Upper East Side
The Hamptons
Aspen, Colorado
The plastic people
Follow each other
Moving in herds
Like cattle to the
Slaughter

Drifting
Floating
Shifting focus
From one charity event
To another
Whatever’s trendy
Whatever’s fashionable
Whatever’s happ’ning
Whatever’s the need
Tainted new artists
Society’s rejects
The film-maker who fits in with
The flavor of the month
The disease or the cause
That captures the moment
Stigmas overlooked
Deformities relieved
By one hyper exertion
By one pseudo good deed

Changing bedrooms
Changing partners
New alliances
Noblesse oblige

Mrs. Astor’s
Four hundred
Reinvented forever
Reinvented with fervor
On the edge
Of hypocrisy
Keeping up with the Jones’s
Maintaining the houses
Paris, Rome, Cote du Jura
Malibu, Palm Beach
Couture fashion
Madison, Rodeo
Worth avenues united
Avenues of the liege

Location, location, location
The right address unspoken
Dinner in the right places
Sporting events to be seen
Three martini luncheons
Halcion evenings
Business is business
Where money’s retrieved

Look to plastic people
For fashionable guidance
No matter the moment
No matter the need
Remember to catch them
While jetting to Santa Barbara
Saint Maarten, San Troupe
San Marco, warp speed
They live in their milieu
Can’t function outside it
Can’t follow a shadow
That others believe

It’s easy to find them
They leave behind footprints
But barely a mem’ry
Or singular creed
Other than finding
The latest in fashion
The latest persona
Or new plastic breed

The journey began under a cloudy sky with rain hovering over the horizon. – Going back. – The painter saw the vision. Was it real? Or Was it just the shadow of the storm? The painter saw the canvass. Forms danced before his eyes. Thunder clapped in the distance. The brush moved to the rhythm of the storm that only the painter heard. A lifeline from the clouds like an umbilical cord. – Going back. – The painter focused again. The clouds thickened, blackening against the horizon in anticipation. – Going back. – The painter saw himself. He’d stopped painting. Now going back. – Going back. – The painter wondered. The painter asked himself. The painter took a brush, squeezed paint on the palette; color after color – a new variety. – Going back. – The unknown. A new beginning. – Going back. – The white of the canvass and the blackening sky. The storm. Pure color. Mixing color as the storm moved closer. A clap of thunder. The painter looked at the sky. The painter dabbed the brush onto the palette. Rain began. The brush danced to a rhythm. Thunder claps. Sweeping across the sky; sweeping across the canvass. – Going back. – The painter looked at his painting. The painter looked at the sky. The painter was happy. – Going back.

8/13/19

www.bruclevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1

Clouds
drifting across the sky
in imaginary forms

Clouds
making imaginary images
that only the mind
can put together

Clouds
of varying shades
and shapes

Clouds
metamorphosing

Clouds
morphing
into the unknown

Clouds
metamorphosed

Clouds
floating
like the Goodyear blimp
off on the horizon

Clouds
lost
shapeless
meeting
and reforming

Clouds
like foam on the ocean
endless and everlasting
but empty in their
subtlety

Clouds
like cotton candy
pink then white
shifting shades
of gray

Clouds
filled with rain
or as
ephemeral
as infinity
ethereal
everlasting

Friendly Joe Rabbit
Was not in the habit
Of running the race
To the end
He took every shortcut
Beware of the wrong-cut
And found every turn
Every bend

He said to Tom Turtle
I’ve hopped every hurdle
The race I will clearly contend
And though you are slow
Hither you go
You’re steadfast
A trusty old friend

She said to Tom Turtle
I’m taking it slow
And so he will know
This isn’t a show

He trusted Joe Rabbit
To follow him through
He said it was true
Before she even know

Tom Turtle she said
I’ll trust you instead
And cautiously I’ll go
My way

Joe Rabbit pursued
Like courtship he’d woo
The race to the finish line drew
The staggering pace
That had to erase
Before he was finished she knew

Tom Turtle her friend
Had lost in the end
And happily she acquiesced
Joe Rabbit my dear
The answer is clear
I’ll switch sides
I’ll now go with you

I’ve fallen in love
From heaven above
Joe Rabbit you’ve now
Won my heart
But right from the start
Joe knew he was smart
He knew how the story
Would end

They now share one heart
And never will part
As lovers their story
Goes on
Their friendship so dear
No reason to fear
Their future is now
Very clear

