Summer in a Winter Garden
Sharon Lee Goodhand
Greetings Metaphoric Anarchy The poet writes immersed in a world of rhyme and non-rhyme grammar morphs into metaphor breaking rules … creating limitless horizons and so… the poet writes; … I love words… and love the concept of poetic license when it’s used by a writer or artist to heighten the effect of their work. My recent poem, Dreamweaver is a perfect example of how I relish poetic license, with words such as moonglow, starblush and even dreamweaver itself for none, as they are presented in the poem, are words included in the dictionary… in this poem I use ‘far horize’ in place of horizon… not all my work is rhyming poetry, but in this case far horize seems apt, and creates a sense of flow & rhythm… I have never claimed to be a master of poetry nor do I follow any ‘rules’ of poetry… I much prefer to let the words flow and to hell with the rules. Hope you enjoy.
DreamWeaver Dreams woven in summer skies filled with wonder as each season slips by drifting and floating on soul-deep sighs rainbow visions glide softly by…. She is a dreamweaver… threads of tangerine and lilac hues pictures hidden in the clouds… layers of lazuline blue powered white and xanthous saffron and heather-green sun-shine and hibiscus-kisses winter-cerulean… soft and muted…bold and bright moonglow and starblush shades of night… tinges of tomorrow on the far horize mix with bittersweet shades of yesterday all overlaid together … dreamweaver is at play…
The Journey to Find Me Ageless Wisdom of the Seasons Increments… time measured increments of ancient knowledge garnered from seasonal guidance Nature, our first mentor taught us all we needed to survive… Spring is birth and rebirth & renewal, planting and planning, love and the offering of thanks to the Earth… Spring is discovery and joy, embracing the glass-like light of the sun as it grows in the sky… in Spring the future seems to hover almost within reach… Summer, flowering and fruiting, a time when both corn & children grow tall and bronzed… reaching for sun-washed dreams and visions of adventure Summer is play & laughter, snatches of cool blossoming breeze soothing parched skin… summer is both work and fun… Autumn is Harvest time, gathering and preserving, drying and readying for the dark cold to come… Autumn is golden and crunchy, decay and damp giving back to the soil what was taken… a slowing down, breathing deep preparing our young and old for long-shadows coming… Winter…. hibernating, branches naked in the cold… early darkness… early nights… a time for activity by the fire… stories to be told knowledge shared, dreams of a new cycle composed by candle-light plans for the future manifested in the soil.
Let’s travel together like water flowing in one direction – Sunshine Walk the world with me for a while... … I can hear the sunshine in your smile… moments together… in fleeting cycle, fill me with so-soft dreams- when you walk the world with me… Yesterdays echo beat a somber tattoo heart- speak for all that’s come and gone and l i n g e r e d and forever moved on, never staying still… and still, I can hear the sunshine in your smile… When days of the week seem to stay the same four days of Sunday and nothing’s changed I search for a sign of your dear face… … the calm I search for, gone without trace When minutes grind by like a slow-motion-hour I feel an ache for moments lost and found and shared gathered in the heart & soul, droplets of sunshine that reflect you smile... and walk with memories for a while... *
Friday Feels like Sunday Last I know some days wreck havoc crash, like breaking glass like breaking hearts breath arrested and pain so Now it paralyses whatever dreams we cling to... Hours we become lost in the whys of all whys and ponder our worth… Self-recriminations haphazardly hang memories on the line like dirty laundry, waiting for the rain… … and again, we wonder why and did we do enough give enough live enough did we take the right path choose the right journey burn the right bridges… Sun sets faster now as day flow and flow into each other Friday feels like Sunday last and wasn’t Sunday was just another day, anyway. Some days wreck havoc crashing like breaking glass- and the heart and soul wonder on the whys and all those other wherefores as memories and self-recriminations mock the passage of time. *
In League with Mother Nature In league with Mother Nature- she creates in breath-taking shades and I… I try to chronicle the beauty of each day… * Evergreen waterways sweep through meandering vistas not yet tainted by the progress or man nor stained or maimed or reconstructed to suit an invented view- evergreen waterways visited by few… Mountain peaks speak in wisdom whispers unassailable heights stand guardian… where trees outnumber buildings and wood triumphs over steel Mother Nature hides her purest beauty where few venture to be… Rocky ridges form protective embankments ravines run with wild brumby herds the ring of hoof beat on fieldstone cracks on the echoing wind… … eagle-flight… fireflies alight diamond-strung, the ebony night – - In league with Mother Naturewhile she creates in breath-taking shades I try … I try to chronicle the beauty of each day… *
Sliding in Slow Motion Droplets of time… make up any given moment a day… a year sliding by in seasonal change… have you ever stopped to notice how some mornings are lotus-land reflections of how each day should begin- early sun creeping in as birds fly past the window their wake-up songs on the wind; An orchestra of leaves rustling music in the trees creating moments of natural meditation fill your soul with clarity, if you pause within droplets of time fleeting sense of inner peace thrums through weary soul offering transient snatches of inspired creation don’t let those passing moments vanish, within droplets of time… * Morning winter sun, a warmth akin to feeling loved eyes closed against the glare see inwards - the mind and heart trips down memory lane and out again to future’s desire… … seconds slip through slow-motion thoughts aching warmth permeates Droplets of time… make up any given moment a day… a year sliding by in seasonal change… … grab hold! Before each silent drop disappears into the well of time Grab hold! *
In the never ending picture show of her wild imagination reruns brought to you by memories creation
Windows of my Mind The way winter-sun in morning grace warms one side of sleepy face eyes closed, breath deep, soak it in sun-warmed bed, next to him… Listening to the melody of a dew drenched dawn opening the windows just to hear morning birds on the lawn relishing with the world in its moment of waking so soothing is this symphony of Mother Nature’s making; * Spontaneous places and spaces in time creating enriching encounters both surreal and sublime, madcap moments of madness the synergy of ships that pass in the night random rendezvous and unexpected moonlit tryst's. magpies warble in nearby trees, mind is transported by a fragrant breeze to other spring mornings that fly by so fast, now locked in the soul reflections of the past where a baby blue sky with white clouds of cotton witness the creation of memories that won’t be forgotten, * transported by friendship, unity of the soul laughter abounds, more precious than gold soft tender moments where thoughts are shared simplicity of knowing, they’ll always be there… secrets and confessions, soul-hugs and sunlight morning welcome and wishes at night bonds that form, despite all odds friends who grace the now… leave destiny to the gods… * setting sun behind the trees, dying sunrays lend a luminous radiance to the leaves
far horizon glows with incandescence light just before day succumbs to the province of night… starshine and dreams, love that holds forever bound, soul to soul no whisper too soft … nor weeping, too agonized - always staunch at each other’s side… *
Then The Silence Fell You don’t talk with me anymore- we were friends once upon a time discussed the fate of the world in midnights moving with the flow of our shared thoughts… … soul-friends, I thought spiritually connected through the eons, you said- was it merely a game? We spoke of love in all its ardent subtleties nuances in pastel shades, why did they fade to grey? And in the process, so too friendship faded. Then the silence fell; How dense that fog of silence now! I sometimes hear your voice etched in words of sorrow for this Earth we both love… … was it not that love which brought us together poetic passion capturing love of Earth and lyrics of emotive turn? And yet you melted into the silence voicelessly relinquishing the varied loves we shared- such echoes fill my midnights now the hopes we fostered… global healing we aspired … love of life and each other, love of Earth and dirt and things growing; Silence- like a death of precious moments… … do you think of me still? Are you happy… fulfilled…. - or am I too late to say… I miss you in midnights that once flowed with the rhythm of our shared thoughts; *
Scattered Thoughts on a Winter Day Don’t follow me… I’m not lost but I am easily distracted by a tree a butterfly floating on gifted breeze sunlight trickling through evergreen leaves thoughts that float and drift and twist butting heads with reality’s obstacles… … yes, very easily distracted… * And I wander… in every sense of the word I wander… … it should be my middle name; feet itch to wander… as do thoughts… heart… my poetry- that inner woman who delights in reminding me that time is running out… continually urges me to off to Tangiers (to coin a phrase from Wendy) but I have commitments and no fun-money; * I’d like to go on at least one more epic adventure feel that thrill of anonymity discover hitherto undiscovered (by me) places linger, in some; I know there are places I’m meant to go to- voices call to me, beckoning me come closer, closer… listen to our vibrations. And I know there are people I’m destined to meet… … but the soul’s journey is never smooth; * I miss the Sonoran Desert even though my feet have never left footprints in the sand I had a friend once who shared the desert seasons with me ignited old yearnings to revisit and stand in the very heart of desert lands; - there are times friendships seem as shifting as desert sand… slipping through fingers outstretched in camaraderie; * And there’s that mountain I’m always looking for… and the silent sun-dappled woods I see in my dreams ancient trees and meadows, impossibly green … why do they call to me, if I am not meant to go there?
