F-utility - with audio link

Audio Link
Why carry the burden
When someone else takes
What has been wrought?

Why reflect
When entertainment is there in waves
To drown the inner voice?
If buying that thing
Will it last?
Will it not have a blemish?
Will it satisfy?

Quiver not the liver
When atrocities are committed
Against the meek
Leaders ignore such
To think is a bothersome thing
When the society dictates the thoughts

If there is a God
Does He command murder,
Deceit and perversion of justice?
No,
But if there is evil,
Wickedness demands the same of its adherents

Why be religious,
When so many have worked so hard to change blue to red?
Anger rages against injustice
But slaps the face of those who call upon the Name
Stifling voices make alien and an outsider
Of all that which is true and heals

Why plan the future?
Do not the pitchmen point the way?
Do the tyrants, kings and world's owners
War, blacken and take?
Fear not,
For their end has been prepared,
And death comes to all

Why hope for change?
Is not the change that comes
Worse than what was?
Save and spend, get and give,
Play and be played, usury and bankers print

Why shed a tear?
To give the hard ground false hope?
Why does the sky brood?
To make a mirage for the bedouin?
Should the eye explore
The deepest mystery?
To know the number of things?

For ocean upon sea and sky upon earth
Comes with coral, and silt
In tides and mountainsides
Valleys are laid low and civilizations past
Yet tiny dominance
Seeks to last

The spark yet flickers,
The sapling bruised yet grows
The wild vine grows
The olive tree thrives in the rocks
And the fig-tree blossoms

The great spiraling
Unfolding
Wind of Truth
Blows
Blows away the old

So many myriad schemes
Little hearts and minds wonder
What of me?
Entropy of the old fades
Memory of it dissolves
In the fiery heat of purest gold

New life and creation bursting
Old seams of existential staleness
Melting
These pale things cannot endure
The ground shifts
Death, decadence and time are broken

Can there be a wonder at change?
And its call to end futility?
F-utility and the status quo!
Something Infinite comes
To crush that which is finite,
With a finality
Everlasting

Why cry out?
Because there is One
Who may listen and answer?
Are humility and humbleness come?
Fraternal guests?
Be still then
For in that place
There is peace.

Alive and Breathing and Bigger Than Life - with audio

Audio Link

Alive and breathing and bigger than life

The freedom to grow like a ray of light in the great expanse of this world

Or to lie vacant and vacuous in the virtual claim that has laid hold on the soul

How is it that we can prefer empty repeated critiques of others so eloquently born

As to fly across the world and back again in an instant

No fresh air is to be found there, nor the cry of something living

Only a silence to break ones heart at its being and essence

Is that what we must be fated to and how is it that we have given ourselves

Given our time and substance so freely to that which is not real

Which does not really exist or have blood and breath

My arms reached out my soul grew large until I inhabited the place of beating wings

My legs sank deep 50 feet down into the earth

I felt my chest heave until it loomed wide over the neighborhood

I saw the policeman look up from his motorcycle and ticket writing

The people walking through the pathways under the feathery treetops

This then is our destiny without limitation of space, stagnant form and matter

Not to engage in endless meaningless chatter of unanswered scribble and blather

For a few glimpses into the lives of our distant loved ones

We are willing to die a little, and then a little more until we bellow

As hollow and as loudly as a distant bell tolling to the sudden jerk of a cord

Give up, oh give up, I say,  surrender the right to be right

The hubris to put all others down because of their wrongs and because of my searching and wondering ignorance.

I want my own kind, to seek that which wells up in a river of life, that which lives and loves, and prays… To speak the Truth with singing, Spirit, cursive and Word.

I grow, I live, I expand, hovering over the landscape as if to scoop it up in my arms

Crying out in a place where sound can be heard without digital assistance

Looking up I soar into the azure field flooding over the burnt mauves, flowering pinks, and gentle calming grays;
Through the misting sheets of cold and dewy white.

The deep dusky purples call out their threats, taunts and challenges

Be still darkened ones and bring about the renewing, refreshing squalls and showers.
Cleanse all the face of the earth.