Two lovers apart
Who followed their heart
To live without worries of woes
And right to the end
They’ll always befriend
Their journey was now to begin

From living apart
A home they will start
And happily they’ll live
Through their days
Joe Rabbit, his speed
Was all they did need
Their love now is fully ablaze

Forever is clear
Their future so dear
Happily ever after
The song of the day
True love finds a way
A bridal bouquet
To carry away
A bride always be
Thanks to Joe Rabbit and me

So here’s to the day
Joe Rabbit did say
Live your life
As husband and wife
Live happily ever after

I won the race
No more a disgrace
Tom Turtle has nothing
To say
Thanks to you all
Time to clear the hall
And everyone
Have a good day

My internal clock is set at Manhattan
I face the world with a jaded point of view
Manhattanites are chauvinistic, snobbish, opinionated
And relentlessly focused

Manhattan energy drives our universe
Like the taxies forge the streets
In a frontal assault

Art, history and multiculturalism
Remain the melting *** of stew
Brewed from micro to macro
But always after the brass ring

Always reaching upward
Like the skyscrapers of today and yore
Clamoring to be the tallest in the world
Yet knowing that we already are
Simply because we’re Manhattanites

Faith in our own destiny
We’re Manhattanites after all
And being a Manhattanite
Is all that needs to be said

The pathways of time
Blending hours
In a mixture of
Light and dark
Casting shadows
Into a homogenous
Stew

And yet time moves on
Like a river without end
Forging a course
Of its own making
Burning in limestone
Hard as granite
An eternity forsaking
All boundaries

Black holes notwithstanding
The empty void
******* time into a vacuum
Frozen in the universe
And still time finds a way
Penetrating reality
Bending light for its own purpose
Into the unknown

Never showing itself
Never enumerating
Its variations
On a theme of its
Own making
Hidden within the
Pathways of time

Another day down
To being together
My heart is bursting with joy
Each day without you
Is just another day
A day that doesn’t start

Our love will last forever
We need no other force
Than Destiny who has
Brought us together
Through Fate and love
Of people who knew
That we were only one
Not two

I’ll love you forever
And we’ll live in our hearts
Each second of every day
Here in my heart
The day will start
The countdown to home
No more to roam
Your freedom is here
Forever My Dear
Our love will last
Forget the past

Hold on to the future
A glorious ride
With love filled hours
Each day

With joy made in Heaven
Like spokes of a wheel
The outside is solid
From within
Our love that is strong
To carry along
Through nights until dawn
With daylight to show us the way

From heaven above
Forever our love
Will shine like the brightest star
We’ll live in our home
Two people brought from afar
Together forever
Whatever the weather
Our happiness will see us through
I give you a toast
I love you the most
To love
Just me and you

A woodpecker in a tree
Talking to you and me
Bobbing its head
In search of daily bread

Wouldn’t it fun to be
A woodpecker in a tree?
Bobbing away
Throughout every day

Hopping from tree to tree
Tapping tunes for you and me
I wonder what’s its name
Maybe he’s just playing a game

Another woodpecker in a tree
Just happens to be
Talking to you
I wonder what you’ll do

Two woodpeckers in a tree
Happy as they can be
Each bobbing their head
Maybe they’ll be wed

Baby woodpecker in a tree
Mom, Dad and you make three
Happy all the day
I love to watch you play

3/29/19

www.brucelevine.com

Whatever happened to one?

One telephone company –
Ma Bell!
You picked up the receiver,
Attached by a squiggly wire,
And dialed the phone – literally.
You put your finger in the hole
For the number or letter;
Rotated the dial and back it came,
Rotating in reverse, and making that wonderful sound:
Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka
Then the person on the other end answered
And actually said – Hello…
No lost calls – no breaking up…
Simply one –
And it worked.

Bleach is even more confusing.
If you wanted clean clothes
You went to the store and bought
Bleach.
You did have a choice –
Bleach or Bleach.
One!
It was easy
You picked up one bottle or the other –
Either one – they were both the same –
One!
Easy.

Today there are 7,826 ½ choices!
Bleach that smells like flowers;
Bleach that smells like fresh air;
(I’m not sure how that’s possible)
Bleach that’s like a cool, refreshing stream;
Bleach that spills and splashes;
Bleach that doesn’t spill or splash.
Bleach in colors –
Liquid – Solid – Powder…
Will there be decaffeinated bleach next?
(More about coffee another time)
I’m beginning to understand
Why people take drugs –
The bleach aisle alone is
Enough to torment the brain!