* Wandering through the multihued panorama of winter-day thoughts I can’t help but smile… life has been an epic adventure madcap escapades & exploits sumptuous quests in esoteric revelation audacious encounters… … moments sedated by Nature’s soul-stirring wonder… ~love~ * I don’t mind a solitary existence although there are times company would be welcomebut a warning from the wise don’t follow me… perhaps I am lost. *
Unrestrained By Decorum A restlessness has crept into my bones- how I long to linger by sun-splashed mountainside daily chores of repetitious comfort… feed the animals tend the garden… nurture food for my humble table I miss waking with the rooster … gathering fresh-laid eggs watching stars unhindered by man-made light… so sweet the hum of night… crickets in chorus with frog & toad… * A restlessness has crept into my bones- fragile contentment flown away on a sparrows wings… Mind a turgid tangle of twisted dreams, sunlit meanderings merging with desires and unbridled fantasy… how wild they are these uninhibited fantasies … passions unrestrained by decorum play out in moments that catch me unawares… and leave me wrapped in panting ache for tangible connection… for dripping warmth & sweat-flushed-glow… * Such a restlessness… eating at my bones… feet ache for untraveled roads for sunsets that wash the Earth in saffron hues… ache for that throb I miss- how I miss that throbbing beat… I miss winter fires… tender expression s of desire… the comfort intimacy brings… The winter shines but holds no warmth … fragile contentment has flown away on a sparrows wings… *
Angels have no philosophy but love. Terri Guillemets Divine Guidance Forces beyond human control Divine Providence spiritual guidance luck of the Irish God call it what you will a urgent energy that lingers in the subconscious soul … hungers for the flavors of celestial transcendence… paradox of our times that cosmic realization comes in cryptic guise… few know the pebbled paths of life all led to one realization… one ultimate destination one mantra for all equality Angels have no philosophy but love and brave is a man who dares to look the Devil in the face and tell him he is a Devil, daemon of the material world My thoughts lay as shattered shards of green glass each answer tags a question waiting to be asked and answered in turn But where are the definitive answers we all ask … we all seek divine guidance from places varied and vast… … could it be the answer lies in one’s heart. *
Shadow’d Ways & Loves Light Endless progression of the years, they run in perpetual cycle sun falls and climbs the limits of a limitless sky no wondering why… no whys… just is… Cobwebs adorn sticky memories viscous visions run like molasses hot-tar baking… leaking dreams into the stream of life… Incessant echoes peal in blinded ears sight latches onto razor’d shadows where daemons lurk too scared to scale the wall glass-shards atop crumbling defenses… hold fear at bay… barely; * Sun falls across tender lips breath in the scent of moments bliss highlights of friendships sweet caress life is bless… in moments gather’d to the breast… not all shadow’d ways and demonic days not all black & bleak & reak-ing of yesterdays nightmares… Warm puddles of connectedness… hearts and hands that hold tumble in the morning sun, unshakable bonds adhere to poetica rhythms dancing, arm in arm, for no reason but pure delight to share the passing seasons… Sun falls across tender lips breath in the scent of moments bliss hold my hand… kiss my --- face eternal sequence of the years blessed with loves everlasting grace; *
Don’t Resist Life will unveil itself to you in myriad hues of season’s essence quintessence of rain and mountain mist, whisper-whisp - don’t resist Nature’s shades or call of Autumn wind, nor ebb & flow of ocean wavesour hearts beat in time with the land’s rhythm blood pulses with moon-rocked tides let your spirit soar, fear not the unreached heights… Dare you dream of summer hue… skies so blue your spirit aches to fly… dare you dream and wish upon a solitary star shining rare radiance, despite its cloistered origin- please tell me- you Do dare to dream… Moments unfold as silken as an un-budded rose and time flows, as the river flowslet life unveil itself to you grasp each new-found insight with eager heart and run run free with the wind… fly with the birds kiss those lips which yearn to kiss yours and only yours- do you hear a whisper-whisp on twilight breeze? Don’t resist… don’t resist… don’t resist *
But What Now- Thoughts on a Dusky Sunset A dusky sunset, ribbons of hazy orange spreading late afternoon warmth across earth & water gentle shivers rippled the glassy surface of the river- mirror reflections of boats and gliding birds and clouds that slowly float across a dimming sky… Last rays, fingers of warmth playing over exposed skin shadows creeping in as the sun slipped beyond horizon’s rim rising in faraway places to begin another day… tree-shadows splayed across the sand in one last-ditch effort to play on sun-warmed land… Thoughts wandered in tangents… touching on things said moments shared… collaborations of inspiration whispers few are meant to hear… … silence, as if the universe was listening to my inner meandering… How full my life has been… how turbulent fraught with up & downs and emotions that flow with the day or season – lessons learned, but no sane reason for the whys and wherefores of my life journey… Purpose? Unknown. Unless to set an example to others unless to show how determination and gritty stubbornness will urge one further down the rubbl’d path… … unless… unless to show how persistence leads to moments of contentment… So what now? I have the hands of a crone but the heart of a maid… … inner warmth flows as graceful as warm honey golden reflections of a dusky orange sunset – - who is there to hold this aging hand? To spoon into honey-warm curves too long denied… … faded are the days I dreamt and cried now those inner places, erogenous desires… liquid fire burn for one more chance to love & be loved. *
High on High Mountains call to me intimately from high on high they call to me come nestle in our valley we will embrace you… Verdant and tree-dressed, tickling streams in downward flow mosses gracing decomposing limbs nourishing the earth… Where bird-song fills the variegated leaves and lizards siesta on rain- glossed rocks soft ferns spill from grottoes and crook of branch where mountain-slopes meet in speckled sun-splash that’s where my spirit longs to rest… That I could but visit all of them I know they would greet me as fond friend The Blue Mountains of southern climes the Rocky Mountains in summertime… Himalayas as the snow melts Ben Nevis with its layered green pelts… Have you ever heard the mountain’s call? It echoes in my soul, a cabin and fireplace where vine grow on the walls a living fence of mountain trees that sweetly scented woodsy breeze among home grown herbs I’ll take my ease… Mountains call to me intimately from high on high they call to me - come home mountain sister this is where you’re meant to be. *
