A dark river flows like liquid night,
Though it’s slick with shadowed fright.
I fail to flee from its grave hold,
For darkness is my calming light.

The winds of sorrow wind past me,
Going by that river free.
I know not else what life could tell,
For cold flowing water is all I see.

The darkness binds me to its bay,
By the beach of its withered way.
I glimpse a whitish wave of light,
Beaming through the bleary day

It's too bright and clear, it makes me cry,
Streaming in to sting my eye.
I dive down deep into the depths,
To avoid the light though I don't know why.

Frenzy, bustle, and buzz…life.
The stimulus of modern-day strife.
Tranquil peace has flown its course,
And in its place is something worse.

Peaceful rest and quiet sleep,
Have fled away; no more to keep.
Replaced by stress and fevered rush,
Life’s simple times have become less.

Rushing here and rushing there,
With no relief, please do beware.
Our spirit lasts only so long,
With no recharge, we’ll soon be gone.

Why can’t we read between the lines,
And share in life’s quiescent times?
For frenzied stress can do service-
Only when joined with calming bliss.

Oh great and vibrant tree,
Ten times as strong as me.
I yearn to see the sight,
Of your unbridled might.

Above the striving plants,
That live the life of chance,
They struggle in your shade,
Beneath your leafy glade.

You bask in glowing sun,
In stature you’re the one.
“For sure you are the best,”
The plant world has confessed.

Oh great and vibrant tree,
You are the king I see.
I long to be like you,
And glimpse the world you view

Our world is but a grain  of sand,
A grain of sand in an endless beach of worlds.
Stretching forever, along a rippling sea,
An infinite expanse of energy.

Beside this beach, unseen and hidden,
Obscured from our dimension,
Lie endless amounts of shifting sand.
Shifting sand and water grand.

Some are different, varied realms,
But all are vast and endless planes.
Planes with unique laws and rules,
As different as are cats and mules.

Our universe is but a single speck,
A tiny dot in the vast unknown.
And yet this earth is hardly spent,
For it it has life, significant

I wish to fly free,
Like the soaring birds,
To let out the emotions within me.
I speak of shallow thoughts,
Those that gather like a flock
In the center of my head.
It is the flow within our world
That deep feelings are pushed aside.
I guess anything is possible.
  
I wish to roam free,
Like the majestic beasts.
To bring out the creations within me,
To imagine worlds unflawed,
And maybe one day go there,
To that place of true joy.
I yearn for a believing race,
One, which believes a great truth,
That anything is possible.
  
However, something can change.
There is always change.
We can wake up and realize,
Our ways are not always best.
We can change.
After all, anything is possible.

I look around at the world today,
And I find that there is much decay.
I see many people on the streets,
They deserve a home, and something to eat.
I notice people, angry and mad,
Who only need love, so they can feel glad.
There is hate and fear and lots of war,
And I just can’t take it anymore.

I look around at the world today,
And I find that there is much decay.
Wait! There’s something wrong with that line,
Something that just doesn’t seem fine.
After all there is much good in the world,
When I thought of that, it all unfurled.
I opened up to a world of love,
Where good things don’t have to come from above.

I look around at the world today,
And I find that there is much to say.
I have friends and family to help me through,
And I can find love when things are askew.
When people are in need, some will intervene,
To get them out of their rough ravine.
So now I know that the world today,
Is full of love, and full of play.

I sit down bored and twiddle my thumb.
I need to focus but my mind is numb.
What should I do besides just wait?
I need to write but I can’t think straight.

This is stupid; I want to be done!
Isn't homework supposed to be fun?
I have to say what I did tonight,
But I’m no good at writing, oh what a plight!

Well I better get thinking and start on it.
It won’t get finished if I just stay and sit.
Oh wait, I’ve finished I’ve got it won!
It seems by just moping, I got it done!

I’m finished with homework, I’ve done it all!
And the best part is I did it by trying to stall!

I once had wielded, strong and fierce
A simple stick, a shaft of wood
A twisting branch to me had been
The gleam and shine of fearsome steel
And with the might of many men
I hacked and slew the helpless air

Today the stick lies buried deep
Unused and lost, without a thought
No mighty hand to grasp it firm
No swinging arm to hack and slay
Today the stick lies buried deep
Buried deep; no more to keep

I once had played in pouring rain
The soaking sweet had soothed my soul
The falling sky was mystery
But as it was, I let it be
I’d laugh and splash in driving rain
Until the cold drove me insane
And then I’d rush inside my house,
Dry off, and rush right out again.