One was simple.
One was effective

Choices are nice
But better left for the
Wine list.

http://www.leaves-of-ink.com/2019/06/choices.html

driftwood floats
to a corner
of the lake
hidden from view
in a cove
shrouded by trees

sailboats glide
on a breeze as
mild as september
over water as
smooth as glass
tinted amber

hidden depths with
spring-filled caverns
limitless
against the
ebbing tide

summer haze and
autumn colors
new day’s glory
turns to
evening shade

flying fish and
water urchins
fishing rods
with baited
hooks

swimmers dive
into pale blue
water
crystal clear
with a hint
of green

fishes ride
in the wake
of rowboats
speedy oars
pulled by
teams of men

gentle times
as the lake
remembers
passing times
that remain
the same

Every day
Is another day
Golden moments
Empty moments
Passing time
Filled with
New meanings
Happy memories
Built on longings
Now replaced
With the satisfaction
Of a life delivered
Free from torment
Moving forward
On a raceway
Paved with roses
Floating through time
Making every day
Another day
To remember

12/29/18

Feel for the lowly yoyo
Bouncing across a tennis court
Propelled by the racket’s action
Pulled back by the yoyo’s string

A word or a phrase would do him
To give him hope or loss
No matter which direction
He hears the racket’s ping

A lowly yoyo has no life
Made of wood and cloth
A string that breaks too easily
If action would only bring

A happy ending to the yoyo
That never asks for more
Then riding on the current
Of love’s golden wing

Take care of the lowly yoyo
Keep him close to your heart
Never forget the lowly yoyo
For true love he will sing

8/22/18

Reality forsaken
For a chance at the golden ring
And though it’s only made of brass
A chance to grab it still could bring

Dreams of glory yet remain
Waiting on the shelf
For father time to come along
To turn them into wealth

And so our good friend harkens
And listens for the call
Remembering dreams of glory
Before a mighty fall

And time alone can put aside
The fears of remaining true
Refusing to abjure the dreams
Or asking where or who

Can take a chance again each day
Looking to the goal
For brass or gold it’s still a ring
A circle with a hole

Good artists borrow
Great artists steal
A Picasso quote
I look in the mirror
I see myself
And yet I paint
With Picasso strokes
Picasso lines
Picasso designs
Am I possessed
By Picasso?
Do I have to dress
Like Picasso?
Evolution
Survival of the fittest
Am I only a part of the
Picasso food chain?
Does Picasso reach out,
A brush in hand,
Stroking a canvass
‘Til I understand?
Am I an emissary,
A foible for his art?
Do I face stagnation?
Do I play a part?
But no small parts
Only small actors
I retrace my steps
I look again in the mirror
I find my reality
Picasso is dead
And I live on

Fall is for color
Bounty and splendor
Spring is renewal
But fall toasts
The future

Nature’s own blossoming
In earth tones that
Shatter the rainbow
With rock solid
Treasure to last
The year

Harvest *****
October fests
Foodie’s delight
Magnificent moments
For taste buds
In sight

Fall holds a promise
Crisp air to breathe
That cleanses the lungs
And erases the lethargy
Of summer’s heat

Thanksgiving to all
Mother Nature raises
Her glass
Mulled cider and cinnamon
Roast turkey and corn
Remember the season
Of color and bounty
Remember fall
Throughout
The year

Another anniversary of your death
A time to reflect on living without you
It hasn’t gotten any easier

All the times you sat next to me in the car
All the things we loved to do together
All the things we looked forward to doing together
All the places we went together
All the places we’ll never get to together
All the times simply being together

I do things alone now because I have to
But nothing will ever be the same
I look to the future and an empty life
A life that once was shared with you

My wife died six months ago today - this is for her

Proactive
Reactive
Choosing the path to follow

My eye’s on the rainbow
Holding on to dreams
Keeping pace with forever

This is my house
This is where I grew up
This is where I want to live and die

3/28/17

*

My time to shine
Simply Faded
Holding a near empty glass

Her life is about making money
My life is about making art
What is one without the other?

