Monday, November 4, 2019

A pair of white doves came to nest on our barn roof
First there was one, then another
They were cold and frightened from the sleeting snow
They had little ribbon bows tied on their feet with bells
You were delighted but I was the most delighted 
I fed them corn from my hand
They pecked about on the snowy barn mantel
That was dry and warm with hay
Their feet were cold because they had nowhere to land
They looked at me peacefully
It was Christmas Day.  In communion we sat
Resting our bodies from the winter cold
Companions in a barn are a blessing from God
For God knew what He was doing
Around us the seeping of ice thaws and cars in the distance
The feel of my hand in yours
They put their wings together and closed their eyes and rested
God makes miracles
For the littlest creature was loved enough
For God was watching over all things
He led the boy home and put him in bed
Then wrapped him in an electric blanket
He served him mashed potatoes, roast chicken and stuffing
With a little cranberry sauce and some juice
He gave him a wife with a warm heart
And two friends to keep him company
Long slow days resting under the christmas tree
And warming oneself by the heater
Hot mug of coffee for those that had come
And cheerful burbling of conversation
Ladies and Lords coming and going
People greeting one another and giving gifts
He closed his eyes and curled up in a little ball
And I made myself some coffee with sugar
We lay still and listened to the earth turning
As it shifted about its axis
Creaking like a sailboat in the harbor
He gave us a market to sell our embroidery
We made these little gifts made of wire and tinsel
We made them together ourselves
People came from far and wide
And read our news and notes
It was a good life and God was here
And we rested with the Lord in His Sanctuary
Many long winters and many long snows
Much peace fell about our door
The throwers of stones put down their stones
And walked away sorry
For you and I have been on a great adventure
So let us both retire
For we have seen the walls of the kingdom
May we lift his name on high
Oh God that remembered us in his Cathedral
Oh Holy Cathedral Divine
Praise be to the God that works with us
As we plan the events of our futures
Praise be to God for all these presents
That we open with eager hands
Presents full of gold and red paper
And ribbons and jewels and lace
These are the most loveliest presents
This feast is divine
I lay with a full belly of mashed potatoes
And think about how much God loves me
May our deeds grace God to thank him
For He is Good
I close my eyes and send my passions
Down seeping into the earth
Earth of all lost things
The earth under the crystalline crust of snow
The dizzying height of one who can fly
Your gift and my gift are handprints in the snow
But I am lain sore and low by now
I've learned that God does not want to change his ways
God is terrible and dark in His Will
God's Will is often to torture his children
But Yet, it is God's Will
I have learned that the hard way
I lay in the still deep shadows
Nursing the wounds that I have earned
My body broken with punishments
I cannot go any further in my pursuits
But when I see children laugh and smile, then I smile too
Then I know that I did the right thing
I feel, when I see people having fun around me
That my footpaths on the earth were not in vain
My spirit goes to dwell with them
Where there is much joy
My body has become a lump of clay
It is by now deformed and weak
A veteran of a cause I fight alone
When my body shames me I look at those around me
And then my heart soars along with them
No sorrows too great, little one, to bear
No sorrows, no sorrows
But you are a child of the most high and triumphant
He whose wheels scrape across the sky
He who whisps the cloths into shapes
He who plans your destiny
Maybe not all Good, but He is God
He does want His beings to suffer
It is His Will and His Will is natural
And anything that counters God is unnatural
The planet all singing together
No sea nymphs for the hero of the night
No pretty papers for the mother's duckling
No warm towels to wash yourself with
No age spots to soothe your pain
No sylph to awaken your inner dream
No balm that is cold and soothing
Your life, like my life,  will be flickered out
And someday we will all rest under the stars together
My body is deformed and ugly now
But I feel deeply proud of my choices
Peace to the grey bird outside your window
Peace to the bird that sings all night long
Long tranquil days of sadness and prayer
We keep vigil until we, too are taken under
One day we will all lay under the stars of heaven
And think about what we have done
I don't think anything should be done right now
I have finally realized that God is too cruel to make a change
God wants us all to suffer
He set up the world to make the people suffer
And his ways have designed a world where we can suffer
When we fight suffering, we are fighting God
So I just break bread together and pray
Breaking bread is in its way one meaning of life
We are not supposed to be too happy
All alone, the sea's wide whirls
Are pelting down her hair upon the sea
Wicked ways often go unnoticed
So use your judgement and discretion
Let your gaurdian angel protect you
Be of a prayerful stance
Be someone who accepts suffering
God wants us to accept the fact of pain
