Stripes

so many stripes, so many colors

each person’s thoughts wild and wonderful

exploring, learning, growing in mind

refining, defining, admiring all around

without exception life marches on

creating a story for all humankind

is there life under the sea? on other planets?

how do we react to them when we abhor those we see?

what value has our hate? is it population control?

if we must fight can it be against poverty?

how about hunger, homelessness, hatred itself?

can we learn to appreciate the differences

in size, shape, color, culture, beliefs?

how we need this, to give everyone a fair shot

to grow up healthy, no more disease for our children

grasp hands and hold fast, live and let live

For Us All

children do not understand the differences

between able and handicapped

they may be a certain age before the meaning

grips their reasoning to be used in fights

demeaning friend, frenemy, foe

and there, it seems, it is arrested,

where we pull these prickly thorns from memory
intending the greatest hurt in any argument

but we are not children and we understand

that differences exist, that the playing field

is never going to be level or fair

but it doesn’t mean we love anyone less,

it doesn’t mean we should shut the infirmed

from our world, rather the more capable

can offer a helping hand, the gift of time spent,

a smile, a touch, a cup of coffee, applause.

it is good to give, to encourage, to teach

we are our brothers and sisters keepers

let the Light shine in and through for us all.

fantasy2

I have a fantasy held in my heart

that one day soon equality shall reign

for this is not the way it seems

rather insecurity, prejudice and blame

are the standards held to conflict

and yet, the road grows ever wider

more hands reach out, more smiles appear,

for what we’ve done to each other in time

can be washed away if we make it clear

that no life is better than any other

different, surely, but valued all the same

tall or short, fat or thin, dark or light,

rich or poor, able or disabled, man or woman,

each is a blessing, we must know it well

each fits in the image of the Creator and

I’ll tell you this as my fantasy grows

the greater the love, the more it seems

the greener our planet, the lesser the greed

can we do that?  can we trust each other

to let go of the fear that underlies hate

and start life anew, make my fantasy Fate?

enough

will there never be enough, my friends,

to satisfy the needs of the many?

what more could we ask for if we could?

could we ask an end to violence,

that everyone put their weapons down

and shake the hands of friend and foe alike?

could we ask the healing of the heartaches

of the families of the victims of violence

that their tears be enough for all time?

could we ask that the children no longer

go to school hungry or sleepless or ragged

because parents need work or self-respect?

this world has its problems, but if we’ve had enough

perhaps one day our questions will change

and we can start asking if there is enough

to satisfy the needs of the few

who gain their wealth by taking the dreams

of the many who believe they’ll come true

and suppose they were called to task, these few,

and put their great wealth toward believing in you?

Shine

look into the mirror at your face

are you the fairest of them all?

why do you ask like the stepmother

who destroyed the ure heart of Snow White

you are the joy of the Creator’s fashion

a design all your own, beautiful, worthy

each thought designed to protect you, enhance you

you are the marvel like a unique gemstone

faceted to sparkle, set and surrounded

by the shape that creates the impression

of grandeur as you present yourself to the world

let no one take from you what the Creator has given

so long as you take from no other

for we are all beautiful creations, unique

able to shine with a smile for all around

What Lies Beneath

How do we know what lies beneath the skin

as we pass a stranger on the street?

Perhaps we have no wheelchair to remind us

that there is more to this person than we see

we may assume as we hear him speak

that he is the same as we

but there is so much more, something with the eyes,

that doesn’t tell us who he is, what struggles he faces

what can we know, what should we know,

it matters not that there may be more,

for we should smile just as much to everyone

we should care as much about everyone

we should help everyone till everyone’s needs are met

No matter what lies beneath.

Wander

when I wander where I will

through thickets tangled and tall

or along a stone-curbed clear path

with shaded or sunny landscapes

my thoughts will be of quiet times

memories of laughter and of love

and I shall climb Heaven’s mansions

beautiful and bold where no fearsome thing

shall interrupt my focus, my sight

rather I shall be filled with delight

in the vision of lofty gifts from above

serene, tender, harmonious beyond recall

for grand villas hold unknown mysteries

ready to share their knowledge and bring us

the contentment, the joy to which we aspire

Fairy Tales

stories of long-lost love or betrayal

a wicked witch, a magical fountain,

fairies and gnomes and dwarves—oh, my!