Made Melancholy by the Rain * …who are you, the voices echo faintly… spilling over my thoughts like yesterday’s omens… …who are you…. Fine rain misted in the night sky unseen clouds curtained a limbo moon- could anyone see it this night? A muted silence muffled the hours my thoughts pondered matters of the heart in limbo like the moon, unreachable, it seemed untouchable by loves sweet blush… Was I destined to live out my days in perpetual hope that human warmth would find me? Am I so foreign that none dare take a chance? Years pass, I feel invisible in an unknown land when all I really desire, is to feel the love in another’s hand. * Faint voices of lost days echo, spilling over my thoughts like yesterday’s omens… ….where are you going the voices whisper soft traces of fog shift in still voids of bygone dreams…. …what do you want, taunting insinuations expose moments of nothingness…now impossible to reclaim… …who are you, the voices echo faintly… spilling over my thoughts like yesterday’s omens… …who are you…. *
New Dawn in Seasoned Eyes It's a new dawn … a new day- a new life… That was our chant when we walked those younger years invincible… high on our own ideals and indignities we believed we could change the world we believed the world could be changed… But the world changed us And society chained us to codes of conduct designed to smother worded to confuse aimed at dehumanizing life… Some of us fell by the roadside, victims of rules and regimentation some defected to the other side … some of us still dream our dreams for future unity freedom from starvation protection from persecution… … we dream, knowing We gave it everything we had, but it wasn’t enough; *
Winter-Born Moments How sweet it is… to sit in winter sun let thoughts delicious, drift with the fragrance of the day birds sing in mist-risen melody, of Nature’s grace voicing their appreciation of Nature’s way… I lost myself, as I often do, in inner thought allowing my eyes to feast on mottled shade naked branches of the sleeping frangipani crisscrossing dark shadow-limbs on moss- speckled grass… Pearl-hued clouds drifted in, devouring the sun sky turning a thousand shades of grey a mischievous breeze wafted across my face temperature plunging in sudden freefall… … I rose, small shivers shook my body as I returned inside… * Coffee cools too fast in winter… and one hand aches with cold as I pound the keyboard one finger flying with rapid flow typing as the thoughts tumble and spill and lock themselves behind inner doors… … the other hand lay warm & snug bedded between crossed legs; A mantle of cloud lay across the sun a cold dampness invades the bones a good day for a ‘blanket-day’ … if only I wasn’t alone. *
Intoxicate the Breeze.
An early winter Cimmerian gloom settled ‘round the streetlights obscurity lit by stationary firefly puddle’d glow connecting overshadow’d voids of darkness… … ever notice how the night shrinks the world to just beyond your window-splash? I flick a lamp on… soft orange blush floods the room set flame to candles… momentarily lose myself within the fireflames pull incense garlic potato soup muted didgeridoo… drum… flute… harmonica adds a haunting quality – - ever so lightly rain falls; My thoughts are somewhat settled now unlike the day’s hurdy-gurdy carousel- somewhat settled but far from still… … more andante I pluck at them, variegated autumn leaves in slow-motion-spiral... … gingerly I turn them over examine… linger… hold each thought within my soul hold my very breath at times- and allow a sigh to escape and intoxicate the breeze. *
Every Time It Rains… patchwork patches of sunshine and shade lead to where I walk today epic journeys of a hearts dream searching quests into vista’s pristine … thorns that bled weary feet on the path to enlightenment’s grace… bubbling excitement erupt some days others … mundanely insane but my world is coloured by rainbows every time it rains… tears that nourished both soul and soil years beleaguered by poverties toil… love that came on wings of seasons changing a wild garden in the growing… friendship blossomed in time shared with wisdom and profound knowing connections in an unbreakable chain colour my world in rainbows every time it rains… *
After the Laughter setting sun washes a suddenly deserted beach chuckling waves tickle ivory shore running in ripples as the incoming tide surged and swelled and receded with hypnotic symmetry… … inevitably creeping closer closer still … until runnels and ripples wrinkled at the sandcastles moat… grains yielded like time in an hourglass … sand trickled from shells - a mortared barrier protecting fortress and moat… as briny rippled currents flowed to fill the foamy trench… soft swells nibbled at the castles base dragging sand away in each surging wake carving a cave, dungeon-like as the day set into muted night… … in the delicate glow of a subtle moon the tidal pull grew strong disintegrating particles into a remnant of sandcastles in the sun. *
Meet Me Half Way Half way between yesterday and tomorrow past the bridge of shadows and sorrows somewhere along life’s long winding road where midnight whispers tag the honesty of a new day meet me… meet me half way… Far beyond comic books fairy tales … hide and go seek past bubble gum and silly glue and empty love seats… … past heart break and soul ache and love letters, frayed meet me… meet me half way… Somewhere where wildflowers sing symphonies and bubbling rivers mutter soft to the breeze where we can stand face to face fingertip to fingertip in morning suns’ grace and finally fill that empty love seat meet me… meet me half way… *
Scattered Across the Page With my feet firm on the ground I can fly for the Earth lends power to my wings with the elements I can sing my voice is carried far on the wind… seeds scatter across the page soul-thoughts of purest design hold hearts closer, closer now fly with me through the passage of time we may not get another tomorrow this may be our only chance share this moment with me for this moment is our poetic glance my dreams scatter seeds across the page tears lend sustenance to pain spreading warmth of inner faith drink in the falling rain… and with my feet firm upon the ground I can fly… let me lend power to your wings each seed scattered on the page shares a beauty only truth can bring. *
Weekend Ripples people watching on a rainy afternoon hot-sweet-cappuccino-treat Saturday sidewalk cafe… sparrows nest in a tree of construction supports cold steel to hold the roof cyclone or sun… … milling masses in casual attire ordering late lunches and sticky cakes to share… voices murmur... intermittent laughter drifts between children and dogs scampering ‘round legs as the rain falls in misty streamers… the throaty grumble of a Harley echoes its displeasure at parking spaces and red lights I fancy I hear it mumble for open roads and winding mountain ranges so fondly reminiscent of younger days… a sparrow hops by inquiring look to eye and I wonder, what did sparrows eat before shopping centres and malls supplied a continuous buffet of pie-crumbs and sandwich crusts … a steady stream flowed in and out the nearby fish shop wafting aromas of fresh fish and hot oily chips… … amazing how many came from there with lumpy paper wrapped bundles grease already creating translucent maps on off white wrapping and then go into the adjoining liquor store- children tag along behind clutching video babysitters… more amazing and thought provoking to realize that that was once my life… … fish n chips liquid refreshment and weekend videos…
… I wandered home to the rhythm of my thoughts almost t0o preoccupied to notice a small flock of black cockatoos gliding above my head… … almost…