Back then the rain meant happy days
Today the battering of bitter rain
Shrieks as it bursts like rifle pellets
On a battle plain; my tender skin
I shield myself and throw on a coat
And rush through waves of enemy fire

Back then a simple stick
Could bring to life a world of wildness
Back then the raindrops felt so cool and fresh
As they splashed upon an upturned face
And now, oh how the world has changed
As I look upon my past with hopeful eyes,
And wish I could lead such a carefree life

I wish I could lead such a carefree life

The soft padding of my running feet,
Rhythmically ran at a hypnotic beat.
My legs moved smoothly, forward and back
Propelling me faster, across the race track.

A quick glance behind showed that I was in lead,
While the rest of the group tried to quicken their speed.
I focused my run, tried to steady my pace,
I’d a long ways to go, had a long run to race.

When all of a sudden I spotted near my side,
A quick paced runner, with a long-legged stride.
He smiled at me like he’d already won,
Yet he looked really happy, like this was great fun!

I smoldered inside cause I had to win,
Not some dumb idiot with a stupid looking grin!
I ran ever faster and soon was ahead,
Yet the long-legged runner just laughed and then sped.
And once again he was in lead of the group,
My body felt exhausted and I started to droop.

This wasn’t fair; I had to get past him!
Though my lungs were burning and my eyesight was dim.
I barely even noticed when he ran o’er the line,
To win the race, which should have been mine.

I realized with a start as I gasped for air,
That though he’d won the race I didn’t even care.
What mattered was that the race had been fun,
And now it was over, now it was done.

The thought made me smile put a laugh to my lips,
While I opened my water container and took a few sips.
It wasn’t about competing; I didn’t care if he’d won,
All that really mattered was that I'd had fun!

I feel the soft white pillow.
The warmth and comfort,
The joy it brings.

Blissfully I close my heavy eyes.
Worn from a day of observing,
Of seeing the world without.

I drift into a different realm.
A realm of soft colors,
And untold beauty.

The inner world flows about me.
It speaks in jumbled scenes,
Containing great meaning.

I revel  in its embrace.
I dance in its symbolism,
And peace abounds.

Eventually I awaken.
My rested eyes flutter open,
A new day awaits.

The summer sun bears its noble course
Steadfast, strong, yet bound by destiny’s grip
The illumined orb is held by great force
To dim its bright light in citizenship
With the blossoming of seasonal flow
The fiery ball; its grandeur will go

The lively hum of nature’s varied life
Basking under a blanket of warm rays
Soon to feel the chill of autumn’s harsh strife
Human hope is a heap of wishful delays
Unhindered, seasonal methods spring change
Tree leaves switch to a new color range

We may complain that summer leaves too soon
But summer needs fall to sing its sweet tune
And accepting the path from light to dark
Allows the seasons to leave their strong mark

Gently I float along; adrift in an endless sky.
I feel the open expanse surround me.
I’ve lost the connection with my home; my gentle creator,
Now I’m alone, with no power of will,
Just floating adrift.

As I feel the strength of the wind,
I emerge into another element.
This is soft and soothing, an embracing parent,
Carrying me slowly, along its watery flow,
Just floating softly.

As I begin to feel the water’s grace,
I wash up onto another element.
This is hard and reassuring,
I am no longer moving; instead I am still,
Just so still.

Finally I feel a gentle combining,
As of a merging of elements.
Silky water on one side,
Earthy ground on the other,
And flowing air above.
Blissful peace envelops me,
And I sleep.

The voice of reason speaks to me,
It tells me what else I could be.
It shows me that a better life,
Has much more love, and much less strife.

As simple as that line may sound,
Life’s much more different I have found.
The world is not just black and white,
To live your dreams you’ll have to fight.

There will be sacrifices made,
There will be prices to be paid.
But all the efforts that you exert,
Into rewards they will convert.

Life is an incredibly short event,
So make yours shine as time well spent.
Don’t let life fall to laziness,
Instead just take control and spring success.