When unto touch
Impenetrable towers
Open your heart before your eyes

3/31/17



hidden dreams of glory
soaring over trees
flocks of birds on an august morn

sweet september
fly-fish casting
swallows nesting and honey bees


early evening sunsets
pink and orange clouds
holding hands with moonlight

8/2/17



enlightened enigma
pervades the temperance of time
holding moments against shadows

8/31/17



The tapestry of the mind
Filled with golden threads
Like the orbits in the universe

9/3/17



The happenstance of fate
Turns reality into daydreams
Or is it the other way around?

9/4/17



Florida
The land of mold, mildew
And bug bits

But memories aren’t enough
and the sadness of the times and places being gone
can never retrieve the times and places.

10/19/17



The pestilence of time
Transcends the boundaries of fate
And takes its own rewards

10/27/17



Plotting the day before me
I look at the empty page
And wonder at the metaphor

In the age of technology
We’ve reached a new low
The age of mediocrity

11/16/17



The Quest

There is no such thing as an impossible dream
Because the only thing impossible is that one can never reach the end
And, in one sense, maybe the quest is the end unto itself

11/21/17




It’s supposed to be fall
But the trees don’t seem to know it
New leaves struggle to fill up empty limbs

As the sun focuses on a single tree
Like a lighting “special” pinpoints an object on stage
Life projects its essence of humanity.

12/1/17





Tranquility Abandoned

The sudden, torrential, downpour sent him running for cover
He grabbed his computer, book and writing kit and ran inside
Tranquility abandoned.

12/9/17


Manhattan Tempo

I pace at a Manhattan tempo
Frantic reality, utter turmoil
Lost in the quicksand of fate

12/11/17


Another week of our lives
Torn away from us
And now another and another…

12/8 & 13/17


Death hangs over me
Like an anvil waiting for the blacksmith’s hammer
Where’s the Christmas miracle?

12/15/17



Hope draws me on
To a journey not yet taken
And a destiny unfulfilled

3/10/18

*

Reliving the days
Of your fading life
The last bowl of broth

4/5/18
Traversing the world alone
It’s the good mem’ries
That hurt the most

6/30/18



The yellow light of dawn
Burning through the trees
Awakening the day

7/26/18



A yellow crescent moon
That overlooks the landscape
And hyphenates the stars

8/15/18



Now that you are mine
Sent from Heaven to be with me
I am yours forever

8/29/18



The temperature dropped
But the warmth of the sun fills the room
Like love fills the heart

10/14/18

*

Meditation in motion
Slow locomotion
The torch of devotion

11/20/18



Re: Social Media

My hatred increases
In geometric progression
To my daily existence

11/29/18

*

The Road of Love

The road of love is long
Filled with potholes and bumps
Along the way

12/6/18

The Quest (complete)

Bruce Levine

And I don’t mean The Impossible Dream, because the only thing impossible is that one can never reach the end and, in one sense, maybe the quest is the end unto itself.

If one can never reach the end of the quest
Is the quest, then, an impossible dream?
Or is the quest the end unto itself?

Or, maybe, the quest is the end unto itself.

There is no such thing as an impossible dream
Because the only thing impossible is that one can never reach the end
And, in one sense, maybe the quest is the end unto itself

She floated on air
As if suspended
By hot-air balloons
A spectacular ride

Her spirit as free
As seagulls ascending
Or eagles go soaring
Through mountain top clouds

Her laughter as joyous
As chocolate fudge sundaes
And time everlasting
In perpetual spring

The days rushing forward
And weeks disappearing
Time standing still
Yet gone in a flash

Like spun sugar melting
And reindeer descending
On rooftops at Christmas
A Santa Claus laugh

Today and tomorrow
Forever remember
The time shared together
A favorite repast

6/5/19

Isometric exercises
Solo meditation
Breathing intoxication
Held suspended

Longing for understanding
The future yet revealed
Planetary momentum
Guiding the path

Following the trail
Through forests of evergreens
Boundaries evolving
As hope cruises on

Opening doors
Vistas from mountain tops
Reflex actions
Defining the way

6/11/19

www.brucelevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1

In the open air
The fireflies are hopeful
Happy brand new day

Further down the road
Daffodils in a playground
Brighten up the day

Wanting inner peace
Corner stones of the moment
Following the dream

3/20/19

www.brucelevine.com

Creating a blog
Not a chore
For the faint-hearted
Consumed by the
Fires of social media
Burned into the
Walls of cyber-space
Only revealed to
IT techies
Or four year olds
Schooled in binary motion
DNA permutated to reveal
The lasting effects
Of the un-indoctrinated
The forlorn members
A least to those
Of the computer age
Fasting on the dearth
Of knowledge
In the prelude of the
New millennium
Opening doors
That once revealed
Another time
A simpler time
With no blogs
To stress the tendons
Of emotions
To the breaking point
While trying to create
Another blog