Blinded by Sight I see with my heart & soul, it’s that simple- with my ears and tongue and fingertips I see... Though windows and doorways meant to protect and divide I see shifting air and blushing flower... mountains and buildings that mimic mountains, I see movement and color and buzz and flight each time, awed, as day drifts into night... I see faces… old and young and not yet born tears and smiles and etched lines of furrowing worry – - I’ve seen fear, the type of fear bold enough to walk the light and haunt the night… I see the face of hunger, eyes of emptiness I know of birth and death, and first & final breath I’ve drowned in a flood of endless tears and carried the weight of another’ tears and yet, I’ve seen through all the struggling years – - I’ve seen beauty that snatches at the corner of my eye in a dandelion… a child’s small hand… in friendships that span ocean & land – - and soar the vastness of an endless sky I see love & hate & compassion & apathy ripple in waves of frenetic energy across the universe… crisscrossing into a global web in need of repair… and I see those that care, gathering in unity around the world… I see with my heart & soul - with my ears and tongue and fingertips I see... *
Persistence of Morning Thoughts Morning thoughts yawn from pre-dawn shadows You know the ones… … thoughts that immerge with the first fingers of sun thoughts that play in your mind as the morning winds on- flying kites on the faintest of breeze… … bullying our other thoughts dancing in our daydreams they create pandemonium tease and taunt with macabre delight… They linger into afternoon thoughts the sort that roll over as slowly as a sunsplashed whale… visions slid down scattered sunrays full-color-scenarios replay pause replay… Clouds gather mid-afternoon, snatching the sun and still those persistent morning thoughts invade; *
Sleepy Sunday Wandering rural suburbia sleepy Sunday afternoon… … freshly cut grass following my path fluctuating echoes as lawn mowers fade to silence one by one… Children still play in late puddles of autumn light clinging to dappled warmth… … but the day is almost spent thin slivers of rays offering faded light but no warmth… Passing the creek birds chatter & tweet a flurry of wings in the high canopy setting sun flickers through interwoven branches with tinseled radiance … … shadows roosting in tangled roots as they twist along the ground… Yards emptied taking on an air of abandonment as doors were closed curtains drawn blink… blinkblink lights go on in dwellis along the street hovering fireflies with nowhere to go… mingling aromas of chicken baking … curry brewing… someone, somewhere barbecue’ingtelevisions announce the news at 5… Sunday Walking wandering rural suburbia as a sleepy Sunday comes to a close; *
Before The World Awakens Dew drenched morn awakens to bird-song echoing in the shelter of interwoven branches… Grass and weeds and geometric leaves in a thousand differing shades of green… Moisture, glistening, puddles & pools in flower-faces dripping in crystal driplets to kiss the crabgrass yellow dandelions wear a tiara of dew-jewels; * Breath in the moment inhale the clarity of a new day as yet untouched by mortal interactions… Embrace the absence of noise humanity subdued this early on a Sunday morning… breath in Earthy energies fill your soul with peace before the world awakens. *
Sacred Space Into the valley of the Earth rocks cloaked in thick fluorescent moss towering trees adorned with trailing fern… … the only sound, a soft musical chuckling of running water and the pristine echo of bird-call damp earthy richness permeated the air decomposing humus, nourishing the soil… Ancient vibrations filled the valley feminine energy sacred cleansing… This felt like women-space circular fertile womblike I could almost hear the echo of ancient rituals in the whisper of the leaves in the gurgle of cleansing water I imaged the aroma of woodsmoke and ash fragrant branches fanning a sacred fire… archaic chants rose into the canopy women-space healing place hands joined in a forgotten women’s circle. *
The Moon’s Counsel Amid the fractured shards of reality stolen minutes hang suspended in amaranthine dreams captivated by the moon’s magic embraced by a light of dim and solitary loveliness each breath inspires uncontained elation in unity with the energies of the Earth… Global whispers climb into the cosmos candle-lit invocations rise up to fill the world and I, a solitary whisperer beneath the moon I hear the prayers of humankind… Footprints trace a path across the Milky Way weaving messages in cryptic calligraphy I do not know what these words say I only know they hold a song of peace… How sweet our dreams when all in harmony, dream the same dream a global vision of what could be… … and as I bath in the moon’s magic embraced by a light of dim and solitary loveliness I learn’d the language of another world. *
Sticks and Stones (Stand Firm in My Insanity) Yes, I'll rise though dust and dirt and every hurt inflicted by and on humanity may weigh me down I will rise... I may stumble but sticks and stones won’t break my bones and I may fall like Humpty Dumpty from his lofty wall But I will rise again and again… Though my knees may be skinned in the fall and my fingernails stained by gore -soaked ground with the blood of those slain before I fell I will rise I will rise to tell- the truth as seen by my own eyes Yes I will rise… Though I may be called insane only honesty drips from these lips can I be held to blame if intolerant minds resist the truth…? Oh they will try to break me suck me into the mainframe of their existence… but … sticks and stones won’t break my bones as I stumble and I fall like Humpty Dumpty from his lofty wall But I will rise again and again… … without the help of all the kings men…
I will rise higher than my diminutive stature my voice will rise more penetrating then a banshee’s wail time I will not waste on tears nor linger on Death’s yearly cull I will question every riddle probe deeply every secret sift through the putrescence and I will find the truth… the truth to humanity’s destiny… I will rise… stand firm in my insanity holding aloft a flag of peace and I will stay so ‘til time & existence cease. *
Within The Noise and Constant State of Motion Ever notice how streets change- and yet remain the same? City streets I’ve walked seemed cold, despite the neon glow ever-present taste of grit & fumes and exhaled air aromas intermingle… multicultural fast-food caters for all palates and ethnicity … and within it all… within the noise and constant state of automation humanity exists … Suburban streets, where neighbors know each other’s names where family pets wander and the postie waves where mothers pause in housely chores to chat over weathered fences … children gathered & played & strayed restricted freedom to embrace each day… and within it all… within the noise and steady flow of animation humanity exists … Rural lanes… where window-lights blink through swatches of trees traffic sporadic, slow… car windows rolled down… the air a mixture of earthiness & tree-blossom… and that heady scent indicative of untamed bush… muted voices carry on the breeze… eclipsed by bird-song and earth-hum… and within it all… within the sounds and hush of breath humanity exists … *
Stone-Washed Truisms * Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. * Blinded by the harsh reality layered into each waking moment I cling to stone-washed truisms any scrap of ancient wisdom I can find… … not always easy though to believe the empires of the future are the empires of the mind…. I read once, I recall it now as I dwell on impossible futures where peace reigns and telemarketers are outlawed that It is always wise to look ahead but difficult to look further than you can see… … and that is true of me for my envisioned destiny is not the one I see unfold before me… Such are the substance of my dreams unattainable visions I don’t know how to actualize how does one create miracles of life … feed universal vibrations or write the mantra that calls rainbow warriors to stand strong in global unity - no more attainable then Restraining the Elements or holding a lovers breath in cupped hands… I do not toy with visions of glory days – - where rainbows outshine rain-washed grey… … I envision hands joined across ocean and land
