four strapping teens surveying a map
the adventure of a lifetime in waiting
an expedition through backcountry

    10 days 4 portages backpacks at the ready
    paddles yearning to be dipped into glossy waters
    an excruciating two hour drive for excited trekkers

launching canoes with but a trail & compass
crackling fires stoking companionship
seeking warmth from the crisp nighttime air

    tents hoisted while listening to nature’s rhythm
    crawling into sleeping bags serenaded by croaking frogs
    exhaustion from a day of paddling bringing deep sleep

bright sunny dawn the wakeup call for rising
roaring campfire ready for pots and pans
breakfast cooked on an open flame a treat

    time to pack amidst an onslaught of mosquitoes
    drizzling day a reminder to the voyageurs of the past
    portages carrying canoes overhead long & arduous

standing on the shores of turbulent Lake Opeongo
her challenges
beckon us

Andreas Simic©

Like water falling over a crest
A swift rapid descent into a black hole
The paradox known as my life

Disguised as a pseudonym plunging
Ever deeper into a swirling
Of emotions into depths unknown

Cascading over cliffs at ever greater speed
Feeling out of control
Coalescing into a bottomless pit

The sheerness of the sides
Ever sharper the deeper I fall
Leaving no way out

Holding my breath
For the inevitable free fall
Into a chasm of darkness

Is this my destiny or fate
Or just another nightmare among many
That I will endure

Until...

Andreas Simic©

Laying in my cozy bed,
I oft wonder
why?

why am I here when others not?
those that make a simple mistake
and perish, yet I am here

a friend telling me
“you have more lives than cats”
not a consolation to my deliriums

The plethora of experiences too plentiful
to parlay into one poem
sixteen at last count

multiple careening crashes, a gas tank explosion,
illness, being hit by a car while standing at an ATM
the litany long and varied but one stands out

playing on a recently unfrozen pond
raft fighting as it were
young hearts being foolish

falling in backwards, a non-swimmer
it is so cold, frost bite pins & needles cold
I am going deeper and deeper

it is getting colder and colder
darker and darker
until it is totally dark

no lingering thoughts, it is over
then a pinprick of light
drawing closer

it grows and grows
until I am in the light
it is oh so warm here

the lack of sound creating
an incredulous peacefulness
for a fear filled life

can I stay forever, please
except that is not my destiny
not that day or those others

rescued by a neighbor’s father
delivered unconscious to a mother
still questioning the why

Andreas Simic©

I used to think this a term for athletes
Late in their careers
Past their prime

Yet I sit here now
Looking at the pill dispenser
Filled to the brim each day

Not long ago I didn’t even own one
Until the litany of trials and tribulations began
A never ending trail to doctors

Blood and ***** tests,
CT scan, then MRI, followed by
an endoscopy and an Ultrasound

Now four separate ailments identified
The fifth without a diagnosis
Stealth, planning an untimed attack

No grandparents, parents, uncles left
A dear high school friend gone at an early age
My buddy for many years departed

Now this
My youngest brother passing
Far before his time

A two week cold or flu sapping my energy
Then some bug decides to invade
So I curtail eating, on mostly fluids now

I feel weak
And exhausted
And washed up

Andreas Simic©

Modern Warfare

Propaganda
Misinformation
Hearts and minds won

Cyber attacks
Encirclement
Diplomacy feigned

Bullying and intimidation
The UN meeting
Pleas for peace

Sanctions
Countermeasures
Advancement

Land grab
Rigged elections
Outrage

Headlines galore
Time passes
New normal tolerated

Status quo accepted
Mission complete
Rinse and repeat

Andreas Simic©

I am awoken from a restful sleep aware of the fresh air

the open window brings as she begins to sing

it is the sound of the loon calling me to her side

I stride towards the beckoning sound and her shore

as the door swings open to a new dawn and a rising sun

the early morning mist departing to reveal her beauty

she is glass like this day, stillness the allure

her stillness belies her truth that she can be rough enough

as I stand beside her admiring the horizon she willingly displays

my ears are attune to her lapping sounds,  my heart calm

launching my canoe I begin to paddle amidst her blueness

each stroke like the combing of her hair with twirls and curls

today she allows me to glide with ease yet she can also be a tease

the gentle breeze now professed can transform into a mighty storm

it is within her grace that she allows me this place of serenity

for she could as easily sweep off my serendipity with a rough sea

sounds of gulls take my eyes upwards into the clear blue sky

watching them soar all the while jealous of their ability for flight

a honking sound now has me looking to my right to catch sight

of a gaggle of geese in mid-flight her back their launching pad

and without warning there’s a splash as a fish leaps into the air

in search of its morning dish of insect and bugs, as it dives

back into the water, its sanctuary, its home I am reminded again

of her kindness that she provides in sheltering bays

her gentle waves taking me on a journey into the depths

of this lake they call Placid

Andreas Simic©

I oft wonder about thee
the flame that once shone bright
into mine life

Have thou been extinguished
by all the lies
spread by deviance for all to behold

Or have thy flourished
using deceit and manipulation
to fuel forward

Nary a thought
as to the carnage you leave behind
in the hearts of others

This I ponder

Andreas Simic©