2/7/19

Forest views
Awaken at sunrise
Piercing the clouds
As the day is reborn

Birds come to life
In wild interaction
Like a rainforest surrenders
And tropics unwind

Trees in transition
Calming the spirit
Relaxing the tension
As sunrise begins

Evergreen mem’ries
Outlining the skyline
Feasting on dewdrops
Forever again

Maple leaf forests
Defining the landscape
Perfection outnumbers
The harbinger boughs

As forest views remind us
To open our daydreams
To passion surrender
Another day found

5/26/19

www.brucelevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1

Whatever happened to one?

One telephone company –
Ma Bell!
You picked up the receiver,
Attached by a squiggly wire,
And dialed the phone – literally.
You put your finger in the hole
For the number or letter;
Rotated the dial and back it came,
Rotating in reverse, and making that wonderful sound:
Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka - Ti-ka
Then the person on the other end answered
And actually said – Hello…
No lost calls – no breaking up…
Simply one –
And it worked.

Bleach is even more confusing.
If you wanted clean clothes
You went to the store and bought
Bleach.
You did have a choice –
Bleach or Bleach.
One!
It was easy
You picked up one bottle or the other –
Either one – they were both the same –
One!
Easy.

Today there are 7,826 ½ choices!
Bleach that smells like flowers;
Bleach that smells like fresh air;
(I’m not sure how that’s possible)
Bleach that’s like a cool, refreshing stream;
Bleach that spills and splashes;
Bleach that doesn’t spill or splash.
Bleach in colors –
Liquid – Solid – Powder…
Will there be decaffeinated bleach next?
(More about coffee another time)
I’m beginning to understand
Why people take drugs –
The bleach aisle alone is
Enough to torment the brain!

One was simple.
One was effective

Choices are nice
But better left for the
Wine list.

Today is your birthday
I’ll celebrate it with memories
Of thirty-seven years together
And eternity in Heaven

And I don’t mean The Impossible Dream, because the only thing impossible is that one can never reach the end and, in one sense, maybe the quest is the end unto itself.

If one can never reach the end of the quest
Is the quest, then, an impossible dream?
Or is the quest the end unto itself?

Or, maybe, the quest is the end unto itself.

There is no such thing as an impossible dream
Because the only thing impossible is that one can never reach the end
And, in one sense, maybe the quest is the end unto itself

A slow walk to nowhere
A metaphor for life
Hills and valleys flatten
Amid the daily strife

Of drifting ever onward
The ending never clear
If today or if tomorrow
The last hurrah is here

Like walking the dog through raindrops
Pellets of water coating my head
Sniffing the ground for nothing
Or something being dead

Longing for resolution
Holding hands again
Yesterday’s tomorrows
In bed with us and then

Turning off the faucet
Of guilt and pain gone by
A chance that’s barely taken
Happiness worth the try

A faster walk to somewhere
Only the future knows
A happy life together
A restful night’s repose

1/5/19

I sit on the porch in the early morning
And watch the world.
I watch the birds and squirrels awaken.
I watch the sun slowly drift
Across the lawn;
Casting a golden light
And drying the dew.
I watch people jogging
And getting ready for work.
I watch a woman as she walks,
Outlining the perimeter of every parking space
And I wonder – why?
I watch as people start their cars,
Pull out and head off.
Where are they going –?
To work?
To play?
To start another day.

A seesaw of emotions
Depending on the day
Elevated to Shangri-La
Or thrown into Hades lake

Fascination with the moments
Of a love that seemed to fade
No longer the bright responses
That took my breath away

In unison without breathing
Oxygen depleted by words
And longing for that single thought
That transforms an empty heart

Oh too many tears now
Have brought me to this point
Of total isolation
Waiting for a simple retort

Another day will pass now
And the seesaw shifts in place
Which way it will go tomorrow
Unending torment in its wake

A seesaw of emotions
No longer ringing true
Fearing the future mocking
And fate’s gigantic mistake

8/23/18

My dream of academia
Is an idealized one
Mr. Chips and the Paper Chase
Classes of five hundred
In lecture halls the size of stadiums
Students focused
Totally absorbed
Hands flying skyward
With thoughts, questions
And answers
Always thinking
Always searching
Always seeking the challenge
Digesting facts and adding knowledge
Connecting dots from places obscure
Yet always looking for hidden meanings
Layers and levels and subtexts
That clarifies cognition
And opens the portal
Of the enigma unknown

We never got to celebrate Christmas
One last time
At least she saw the tree and decorations
One last time
Where was her Christmas miracle?

