POETRY

THERE ARE MOMENTS

SOMETIMES

MANIFESTO

THIS WORLD

WORN AWAY EDGES

SHINE ON

FOR THE LOST…

LOOK AT ALL YOU KNOW

DAILY COMMUTE

ALL OF US

HERE IS WHERE

PASSION AND INSPIRATION

INTO SPACIOUS SUNSETS

THIRST FOR LIFE

FORGET SEEKING ENLIGHTENMENT

INTO THE DAY

WHAT TRULY MATTERS

CAN YOU?

THERE ARE MOMENTS...

Although at times my eyes cloud over and I fail to see beyond the daily haze,

there are moments, sweet and rare when a dewdrops tear captures my heart and silences my mind.

Balanced perfectly on blades of grass, stunningly vulnerable they are waiting patiently

as I crouch down and listen to wisdom dispensed in the softest of whispers.

SOMETIMES...

finding strength when none is left,

letting go when you'd rather hold on,

leaping into the unknown with purposeful intent,

cherishing moments with your entire being,

resting in compassionate arms

and awakening to the presence of each moment,

Opens you to a freedom you never expected

I want to lead a beautiful life - tangled in intimate intricacies -

Fully immersed in the exquisite awkwardness of being human

a life that in the final analysis, is measured

not by outward accomplishments, or the number of likes on a web page,

but by incremental moments - slowly gathered and truly celebrated.

I seek a life that shines in reflection of my souls reckoning -

yearning for laughter of the deepest order,

while embracing the sorrow of unbearable sadness -

sinking slowly to it's depths before rising, humbled with compassion.

I want to contemplate the unfathomable beauty of my own delicate heart

taking refuge in a vast sea of wisdom that resides at its core,

connecting deeply to its innermost mysteries -

discovering its rhythm reverberating throughout nature,

I want to explore the authentic essence of each encounter -

and savor real communication that unfolds when hearts engage -

a sacred unspoken exchange,

nourished by attentive presence and insightful perception -

that births grace silently into the world.

and when grief occupies my heart, and anguish floods my body -

when certainty and conviction are obscured and I loose sight of meaning in suffering,

I want to summon courage and find solace

as tears of surrender and acceptance flow - releasing me back to wholeness

and then,

When the years gather around me, I will listen for the echo of deep laughter

resounding clearly in my memories - coloring them like the evening sky.

I will open my arms to embrace elements I wrestled with in earlier years,

finding the terms of peace settled within.

And I will strive to live my days with an open heart

relishing the times I stayed present to the truth of who I am

until the rivers of discernment carry me deeper-

where heartbeats merge in a single pulse, and love holds all to itself.

THIS WORLD

...of hidden wonder

and astonishing intimacy

solitude lingers on it's breath -

an infusion of promise and vulnerability crowds its lungs.

This world

...of starry realms

and translucent moments,

where tree tops dance complex rhythms in howling winds

and revelation tastes like salty ocean spray.

This earth

...of profound intensity

and outspoken beauty

encapsulates love in abundance and orients the heart

toward horizons of compassion -

astonishing the mind with breathtaking views.

This place

...full of magical secretes

dissipating in morning mist,

where each new dawn gently nudges closed eyes open

and enters dormant hearts on an enlightened breeze -

delivering fresh gifts of unlimited possibility.

This life

...of remarkable texture

and dynamic aliveness -

insight cuts her path keenly through bitter experience

passion explodes into night skies and memories drift gently back to earth.

This moment

...of expanding depth and wonder draws me in as

I apprentice myself to the beckoning calm of blue sky and ancient forest wisdom -

pausing to listen to lilting songs from wild birds echoing in laughter of the very young,

my body absorbs discreet blessings as my heart unfurls like a leaf toward light.

This world

...so beautiful,

so very beautiful.

WORN AWAY EDGES

Etched across the old mans face

conclusions of a lifetime -

memories with worn away edges hover in secret bends and folds.

Awkwardly he stands - an old tree

weathered by lightening strikes and long droughts -

scars tattooed across body and mind -

permanent reminders of those significant moments in his history

Heavy sighs reveal the weight and measure of years lived

and ever slowing footsteps, no longer expected to keep pace with others

have taken up a new seductive dance - entwining aching joints in dizzying maneuvers

Hands washed clean of yesterdays living are permanently shaking as he

casts stones deliberately one by one into still water -

mesmerized by ripples of cause and effect stretching across his lifetime.

He smiles inwardly recalling the incredible gifts of pleasure and love

and laughs outwardly at the improbabilities that have shaped his destiny.

HERE IS WHERE

Here is where the heart bleeds

hidden in silent crevasses deep

and along windswept mountain sides exposed

Here is where you test resolve step by step

knowing you may falter

there are no guarantees in this fragile world

Here is where you inhale and realize in a single breath

all the beauty that contains your life

and where you exhale discovering the ignorance of your actions

Here is where the mind pleads

beckoning to the seas

as crashing waves of hope sync with undercurrents of sorrow

and footprints are gently engulfed one by one

Here is the time for children to come rushing

forward and back along the tidal shores

dancing in delight

a stream of unbroken presence shining in their eyes

Here is where you put down roots

and know you are alive

PASSION & INSPIRATION

When love enters my work

a burning urgency grips my heart and will not cease

an aliveness courses through my blood - pulsating in my thoughts

then I know I am truly alive - living and breathing passion.

When I see others living passionately -

those that have spent their life believing each step held promise and virtue,

those that trust each moment holds the gift of opportunity -

I recognize inspiration of the highest order in my presence.