I look out the window at my green backyard,
With thriving plants and blossoming flower.
I'm thankful that it hasn't been scarred,
By billowing fumes, and machines with power.
What has nature done to us,
To make us destroy it with rabid lust?

Birds sing cheerily in the branch of a tree,
I sit and watch with eager eye.
Til all at once they fly up free,
Into the air with a whistling cry.
And stark against the background blue,
A sickening streak of blackish hue.

The world today has lost so much,
What more is gonna have to die?
We humans are so out of touch,
Yet I'm never going to say goodbye.
Nature helps us everyday,
To help it back is the smartest way.

Infernal fires flicker underground

And pearly clouds of white do float above

But I do love the burning smells I’ve found

The licking flames and billowed smoke hereof

For nowhere else does fire blaze so bright

As in the realm below the one we tread

For nowhere else can darkness seem so light

As in a realm where all the light has fled

So why is it that burning rays of sun

Above a world of blinding light so stark

Are so preferred upon oblivion

A world of peacefulness and blissful dark

For there are those who think of night as day

And hell as heaven reached another way

Oh fastened, strong and steady stone,
To be as you; forever firm.
Although physically as such,
Mentally as flickering wind,
Two separate states merged as one.

Feelings thoughts and knowledge spread,
As wild as the chopping waves,
As scattered as the blinking stars.
Oh steady stone, so definite,
So focused and unwavering.

But soon a spark, a catalyst,
To forge my scattered thoughts as one.
Ordered and set, clearly grouped,
The turbulence slows,
Oh steady stone.

Wishes have born fruit
Oh steady stone, I've followed suit

The sun had shone on another face,
Myself lay dreary under cloud.
All joy had left without a trace,
Deep bitterness to come enshroud.
It came like a flash, a bolt of light,
To leave me weeping in the night.

I felt the pain, the sense of loss,
Empower me and hunger for more.
It let me struggle to get across,
The raging storm and empty shore.
Myself was lost, I could not go,
I let it hail, I let it snow.

There I was, a broken soul,
Left to weep the tears of sadness.
Without my love I wasn't whole,
There was no hope, only the madness.
When all at once I saw the light,
Come streaming through the clouds so bright.

A cry of joy escaped my lip,
As I raced forward through the dark.
I reached a hand, held the light in my grip,
I felt the love, I felt it spark.
Then I was ****** from the blackest night,
Out of the darkness and into the light

Much like the shining freckles of light
That gleam so bright in the pit of night
So far away from my outstretched hand
Above the sand of this windswept land
The distant road of my future bears
Many snags to catch me unawares

I ponder and think; I wonder why
Every choice I try to modify
But the future always makes it seem
Like it has no theme, no place for a dream
And I feel so scared; I feel so lost
The future's will shakes me tempest-tossed

An ocean of chaos, confusion, and fears
My life-boat is near a sea of tears
Drifting along with the ocean’s will
Living the thrill yet inept to fulfill
My dreams, my wishes, as well as my hope
Are caught in a whirlpool, devoid of a rope

Frightened of failure; unsure of success
I need to address an engulfment of stress
Racked by worries and subsumed by doubt,
Is a land of drought the only route?
I cling to the wish for an uphill climb,
And hope for the chance of a lifetime.

I weigh each moment I have yet unspent
I’d never resent to trail my intent
Yet distractions make it hard to decide,
Do I push them aside or let them reside?
Each choice I make creates a new road
So I’ll take the one that’s best bestowed

I live in a place of stifling despair,
Where joy and harmony is becoming rare.
This place is riddled with war and crime,
And I’m struggling to find the upward climb.

One day I set out for an evening walk,
And in the blackened sky, I spied a hawk.
I followed it as it circled down,
Beyond a hill with a greenish crown.
I’d never seen that ridge before,
Or beyond it where now the hawk did soar.
I decided upon that very spot,
That whatever I did and whatever I got.
I’d follow that bird until I dropped,
So I walked and walked ‘til the mountain I topped

I peeked over the edge and saw below,
A rapid river with a powerful flow.
I was just about to turn around,
When suddenly my feet just left the ground.
I felt myself falling through the air,
‘Til I hit the flowing river there.
The hawk that had pushed me flew ahead,
And when I came on land, all despair had fled.
The land was lush and green and good,
I drank of the joy; as much as I could.
I now had found a better way,
And forever on, this is where I’d stay.