The Christmas in July movies suddenly made me think of my wife’s and my last Christmas – she went into the hospital on December 3rd and died on January 18th – fortunately we had decorated during Thanksgiving week-end.

The music of time
Remains frozen
Drifting like snowflakes
Across the Himalayas
Waiting for dancers
To unlock the mystery
A simple Pas de deux
Lyrical and elegant
Filled with the joy
Of lovers
Joined by a thread
Suspended
But never touching
Until the final moment
As the music of time
Transports their reality
Into one

The line of evergreen trees
Paraded in the sunset
Offset by the piercing highway
Following the path to the end

Breaking away from the crowd
They remained in silent understanding
Breathing each other’s essence
In a timeless momentum

Longing for a single pathway
Leading through the forest of emotions
In a garden of gilded fantasies
Thawed by the rays of passion

The final memory of tomorrow
Written on the feather of fate
Held in the palm of forever
Wrapped in a golden band of love

A season filled with marigolds
Laced with lavender and thyme
Holly berries left from Christmas
Hung from transoms in doorways
Vestiges of seasons defined
Reminders of other memories
A golden glow in the mind
Replaced and redefined anew
Each solstice and equinox
As marigolds bloom and holly festoon

A journal entry left unwritten
Remembered and unsaid
Toasting a new beginning
A calendar engraved
With glories of the future
Brightly colored flowers
A season filled with marigolds
Laced with lavender and thyme

6/16/19

www.brucelevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1

Happiness surrenders
To the unknown powers
That guide the soul
In the right di

Spring is on the wing
Seasons forever changing
Summer on the way

Wild geese appear
Robins nesting in tree tops
Signs of spring are here

Trees burst into leaf
Frozen limbs no longer bare
Harbingers of life

4/14/19

Times remembered
Now repeating
Now receding

Vacant mem’ries
Hollow entries
Long abandoned

Empty journeys
Once remembered
Twice forgotten

Open highways
Never travelled
Dreams forsaken

Faded glories
Full of promise
Now depleted

Long lost treasures
Stolen chances
Dissipating

Silent voices
Empty spaces
Past erases

Times remembered
Now repeating
Now receding

Being together
Sharing time to remember
Future looking bright

Happiness abounds
In the simplest of pleasures
Sweet and pleasant days

Walking hand in hand
Window shopping together
Simple things to share

7/11/19

www.brucelevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1

Until the day
I count the days
Waiting for the day
To Come

Dizzy
Going in circles
Our path ahead
Begun

Lonely empty
Time to ****
Hours in a row
Minutes, seconds
Going slow
Miles ahead to go

Feasts and happy endings
Festivals delight
Autumn leaves and day trips
Our life ahead is bright

Happy days
Uncharted days
Footprints in the snow
Leading toward tomorrow
Only love we’ll know

The golden drops of dew
Shimmer in the sunlight
Casting a glow over the
     expanse of lawn
Green and gold paving a path
Silken carpets in the haze
     of the morning light

Trees bursting with life
Filled with leaves
Dark green opalescence
     awaiting their destiny
As days move toward another season
Bringing a cornucopia of color,
     bountiful and bold

Lingering remnants of summer
Mixed with precursors of fall
As days shrink and sundown
     creeps closer to the dawn
Twilight casting shadows on lawns
Another day and another season
     blending one into another

8/16/19

www.brucelevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1

The line of evergreen trees
Paraded in the sunset
Offset by the piercing highway
Following the path to the end

Breaking away from the crowd
They remained in silent understanding
Breathing each other’s essence
In a timeless momentum

Longing for a single pathway
Leading through the forest of emotions
In a garden of gilded fantasies
Thawed by the rays of passion

The final memory of tomorrow
Written on the feather of fate
Held in the palm of forever
Wrapped in a golden band of love

