NINETEEN

We walk together through scorched ravines.
Cutting paths through ashen yellowed undergrowth.
Beads of perspiration, our faces flushed,
The gusting wind embraces us as if to hold us back from completing our objective.

Six minutes of Safety our mission, premise clear,
We attack the fire with grit & opposing force.
Smoldering vegetation extinguished beneath our feet
And a Jack Rabbit makes his move to escape the approaching flames.

And in the distance, the Demon ‘Fire’ & his accomplice ‘shifting winds’ plan their conspiracy,
They look down upon there victims with malicious contempt.
Hands clenched as if to enjoy their fatal actions….
And with swift exploit they entrap the men.

As the men peer through the flames they see Angels on the Horizon.
And they arrive to carry off their heroes to paradise.
Making their way through the Milky Way……. past Jupiter & Mars,
Bound for a place called “The New Jerusalem”.

A welcoming carpet of stars marks their arrival and the Son shone bright!
And as they approach the city, their smiling faces are welcomed by oceans of loved ones & friends afar.
No more tears, no more pain, no more worries…only happiness abounds
Because the hotshots from Granite Mountain have arrived home, safe and sound.

-Kurt Carman 2013

It's days like this one, Mothers Day,
That I once again try to make sense of it all.
Trying to understand why you left us so suddenly at 46.

Closing my eyes I think of our happiest moments,
The possibility of seeing you again if only in my dreams,
And the excitement of our impending reunion one day.

The annual blooming of Pink Drift Roses,
Explains my never ending love for you.
Even the Butterflies know your name.

...And they return each summer to kiss the sun and light upon your shoulder.

I Love You Mom

Tonight’s meditation takes me to an elevated plane
It captivates those that stare from below.
A spirit friend of days past… sends me warm wishes.
Giving me confidence to live my life past my inconsistencies.

This level ascends without end.
And there, in the light, I hear a voice call out to me.
“There’s a reason you were born with this warm heart and profound emotion….
Let it be a focal point for others…showing them that love passes all understanding."

“If the good is sown, the good is collected; you know this law of Karma.”
“So amplify your emotion and warm heart, show the world what you've received.”
“Everything connects to everything else.”
And I stand alone now…renewed… by the words and the warmth of the Sun.

One of my favorite William Bliss Carman poems...even though a Canadian by birth..it goes without saying that I believe all the Carman's are connected. Bliss I love your heart felt words!

EARTH VOICES

I heard the spring wind whisper

Above the brushwood fire,

“The world is made forever

Of transport and desire.



“I am the breath of being,

The primal urge of things;

I am the whirl of star dust,

I am the lift of wings.



“I am the splendid impulse

That comes before the thought,

The joy and exaltation

Wherein the life is caught.



“Across the sleeping furrows

I call the buried seed,

And blade and bud and blossom

Awaken at my need.



“Within the dying ashes

I blow the sacred spark,

And make the hearts of lovers

To leap against the dark.”



II



I heard the spring light whisper

Above the dancing stream,

“The world is made forever

In likeness of a dream.



“I am the law of planets,

I am the guide of man;

The evening and the morning

Are fashioned to my plan.



“I tint the dawn with crimson,

I tinge the sea with blue;

My track is in the desert,

My trail is in the dew.



“I paint the hills with color,

And in my magic dome

I light the star of evening

To steer the traveller home.



“Within the house of being,

I feed the lamp of truth

With tales of ancient wisdom

And prophecies of youth.”



III



I heard the spring rain murmur

Above the roadside flower,

“The world is made forever

In melody and power.



“I keep the rhythmic measure

That marks the steps of time,

And all my toil is fashioned

To symmetry and rhyme.



“I plow the untilled upland,

I ripe the seeding grass,

And fill the leafy forest

With music as I pass.



“I hew the raw, rough granite

To loveliness of line,

And when my work is finished,

Behold, it is divine!



“I am the master-builder

In whom the ages trust.

I lift the lost perfection

To blossom from the dust.”



IV



Then Earth to them made answer,

As with a slow refrain

Born of the blended voices

Of wind and sun and rain,

“This is the law of being

That links the threefold chain:

The life we give to beauty

Returns to us again.”

It’s something my parents insisted on,
Preparing for the trials and tribulations our world endures.
Thinking about how I’ll react to impending circumstances.
Overcoming adversity using my heart as well as my mind.

And in my later years I’m starting to understand,
Why they begged me to always be the better man.
So let these words sink in to your heart and mind,
Forget the hate you hear and those that try to trivialize,
The following things I memorized; so many years ago........

I was taught to be the better person
I was taught that relationships were built on honesty
I was taught to be a good listener
I was taught to be polite
I was taught to be patriotic
I was taught to be emotionally open
I was taught to fight against Injustice
I was taught and encouraged to smile often
I was taught to be humble
I was taught to be generous with my belongings
I was taught to feed the hungry
I was taught to have respect for all races
I was taught to have compassion for the less fortunate
I was taught to live by the Golden Rule
I was taught that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment
I was taught a right from a wrong
I was taught to believe in a creator
I was taught that war is a terrible thing
And most importantly;
I was taught that acts of Love & Kindness can change the world.