Then revelation – softer than a feather

free falls into consciousness -

inspiration and passion alight

and I relax into that creative space

watching it overflow

in my work

in my heart

in my life

INTO SPACIOUS SUNSETS

Unfold 10 000 times

into spacious sunsets

and then further -

into nights canopy of hope.

Come alive as spiraling stars

illuminate the ancient stories -

Breathe in the mystery.

Follow the well worn paths that

heavenly bodies carved in time.

Collect wisdom and store it

in the troughs and gullies of your life.

Clearly written maps

etched into my palms

are slowly replicating on my face -

encapsulated moments

of adventure and discovery -

the chronicled reminders

of what accumulates with age

...and also what vanishes

So strip me bare

of all but the precious moments

and when the horizon

intercepts the passage of the sun

Let me return home to myself -

late but full of tales and excuses

of a life decidedly lived

THIRST FOR LIFE

Hear the light calling to the leaves?

It whispers in an ancient language

nature decodes in predawn silence

Listen -

its unfamiliar tongue

suckles on dewdrops -

Savoring the nectar of life long before bees stir

and coffee brews

FORGET SEEKING ENLIGHTENMENT

Forget seeking enlightenment

It is automatically embedded in the process of life

Live head on delving into life's mystery and magic -

even in horror and desperation - recognize its presence.

Create your own unique blend of wisdom and resolve

Claim the essence of life that is yours from first until last breath

and in all those in-between conscious and unconscious breaths-

...this is where enlightenment resides

SHINE ON

If you have found the courage to stand then you will.....

find the freedom to go wherever your heart bids

fall into unknowable adventure

edge towards understanding and discovery of values hidden to the eye

and

Shine on - with a heart full of love and compassion

FOR THE LOST ....

Where are you ? ...

The one who swore through bitter tears to live days differently,

who pushed through murky depths

scraping hardened mud off roots of indifference.

Where are you ? ...

The one who sought salvation

The dreamer of unfolding joys and tiny miracles.

What became of plans to uncover the hidden core of this worlds beating heart ?

When did you sow seeds of doubt hoping for better crops and greater yields?

Why are you circling rotting fields filled with perfume-scented doubt -

Watching decay with morbid fascination ?

Are you oblivious to the clouds gathering overhead ?

Do you no longer heed the warning call of birds ?

LOOK AT ALL YOU KNOW

Dawn - Blackall Range, Australia

Look at all you know -

touch it completely,

gather it to yourself -

inhale its unique fragrance.

This life you've created :

within your mind let it rest -

free from calculation and prophecy

within your heart let it roam unrestrained.

Embrace passionately the moments given -

before long they will all evaporate

dispersing like morning mist

further, further

heading skyward-

dissolving into thin air

DAILY COMMUTE

Crowds of faceless strangers localized in their busy worlds cram into carriages

swelling and flowing - grand swirls of color.

some angry, others lonely, many unnoticed, contrasting dully

against the confident entrepreneurs with iPads, iPhones, and cocksure strides

and the stressed out corporate-ladder-climbers who discreetly

brush their dry-cleaned suits free from breakfast crumbs and hints of dandruff

Lustful eyes and frantic hands of young lovers

entwine themselves in an amorous microcosm of obsession that

others steal glances at periodically –

conjuring up fantasies or passionate memories

of their own to make the trip pass quicker

Sleep depraved young mothers with cradles of baby, diaper bag and fluffy toys

take up seats with apologetic half smiles

-trying to remain inconspicuous

as tiny voices begin to whine in protest

Late night revellers, covered in layers of other peoples sweat,

barefoot - dangling shoes and flat battery mobiles,

cast loathsome looks as the carriages lurch and sway

ALL OF US

Entwined in this web - All of us

intimately connected despite appearances

with bellies protruding from too much food or too little

and blistered feet from new shiny shoes or panicked flight for refuge

with hands clasped firmly around bludgeoning wallets or sick child

ears enclosed in the rapture of digital song or the roaring deafness from mortar shells

eyes filming each moment for night to edit into dreams

or shut permanently against horrors of living nightmares…

This sea of humanity....

limping, dancing, crawling, running,

often selfish in our giving and harshest with our judgements,

crying and laughing in the same language,

navigating best we know through life - all of us with

hearts guarding secrete memories of most precious moments

experienced alone in the dark when no one is watching

and we are completely ourselves

INTO THE DAY

Soon it will be light

the wind will stretch its arms

stirring consciousness with its gentle embrace

whispering ''time to come back''

as i exchange dreams

infused with frangipani and jasmine

for sneakers and sweatshirts

stepping lightly onto wet grass -

traces of my joy momentarily imprinted on a quite earth

as the sky slowly absorbs the dawn and exhales the day into being

WHAT TRULY MATTERS

In less than a century of gathering stars,

all is done - only a glimpse of god awaits.

Shallow labored breathing ignites

passionate recall of unexpected moments

jumping into sharp relief against a

backdrop of lost opportunities.

regret hovers...

if only another chance,

how different it could be.

Easing this internalized torment,

extraordinary gifts given and shared

rush forward in compensation

and suddenly clarity pierces through confusion.

Naked realization comes to stand -

proud but self conscious

assessing its reflection

in a lifetime lived,

fascinated

by what truly matters

when all is stripped bare.

Silence seductively captivates

those last breaths-

teasing them out - one final sensual act.

A shudder passes through,

unidentifiable,

and suddenly there

floating in the ether,

fragments of your elusive life

beginning to detach,

dispersing

into invisible mists...