In my pain, the upspringing of thousands of beautiful flowers
Maybe there is something about pain
Something enduring in pain to understand
I try to listen to pain
When I listen to my pain I pray about it
And then I break bread with the one I love
Then go to sleep under a sea of stars
At peace with my creator
Far away, on the edge of the sea
At the banks of the land of sleep
Where fishes play in the warm bathwaters
And roil on the surface of the sparkling water
The sparkling water that goes in and out
And knows all things about its creatures
It knows when creatures are in need of things
Or where their hearts are lingering
The waters that read the minds of those
Who bathe in its shimmering tides
It grasps the cold fish in its understanding hands
And holds them closely to it
Love for that which understands
And that which lives within its being
The fish sing the song of the sea
And by the night they sleep under the heavens
The heavens which show the depth of breadth
The creatures that move among its shadows
Are not unlike the fish of the sea
Are not unlike the does of the forest
The does which have no claim to their lives
But are hunted as a prey
The predator that hunts them on its property
For man has dominion over the earth
The earth and her seas and forests
Perhaps not god-given but claimed
Man is just another animal
All die in the end
The dragon of gold and red which dances
Up and down like a gilted snake
Her gills are not unsusceptable to arrows
She too is vulnerable to swords
The weapons of man that kill her body
Are something dumb that understands not
Soon all her energies will become one with the ocean
For she is a hunted animal
Her body cannot outlast the predator
And she, too will die from her form
her body will become dust
Her energy will have to take another form
That which kills is chasing the prey animal
As it runs across the plain
This energy of chasing and being devoured
Is fueling the turning of the earth
The rising and falling of your lover's breast
When he is in the heat of passion
But love does not last for eternity
All love is eventually taken away
No love will endure forever
Someday it will be time to pay the piper
If you give god sacrifices of things left over
Then maybe God will forgive you
To run in her silky hair as she glides
Over a plain that mirrors the face of all things
This light is temporary and fleeting
Soon this light will be put out
The thing that hunted it will go on
It will outlive that which it has killed
No other way out but death
If only there had been a way out
In the teeth of dogs is the dove I loved
He will not live much longer either
A muck eater on the low levels of the forest
Your light and my light lost in time
No one knows where the line runs out
No one knows how long there is
The fish swim on in the sparkling sea
I will love you until the end
Slow moving through the veins
The sluggishness in the blood
Stilled like a dove with its wings pinned
I lay looking at you calmly
You could destroy me with a flicker
Or you could become the love of my life
I see you are not impressed enough with me
To do anything passionate
The wind blows about my legs like an excited child
The wind wants to go on an adventure
The wind wants to make me laugh
And wander without measure
I see, but seeing I am silent
Like padding over the snow
The pain you caused me grew in me
Until I bore the flowers of hatred
The thicket has been bugged for some time now
It is no longer safe at home
But my home will be the rusty wind
And I will blow about and cause things
I smile when I see you still alive
I helped you escape your enemies
And found you a place to lay you down
I cared for you like an injured hawk
Your happiness is my happiness
Maybe you'll be safe awhile
The days that stretch before me are empty and lonely
Long days spent thinking to myself
Some slaves escape their captors somehow
So I am surviving this delerium
This disease has eased its merciless pace
I lay me down in the thicket
I lick my own wounds in a hungry way
For I am deeply grateful to be alive
If my life is spared I shall become an ascetic
And pray and think my days through
When children play my heart will soar
I will learn to forget you
The wind blows through my heart like breath
For I am becoming the wind
Whatever comes to take me down
I will be ready for whatever comes
The trumpets blow hard for me in heaven
They clarion calls out my name
I will hold my head high when I arrive
I will be proud and triumphant
On all things there is waiting
There is waiting in the leaves and in the sun
All around me, waiting for something to come
Little chipmunks are getting excited
The fish are hovering listlessly
The little duckies are laughing cheerfully
They have high hopes for the future
Everyone has high hopes for the future
Everyone wants to start again
Whispers of new love on the horizon
People are full of hope
Breaking to bits the thing that came
With hopes growing up through the  earth
Nature is surviving the blows of death
Nature will yet outlive the curse
Music floats in from a balcony
A worried hound barks in alarm
Women hang up their wet laundry to dry
Babies are lulled to sleep
This small person sitting here
Was once a reason for the apocalypse
But maybe her eyelids were blessed
Maybe God will spare them from harm
When children play, there one is with them
The heart dances with its fellow man
