And the swirling mist it rises,
To obscure the path ahead,
Though I know that it comprises,
Both the living and the dead,
For my life is but a spiral,
And what I passed will come again,
There is always a reprisal,
I am made from what was then,
So I take this next step forward,
With heart both fearless and unsure,
I know well I’m going toward,
A future that has come before.

JDoyle

The night flashed in a sudden light,
Followed by the thunder’s roar,
Catching my eye, the brilliant bright,
I watched the sky, waited for more,
In dead of night, a sign of hope,
A storm blown in by winds of change,
Changing my mind, changing my scope,
My mind, like clouds, to rearrange,
The coming storm, to wash the past,
Brings flashing light to show the way,
To feel alive, the storm to pass,
To fight again another day,
A wind to knock me off my feet,
Water’s depth to swim or sink,
A mountain’s high, a daring feat,
My complex mind, to overthink,
And in the night an endless peace,
Knowing these things, are my friend,
My pain, my soul, my mind’s release,
The warming sun to feel again.

JHenry

My eyes open to morning’s light,
The glowing window shining bright,
But so indistinct the colors seem,
Am I aware or still to dream?
And I ponder long, if I should stay,
As the day dawns rose or gray,

A precious moment, rare to see,
And just to maybe hope and be,
The softest, briefest touch of death,
With a still heart and quiet breath,
And I know that, I would rather stay,
As the day turns rose or grey,

But we live to dare and dream and try,
With so little time before we die,
And we must give all we can give,
There is only, just, this chance to live,
And though I linger, I rarely stay,
To watch the day be rose or gray.

JDoyle

There’s something about acceptance,
That really is the key,
Though often stalled by reluctance,
It’s how we need to be,
Then we can move to reflectance,
And that’s when we start to see,
From there we find transcendence,
It’s then that we are free.

JDoyle

The wind begins to slither, finding openings to my room,
Something moves along the window, touches of impending doom,
Growing larger, ever closer, above my lying form to loom,
I wake up in the night,
The darkness is alive now, my bright eyes stare into the veil,
Catching motion, is it blowing? Or somehow rising up through Hell?
The chiming ever louder, and the cause I ache to tell,
So little in my sight,
The still of the night is deadened,  waiting, waiting, dare I lay?
Suddenly, the birds are chirping, can they drive this dark away?
My heart to slow, my soul at ease, surer of the coming day,
So soon there will be light,
But will I see it? Moving forward, my hand to grasp upon the knife,
Peering, searching through the darkness, can I **** what don’t hold life?
Chirping, chiming, growing louder, the wind it rises, seductive, rife,
As I walk into the night.

JHenry

One that laughs, One that cries,
One that shows me distant skies,
Some suggestive, catch the eye,
Others don’t, though they try,
One from the south,
One in the north,
One walks away,
One coming forth,
One tells such tales,
One wants it all,
One falters and fails,
One I try and fall,
Some running by, some try to stay,
Some make me run, some make my day
One from the east,
One to the west,
To one I’m least,
To one I’m best,
One questions why,
One informs,
One is polite,
Another scorns,
And one, he paints,
Another sings,
One writes his soul,
One laughter brings,
The world it spins, and time will turn,
And I will go and I will learn,
But this is certain, and it’s true,
They’ll never be another you,
Or another me, Hell yes I care,
For these fleeting moments that we share.

JHenry

Time and again was history lost,
For a tyrant will reign at any cost,
Our books destroyed,
and minds subdued,
Or heroes slandered,
and spirits abused,
But hope, like life will find a way,
A light will shine, there’ll be a new day,
And hidden, kept hidden,
safely away,
Once thought destroyed,
forever to stay,
The wisdom that our ancestors knew,
They kept it for us, and never withdrew,
But waited, they waited,
through the long night,
To be revealed,
when the timing was right.
Fear not the darkness, just use it well,
And when the sun rises, there’ll be a new tale.

JDoyle

The leaves are all gone,
The wind whisks them by,
An autumnal dawn,
A cloud covered sky,
The sun’s shining bright,
The mountain stands bare,
I blink in the light,
A new day is here.

JDoyle

I wonder where that leads to,
And just what does my touch do,
The veil that I can’t see through,
I’ll move it right aside,

I’m only gonna try it,
If I break it I will buy it,
Don’t care you tell me nigh it,
Is impossible, you chide,

Maybe I can make it better,
I’m always a go getter,
I’ll just remove this fetter,
Such I can’t abide,

That bend is calling to me,
The beauty that I might see,
I’ve just one chance to be free,
My heart will be my guide,

I don’t have any real plan,
To live throughout my lifespan,
Just want to know that I can,
So confident my stride,

There are cracks upon the mirrors,
Is it random or by design?
As I gaze in horror, wandering,
Through this madhouse of my mind,
Each contorts disturbingly,
Yet familiar, it is mine,
And I flinch upon my pondering,
At the images, yet to find,
Through darkened pathways spiraling,
As tortured thoughts entwine,
To obscure and bar the exit,
With broken mirrors, left behind,

JHenry

Blustering, gusty, winds that blow,
Twisting trees sway to and fro,
Shadows dappled, clouds are low,
The brook it babbles, let it flow,
Sunlight peeks out, all aglow,
I’m heading home but walking slow.

