket of stars
   decorating the sky above me

Smelling the soft scent of plants
   as the wind caresses my face

Listening to chirping crickets
   competing in the darkness

Tasting the absolute nostalgia
   so palpable on the night air

Feeling the powerful silence
   of the earth beneath me

And of course giving in return
   as mosquitoes join my therapy

Deep inside
   where nothing's fine
      I've lost my mind
   to the poet inside

Mind awash
   with turmoiled thoughts
      I close my eyes
   and begin the slide

Words ripple
   awakening forgotten feelings
      I breathe in poetry
   and finally turn the tide

I love to create
Imagining a world
I have all to myself
A beautiful planet
I'd be free to roam
Lucious meadows
Bustling with life
Rolling hills framing
Magical sunsets
A world uncorrupted
Free from heartache
But the problem with
Creating something
So stunningly beautiful
Is that it eventually
Becomes extremely hard
To return to the real world
So as each day passes me by
I retreat deeper and deeper
Into this unreal cocoon

If you go against the current
You become too weary to go on
And eventually sink into darkness

If you go with the flow
You watch as the world goes by you
And eventually drift into indifference

If you can find balance
You make small adjustments as you go
And eventually survive the experience

Brains out
   wired wrong
Inclined to see the dark
     And shadows
       But
   We forget
That we only see shadows
     because the sun was shining
And we only know sweet joy
   Because we tasted
     Bitter pain

I open my eyes after the longest time
searching for any remnants of the light
that used to brighten the corners of my soul

and suddenly realise the search was in vain
that the light inside kept the night outside at bay
and that darkness had saturated my soul

I close my eyes and beathe in the darkness
focusing inwards on those dying embers
using the darkness to fan their faint glow

and ever so slowly start to see echoes of light
softly penetrating the darkness within
and a trickle of hope lingers on the horizon

A teardrop
     escapes
slowly meandering
  down the ***** of
her tear-soaked face

A sigh
     barely audible
hanging on her lips
  gets swept away by
a cold autumn wind

A stray
     lock of hair
dangling unnoticed
  as her eyes focus
beyond the horizon

A fist
     Unclenching
hangs by her side
  as anger fades and
resilience takes root

The sky is an artist
painting beauty for all the world to see
all you need to see this beauty
is to look up at the sky
at just the right moment
and appreciate the spectacular array
splashes of burning oranges and reds
placed perfectly on the backdrop of blue
fading and blending to purples and greys
the wind swirls the clouds
and the sun provides the light
but it takes an artist like the sky
to make a masterpiece
as the last rays of light hit the horizon
the sky absorbs them
and holds onto them
for as long as she can
and she uses them
to make the most beautiful sunset images
just for you and me to see

If only
   We could close our eyes
And click a switch
   And wake up in another world

A world where happiness is the only currency
   And hope is as abundant as the air we breathe

A world where a good word is precious as gold
   And a smile is worth a thousand words

A world without senseless suffering
   Where life is a precious commodity
      And all life is in sync

Obviously
   A world far
      Far away
         From this one

But dreams are dreams
   And wishes are wishes
      So I'll just let them be

I'll close my eyes
   just one more time
And click the switch
   And one day there I'll be...

Like the millions of stars
Which shine late at night
Each star cast adrift in space
Following its own flight
Or the millions of grains of sand
Which scatter the beaches and sea
Blown by wind or washed by water
Each following its own destiny
So scatter the tiny fragments
Of my broken heart
Broken by a man who shot
Askew with Cupids Dart
Now I'm left in the shadows
Of a love that could have been
Wondering aimlessly like a ghost
Searching for the scene of its crime...

You are the streak of sunshine
   that breaks through the clouds on high
You are the ripple of laughter
   from happy childhood days gone by

   Without your caring smile
I would be a hollow shell
   with nothing left to give
 
You are the glimmer of moonlight
   serenading a lovers' embrace
You are the murmur of forgotten dreams
   ricocheting into outer space

   Without your unwavering support
I would be adrift
   in the ocean of life

You are the flicker of flames
   dancing on paintings on an ancient cave wall
You are the echo of drums
   beating to the rhythm of the heart inside us all
  
   Without your unselfish love
I would remain alien,
   heart beating, only just alive

an idea is a seed
        that grows when nurtured
      but does not die when neglected
    living on
  beyond those who conceived it
beyond those who denied its existence
  beyond those that contemplated its demise
    beyond those that wished to control it
      surfacing time
        and time
          again

People with bad hearts
Get their tickers checked
People with good hearts
Get their thinkers checked
:)

We are living in a "it's someone else's problem" culture these days.
Just how can we escape?

I have this continuous feeling
   that my existence
      needs to be validated...
That I need to justify
   being here at all
      I exist
   therefore I am
      I am
   therefore I exist
      But
   do I really
      Exist
         at all?

the subscriber
  you have dialed
     is on the warpath
so enter at your peril

Tatters of rainbow slivers
fluttering in the wind
the colours diluted
the light faded
the dream
broken
up

One day at a time
   One foot in front of the other
      One Heart
   One Head
One Soul
Sometimes pulling in different directions
   But always making us whole