Boots for the winter will keep out the cold
There will be enough for Christmas
Children will have mamas and papas to protect them
They can play in the light of the moon
Maybe I can focus on a new project
One that will bring in much change
This house full of ghosts is holding
It is weathering many storms
A place to come and pray
After what has happened here
Bells on my ankles and white linen around me
A swath of purple for a shawl
Little tricycles with their wheels turning
Waiting for someone to come and play
The pain of losing you will fill my sails
And carry me to the furthest shore
I will cry about this one day
But not until it has passed me by
By like the sunken flower when
She realizes she is a lost toy
When I realized you didn't love me
That you were intended for another
Judge ye not, taught Jesus
When he looked into your eyes
But I smile when I think of your suffering
And so I am letting you go
It is a lonely city
People pass each other by without speaking
There is so much unsaid
That people live behind closed doors
When I see you curled up into the fetal position
Especially when your body is cold
That is the instant that I am sure I did the right thing
For I cradled you close to my body
When you needed nourishment, I fed you
When you were scared, I held you
When you cried , I comforted you
And when you needed to grow, I released you
To fly in the wind like a dandelion spore
To find your place under the moon
Wherever you land, to go as far as you can
To discover the one that you love
The salt sprays breaking where you stand on the bow
Gazing out to sea
Lost and without a comforter
Will you be okay on your own
Little chocolate cakes with frosting
That we eat together looking into one another's eyes
God's confetti explodes all over me
And I brush it off quietly
I am pulling carrots from the soil
The soft sandy soil of my vegetable garden
The roots give when I pull them up at their base
They have frost on their leaves for the winter
Potatoes and carrots for the winter
And spinach leaves and onions
Sage and half a lemon stuffed into a whole chicken
And roasted in the oven
A little garlic in butter and salt
Poured over noodles and served in a bowl
Your hair falling down around you like a shawl
Like a lady living in luxury
Good food, soft clothes, clean home
And guests to shower you with friendship
When you lift your eyes gently
I know that I am doing the right thing
Little sapphire hearts that hang like stars
In my ears like tears that I never spoke of
Tears that were never noticed or never fell
The reason I smile so rarely
Yellow and black butterflies with zebra stripes
Pickles on meat sandwiches
Little gulls going up and down the beach
Being washed away by God's patient swells
Bells on the feet of birds and rabbits
Little mice that crawl up and sit in your lap
Queen anne's lace spanning the meadows
Blowing up and down in the wind
Oat grasses waving in the breeze
The laughs of children in the air
But when you look, there are no children
Frogs croaking from the muck of a green pond
Leopard frogs with golden eyes
Marble floors with green, blue and pink roses
Stones cut in the shapes of petals and leaves
Lollipops with ribbons tied around their sticks
Candles in glass lanterns at night
Feather bouquets with blue glass beads
Pink ribbons pulling hair back from the forehead
Turtles slipping under the surface of a pond
And you sitting across from me
Pandas when they reach for more bamboo leaves
The river when she cries
River blowing down her veins
Pouring out that which forgets all things
Your lamp will be on all night
Your candle will keep out the dark in my heart
Little green fish in a clear glass bead
Gingerbread house with a gumdrop path
Icing piped on for a roof
And sealed between the cracks
Little dolls thinking to themselves
Watching you from the corner of the room
Mimosa leaves pressing their leaves together
When a dark shadow enters the room
Your path leading into the woods
And my house off in the distance
Village lays low and prayerful
As Christmas draws near
Cold rain falls down in a sad way
The rain attempts to wash away pain
Although an evil thing has drained the storehouse
Yet we are still alive and singing
The rustle of the grasshopper wings
The creaking of the stair
People wander in and out of this place
The road beyond here leads on and on
Soft pink and blue teddy bears
Sweaters that are large and comfortable
Black pants and a pair of mukluk boots
The sound of jingle bells in the night
Cats when they sleep full of fish dinners
When everyone's in from the storm
The trees when they think softly
And one brushes by them without a sound
Gentle paths that lead around the front steps
And wander into the village
Pearls draped among silk flowers
Sitting in the corner embroidering
An electric fireplace at the foot of my chair
Warm slippers after a hot bath

Oh Moses in the river reed basket
You are floating safely towards your destiny
On the cool warm river currents of fate
That lead you to your future
The mother has left you a scanty store
And you have a lot of dreams
You sail safe towards your kingdom
Oh prince in the river reed basket
Your hair falling into a tumbling plunge
Soft like the breath of a dying beauty
Or someone who is prepared to die
Wispy like the wind in January
Just before the balm of spring
Deep like the eyes of the old faithful dog
Who returns to the same porch lifelong