JDoyle

A far green woodland,
Beneath a sapphire sky,
With silver streams meandering,
Along the by and by,
With trees as tall as giants,
And mountains oh so high,
And misty covered shorelines,
So clear in my mind’s eye,

JDoyle

if you take the time to think about it,
The pain of this world is crippling,
Empathy makes my insides,
Hurt so much,
It’s a needle hug, and a poison touch,
A hopelessness that is too,
much for tears,
Of horrid truths and dreaded fears,
Just a dull, painful dread,
For the living, for the dead,
I feel helpless, guilty and sad,
The struggle seems to be,
To see,
To create,
Good there within,
A battle we can never win,
For it does so little.
All we are, and all we feel,
This is the cost then, of free will,
Such a very precious gift,
but are we worth it?

JDoyle

Friday will foretell the end,
13 omens will they send,
Tears will flow as though they’re bled,
As horror fills your heart with dread,
The veil of worlds to further rend,
Into the depths all will descend,
Hell behind and worse ahead,
A pity that you aren’t just dead,
A masquerade you must attend,
You cannot scream, so just pretend,
Across the land false hope was spread,
The fate of all, you’ve been misled,
And at long last, you comprehend.

JDoyle

Freedom, the long forgotten dream,          
Do you remember?
Shining in the morning, just a distant gleam,
What was it that you wanted,
And are you as you seem?

Is it you that lost it, careless in your ways,
Or was it everyone
A sacrifice freely given, to make for better days,
Was it worth it?
And are we better off now, here in this modern haze?

What is the price of freedom, dream though it may be?
Security and comfort,
That is the question isn’t it? so now we start to see,
Subtly it happens,
We lose our dreams of freedom, and join society.

But is that the way it is, or just what we’ve been told?
Who made those rules,
Do we have to sell our freedom, for another person’s gold?
Why?
Society gives no security,  and it’s gilt is chipped and old.

But the world is much the same, as when we turned our eyes,
Downward,
There are still the forests, rivers, deserts, seas, and skies,
Reminders,
That freedoms just forgotten, and maybe plagued with lies.

Don’t we all still see it, in the morning light?
Hope
Don’t we all still feel it, as evening turns to night?
Peace
Don’t let freedom be forgotten, it’s not to sell for comfort,
It is our human right.

J. Doyle

A gossamer veil of evening,
Gently tossed upon the day,
As Luminescent moonbeams,
Coalesce to light the way,
For life is a real illusion,
As all the world is a play,
And forever is just a moment,
That will never go away.

JDoyle

The first hag closed her only eye,
She murmured soft “I’ll tell you why,
Violence, it comes along with life,
As does sadness, death and strife,
An agent of change, to use so well,
It’s not who starts, but who will fail,”

The next hag shook her gray locks free,
She crooned, “dear one, can’t you see,
A natural order, again revealed,
If they won’t talk, they **** or be killed,
The sun will rise up, yellow or red,
And love remains, for living and dead,”

The third hag cackled, grinning wide,
She laughed, “there isn’t a right side,
Glory for some, a winner shall rise,
To give their own mix, of truth and lies,
Fear not the changes, face each day,
The soul continues, come what may,”

JDoyle

As hearts and minds forget they’re free,
The red sun sets, will tomorrow be?
Confused and cruel hypocrisy?
Accepting this new way,

A starless night, so full of hate,
Choosing wrong, just to call it fate,
To harm is not to liberate,
So far, we’ve gone astray,

A future we won’t recognize,
With it’s conformity and lies,
The day will dawn, in different eyes,
That quickly look away,

JDoyle

Sometimes, I can walk the walk,
Mostly cause I’ve tripped before,
And face plants come as quite a shock,
But what you see, down on the floor,

Too loudly, I will talk the talk,
And often times just nonsense spout,
Words left open, free to mock,
It gives me more to think about,

JDoyle

The crying of the giants,
Screaming through the veil,
The moaning of old spirits,
Writhing in their hell,
A call goes out for freedom,
Amidst the rebel yell,
It tells me change is coming,
I hear it in the gale,
The winds of change surround us,
Mark the tolling of the bell,
And better days are coming,
Now listen to my tale,
Though the sun is shining brightly,
It’s warmth is no avail,
The gusts so cold around me,
Mayhap it is my knell,
As much as it does call me,
The lure of each new trail,
Warmer days are coming,
I’ll stay home, just as well.