united with Nature in tune with the seasons not the clock-on-clock-off regime of product and demand and stop-light timetables‌ ‌ a future with heart & soul; * No, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. *
In the Absence of Sunshine In the absence of sunshine footsteps wandered south through misting rain sharing breath with boisterous winds that tagged and tugged at tangled hair, heavily scented with salt and surf undertones of rain-sodden Autumn earth... The soul pondered, delving deep into errant thoughts best left asleep – - minutes that seep into years passing and without asking a stray thought wormed and worried its weary way into my day-dreaming soul… What was it? minutes that seep into years passing… … how many minutes in twenty years how many heartbeats … breaths… tears how many destinies thwarted by fear? How many footsteps to get me here – - twenty years on… In truth, it didn’t seem that long but streaks of grey attest to decades lost in the past… … airbrushed images float in the never-never-land of yesterday’s dreams… … where younger feet danced through days graced with laughter and love with younger hearts believing those days would never end… Oblivious to destiny’s design
blissfully unaware that younger me had lived each day as a Goddess in his eyesnow there are days I despise her solemn reflection in the mirror… … destiny did not deliver dreams dreamt by that younger me – - twenty years faded into the never-never-land of yesterday’s delusions… … there would not be matching rocking chairs on a sunset veranda. * In the absence of sunshine The soul pondered, delving deep What was it? How many footsteps to get me here In truth, it didn’t seem that long Oblivious to destiny’s design the years wander on. *
Visions Arabesque Sometimes thoughts and memories tumble like warm sunshine through lacy branches and when that happens, who am I to deny them voice? Mind-images wreathed in purple smoke epiphanies’ in halo’d glow Autumnal whispers in tones of yesterday merge with Winter’s crystalline appearance… footsteps echo in the swell of time that surging ebb and flow that defies reasoning… … the flow of decades meander behind me an endless and well-trodden road… Where did time go? And did I use it well? Who can truly tell when so much seems left undone. Visions arabesque woven in intricate tapestries the curly-haired child I no longer know morphed with ungainly grace into the aging crone I see in puddled reflections memories superimposed over fragile fantasies intermingled fragrances… rain & sunshine… stormy rum… earthy sandalwood the calming scent of euphoric hemp baby-breath-innocence man-sweat-intoxicants blended aromas of life in recall… Revelation in retrospect contemplation bearing no resemblance to the young-girl-dreams of days gone by… hard-won insight carries the crushing bruises of sanity lost in a world gone mad. And yet… where there is dark, so shall there be light from confusion clarity is born… nights reeking of stale bar smoke dissipate in the untainted desert breeze abject loneliness fades embraced by valleys verdant boarders and in moments of sunset solitude I make peace with myself. *
Auguries of Wisdom Through verdant meadows of patchwork sun where wildflowers grow after rain Past the shadowed thickets, overrun where Mother Nature’s wee creatures play along narrow paths laced ferns and through the wooded dell she lets her spirit wander free to where the gentle river swells… autumnal shades in variegated hue soft as silk the fragrant wind along the rivers wending way forest birds in sweet chorus sing and there… where sunlight soft-suffused filters through fret-work branch she hears the call of ancient time when woodland priestess danced… coven of 13 shadow-trees swayed in time with age-old chants such earthy auguries of wisdom born in a time of chalice and lance she alone heard the voices call and felt their essence rise alone amongst natures elements she stood in silence, tears in her eyes coven of 13 trees stood tall circle of power that could not fall one, two and three maiden mother crone all joined in destiny three and four kindred souls once separated by sea five and six knew harvest lore seven and eight angels both from heaven’s gate nine and ten intoned the refrain eleven and twelve blessed Beltane and thirteen closed the sacred ring beneath the Crescent Moon. *
Perfection is Place & Time I wasn’t looking for perfection...and yet I found it still somewhere between fond thoughts and a view of sunset hills… perfection has always been over-rated in my humble opinion and not easily found if ones desires outweigh reason… perfection is in the choreograph of seasons and how the sun and moon both play in an endless sky that stretches away-beyond the trappings of society with buildings growing tall so tall they block the sun’s passage and brilliant starts that fall in a night-sky free of man-lights and shadows that obstruct all… perfection are those places where trees out-number the populace where egrets and brolga’s dance with agile grace where soldier crabs march across white crystal sands and nature’s elements rule the land… I wasn’t looking for perfection...and yet I found it still somewhere between fond thoughts and a view of sunset hills… …in the realisation that I’d found the perfect place to be and a soul-friend to share these perfect thoughts with me…
Through Mist & Hidden Vales This road calls my name down dappled sunshine & shadow morning mist lingering like diaphanous veils streaming through lacelike branches the silence hanging softly as if suspended on a breath of fragrant air… this road beckons with promises of birdsong and wildflower beauty earthy scents that soothe my spirit inviting me to roam un-trodden roads and take refuge in Mother Nature’s lap…. and should I weary in my journeying through mist & hidden vales forever I’ll remember the sweet images of this enchanted way…
Prelude to a Summer Storm hot breath brushes against tired skin the breeze a lethargic murmur barely rustles the trees humidity clings in hot risings of air radiating heat in wavering waves… a drawn out sigh struggles into existence as the afternoon waits in still expectation… heavy clouds hang too weary to move anticipation brews in each darkening shade suspense permeates the day as the building storm drifts in over the bay… by minute increments the air cools a weary wind lifts it wings and begins to softly sing… distant grumbles vibrate the troposphere … and the air slowly cools… promises dance slowly in palm fronds wind-whispers of excitement mount to heightening elation … as rumblings grow- but oh so slow! too slow… my world holds it breath listening … waiting longing
… yet knowing with patience acceptance - knowing the tropical sequence must run its course as minute by minute by mi-nute increments the air cools… in a prelude to a summer storm… early shadows grip the day the sky gone from electric blue to endless greys… thunder mumbles closer now tension building in layered vibrations until… at last with drum rolls of anticipation palm trees dancing with sheer elation resounding & booming like the birth of creation – - the earth quivers the ocean shivers and welcomes the relief that the storm delivers….