I rise up ever higher arcing over the horizon with the barrel chested winds
My body stretches out like the northern cross against the spectrum of mercurial light
There in silent waves to contemplate with the pulsating warrior Orion
Riding upon the back of the charging solar breeze
Passing through the horns of Taurus, onward to kiss the Seven Sisters
Showers of love and luminous blinding radiance reaching out to heal
While the darkness continues to melt away, cringing, scattered, dying
Before the presence of the vast saving heart that beats out the Cosmos
Where the Seven Spirits dwell who witnessed the first spark of all creation
To the One who holds all things together and designed the final new beginning

Passing through all, hoping all, forgiving all, with an exuberance yet unspoken

Feeling the pain and joy of a myriad of those with light and being

Raise me up oh Lord, now and at the end of days that I might cradle some

That my eyes might see through tears the souls of others and behold my God

There among the lightning, rainbows, and fiery Nova's refining heat 

Then I can fall into the eternity of your highest love while fearing not to care

Withholding not my hand to do all that is set out before the quantum of time

Before the never-ending sight of the heavens above and all the Holy Host.

A Day of Seasons - with audio

audio link

Peaceful Shadows
Patient light
Winter dawn
Shattered colors

Faded Heaven
Icy fingers weep
Grey headed frost
Praying rigidly
Clenching teeth
Hugging sweatered soul
Crunching walk

Turned muddied steps
In melted grass
Sun is out,
Yet air is misty
Bits of thoughts
Fly in pink sky
Sleep flees away
Leaves us now

In vapors musty

Morning in clover
Dew on buttercups
Feet cold and wet
Dirty bottoms,
Wet tops
Peace in green
Life in heat
Spring in song
Singing rainbow
Clear flowing water
Chirping Sparrows
Cooing tardy
Morning doves

A crow calls out
His off key song
Rouge pollen petals
Hearts without loving
Till crystal teardrop
Should adorn each
The torrent sounds
Yet the violet
After the storm
Stands regal once again
Tempering Brilliance
So softly sounds beauty

Braided green
Budding Birth
Oh fattened Butterfly
Hello Mr. bee
Shimmering and fuzzy
In the sunlight preening
Take your time and clean
I won't chase you
Rest while you may
Until you fly away

The sunbeam pierces
The cool stream
Reflection yielding not
The warm hand of One
Cleansing the life within
Drifting in the quiet

Gliding Hawk
Tracing out the
Turning warmth
Flax gold swaying
Hot wet spirit
Black moist earth
Cloud floats in blue
Watercolor view
Summerset afternoon

No more orange rays
The sun slips down
Other side of the horizon
Orange, reddish leaves
Let loose like falling stars
Skyward honking vanguard 
Geese flying south

So tempting,
The Autumn air
Holds one captive
Filling the senses
Pure damp cool life
Wrapped in darkness
Shades of night
Standing in the earth

Canopy of whispers
Feeling life flowing

Sap deep within
Mighty oak and pine
Wooed by the fire's story
Quickened restless limbs
Stretching toward a star
Only a pine needle away
Warmed by existence
One of many in a great house
Seemingly silent.

Feral Fellow - with audio

Audio Link

Thursday came in the cascade of days
It rained down like an avalanche
Rolling down upon eyes that
Could not see the oceans blue sky
For the mists that yet rested
In the minds valley
(pause breathe) Ahhhhh

Come now and walk upon the rocky peak
Wind on down through the hollow
Pass under by the mild mannered Ponderosas
Upon the dust and dirt worn path
Up around the bend and back again
Aching hinge and stubborn ligaments
(pause breathe) Ooooo

Pour down the social cup
Piece together the puzzle
Of the yet tender day
Purposefully proposed thanksgiving
For those loved, lost and living
As peace can make a home in that place
(pause breathe) Mmmmm

Journey beyond the morning garden
To another of worker bees and marching ants
The telltale signs appeared announcing
His presence, that feral fellow
He was there though out of sight
Fowling up the bushes and corners
(pause breathe) Tisk tisk

Wallowing in the throws of life
Vacant uncaring blue eyes
Scanning sunbeams awash in warmth
Desiring nothing, needing no-one, cleaning sullied paws
Coming near he speaks an empty greeting
Listlessly forgotten the days of bloodied prey
(pause breathe) Umhmp

Swatting at a fly, capturing a cricket
Earnestly hunting down an old lizard skin
Rustling in the breeze and thorn
But these are the secrets of another creature
How dare one condescend to put to pen
That which is forbidden, and primitive
(pause breathe) Sigh, .. oh

Is he in his unkept imperfections
Not, but a shadow of ourselves
Does not the pool of words
Give cause for one's own reflection
Oh Diviner of hearts were it not so
That colored inklings should so paint another's expression.

^{Pslam 103:14-16}

¹⁴ For he understands how we are made,

he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ Yes, a human being’s days are like grass,
he sprouts like a flower in the countryside —
¹⁶ but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone;
and its place knows it no more.

