A Poem By: Reece Ellison
The Immortal One sits solemnly in his favorite field of sunflowers.
He waits patiently for time to pass.
He doesn’t have to wait long,
It’s happening all around him.
He watches the people in the town below,
They work so hard all throughout their lives,
And in return they receive nothing…
Nothing at all.

The Immortal One wasn’t always immortal,
Contrary to the town folks' beliefs.
He was once a normal human just like the rest of them,
Oh, how he missed those days,
Little did he know that that was just the first phase,
Of his life that is.
Back then he had a family,
A wife and a daughter.
His memory has faded over time,
But through it all, he remembers their names,
Lydia his wife, and Luna his daughter.

Those were the simpler times,
When he would watch his daughter play in the fields of sunflowers,
The same one he lays in now.
His wife had always loved sunflowers,
That’s why he lived where he did,
He loved the smile on her face when she would look out every day.
One day he was searching the forest.
Because his daughter had not come home,
She was lost and captured by monsters,
But not for long.
He followed them into a cave,
The place where the monsters called home.
As he searched for his daughter,
He found some sort of stone.
He was entranced by its beauty,
He reached out his hand and grabbed it,
Suddenly energy and power surged through him,
And the Immortal One was born.

It didn’t take him long to find her,
The monsters were very loud.
He found her tied to a tree,
The monsters were preparing to feast.
His anger reached a breaking point,
Power surged from his veins,
In the blink of an eye, the monsters were vaporized,
And Little Luna was saved.

Before he knew it his little girl wasn’t little anymore.
His wife’s beautiful scarlet hair faded to a gray.
She was still as sweet as she always was,
All the way to her final days.
The Immortal One looked just the same.
Not much about his appearance changed.
Except his eyes looked more tired and sad,
As the truth finally sunk in.
At first, he thought that the stone was a blessing,
He saved people all around the village he lived in.
He later realized that it was a curse,
Too much power for one man to master,
And too much pain down the line.

It was a pretty summer day,
When Lydia was buried in that field which she did love.
That day it rained heavily,
He knew that it was a sign.
By that point, Little Luna had a family,
Husband Ryder, son Luke, and their daughter Emma.
They were all there on the funeral day,
Then afterward they all cried themselves to sleep.

Then in what seemed like weeks to the Immortal One,
But was actually decades,
Luna was buried beside her mom.
The Immortal One used all his anger,
And a crater in the Earth was left when he was done.
Why did he have to touch that stone?
Why did he have to watch them die?
Unfortunately, his powers couldn’t save them,
It was their destiny.
He had beaten a whole lot of monsters,
In many shapes, forms, and sizes.
At the end of the day,
His worst enemy,
Was time…

He watched as the small little village he protected,
Blossomed into a little town,
Which then turned into a city,
The place he still called home.
He still fought off monsters,
He still made sure that the people were safe,
Every night he cried,
For everything he lost.

Lydia had a little nursery rhyme,
That she would sing to Luna as a baby,
Who then passed it on to her children,
They kept the memories alive.
It went like this:
Don’t let me see those tears fall down your cheek,
It’s too beautiful outside to cry.
The sun is shining,
The sunflowers are dancing on the Earth.
Then when the Moon shines bright at night,
Tell him what troubles you.
Then close your eyes,
And bask in the somber moonlight.

All that the Immortal One could think about,
Was all that he lost.
Even though centuries had gone by,
And the world changed so much.
He still felt the pain of loss,
Deep in his heart,
His broken heart…
He sat in his favorite sunflower field,
And watched as day faded to night.
It was at that moment,
That he finally had enough,
No more suffering.
He was going to put everything to rest.
He used all of his pain,
And created a spark with the power to destroy the world,
And him.
Just one touch of that spark to the Earth,
And everything would be gone.
Flashbacks from all the memories,
All the people he met along the way.
Why did life have to be so painful?
Why did things have to end this way?
The full moon shined its bright lights,
And he was ready to finally die,
As he cried.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder,
Through the darkness, he saw a little girl’s eyes.
Looked similar to Little Luna’s
She told him “Tonight is too beautiful a night to die.”
He sensed the girl,
Was one of his descendants.
He couldn’t destroy the whole world,
At that moment he was reminded,
How beautiful nature was.
They set down into the sunflower field,
As the moonlight shone in their eyes.
It was in that moment,
Both began to sing:
Don’t let me see those tears fall down your cheek,
It’s too beautiful outside to cry.
The sun is shining,
The sunflowers are dancing on the Earth.
Then when the Moon shines bright at night,
Tell him what troubles you.
Then close your eyes,
And bask in the somber moonlight.

The Immortal One told the girl to go home to bed,
She did reluctantly but said,
“Don’t let the simple things pass you by.”
Then she left,
But the Immortal One didn’t cry.
He used the power in that spark,
And opened a doorway deep into the dark.
Through the door, he saw a whole new world,
A fresh new start.

As he went to take a step,
He told this world goodbye,
The little girl called out “Wait!”
He turned around,
And there she was,
And she had decided,
She was coming too.
The Immortal One told her no.
She had a family waiting for her to come home.
The little girl said she didn’t,
They were killed long ago.
She wanted to leave this place behind,
And go on a different adventure,
And who better to go with,
Then a protector of the world?

So with that, they both gazed through the gateway,
A whole new journey was just about to begin.
As they stepped through the portal,
The Immortal One realized he had gained a friend.