Walking Enlightenment Road I look back now with a wiser woman's eyes and see so clearly where I've been... coincidences flow together defining paths crossed and rutted roads that led to somewhere I was meant to be… for reasons that may unfold if I don’t misread the elements active in my life… if I have strength to follow the signs… as long I don’t get lost in a vicious cycle of cause & effect - reaction & retaliation… I understand now things seen with silent eyes unknown signals that lured me through life step by symbolic step… … even the stumbles were meant to be broken hearts…. skinned knee… moments where prophesies merged with the now… somehow… third eye intuitions expanding with insight lessons learned in life … karma can be a harsh Mistress if she believes a lesson is to be learned… … evolution of my destiny preordained… perhaps… to bring me here… now to this place & space & moment of time at this stage of my life strengthened by the experiences gained up till now… all coinciding with a nexus of interconnecting life-vibrations – likeminded souls who resonate in rhythm as one … I look back with a wiser woman's eyes and see so clearly where I've been … I see the pattern of my life the template of a matrix the ‘blueprint’ as it were… showing flowing lines… vortexes where vibrations resonate strong
… dark knots of haemorrhaging bruises melting into subsiding pools of stagnant energy… I acknowledge errors in past judgement I forgive myself for choices wrongly chosen… I accept my flaws & honour my strengths… … for I look back with a wiser woman's eyes and see so clearly where I've been…. …. and I now know that where I am is where I am meant to be;
The Earth Calls to Me red desert plains called to me plaintively shake off the shackles and feel our energy…. deep shadow-jade silence calls to me from the rainforest cast all thoughts aside and renew your spirit with us … tangy sea-scented breezes whispers in my restless dreams we wait for you why so long….why so long…
with soft tender vibrations of yearning mountains call my name Sharonlee… Sharonlee come home…
Waterfall Wonderings winks of sunlight like diamonds glistening sparkle and shine in vapour misting chinkling chimes echo bellbird calls as I sit enchanted by this hidden waterfall… crystal clear melodies float in the air lifted high on an earthy breeze rainbow sprays dew on my hair I sigh with contentment, taking my ease… far removed from society and the insidious invasion of man surrounded only by trees and the rich earthy land so soothed by the ancient silence that existed in this portal of time I lost myself in the waterfalls unrestrained rhyme …
In Twilights Embrace there are times too often of late I ache… oh how I ache look out at rolling hills or flatland plains… where I see naught but the nature of the earth - mother of my rebirth my source of solace… such fulfillment of balance she shows to me… earthy power held steady with sweet gentle grace that lifts me beyond dreams in loving embrace… … she understands me Mother of Earth Gaia, whose loving touch is felt in every moonshadow every breath of air that styles my hair in wayward waves… her touch is the blush upon my aging checks… …her thoughts guide mine so I may find the goddess that resides in me… she knows I ache oh how I ache for sun setting shades that fill the spirit with breathless awe soft sighs escape across the world… reverence born from earthy kinship
connections to the All… she knows I yearn for earth beneath my feet to sleep unhindered by walls & rules infinite stars my only roof… to greet each day in fragrant silence guided by the seasons’ blessings… yes she knows I ache oh how I ache… for the earthy life I miss so much and so she offers me sweet solace in the twilight of her embrace… …her thoughts guide mine so I may find the goddess that resides in me…
Walk a Hall Of Mirrors and Call It Life Third eye insights growing with the passing years… … time melts into an infinite festival of colours visions, music, scents whispers of wisdom gathered… … I walked in silence far from civilization as one with unknown lands that speak of mystery ancient voices echo primaeval truths unchanged for aeons and yet, unheard by lost legions trapped in a dance of sadness… I walked an uninhabited realm bordered by vast ocean expanses my wounded inner child hiding in the green calm of a healing heart chakra… … shades of Mother Nature nurtured my soul… Spiritual Illumination was born as the evening star heralded the fall of night I envisioned Venus, as a diaphanous goddess hovering in gossamer moonlight Emotions are as fragile as glass, she told me but never fear the shattering, gather the shards into your hands… the crystal reflections hold all you need know… You will walk a hall of mirrors and call it life There will be times of elation and moments of such sorrow that you will fear to face tomorrow – - fear not, child, for you are shades of indigo and already there is much you know… Many roads I travelled since that night journeyed labyrinthine paths carried burdens heavy with the weight of tears sunsets washed tangerine over weary skin sun’s resplendent rise restored my sight … love was found and shared and lost and longed for- I navigated this life’s terrain bare feet bruised but heart gathering to full I learned to spread peace and radiate calm to understand love with seasoned eyes for love cannot be owned or chained,
and Through scales fallen, I truly saw the reason why; *
Reflections on Dark Nights of the Soul & ‘The Incredible Lightness of Being’ * Rhythm of soul … beat of feet meandering footprints fade in dust… Rainbow bruises on this restless spirit scarred by sins of others indelibly marked by the turpitude of others… I’ve waded through the quagmire of human wickedness; Lessons, they were… … timed events nudging me on, teaching me right and wrong and how to walk in another’s shoes-cast no condemnation on a journey not of your making. Each has a path; Some led to enlightenment’s doorway some led to hell. Dark nights of the soul splinter’d stars blind the eyes like neon-swords vodka-stained-reality creates leadlight images, blackened edges defy recognition… … spiritually malnourished the heart hungered for the comfort of Mother Nature’s lap; Internalization wages war on the bitter truth of community co-existence fenced plots led to infinity’s obscurity - without identity… my spirit weakened my famished soul sensed near-death individuality absorbed by the matrix; No! Broken nails slashed rents in noxious emissions mind in endless scream echoed… echoed down the corridor to freedom; Don’t Look Back! Keep Going!
Faster faster faster! Now breathe. Shake free from the cloying gangrene of bruised yesterdays renounce all connection to the parasitic the negative the miss-guided loyalty the lost love bittersweet with regret; Breath with Nature, open spaces, vast, empty of human interaction where sun’s warmth caressed bare arms kissing eyes closed like an errant lover… …I felt a measure of contentment settle softly in my soul as I bathed in an Incredible Lightness of Being.
In League with the Night
* I have been in league with the night walked in slanting rain… in city’s that cared little for my name I have, as Frost once said, out-walked the furthest city light … and kept on walking, sometimes, but there were times I just turned round, walking back until I found the pseudo safety of neon reflections… … courage caught in the ebb & flow of traffic lights like a rabbit frozen in the diffused glow of car headlights… I have wandered down the gloomiest alleyway passed late-night kitchen hands and bakers ‘stoking the fires’ to bake dough for the masses… … 4 am, fragrant bread, hot and crusty and smelling like home drifts on a pre-dawn breeze…. Times there, I matched my breathing to the hollow echo of my step inhaling inaudibly hold listen beating heart thundering only to hear silence a distant car… a faraway dog a few disgruntled insomniacs in star-gaze with muffled late night movies… … from an open window the cloying acridness of stale burnt popcorn…. I have sought the dubious shelter of shadowed doorways when the slant of night-rain hit my skin like needles sometimes squeezing through locked carpark gates I was so thin… so desperate was I for human interaction I’d watch tv’s in closed shop windows… Somewhere a chiming clock in faceless darkness sang “Proclaiming the time was neither wrong nor right.” Whispers settled soft around… as I linger, in league with the night.