2/16/19
www.brucelevine.com

There’s the ocean green
Sail boats slowly drifting by
Waves break on the beach

New York in winter
Cold with snow and freezing ice
Thawing toward the spring

Piano music
Tunes to savor all alone
Tunes to share with friends

Passing days of yore
Filled with joy and happy times
Mem’ries still retained

https://anthonywatkins.wixsite.com/btsjul2019/haiku

Finding your true love
Is not up to you
It can take years
Or an instant
Milliseconds
That equal lightyears

The heart chooses
And destiny is revealed
In a single moment
An hour
A week
Two people
Whose hearts are like
Opposite poles of a magnet
Drawn together
Inexplicably
Yet inseparable

Oceans apart
Or right next door
Love transcends all boundaries
Negating the past
Without tarnishing memories
Rejoicing in those memories
And yet looking to the new dawn
Another day
Another chapter
To be realized
Held in a hand
That only holds
Your true love

She rests her head
On her pillow
He watches her sleep
Contentment now has found them
After turmoil and sorrow
So long did they weep

Their life abounds in glory
As husband and as wife
Their mutual devotion
No longer any strife

From this day on
Their path is clear
Their future without doubt
Their love alone
Engraved in stone
Together as one
They’ve just begun
A rainbow ties their knot
Marriage vows
Made in the clouds
To last a lifetime
And beyond

Each second of each day
Safe and warm
They ride out any storm
Of days gone by
They laugh not cry
Holding hands
Like marriage bands

Forever and a day
They fear no more
They found the shore
Alive with life
As man and wife
Pronounced by God
Two peas in a pod
To live today
Their future shining bright
To have and hold
Remaining bold
They’ll guard each other’s flight
Like sprouting wings
Their future brings
Their essence being right
Their heart and soul
As one are whole
No more to care
They take the dare
To win the prize
They realize
The second hand
Is a golden band
That guards them
Through the night

They sleep in peace
With clouds as sheets
And when they wake
As dawn will break
And so they bring
On angel’s wing
Perfection to their life

Alone no more
Happiness galore
They’ll travel through life
On a magic carpet ride
A genii’s wish
Not to make them rich
But to keep their hearts alive
To love each other
Like bread and butter

Each second of each day
To have and to hold
As their lives unfold
And happy ever after
Is the law of the day

And when they sleep
Their lives complete
They hold each other tight
Their world aglow
Their path will show
Directions for their flight
Through thick and thin
They both will win
Their love so rare
Their home so fair
Their essence in the night

And with each new dawn
They travel on and on
From here to there
And everywhere
They live and breathe
And always believe
Their love was made by fate
Destiny brought she to thee

Together forever
Whatever the weather
Their story’s a treasure
Worth more than
King Midas’s gold
Of how two people
Can fly higher than the steeple
Their love story
The greatest ever told

The stillness of the morning
A quiet time to think
Burning off the mist of darkness
And drying up the dew

Ev’ning shadows long forgotten
As golden rays appear
Casting off on a new day dawning
With incandescent light

Like fishermen in hip-boots
Trailing lures in streams
Teasing dreams to follow
The long forgotten embers
Of yesterday’s embrace

New shadows of awak’ning
With piercing crystal light
Leaving empty spaces
To be filled as time progresses
Toward another afternoon

The patches still in grayness
Soon to disappear
Ending off the day’s transition
As morning overtakes

The dawn of another journey
A day to be revealed
Moving on toward a day of brightness
Another day with you

There’s a profound sadness
To the death of dreams.
When hope withers
And days stand still;
Drifting one into another
And another.

The gentle touch of success,
Simple in any form,
Withdrawn.

The golden rays of sunshine
Shrouded in
Black clouds.

The new hopes and prospects
Foiled by an
Unseen hand.

Time lingers and
Dangles, like a carrot,
The portent of change
That remains unfulfilled
Except by a profound sadness.

Meditation in motion
Slow locomotion
The torch of devotion

A new day
A new life
Parting with the old
But never parting
Holding on to golden moments
Like a bee sleeping
In the palm of your hand
Looking toward newly made memories
In a Tiffany setting
Made of silver and platinum
Crafted by the deft
Hand of fate
Intertwining two lives
Like Rococo filigree
And sent off
To find their destiny
Amid the chaos
Of emotions
That can only be resolved
As one

http://www.leaves-of-ink.com/2019/06/one.html

Following your heart
Taking the leap of faith
Sometimes you go over a cliff

A starfish crawls across the wreck of a ship
The hull opened like a tuna fish can
Plastic bottles filled with water
Awaken the hereafter

7/30/19

www.brucelevine.com
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07485W4Q1