There is so much
Sadness in my heart
I don’t know
Where it comes from
And it feels
So real
Tears almost in my eyes
Dripping down my cheeks
Almost there
And the sadness stops
Creating dis ease
And I want to cry
And
I can’t

What is a poem
If not a voice
What are the words
Without meaning or source
What is a line
If it doesn’t move on
And what is a rhyme
If the work is undone

Australia
Is burning up
With smoke in the air
And now showers
Drowning out
Heat
Dropping down
Tennis ball ice
On our heads
Koala’s
Are hiding
And maybe
We should
Too

Spring
Where are you
Why have you forsaken  me
Snow lies on the ground
And ice glints in the boughs
Of the heavily laden trees
The sun has hidden
For so many days
And darkness and gloom
Seem to rule our world
I long for the flowers
And the growing buds
On the trees
Now hidden
Under the
Blanket of snow
Rise up dear Spring
Show off your beautiful colours
And remind me
That love
And happiness and joy
Still exist
In this
Darkness

I am awake
Even when I am asleep
For thoughts fill the mind
With trivialities
And the silence is
The true power of be ing
Let go of impurities of mind
And settle into
The silence
For it is there
That you will meet
Love

In the silence
I am at peace
Nothing can penetrate
The strength
Of pure
Love

I thought I knew love
And then
The Lover found me
And the heart
Was opened
And I knew
True
Unconditional
Love

I am now
At
Peace

It’s New Year’s Eve
I’m all alone
No one to visit
No one to phone
I wonder what I’ll do all night
While others party, get high  as a kite
I could watch TV
See the Apple come down
I could sing a song
I could sit and frown
Or I can just enjoy
The quiet that’s here
Smile and remember
The times of cheer
I’ll start the New Year
With some remembering
Of times of when
Things were much much better
And then I’ll plan
A thing or two
To start the year
With something new
Perhaps write a  story
Or read a book
Take some time
Something new to cook
And then I'll smile
And say to all
Happy New Year
And
Have a Ball!

When we are married to the Beloved
There is no more fear
No more worry about what is to be
Because life is lived in the present moment
We can let go and know
That we are not alone
That we were never alone
Always with us is Spirit
The essence of creation
Manifested
Through the vibration of
Light and sound
Always reverberating through the Universe
We are so much more
Than our human existence
If we just
Take the time to
Listen

What is love
If not a perpetual
Joy of be ing
Our hearts sing and our bodies glow
And we believe
Yes, truly believe
That there is more to us
Than our bodies, minds, or emotions
Human love can be a tingle
And Spiritual Love
Can be our lives

Gratitude
Is at the essence
Of our be ing
When we can appreciate
And love who we are
And all that we have
And bring harmony and joy
Into our lives
Then we can know the true meaning of
Gratitude

*** it’s here again
A cold is in my nose
It’s dripping and I’m snorting
For pictures I won’t pose
It’s red at tip and sore to touch
It’s dripping in my food
The sneezing and the coughing
Put me in a very foul mood
I hope this cold will end soon
And cause me no more pain
My tissue box is empty
Here comes a sneeze again
I hope the sun comes out soon
So I can go outside
Perhaps the warmth will warm me up
Better to have lived than died
This is the season for the germs
I did not take a shot
Even thought my doctor and his nurse
Really thought that sure I ought
The cold will end then back to work
I will have to go
My xmas vacation is over now
Achoo, achoo….I know…

I live in a land where French is King
And English is not stable
We’re supposed to know our oui from  non
Our table from our table
We can’t say hi, bonjour together
Or wear a pretty hijab
English schools are closing up their doors
High taxes are on our tab
I don’t find speaking French a problem
Even though I wasn’t taught
I picked  up words on streets, when young
Marde, colisse,   and tabarnak
My children are bilingual, my grandchildren are so too
I try to speak and others laugh
My French is like a stew
I’m glad I’m getting older
And getting shorter on my days
For watching hatred and prejudice
Is just never going to be my way

