Avalon
I saw Avalon, once
When I went to Carrboro Park in a fog.
(Not me, the weather, although I’m never really certain)
A lump, a stone, a hurt – some
spiritual distention like a tight lid about to
give way.
There are no answers – There are no reasons.
Merely the shifting of tide and the change of seasons.
I happened upon Tiresias by the lake.
After some hellos we chatted awhile.
“You who saw the destruction of Creon, what do you see?”
“I am blind to it. As to your future — I don’t know.”
Tiresias shrugged.
The oracle at Delphi produces many strange things,
But the warning written above the cave is not …
KNOW THYSELF
I am short and overweight
beard grows in patches
My hair is oily and my skin mottled
One day I will be able to focus,
Someday, I will no longer hear the insult that I have a lot of potential.
AMERICA! I am NOT the SUM OF MY THOUGHTS and
I AM WAITING! (but nothing appears)
The fog & rain & gloom & foreboding like the apprehension before
firing an old friend enshrouds us.
Tiresias walks on, now deaf
The geese make uneasy sounds. They smell me, but can’t see me.
I take a loaf from my backpack and pinch off pieces
to gain their trust.
A pinch for me, a pinch for you.
They come. They walk on the shore, but they still come.
Cast your bread upon the waters…
I can decide to care
I can laugh at the darkness
I’m not retired — I’m in my prime.
A small smile cracks my face
and the stone shifts a little.
I nod a little and fall asleep.
The palms of a man’s hands
and in tiny 100 dollar bill print
I see my name repeated hundreds of times
I hear soft jazz and recline on
an overstuffed couch – the wine is sweet and fruity
perfect for after dinner drinks
An eagle shrieks
and I walk under his shadow
A warm blanket and a big hug.
My eyes open to a blue haze rising from the lake.
The spires of the cloud castle stand tall.
I shift my weight to stand.
GOD STANDS BETWEEN ME AND HARM IN ALL THE EMPTY PLACES THAT I WALK.
Your hand is before me
your other behind me,
You hem me in-
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
Now standing, now looking, now giggling
I throw my stone into the healing mist
By the Sea of Avalon
and run along the shore to play with the geese.
The morning sky is solid gray
and the air cold and scathing.
The mist crystalizes on my jacket.
December Psalm
The Lord is my sheperd,
He smiles down on me as I have this child.
When I am tired and frustrated,
He strokes my hair & reassures me
That the morning will bring a bright new day.
He quietly rebukes my tantrums-
We play games that make me smile.
In my days to come, many things will befall me.
But my God is there with me.
He teaches me contentment with every moment
and hope for every tomorrow.
I am blessed all the days of my life,
and I will joyfully call on the name of the Lord.
— forever.
Sela
I Read Prayers of Steel Again
I read Prayers of Steel
again
and prayed through this untimely
Psalm,
again.
But I know that I may not
see the upheaval of old ruins,
but I feel the
red-hot rivets
and see the
blue sky
with the top floor silhouetted
against it.
Inspiration
12:32 AM, that’s when inspiration comes.
The time between the boulder
about to rest on the precipice
And the first step down
to push it uphill again.
Magnetic Poem1
When day and she are home at last
And many call to bid her rest,
She gives her light to one more soul
So they see the questions on life’s test.
Nights of Passion
Days with glee
But not with women or myself
Only time I spend with Thee.
She Did It to Me
My peace is like the eye of a hurricane,
Intense, focused and small.
Outside I howl, and inwardly I burn.
Constant, relentless and strong.
The core is soundless and still
Nothing moves, not even the sky.
She cause the flowers to bloom
and pour out their fragrance.
The wind carries it,
The storm weakens it
The rain dilutes it.
But it will not be quenched
And inside my eye, something tiny stirs
and sing its cardinal song.
The World Is Ruled by Tired Men
The world is ruled by tired men.
As soul and pen blot on the page
I hear the trumpets sound
for my coronation.
Thinking of You
The voices have departed, I think only of you.
This time is quiet an peaceful
Like you.
Somewhere fires rage and steel crumbles
But not here
in this time of peace
While I think only of you.
Writing
O LORD, give me strength
for one word
Before the window closes
And the rains come for 40 days
and 40 nights.