Take me to that fantasy sea world,
When the night is calm and lonely,
Scatter my ashes onto the shores,
Let the waves take me into the deep sea,
Where the whales and dolphins sing,
As I dance along to their sweet and lovely tunes,
And my soul will be at peace.

New England, 
You are a beautiful dance,  
each moment is a pleasure, 
each sight a romance.

In the heart of your beauty, 
my soul takes flight,
by a serene lakeside 
bathed in moonlight.

I stood on a mountain peak
taking in the view,
I relaxed on sandy beaches
refreshed, I was renewed.

While walking between trees
I listened to the peaceful lull 
then I paused to sit by the river
as my heart felt full.

I wrote this love letter
to a captivating place,
I'm besotted, breathtaken
by your splendour and grace.

©️Lizzie Bevis

Live
in
Ode
to the
Voyage
of
Ephemerality

_M.

He's nervous, could tell from a glance
This right here is his first dance
And she is nervous, he looks bold
And wants to express what's untold

And they are nervous but the music
Is easing the vibe down a bit
And she doesn't really know
What steps to do or where to go

So she's letting the waves bring
Momentum to this heating link
And he's the same, he has no clue
That the unknown brings in the new

So step by step and song by song
Their souls and bodies float along
Through an ocean of emotions
The breeze is faith, the sail is long
Enough to carry both
To dry land and to make cloth
To protect them from the rain
And unnecessary pain

Some is needed though to gain
Understanding and to frame
Thoughts and feelings the right way
It is not enough to pray
That magically they'll go away.

So sail even some more along
In faith and hum a sailor's song
And live and laugh and smell the scent
Of acceptance in the present
Because really, there's no end
Or beginning in the face
Of this scary pretty grace
We're living.

_M.

I can travel on paper. Visit unknown places. Gift barren lands
with lakes and rivers, the poor with gold and silver. I could
run a marathon and be the winner.

I can travel on paper.  I'd finally go to London, meet the Queen.  Discuss life with her and everything. I could fly to the moon and back in one day. Learn piano from Beethoven, and a sonata I'd play!

I can travel on paper. And leave this old, frail body behind, I'd run through fields, climb mountains. Pen the most perfect rainbow by day and the most beautiful stars in the sky by night.

I can travel on paper. I can go to a place and time when she loves me again and is mine. Yes, I'd pen the love I'd lost fully restored. Come to think of it, who could ask for more?

There was a thing that happened to me, not so long ago.
A single seed of knowledge, took root and began to grow.

It boosted the connection, to a voice inside of me.
Showing me just who I am and what I'm supposed to be.

It took me to a place, that very few have been.
Showing me how to change the world with poems from my pen.

Detachment from their matrix, then came naturally.
Having understanding of, everything I see.

Preparing for the next part, of what I saw above.
Means walking down this road alone, leaving ones I love.

Constructing all these poems, I could not do at home.
I had to do it on the road in every town I roam.

This connection with the source of us, grows stronger every day.
It gives me understanding of the things I need to say.

The system that controls us, is only based on fear.
Claiming if we don't abide we'll lose all we hold dear.

The fear that is created, constructs the world we know.
But kindness and compassion, will let the love then show.

Don't think about the worst in people, stop your being scared.
With the love that grows in you, the world will be repaired.

yesterday, I spied children peeking
through a hole in my fence,
ready with their legs stretching
out to step in, I watched in awe
at their bravery and marvelling,
"how far will they go?"
a far-off voice bellowed, they shifted retracting
and ran off giggling in glee
but I was left stunned thinking;
"When did my curiosity leave me?"

I throw my heart into a kettle,  
It’s dripping blood from your beastly mettle.  
My hair I’ve woven in a broom—  
I guess, for you, I am no groom.  
I am scattering away all my stored gloom;  
My body parts and silly limbs are piled into a rugged cart.  
I am painting a new future with all my bile and lard—  
The rest of gruesome details and remains is up for sale.  
In my hands are both the reins.  

My boat is dabbling in uneasy waters;  
The crew is nestled in closed quarters.  
My first mate loiters in the galleys;  
We are sailing past the lands with misty alleys.  
Our spirit slowly rallies—  
The people’s tone no longer sallow.  
Recently, we’ve sunk our only gallow,  
The tides becoming ever shallow.  

Unwelcoming and rocky bay,  
Jungle pierced by gleaming ray—  
Is it real, or just antics of the fae?  
Our rejuvenation is but nigh.  
We’ve reached the coast just in time  
For the roaring autumn festival—  
Stalls and barrels bursting from produce.  
Nobody’s acting coy, quickly we deduce—  
Masks, silks, and fires in a wild dance;  
My mates have dropped their grimly stance.  

Ghostly visions plague my mind—  
Spirits of the carnival gently pat my back.  
Their demeanor I find kind.  
Is this all a fever dream?  
The chances are not so slim.  
What’s the catch?  
However, does it matter all that much?  
I feel I’ve opened up my grizzly hatch.  
At least I am finally at ease—  
That’s my hunch.

What is love,
if not told to the heavens?
What I feel for you,
is locked deep in the ocean.
The more I know you,
the Deeper I go into your forest.
What I want is not empty,
like weathered plains.
It’s not murky nor dead,
as I step through your swampy past.
It’s whole and true,
as the smell of rain in April.
Its beauty is among the sun,
in spring.
All I want for you,
for us.
Is an adventure,
of love everlasting.