I came to read your poetry
And look what I have found
A broken heart
A floating leaf
And snow upon the ground
You write as if your life is over
Or maybe just begun
You write as if you fall in love
And have no room to run
I read your words
And feel your pain
And comment on them some
I send out hearts
And small congrats
And love that you have come
To join me on this quest of life
For writing is our game
We look inside
Our deepest heart
And try to feel the pain
It’s hard to come upon a group
Where pain of love is welcome
And here I sit with pen in hand
And read all you have gained
I have to write, not just to read
I’m coming to an end
With pen in hand and paper still
Some poetry to gain

Death
Divorce
They’re all part of life
Sadness and joy
Happiness and pain
All a part
Of the human condition
How does one cope?
How does one sustain themselves
Through all that life throws our way
With
Courage

I used to think
That life was all
Fun and games
And then
I began to live
Really live
And feel and know and care
And become
And then I learnt
That life contains
Both joy
And pain
And I have to find a way
To encompass
Both

Chairs in the room
Vacant
Because
Alone
Requires
Emptiness

On the table
Papers
Requiring attention
Strewn to the side
And left
Alone

Fire in the hearth
No one
To watch it

Empty room
Amply furnished
Ticking clocks
No one
To listen

Snow
Sparkling white
In a world
Too busy to notice

Out my window
A wonderland
Of clean
Whiteness
Not yet marred
By the
Business
Of life

I sit inside
Looking out at a world
That is
Always changing
Once green
It is now
Covered in a blanket
Of sparkling white
Goodness
Clarity
Cleanliness
Purity
Innocence

You know
It’s not so bad
To always have to find
Something to do
I wish
Sometimes I really wish
That I had someone
To share my life with
And then
I remember
How hard it is to be in a relationship
And I think again

Isn’t it weird
That poetry
Is my best friend
And words are used
To express
My love

Sometimes I sit alone
And wonder where the world is
And why
I’m sitting all alone
Have people forgotten me
Or are their lives so busy
I have been put on the side
Alone can be
A very lonely place
And I try to keep busy
And soon
I begin to miss
The company

Life is what happens
As we are living it
We think we are planning for the future
When, in fact
The future has prepared herself
For us
We find a soft blanket to fall on
While we struggle to climb the mountain
We sleep
As our soul journeys forward
We feed our bodies
When we should be feeding
Our souls
We climb
When we should be resting
And rest
When we should
Be wandering
Through life
Always just
A little off
And always
On the mark

Sometimes I wonder about life
What it is that calls to me
In the darkness of my unknowing
I wonder what truly lies
At the depths of my be ing
Reaching out to catch me
As I fall into
The abyss
Not knowing is the sign
Of true compassion
Of true humility
Of a trust that is so deep
And so wide
That I fear not
The fall

There is a longing in my heart
That knows no bounds
It calls to me
Through tears
That catch on my eyelashes
And cling to my cheeks
A longing so deep
And so wide
That nothing but love
Can truly penetrate
There is no other
No thing
That can catch my attention
Other than
Your love

Writing poetry
Can be so much fun
Words on a page
Expressing unknown
Thoughts
Deep within us
Many times
I don’t even know
Where the words are coming from
Like, they just are
Set deep within me
Rising to the surface
To share

Sometimes I sit around
Thinking about what life could have been
If I had…
You can fill in the blanks
And I wonder
How different things
Could have been
If I had only
Just said no
Or yes
Or maybe
Or not spoken at all
Could I really have changed my destiny?
Or  was it already
Set in stone
Before I was born
How much free choice
Do we really have?

Being in the world
Is not always as easy as it looks
It takes
Fortification
And courage
And a strength
Seldom found
In the Animal Kingdom
For animals
Never have to worry
About being overtaken
By someone’s mind
Or being taken advantage of
With cruelty
Animals ****
For food
And dominance
And nothing else
While the animal that is man
Kills
For the sheer pleasure of it

This is
Just the way
It is
And I truly
Have no say
In
The outcome

I always thought
That life was real
And now I realize
That we’re all just playing a game
Of Hide and Seek

When will I learn
To just play the game
And not get involved
In the outcome?
Or, am I supposed to feel
And connect, and become a part of
The evolution
Of
Corruption

Money
A commodity
Written on paper
With coloured ink
And worth
Nothing

Why do we believe
Everything people tell us?
Why can’t we learn
To think on our own
And not be ruled
By the Laws of the Land?