JDoyle

I’m so much like my brother snake,
Searching for warmth, I fail to make,
To lie in the sun or curl up inside,
The colder it gets, the more that I hide,
Comparable to the vampire’s lust,
Desperate for warmth, knowing I must,
Upon my brethren impose,
For body heat or some extra clothes,
I go to heat, as a moth to a flame,
Seeking for warmth, always the same,
When autumn falls, and cold settles in,
I start my search for warmth again.

JDoyle

And adventure awaits!
The vines entwine my spirit,
The mountains call my name,
And oh how I can hear it!
The sunlight leads the way,
I’m off to find tomorrow,
With the glory of today!

JDoyle

The wind it calls me, come along, to the lands that wait anew,
The mountain thrums and beckons to me, see the peaks I’ve made for you,
The sea it whispers then it roars, leave the world behind, askew,
My heart to pound and soul to go, tempered always by today,
To return and wait again, as again I’m called away,
As my heart aches from the beating  and my soul screams for release,
Away, away, from lands I know, not every soul desires peace,
But banners bright and shining mail, and clashing swords that seek the heart,
Or gunsmoke thick and cannon’s roar,
And charges brave as lives depart,
Pirate flags on winds of change above a rocking deck of gore,
Flying crafts take to the skies, and seek frontiers, forevermore,
Dystopia, a chance to fight, as society does fray,
And all the while, my restless soul, leads me once again, away.

JDoyle

As I walk along today you quietly accept me here,
You listen to my ramblings and always let me near,
You never turn away from me, I know that I belong,
You always have a lesson for me, and you make me strong.

I’m humbled by your acceptance of me, because you are so old,
So beautiful and inspiring, so gentle yet so bold,
You’re powerful beyond all measure, our very lives controlled,
And yet you’re always right there for me, you always take the time,
And never turn away from me, my problems, quests and rhyme,

But I’m thankful just to be here with you, and share your quiet mood,
To see the sunlight softly dappled in this solitude,
To know the wonders that you offer, always something more,
Places of ease, but also challenge, so much to explore,

You’re magnificent to see and giant in your nature too,
Yet all the little things that matter are never ignored by you,
I bow my head and forever ponder,
The beauty in all you do,
You simply show yourself to me, and allow me free to roam,
And each and every time I’m here, I know that I’ve come home,

JDoyle

The gentle wind disrupts the grass,
Swaying flowers, let it pass,
Wind whispers through the trees,
Teasing summer, with a breeze,
Telling us, life doesn’t last,
Live it now! And rushes past,
The wind roars to bring the storm,
Then it changes, cool and warm,
Spring’s wind will be gone soon,
Round the world and to the moon,
Find yourself, within the song,
Spread your wings and go along,

JDoyle

Friend Raven, where have you been?
“Over the trees and across the sky,
Through the forests, when shadows lie,
And to the heavens where angels fly,”

And my friend Raven, where do you go?
“Across a bridge of rainbow light,
Northwards in the coming night,
To aid the Old One through the fight.”

“Raven tell me, what do you see?
“All there is, and The Spirit knows,
Life relinquished, life that grows,
What you wanted, what you chose,”

Raven, do you hear the cry?
“I hear the wail of the Phantom Queen,
The cry of battles, to be seen,
The song of steel and Banshee keen,”

Friend of mine, do you know the way?
“The way ahead is dark indeed,
Times of trouble, times of need,
You may still live, but you will bleed,”

Raven friend, I’m coming too.
“I leave the way, to follow clear,
Loud my song, with few who hear,
The end is nigh, the time is near,

JDoyle

The sun is shining brightly,
and I feel the urge to go,
But there’s something in the shadows,
that I just have to know,
This pull of dual worlds splitting,
that the brightness cannot clean,
For I know the pain of darkness,
as my heart lies in between,
And I am being called to,
the morning’s ray of light,
Even as my soul is seeking,
for the comfort of the night,

JDoyle

Fear, I see you,
My old friend,
And forward do you urge me,
And sadness,
You’ve come again,
To help me more to see,
Pain, I know you,
Long we’ve walked together,
And much I owe to thee,
You hardship,
Are always near,
Let’s move along, shall we?
Regret, let’s talk,
With so much to hold dear,
Why question what could be?
Yet it is you, restless,
That sets my soul to wander,
And leads me to be free.

JDoyle

It feels adventurous to walk a trail,
Lest we forget the ones who blazed it,
Go this way and all is well,
Envious of, who first appraised it,

Freedom found in a world anew,
Blessed they that walked in silence,
Those society could not subdue,
Who made a life by sheer defiance,

We follow now, so thankful for,
Discovered beauty they chose to share,
But leave the trail, to go explore,
And sometimes be the one to dare,

JDoyle