SEA IMAGES

This rusty little boat, anchored on the far-away shallow bank,
Neglected, but still bears marks of past bruises and secrets
Of passion, known only to some daring lovers
Long forgotten.

Today the sky is still red with summer desire,
The winds blow free and wild, careless, enticing.
Crimson flowers, half-hidden from human eyes,
Resplendent in glory, flushed with fire,
Drunk with yearning, dream of a world beyond time
Devoid of regrets, pains and sighs.

This day seems so long, while the heat waves tear
At the insatiate hearts of all, both young and old,
Who share the common anguish, the same bond of longing
For what could never be, that unfathomable-
Beyond words, experience, touch, feeling-
that magnificent unknown
Born of first love.
Is that what is inadequately
Spoken of by the poets as ecstasy?

Like the themes of an eternal symphony, the sea
Holds the keys to the heart’s depth,
Its longing, loneliness, sorrow and pain
While the last song of this summer has come to an end, sadly,
There will always be a boat somewhere with its story-
Watched by the waves, the sky, the crimson flowers
And love unfulfilled, soaked in silent misery.

After listening to Schumann and Chopin’s piano concertos-
night of 14th August 1999, Sydney

On quiet afternoons in the Fall ,  Oaks and Maple cry , drumming of war heard through the pines , for on this hallowed ground Georgia was  divided , Native Tribes became belligerent , the Northern third of a nation lost , on this very day, late afternoon , by rushing water , voices whisper agony of Chief McIntosh , warring tribes of Cherokee , Creek in battle , brother against brother , bitterly divided over outside aggression , by stroke of pen , broken treaty and deceit ,  forest alive with ghost of man woman and child , the ensuing Trail of Tears and destruction of a once proud Nation ...