I can think
And feel
And be
On my own
And yet
I need other
To confirm
Me

The world is corrupt
And the people in it
Even more vile
And yet
This is my home
For now

Will I learn
To be like others?
Or will I retain
My Self Awareness
And be Truthful
To my Self.

It’s been awhile since I wrote words
And thoughts upon the page like turds
Of nasty memories of things abide
From which I lived, and could have died

First body reminds us of the pain
Of which we no longer want to go to again
And then emotions from eyes do flow
Upon black wings of an eager crow
We yell and scream to get it out
These are authentic, not just a pout
And to a paper we run to scratch
Expressions, emotives, put on a  patch
And deeper in we try to go
And many times the road is slow
But travel we do on our journey home
Many steps forward on which to roam

When all is said and done and gone
We come back better, it’s not a con
For consciousness comes and mind is stilled
And peace and calm on which we build
A new understanding of life on which
We can live in the now and found a nitch

Life is lived in pain and sorrow
And joy and laughter in which we borrow
To rise again to new heights of Grace
Our authentic self to live and face

There is a vacancy in my heart
That calls to be filled
By someone who knows
Life’s meaning

In a vacant way
I have found
That living from my heart
Brings more comfort
Than living on the street

I remember a time
When life had meaning
And I didn’t have to do anything
To feel full
Of life experiences

My heart feels empty
No one around
To love
To care for
To hold in my arms
And examine
The meaning of life with
No one

I close  my eyes
And joyfully enter
The world inside
The ebb and flow
Of luminescent colours
That guide my way
To the inner worlds
I have found a place
Of happiness
Joy and peace
That has always laid
Inside of me
The doorway
To life
Everlasting

I don’t know about
The state of the world
And I do know
That
Deep within me
Sits one
Who is ill prepared
For
This world
She shakes with fear
She is pale
And she is terrified
To come out
Into
The ugly world
She sees herself
In
She sits
Buried within
Waiting
For safety
Which
For her
Will never come

Will there ever be a time
When humanity accepts
That they are more
Than themselves
Will they ever know
The joy
Of love
And the Oneness
Of Being
Or will they continue to forget that
There is so much more
To life
Then the constant need
For desire fulfillment

Love
At the core of being
Is so much more
Than material possessions
Can ever give us
And yet
Humanity keeps seeking
They have forgotten
That they are more
Than their possessions
You can’t take it with you, they extol
And people don’t listen
And they cannot hear
The Truth

Will there ever be a time
When humanity accepts
That they are more
Than themselves
Will they ever know
The joy
Of love
And the Oneness
Of Being
Or will they constantly
Engage themselves
In hatred
And lies
And the need for Power
And will they turn their backs
On all that is
To instead
Have
Only
Themselves

Heaviness in the pit of my stomach
Tears coming to my eyes
I don’t know what it’s about
And I think I’m going to cry
Dirges of sentiment
That I encounter
Take away my ability
To scream
And I am one
With the Universe
And I cry
For all those
Who are in pain
And I wonder
If it will ever end
I cringe
At the sentiment
Felt
In
My being
And I want
Peace
And love
To be
At the center
And
All I feel
Is
PAIN

Sometimes words come easily to me
And sometimes not
Sometimes I forget to take the time
And others, not

Poetry, as an expression of life
Makes pictures out of words
And takes our minds soaring
To new heights
Of understanding
So today
I put pen to paper
And fingers to keyboards
And
I will write

A little bit of milk
And sweetener, just a touch
I’m making up a tea
And  don’t want to have too much

A little bit of toast
Butter, jam upon the top
I love to have   my special snack
I don’t know how to stop

Perhaps I’ll have a plum or two
Or a banana that is ripe
Some chocolate, smile on my lips
Now that is more my type

