S H O W O F F
i hear you
piercing the silent
clinking of champagne
glasses
with the laughter of a
thousand waterfalls
for my benefit.
**********************************************************************
WHO I AM
who am I?
I am not a wife.
for if the grave calls
and my love follows
then I shall cease to be.
I am not a mother.
for if the ground breaks open
and swallows both my infants whole
God forbid—
then I shall cease to be.
I am neither poet nor writer
for if the tide of thought, word,
feeling
ebbs,
and the well of inspired speech
dries up
then I shall cease to be.
who I am:
I am but one who follows
Life, Light, Truth.
I am but one who walks
the dusty, well-worn path
left by a good and kind
Teacher.
I am a bamboo reed
bending in the wind.
I am a calf
nursing at her mother’s nipples.
I am a pencil
drawing lines on a page.
I am a cluster of rhododendrons
nourished by the canopy.
I am a badger
finding shelter in the rocks.
who am I?
I am but one who follows
Life, wherever He leads.
*****************************************************************************
WEE HOURS
Listless
Ears ringing
Eyes straining
In the dark
To see
meanings
Clanging noise
Keeps mind alert
Heart quieted by words
From an old manuscript
For life.
A writer Thinks
Feels
Lives
In a self-made
Closet
He wonders
What lies dusty
On bookshelves
In Cupboards
Key chains
Dried leaves
Soiled sheets
Bedsores
Furuncles
Dead ants
Beating hearts
And seeks to find
Letters
syllables
Sounds
to paint
Visions
Images
Of life.