Psalm 8: 4-9

(3) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place —
5 (4) what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them;
humans, that you watch over them with such care?

6 (5) You made him but little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,
7 (6) you had him rule what your hands made,
you put everything under his feet —
8 (7) sheep and oxen, all of them,
also the animals in the wilds,
9 (8) the birds in the air, the fish in the sea,
whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

Life, Death and Remembering Our Loved Ones - with audio

 audio link

"... Lay me down like a stone, O God, and raise me up like a loaf,"
- Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, Ch. XII

I received the phone call full of restrained words, that they had taken ill 
The soft voices, spoken prayers, eternal hopes, miraculous dreams
In that stillness of shaken hearts we wished and offered our support
Part of us knowing the certainty of sadness to follow
A little while longer and our loved one was gone; taken from us

Retreating into the garden of quiet wandering and drifting thoughts, 
I began to reflect on the Following; Sleep comes to us all, covering us, 
As we slowly struggle and fall, with an Irresistible Blanket of peace. 
Each winter season brings its news once more and only time Serves to Cushion the blow, 
Till it becomes like a bell tolling in the distance. 
Our friend has Overcome Great hardship and we now join in this endeavor 
With help from one another, and A loving hand from above.

The motion of leaves whispering before the storm
Is it not like the footfall of those we now recall?
Faces turned to shades of memory hidden in the heart
As moonbeams hiding in the folds of satiny clouds
Announce the great light's silhouette, though it be obscured

Are not the raindrops that fall out of heaven's door
Messengers that come to refresh the land and its people?
To bring good news upon the great and small of life and of cleansing?
Are they not but a mirror of our tears and the outpouring of our hearts and souls, 
Renewing the deepest parts of each, helping each to love one another?
For a seed has been brought to bear in the earth, to grow blossoms and fruit
So that now the landscape is peopled with plenty, and each bosom is full.

So precious is that which cannot be bought or contained, in the sight of the Almighty.
That which is sent from on High and then returns again on the wind unseen
As it has been said "For a little seed must fall to the ground in order to give life"
The great and beautiful community of lights is made up of these, 
as are our families and Friends gathered in this place.  
The mustard seed has done what the Husbandman Intended, and we have witnessed it.  

It has Grown up into a vast network of love, Of sowing, of harvesting and of abundance here today. Are not the words and deeds of those remembered here with us now, as the sunshine that comes after the showers to warm and brighten all things? Do we not see the gifts of our loved ones expressed in the faces of our friends and family?
When we do, our Maker walks with each one, and holds us for a little while
And so we celebrate the diamonds mined deep within the earth,
The gleaming of purest gold, the sparkle of dazzling jewels and the fine color painted tapestries, as we look upon the treasures of life, and celebrate those who've left us.

The good are taken from us, as the world cannot countenance them any longer
It turns away from the evening, only to behold the dawning of a new day elsewhere.
Each friend is like a fine wine, rich in sweetness and royal color, satisfying the Heart And calming the mind. Gathering together, each enjoys the blessings of one another's company, And in this way joy shall overtake our sorrow, until it is time to rest. 
So it is then, That we in this life should be like a loaf of braided egg bread, 
Sprinkled with the laughter of our Children, friends and loved ones, 
Like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and raisins.  
When Looking upon It one sees not the beginning, nor the end, 
But rather, only, the sumptuousness of its sun-like yellow, 
The filling richness of its doughy taste, and the exalted Pleasure of its Rising. 


 

Chasing Life - with audio

audio link

When I was a little child
I chased my food

As a young boy
I chased my friends

While I grew
We all the chased the sun

Later on as a teenager
I chased the rainbows

When I was a young man
I chased the girls and many dreams

As I got a little older
I chased marriage, home and community

While a father
I chased after my children and my love

Later on in midlife
I chased success and vanity

Sometimes, I chased futility

When I was a little older
I chased black cars, souls of loved ones, friends and acquaintances

As I continued on in this journey
I chased health and physicians

After I was slowed down
I slowly chased meaning and forgiveness

Later on while laying in the years
I chased the wind

Then, when time and chasing life stopped
I was caught up in a Place, HaMakom

Chastened, made chaste, chased into Eternity.