Of course some ice cream, cherries too
Whip cream would make it swell
And nuts and sprinkles, silver *****
I promise I won’t tell

Alas, the tea is all I have
I have to watch my waist
I dream about the other stuff
Would love to have a taste

It’s not easy to feel  the loss
To allow ourselves to go into the pain
Knowing the overwhelming depth of emptiness
That we are going to sustain

Tears in my eyes
Why does everything feel so sad
Loss, compromise
Life is about
A give and take
Many times the take
Is bigger than the give
Until
We look  from a distance
And understand
That giving
Is many more times more powerful
Than receiving

What is sadness
But the tearing from asunder
The thought of who we are
Into what we have become
The recognition that
We have facades upon facades
Of who we wish we were
Instead of
Who we are
We fight so hard to become
Only to find out
That we are not
Who we would like to be
And will never be
Because
The truth is that
We cannot be
That which is not
That which is beyond us
The truth lies
In finding out
Who we are not
And then discovering
That
We always were

Life’s twists and turns
Are a journey
Of no return
No matter how we long
We can’t go backwards
Or force the future
To come forward
So
We live in the present
While
Holding on
To all that was
And all that is to be

Do you ever wonder
Who you are
Or where
You have come from
Do you sometimes feel
Like an alien
Well
I do

A mother less child just barely born
Sits on the stoop with heart so torn
Nobody wants her and nobody cares
Not even worth crying while on those stairs
Will somebody come and take her in
Is anyone around to tickle her chin
But still no one comes and it’s getting cold
That little baby lies she’s not so bold
She’s all alone and needing her mother
She barely whimpers would be happy with another
Is there anyone there who really cares
Can someone come does someone dare
To love a child who has no home
to care for one who cannot roam
Will someone take her inside where it’s warm
Will someone keep her from all harm
Can anyone hear that silent child
That’s wanting  some love so undefiled

What is a poem
If not a conglomerate
Of words
Put together
To express
A thought
What is poetry
If not a mangling  
Of ideas
Forcing one
To
Set on paper
Thoughts
Commit
To ideas
What is poetry
If not love
Of thought
Of word
Of deed

I want to paint
I want to put
Colour to canvas
And watch it grow
A story coming forward
From a colour
Well placed
Imaginings from the mind
That play out
Across the white canvas
That grows in words
In wisdom
In actions of youth
Played out
Across the expanse of
A desert
Or a park
Or a water scene
That is remembered
From long ago
Art
The chance to
Tell our story
With canvas
And paint

When I was a child
I used to dream
Of ice cream and candy
Or so it would seem

I would wake up each morning
With thoughts in my mind
Of how to behave
To be loving and kind

And sometimes I couldn’t
And got into trouble
Was sent to my room
Only there it would double

Because quiet and calm
Aren’t the norm for a child
I had so much energy
I couldn’t be mild

And eventually I grew up
And became an adult
And had kids of my own
Tried for a different result

I allowed them to scream
And to have lots of fun
Quiet only came when
The whole day was done

And I learnt to allow
To not stifle a child
To accept without judgment
Allowing them to run wild

With love and firm limits
A child can learn
They are loved, they are cared for
Once doesn’t have to be stern

So if I’ve learnt anything
Things don’t have to be strange
Don’t have to be like our parents
Can have loving exchange

Once upon a time
There was a world
That was as pure and innocent
As the people that lived there
There was no crime, no pain
No one taking advantage
Or lying
To others
And then
The big change
Came
And lying became the norm
And power over others
Overpowered all
And no one cared
About others
And they killed
And *****
And ravaged
And had no remorse
And God looked down
And he said
This isn’t good
So
He created children
To watch over the future
To bring back innocence
And truth
And love
And he said
This is good
Only the children
Picked up
The bad habits of their parents
And so an ugliness
Settled
Over the world
And darkness was all around
And the innocent
Feared
The ugly
And they forgot
That love was all they needed
And God, sent down love
In the form of animals
And wildlife
And plants
And the people ate the plants
And played with the animals
And remembered
That they were made of love
And all was good
Because
Love is all there is