* I have danced in league with the night on moon-lit eves cooled by summer’s breeze 300 miles between society and I I have danced and sang into the silence rejoicing in the moon’s nakedness… intoxicated by air so fresh so un-used, untainted, un-breathed by society I danced on clouds… … and sat in reverent awe mesmerized by the melody of Nature’s song. Smiling now, at my thoughts… I have been in league with the night walked in slanting rain in city’s that cared little for my name and have danced with the moon on desert plain and by the ocean’s edge I have danced with the moon and dance with him still; * “Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.” Frost
Midnight Whispers Secrets to 1 AM The mind is not always easy to still... and sleep comes slower it seems, the older we get… … darkness settles behind the eyes shadows dance seductively – - walls appear to tremble under rippling shadow-touch… But even with eyes closed the wandering mind sees the birthplace of nightmares & dreams… Images shuffled like a deck of cards … pick one, any one, I dare you… … Dare you fall again into the intrigue dreams weave? In the haunting silence that exists between the tic of the clocks toc mutinous thoughts echo ricocheting like a bullet … tearing through the soul like bruised flesh… Fitful is the sleep some nights plover cries in its ground nest hollow reverberating in the darkness … the mind is not easy to still when Midnight whispers secrets to 1 am. *
Disintegrating Dreams Disintegrating dreams spiraling as leaves in Autumn breeze rotting in the humus beneath weeping trees compost for new dreams to bud and blossom… Long gone the childish visions of dancing on midnight stars floating through the forest with the forest-nymphs… Moved on are the fervent dreams of impassioned-youth faded are the images and faces freeze-framed in crowded photobooth… Suffered through the nightmare-dreams in twisted images, changing scenes where light and love battle fierce the haunting darkness and thoughts that deceive… Faint now the heart-dreams those so-soft fantasies of love undying of soul-unity of holding hands while flesh ages into wrinkled smiles… Now she dreams of simpler things new tomorrows, brushed with blushing shades… … dreams of humble desires shared smiles winter-sun on weary skin that divine calm Nature brings… She dreams of Unity and Peace in some future time or at least an end to the tyranny rampant in today’s society dreaming dreams of tomorrow
and painting my own destiny’s. *
Mountain Meditations I feel the mountains regular rhythm breathing around me healing this spirit bruised by the demands of life soothing this soul that has for so long felt restless…homeless feeding this mind, weary of the weight of humanity’s apathy… the hills breathe for me… breathes with me… breathes inside of me… I feel the mountains earthy vibrations I sense its concern for a world caught up in material glory I hear wisdom whisper down the tree covered hillside who listens to these mystic echoes that share tales of elemental beginnings… surely more than just I listen with your souls! see with spiritual eyes! do not deny the honest healing found in mountain meditations…. the hills breathe for me… breathes with me… breathes inside of me… I have found my spirit home; and this is where you will find me.
Portrait of a Winter Day - 10 June 2011 used dark stormclouds hug the mountaintop like graying curls… with mist clinging to wooded hillsides in diaphanous vapours that wander into graceful valleys and hidden hollows… a wintry wind riffles through the palm fronds murmurs of shoos shsss whisper in the shivering air scurrying down the street mischievously to wreak havoc on umbrellas and unguarded hats…. out on the bay, islands sit in silent shades of green & grey the water a static cove of frosted opal broods sullenly for summer days poor gulls buffeted by the tumbling wind take refuge where shelter can be found… this is a day in my world where sunshine gives way to wintry winds and the earth rests ‘neath a mantle of fallen cloud and pearl-like mist…..
A Life Time of Moments live in the now yesterday cannot be reclaimed and tomorrow will not hurry because you think it should… live in the now seize every chance serendipitous or premeditated to live every second this second… does reading this right now make you feel alive? if not try reading it aloud pacing the floor…. standing on your head… if that doesn’t work for you don’t read it… please please don’t read it… do something anything that makes you feel like you are living now and in every now…. dance at the bus stop on your way to work another day that is mediocre at best… sing in the elevator that’s taking you to certain bad news…. stop in mid-step and close your eyes cos the sun feels so damn good when you pause within a second and feel it energising you… don’t waste a single nanosecond a sigh…a heart’s beat…a breath if you live in every second of every now you will stabilise and strengthen every moment for a life time of moments…
Nightmare, Dream or Sleep or On a Night Too Hot to Dream….. in the realm of my dreams nightmares took a hold… leading me along a burning sand… was it beach... was it desert... was it even the land of man lost with nightmares I just didn’t understand…. I wondered & I wandered along a never ending way perspiration beaded on my brow… … time did not exist for me I just knew this deep inside … ... my throat was closing in and my tears had all but dried… just a solitary droplet ran a dusty course down my cheek pooling on my lips but its nourishment was weak… I passed by empty river beds razor-rock glinted in the sun… bleached sign posts pointed to the purpled distance far beyond … behind me bruised & bleeding footsteps followed my broken trail… and ahead the questioning safety of shadowed trees that seemed to wail… but off a way to the left beyond the rippled sand I thought I saw an image mirage of beckoning hand… delusion or illusion I staggered an eldritch melody
that filled my mind with visions of rivers white-rafting to the sea… …. but alas… I fell short on breathless burning sand the river-way forever beyond my reach and woke in pools of perspiration trapped in stifling heat…. lost in Hells Humid Kitchen unable to return to nightmare, dream or sleep….
Water-Soul born under the sign of the fish in a dry dusty drought stricken year water is her element the foundation of her soul; gift from the sky… she craves for it to replenish her weary spirit… river of life… she immerses herself in its liquid grace … ebb & flow of moon tossed tides soothes her soul… hypnotises draws her into a watery-womb where sorrow is washed away… river reborn from summer rain flowing energy runs through her veins banishing desiccating lethargy so she may breath again… she waits…. in breathless vacuum humidity steals her strength sapping at her water-spirit as monsoonal clouds gather frowning overhead… …will they pass as they have on other days drifting to southern realms– - or at last part with their liquid nourishment… …just a few moments with the rain she craves - a deluge her soul-deep desire….
Cloudy Puddles I know this place… laced with yesterday’s shadows and dreams not yet dream’t of… seeking the moody dens where no one spoke where smoky haze hinders eye-contact… I’d tried the bright spots… tired of the hot spots … Channel No 5 recycling through wheezing air conditioners every blond a brunette hiding from reality... chasing the image on the bottle of ‘Flaxen-Gold’ dye… boys-on-the-verge-of-manhood juggling phone numbers on scraps of paper match-boxes …. beer-stained coasters that offer happiness in a glass… … and yet my own loneliness surpassed all previous expectations… cloudy puddles reflect snatches of color floating like surreal clouds in ghoulish shades red raincoats clash with yellow as the rainbow melts into oblivion… this was my street…once in a life now consigned to unopened diaries shame-face chronicles of faces met & loved & forgotten in a night… lost souls floating in the inbetweenity of cloudy puddles on cracked footpaths and neon lights like pseudo stars in an endless night… oh yes…I know this place it was my street once … looking for fulfilment in the dregs of dark rum & strangers eyes brief encounters that heated the moment but chilled the heart… … a woman-child choking on Channel No 5 recycled through wheezing air conditioners –
- life…self…soul… lost in a haze of toxic fumes deadly cocktails that distorted reality like fun-fair-mirrors in reverse… dusty trees in smothered parks frowned with reaching arms martinet marionettes imploring pleas to not forget who I was… where I came from…. …. where did I come from? not this place…not this neon- warped street where I once lived…