Again Gone Lost - with audio

audio link 1

audio link 2

I am again
What I was once then
A meandering vine,
A Bedouin
Wandering through
From place to place
Not belonging
In any one space
Like a tumble weed
Blown along
In a black and white
Cowboy song
Long goes the way
But so short the occasion
A shepherd, not brave,
Yet sometime brazen
Having failed to speak
And then too much
A wayward boy
Again gone lost
Past and future
Ripped asunder
Gives the thoughtful
Soul to wonder
Life unreconciled
Strewn about
Synthesized in dreams
Of the heart

Blah Blah Blah - with audio

audio link

Blah Blah Blah turns the clock
Blah Blah Blah crows the cock

Lie, lie, lie all the more
A sea of hands toil and sell

In the soul
Tolls the bell

What the truth is
Who can tell

Ask the King o'r your head
When you lay thee down to bed

Government meetings
Solicitor pawns

Brokered beginnings
A new day dawns

Enforcers ride the tide
Money, fear, power, pride

Keep the sheep
Like shepherd dogs

From wandering down
Forbidden roads

Dumbfounded, downtrodden
Lowly, oppressed

Keep your heads down
The magicians know best

Scramble now, no not to rest
Please the parents in the nest

High above
In gilded Towers

Hoping below
For candied showers

Try to run
While they take and take

In this life
No escape

Hope then on
Kingdom come

Trembling those
Who hold the gun

There the dawn
Of Freedom's Sun

Birthing out eternity
Giving Death to tyranny

Bitterness gone,
Grapes trampled down

The fig tree blossoms,
Praises resound

Pour out now from the vine
A bouquet of sweetest wine

Bearing with the Bard ( for Pat) - with audio

audio link

The bear came to my table

Strong and able

Telling of the field and meadow 

All with great longing he 

Wanting company and tea

a very sociable fellow

He drank my wine

Ate my loaf in time

Whilst visiting for the day 

Wanting to play an affable host

and turning white as a ghost

I invited him to stay

He taught me how to hunt and fish

For berries in the chocolate ice cream dish

He waxed philosophical

Then lectured on earth and religion

Making points to man with precision

Of saints, and Shakespeare metaphysical

Though gruff and snorting

With fearful cavorting

He meant no harm you see 

By and by as hours past 

Making all clear at last

We learned of his history

None dared move him from his place

As in the several hours space

He licked his paws and all plates clean

Til off to bed we crept

Above the angels laughed and wept

Watching down upon the scene

When came thereafter the morning dawn

There he was upon our lawn

He quoted me his poetry

But my ears they could not hear

Then came upon me a kind of fear

My mind bewildered at the symmetry

I realized then that by some magic spell

While stumbling into the camp of day

As if still in the night of forest play

For reason that no one could tell

Sitting quizzical on me his wide eyes stared

That grizzly bruin once so terrible, had been made a bard

While I uncivilized, held others at bay

My Dragons breath, and claws bid them pray 

A grumpy growl said, not now, don't care

There found in me, my heart and eyes

By some twist of fate to my surprise

This Nick Bottom, who thought himself so wise,
Had in the night changed places so that he was now the bear.

epilogue: serves to make one take note of bearings and moorings;
Contemplating proclivities on the high seas of humanities' knees.

Banjo Song - with audio

audio link

A. Carry me away by and by

Through the trees on the breeze way up high

Lay me deep down in love by the Grand Canyon river 
so that I might rise with the doves

A. O little bird, o tiny bird

Darting in and out of blossoms like a bee

Like a rainbow cross the sky, as you buzz to and fro, 

Humming songs that set the lovers heart free

B. In the eyes of a child, saw a lovin pure heart

It gave me joy, it gave me joy

Watch em run all about, hear em scream hear em shout

Fair blessed goodness is each girl and boy

A. So, Cast me off, Cast me off now and then

Just like Jonah and the sea faring men

Send me far below in the belly of the whale,
spit me up on dry land once again

A. Looking up at your face in the dome of night
Moon and Stars swimming in the deep and wide
I get dizzy as the wind spins this old world around
Wheel in wheel beneath His majesty on high

B. In the meadow stands a man and a wife

With the flowers, full of love and the strife of life

Cast your cares upon Him, the bright morning star

So that the little children might know peace.

A. O' Catch me up, catch me up, take me away
In the Heavenly Host's eternal day
Like Enoch and Elijah in a chariot of flame
Bowing low before Jerusalem's King

B. Sky below and Sea above
Curling wind playing in the sun's face of love
There's a secret rarely told, what gives life to a soul
Warmth, joy and laughter in a well-lit home

A. Lay me down, lay me down, down to rest
Let the tombstone read: he did his best
To humbly care for those on earth
While givin praise to the One above
Please raise him up in the Savior's love

A. Carry me away by and by

Through the trees on the breeze way up high

Lay me deep down in love by grand canyon river 
so that I might rise with the doves