Some lights clouded
Some are bright
Some glow dim
Some fearfully hide
Some are mesmerizing
Some feel tender
Some seem blinding
Some are lost
Some now finding
Some fluctuate
Others remain wholesome
Yet All are still the same light
Light in different forms shining.


- 2:27 pm Aug 12th 2018.

Overhead the clouds have dimmed,
and sunbursts claim our day;
Each bright new moment comes alive,
with every glowing ray.

It seems a haunting memory,
of loss and troubled times;
Slipped by in lonely rainy days,
till a new world has arrived.

I place my faith in heaven's skies,
the clearest blue that shines;
And brings me hope of better days,
with pleasure on my mind.

It's like a boat has gone off course,
yet finally found its pathway home;
Through open seas of yearning hearts,
where anxious fears have roamed.

Now in the dawn's protective light,
and eyes that open wide;
A fresh new day begins again,
with loving spirits as our guide.

Mark A. Williams
                            SEPTEMBER 14, 1962 – JULY 23, 2018

___________________­

Wow Mark,

Was so, so saddened to hear this news. I haven't seen you in over ten years, but as kids, we had some amazing adventures, didn't we? Partying, camping and swimming at the Hudson lime pits. Mowing down on Pizza and pitchers of Pepsi (and as we grew up, BEER!) at Pizza Hut. (We knew the numbers to ALL the songs on that jukebox by heart!) Hanging out and looking at the stars through Budvido's telescope, listening to Doctor Demento. Laughing hysterically as we ran through Monty Python skits as everyone looked on in total puzzlement because THEY wouldn't discover them until YEARS later!

Building underground forts in the North Woods. You, Budvido, Zeke and I playing pinball at 7-11 for hours and hours. Watching Bands, chasing girls and playing Foosball or Pool at the Touch of Class Teen Club. You gave me my first Imported beer . . . a Lowenbrau. I will always owe my passion for those German beers to you and it was fitting that Budvido bestowed you with that moniker.

All through Jr. High, sharing a seat on the school bus. You, Matt, Tom, Buddy and I cruising around late night on our bikes for hours. Hanging around in the Jasmine Lakes sign with hijacked beer or getting free bags of Burgers from Burger Queen when they closed at night! Jousting with shopping carts on our bikes in the Winn-Dixie parking lot. Sitting up all night in Jimi's room after climbing in through the window or going on endless space cruises with him and Raymond in the Toyota.

(RIP Jimi Carlsen)

Sneaking into the nudest Colony and skinny dipping! Always cracking up at the school lunch table. Swimming in my pool and terrorizing my sister and her friends. (Allegedly) Trashing that crook Fast Eddie's produce stand after he refused to pay us for a full day of picking watermelons!

Good times, indeed . . . Some of my most precious memories.

I can only pray that you know that I wouldn't trade my youth or you in it for anything in the world and you will be sadly missed, Lowenbrau, my old friend.

I hope that where you are, your beers are ice cold and that you and Jimi aren't having to glue the Hookah  back together.

Jeff Gaines
July 28, 2018

Beyond the creamy ice-milk sky,
where snow-topped mountains reign;
A world of alabaster white,
proudly shimmers in its domain.

The howling winds whirl overhead,
where wintry birds proclaim;
In glorious voices from above,
as they chirp their sweet refrains.

Within a sphere of crystal wonder,
reflecting mirrored shadows from afar;
The whispering sounds of angels' breath,
shower peace from a new snowfall.

A palace shaped by dangling icicles,
where frosty tales of winter's light;
Are coveted in the gentle words,
of poets' profound delight.

Way beyond the hills in the summer's sun,
where linden trees shine like new pennies;
A glittering lake invites young and old,
as boats set out to leave the harbor's levy.

The meadowlark sings a sultry tune,
while he sits and watches the weather;
Pink clouds float along in the aqua sky,
forming a wondrous scene we share together.

With jade-green grasses' soft caress,
we casually lie in wait for the wind;
Which will burn us with its eagerness,
fueling our passionate hearts once again.

This lovely panorama of nature's gifts,
a soothing landscape for our restless minds;
Portrays what makes a difference in our lives,
gently painted by Heaven's most masterful eye.

Go ahead and feel the breezes,
brought to us by the wind and rain;
As the rustling leaves tell their stories,
some of joy and some of pain.

They whisper nightly as dark descends,
upon our sleepy little town;
Forgive me now, they'll often ask,
not wanting to be left alone.

Tears drip softly from those trees,
as their leaves let go and fly;
To the yard in which the children play,
in crisp bundles towering high.

Wild laughter permeates the air,
as each child decides to climb;
And the rustling leaves feel solace now,
when finding their place in time.

Crackling red the Autumn glows,
a roaring fire in every tree;
Brisk waters from the rain above,
cannot dampen their energy.

For Nature gives its soul to us,
from visions that often stay;
Within our hearts for countless years,
and never drift far away.

In wings of Amapola
I'm wrapped...a new seed found

Atop round midnight strands
circlets keep my dreams

I'm drunk, intoxicated
spring has poured right through my veins

I sit on dirt side dreams
The desert calls my name
For now, I sit, I wait
I watch through windowpanes

I watch my crystal world
Where butterflies are dancing
And hummingbirds are diving
They dive into white Lilies
then jump into Camellias
While Zinnias wait their turn

The lilacs look my way and tell me, "soon your turn...
Your turn is coming soon"
I smile...all I do
For now, I sit,
I wait... like Zinnias
wait their turn

Dark clouds loomed over the horizon
They broke loose in unprecedented force
Nature’s wrath, sudden violence acquired
It rained down as if unleashing all her fury
It was a downpour without one equal

The heavens let down dark misery for days on end,
Water bodies swelled and hollows filled,
Land mass slipped and trees fell,
Rivers were in spate and dams were full
Waves surfed and waters roared,

Like mountains they rose over the land,
Men in throngs were evicted from their homes,
Hundreds died and livestock perished
Such violence, never ever imagined
Helter-skelter, people fled for life.

Lands inundated and folks marooned,
Homes washed away with all belongings
Power failed and life has come to a halt
Rescue operations go on in full swing
Still many, stranded and crying for help

“Water, water everywhere, nor even a drop to drink”
As Nature thus plays her perfidious trick,
We shall stay united and pool all our might,
To regain for our land what we have lost
When the Deluge chants the dirge of dying souls!

After years of aimless wanderings
Leaving behind the cities of midnight revels
And the fevered journey in metro rails,
I am back at the land of my people.

Wherever I went,
Under which ever roof I slept,
I had carried my land,
As a jewel in a casket
And ensured it rested safe
Ever under my pillow

As I moved with aliens
Unable to merge with their cultural mores,
I saw my land glimmer in darkness
Like a dew drop on a moon blanched leaf

When I sweated in the blistering sands
A patch of green landscape, like an oasis
Wafted me in a cool embrace
Then dreams poured in like star light
And I wandered in the meadows of my youthful love
My heart struggling to forget old longings
And memories lashing upon me like tidal waves

Pursued by that inalienable shadow
Suddenly being born in flesh and blood
I hastened to the streets of my youth
With hopes galore and plans vivid

But alas! There is none to recognize me
Oh! I am a stranger here
An unwelcome stranger among total strangers
Now I wonder which is truly my land?
The one left behind or the one just landed in?

Oscillating between these two worlds,
My fractured identity looms large
With worms of memories wriggling in my flesh
And a myth suddenly dying in my brain