good wins out as evil melts away

the dust settles, the clear air is here to stay

worries are only temporary, dry those tears

hold your head high and rise to the sky

above the clouds find an emerald tablet

rejoice as you read the words to the wise

fantasy? perhaps, but into the fold we go

the Saviour’s promise is Truth, this I know

come rain and come shine things look brighter

once the morning sun adorns your face

and when we all hold hands to cross the street

it shall be safer for us all

The Rise

frustration may grip at your nerves

as once again the landscape ascends

and you look upon it with weary eyes

but there is a gift in plying yourself

to the task of climbing once again

for you have nothing to prove to anyone

if only yourself, as you lean onto the rise

grasping with your hands, pushing with feet

and going up to the top where your goal

has waited for you to become what Fate

inevitably has asked you to become

The Trail

open to a new trail through Northern forests green

undergrowth of air ferns line the sides it seems

the sky is bluer, fresher, air, the heart sings to be free

aligning one with all the greatness Nature has foreseen

so stepping slowly down the trail wildlife wanders past

a deer, raccoons, a skunk, perhaps, a bear at last

one thing to remember:  do not tread this way so fast

for every moment savored is a dream to be cast

upon the water, upon the stars, the wind and on the sand

where will you go on this, your trail, your hallowed land

creating memories with every step you take and where you stand

to stop and marvel where you’ve been no grievance you demand

for realistic expectations give what you have taken

the world is your own snow globe, unbeguiled and gently shaken

Galaxies

lights like so many millions of fireflies

the galaxies flash light and color

pinwheels of stars that no one can imagine

it can only be seen through a telescope

great and small offer a window

into the surreal universal landscape

where nurseries of gases birth new stars

and glow in ways we can’t imagine on earth

can one of these points of light be home

to others who breathe as we breathe

who think and talk in ways we might understand

and if they do, could we possibly meet them

and could it possibly resolve our woes?

Exploring

exploring places in the world

where the imagination can take form

make bubbles of thought and vision

exciting streams of consciousness as if

mighty streams of waters flowed through

grand oak trees whose roots dig down

to the very core of the earth, where

fire-breathing dragons lay claim to the

molten, bouncy ball spinning and wobbling

more slowly as in days past, like Dark Ages

when people thought of survival alone

and today, everyone is at each other’s throat

because they want all life to imitate them

so we explore places where there is calm

and green beauty, where life is gentle, soft

Swan

wings of the swan raised, posed as if

calling the orchestra to attention

as he rises from the water paddling his feet

the black mask across his beak adding drama,

depth, barely a ripple in the water surrounding

his firm, stout body as he prepares his dance,

his mating ritual, bound to impress his lady

with his finesse, his stature and prowess among

all the other swans circling the lake

nesting among the cattails and remains

of wooden docks and pylons where

one day, not long from now, ducklings will hatch

Martian Castles

fashioned like something on the Martian skyline

half-spheres and giant waves of sand

squiggled across the horizon with shadows

a ripple, dished out on the highest peak

looking like whittled peaches in orange tints

but nowhere is the carved sand disturbed

except by the train of dromedary camels

and their masters, tightly wrapped in blue scarves

to prevent the sand from getting where it shouldn’t

they follow a trail laid long ago

etched out by early caravans in spite of

the sheets of sand that make the shapes

of Martian castles and giant peaches

Refugee Child

the mind of a child sees everything

and paints from the heart such energy

that colors dim and colors bright

take on such shapes as his world creates

he explores all things within his view

and interprets all as he is aware

from clouds that are shaped like seagulls

to trucks bestowed with dinosaur fins

traversing a road on a grassy hillside

not much longer than the truck itself

yellow polka dot flowers cover the mounds

a red, black and gray flag adorns the school

a child flies on his belly on the swing

while a helicopter flies higher than the sun

a young Picasso with a well-trained eye

expressing his joy in the world of a refugee

Colorscapes

within the eye of the mind

shines a light, glowing, reflecting, imprinting

hills of sharp prisms, colorscapes,

giving life and luster to the imagination

where fine threads can be followed

the trails of our trials and errors

or the pathways that lead to brilliant success

all in colors we can’t see in everyday life

but wisps that take on perfect hues

from the aethers where our dreams are formed

and our choices are ultimately shaped

climb the threads of the web of Life

and move gracefully along the trapeze

to cast the net of your enigmatic days