Weekend Traveller Weekend traveler, mesmerized by Sunday’s hypnotic traffic flow, ceased to wonder where so many go… curious though, on the nature and destination of humans hurrying to and fro. as unnamed birds float on thermal drifts of spring air no timetable or care Bus depot slowly fills… travelers from all corners of the world gather as conversation spills into the sleepy Sunday atmosphere, words foreign to my ears. feathered visitor warbles in sweet lyric tones songs close to my heart double-shot cappuccino in waxed cup keeps me company as picnickers lay claim to the shade in the dappled park, as ten metal benches slowly fill… weekend travelers wait for a bus that will be inevitably late. rainbow lorikeets squabble and compete nearby pillow-clouds drift slowly by meandering thoughts are pulled up short, emotions ripple on the air… as a young mother says farewell to her mother …their tears tear at my heart, life and times and economy keeping families apart. bus passes treescapes ducks on a calm lily pond as the road stretches ahead and beyond *
Love is All We Need at one in harmony as the four winds blow mischievous winds rock me as water flows tears of love across this sweet land… through the Goddess of Earth I discovered my strength she helped me to enlighten my mind she taught me the truth of body and soul and to celebrate my emotions not hide behind them for I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe only passivity will I offer not prayers and platitudes rehearsed… I light my candle at sunset magic sundown in evening sky I offer only my inner essence I have no need to lie… dancing with evening shades I hear her, my Goddess, sigh in the grace of all for winds as they go dancing by… all this world needs is love she says… love is all we need for from love comes understanding and the power to renounce all greed when you find universal love you’ll see love is all we need. *
Karumba on My Mind Even now, 40 years later memories of Karumba resurface with a warm flush of tidal reflections; the tropic heat… the vast empty beach that saw no footprints other than our own… the rejuvenating scent of salt and sea and things fishy. I went from being an introverted suburban lostling to a wild child of the wilderness and I took to it like it was my very soulbeat. Karumba, as I am fond of telling people, was a land of limitless extremes; life there was somehow larger-than-life more vibrant… palpable… breathable. Huge tides ebbed in and out with hypnotic precision dumping amazing gifts at our very feet… wild dirty feet not tortured by shoes; the hot dry scruncha scrincha of the sand still lingers as a memory in the footprints of my mind… cool lapping waves soothed the fiercest burns. Days turned with the timetable of sun’s rising/setting rhythm long days where homeschool lessons were dispatched without procrastination the quickest finished beat the others to the beach… … the others being my younger brother & 4 younger cousins. We knew every rockpool, every outcrop, every foot of sand we knew not to step on a catfish or a stonefish we knew not to pick up centipedes and scorpions we knew to scan the area, regularly, for signs of crocodiles; We caught giant crabs and stalked huge grasshoppers ran along the shallows to set the mudskippers skipping we lived for every sunlit moment not understanding that time was slipping away. Sunsets of marigolden vibrancy superimposed on the canvas of my dreams twi-lit evenings glow with firefly and shooting stars that fall in streams one after another, or so it seemed to the stargazer that was me. I shed my skin at Karumba shaking off the lostling of the burbs metamorphosing into a child of Nature; I listened to the ocean’s secrets saw the passing seasons patient dependability I ran with the wind and ebbing waves Karumba is where I found me.
Awakening of Consciousness at first….I thought it was just me… having a moment that didn’t stop an epiphany stronger than any past realization the tip of my tongue tingled with ‘almost- clarity’… a calm restless energy raced with helter-skelter pell-mell understanding… but I know now that others feel it too… I read it their insightful words hear it in voices I cannot hear feel it pour into the universe a potent energy of honesty… truth and desire for a spiritual reawakening for an earth-born healing a simplifying of thought and a reform of civilisations destructive ways…. a profound sense of restlessness surfacing from the spirit of the earth linking of mind body & soul to the vibrations of spiritual rebirth empathy channelling hidden energy reaching out to those in need… offering spiritual awareness to those swamped by life’s controlling greed… I feel it… a unity is gathering as the restlessness spreads in vibrant waves heralding an awakening a changing state of consciousness of spiritual rebirth and universal evolution…. soul-thoughts on the wind spirit vibrations feeding the need for new beginnings kindred hearts exploring the inner & outer worlds can you feel how this reawakening is spanning troubled voids…?
A New Time Has Begun * the time has passed to appear invisible too late to ignore the shift in time in the evolution of mind… many voices, once random pleas from scattered souls now rise as one, we will be heard for ceaseless centuries disorder has reigned unchecked in this controlled chaos we call humanity…. now whispers grow from wisdom and skill born from long-suffering expressive silences those with voice harken to courage and say their piece ….for those who cannot find peace * destruction piled on degradation greed self-gorging on greed blinded by the indigestible dollar oiled wheels conquer all, to succeed… day in day out …cogs in a heartless machine despoiling everything in this world including those soft & silent secret dreams you’ve shared with none… you think that you are in control but you are clearly misunderstood another drone…another cog in this parasitic ‘cultivated’ social order time to strip your souls bare of yesterday’s promise shake off the shackles of civilization’s constant change and in naked silence ask yourself ….are you living or just existing….?
My Thoughts Loitered in Tranquil Reflections Morning unfolded in harmony with the sighing wind stirring the air with fragrant blends of earth & ocean… I breathed deeply… the heady aroma… the early silence - the perfect balance of the moment; my mind loitered in tranquil reflections… my soul sighed a soft & gentle peacefulness wrapped an aura of composure about my spirit… I drifted through the morning, feather-light and humming with optimistic enthusiasm - an unknown strength vibrating through my limbs… what was this new-found poise… this self-assurance that quivers along my skin… - melting all my negativity and reinforcing my desire… my core belief to live with an empathetic soul… for reasons unknown I gravitated to an over-stuffed cupboard – - clothes I no longer wear…. and as if in need to shed my own skin I threw them all into the middle of the floor… a mountainous pile in jumbled colors… I added more from the drawers and the entire contents of a dusty box…. …. shedding my skin…. - I bagged them up and threw the bags outside…. I drifted to wind-sounds and tranquil flutes lost in simply domesticity bringing balance & symmetry to my comfort zone… - incense… candles… the drifting heartsong of didgeridoo eased me into each moment… and still my thoughts loitered in tranquil reflections… my soul sighing a soft & gentle peacefulness…
In Mirrored Images in swirling dreamscapes my journey continues mirrored images float in the sky new perceptions clear away misconceptions haze as a heightened awareness fills my days… thoughts take on profound clarity … life flows to a tranquil rhythm and as swirling dreamscapes mirror reality learned knowledge and insight merge to combine a conscious synergy uniting body soul & mind…. I no longer have an agenda nor expectations of fame I’ve found an inner peacefulness where I can simply be my unpretentious me… I have no ulterior motives ultimatums requests or demands just an unadorned desire to spread inner love with an open heart & hand… enlightened emotions that go beyond the ‘truths’ a spiritual cohesion transcending traditional beliefs not subject to the restrictions that closed minds teach… in mirrored images that float in the sky my journey continues thoughts taking on profound clarity … and life flows to a tranquil simplicity …
Caretaker of My Soul ...once upon a time when I was not as wise as I've grown to be I played Russian Roulette with my future destiny where I borrowed from tomorrow a debt that can never be repaid and now suffer the consequences of decisions I have made... the reoccurring dreams still come back in midnights madness they attack tearing at my peace of mind they gnaw and worry and undermine the balance in life I strive to find... and in moments unexpected I see in a strangers eyes the familiar despair and desolation that I know can arise I see the slump of shoulder bent beneath a load too burdensome to bare and long to reach my hand out and say, be strong, for I've been there... in my younger woman-years my innocence was a sought after commodity it was stolen, moulded, abused and used until I had no recollection of ever being me I was lured down a path in life that may not have been my destiny by false declarations of love and sickening depravities... but some small stubborn part of me never let go its determined hold tenaciously filling me with the strength to climb from life's sink-holes and I am who I am today... caretaker of my soul;