Faithful in a way that only the gentle are faithful
Forgiven beyond doubt
Your hands full of grace are moving like tree branches
With the tolerance of a fawn
All fate can take heed before this lion
When he upholds your mighty door
The door to your bower is fortified
With the roar of the lion across it
Floating in your river reed basket
Towards the day you find your place
Until then, all things in to all things
And may you be kept warm and safe
I told my heart it felt not what
It did not want to feel
The rivers poured away from me
My heart was a cage of steel
I told it that it was misled
That all things do decieve
That soldiers often die before
They fill their sorest need
I looked out to the ocean
And saw an offshore storm
The warnings all ignored
And fate left to pick up the remnants
All lost, the moon on the craggy shores
And the moon on your little slippers
The moon on the banks of the sandy spring
And hatboxes full of satin ribbons
The moon before the sea has raged
To quicken that which is injured
No task set before her fate
Was softly left undone
Your breath upon the windowpane
Like forgotten tracks of spring
Like the lamb which cries for mother to hold
And the unbearable wings of torture
The strong wings that carry the tortured souls
To the ivory faint shimmered shores
These arms recognize me as something dear
And maybe they will carry me home
All light where light was not before
These mysteries betray
All lies where lies were concealed with a kiss
And calvary sworn to obey
All hope reechoed on her shores
And all flew out to sea
Too far and never to return
Until my beloved returns to me
I see you and fear you not
But rather am filled with pity
Your song, like my song, will be traced in time
Along the heiroglyphs of history
The pitter patter of duckling feet
Will lead you towards your home
So onward misled destiny
And onward Christian soldiers
For kindness sustains all things
And love from faithful mothers
Life's foot like a rabbit foot
And someone behind the curtains
And far off the cry of one betrayed
And nearer now, the village bustling
And in the night, the lonely wanderer
And the hermit mending clothes
The leaves fall in a special way
That says God is watching over all
Where the brink's run out to the sea
You are fending off some great mystery
Beyond, the orange sun is slipping under the horizon
Before time and host's begun to fade
Before the page bleeds out into snow
Before the wound begins to heal
Before the amber becomes great beauty
Before all secrets are revealed
Some people run on and on
Running into the sun
But life is running out of time
Is death really the worst outcome
When life is full of heartbreak
And all has been scattered again
There are worse things than to die
There are worse things like committing sin
Often the virtuous die because of virtue
And God takes the pure of heart
The people with nothing sitting by the road
Are some of the most virtuous of all
Life as life itself holds less value
It is more important what one does with life
With what one has, that one does good things
Some people have very little
Some have short lives and some have no chances
Some never get the chance
Many get chances but fail
While others wish they had had a chance
Death looms ever clearer on my horizon
As enemies close in around me
My deeds many and my future dim
I look to that which lies beyond the eternal
Where I must soon be going
Where I must count among the stars
Perhaps my life was something sincere
Something sincerely given to others
The heron flies towards home slowly
Just enough to stay in the air
Your light, all lights, they all go out
People get lost and blown off course
Maybe in hunting the impossible
I find hope for the present time
The shore that sets on the bow of the horizon
Is waving to me faithfully
Maybe all things were not in vain
That the world left me a hope
Your hope far on the other side of hope
I look no more for you
The rose garden with its velvet burgundy petals
A hope forever true
Lush worlds may lie beyond the horizon
You may find me there someday
Your world has betrayed and forsaken me
So I look to another shore
Horizons beyond our understanding
May find us in our enslavement
You will always be my sleeping beauty
Even when you have left me
I pick one burgundy rose for you
To put behind your ear
But even your life was not enough to appease
So you too were cast into the hay
Some stray hairs pulled into a braid
A river becoming a marsh
The world dawns upon the brink of new beginnings
The ancient runes are being forgotten
The children are singing new songs
Legends are being told about heroes
That none dare speak the name of
But noone comes to haunt this lonely door
Their footpaths are desolate
Maybe in you, a hazel tree springs
Maybe another fountain
That death is not the worst thing that could happen
So look to the furthest shore
Your slippers for you to wear to eat breakfast
Your candle to carry you to your bed in the dark
Long winter nights when the wind blows mercilessly
And creaks about the eaves
The sandalwood of a fan in its cheerful array
Bread with butter and hot tea
Holding a seashell in the palm of the hand
The memories of the sea
Sea that beats blues into greys and white again
Sea that swims on forever
Sea where rivers melt away
Sea where the porpoise swim
Long hours spent in gratitude
Just listening to the familiar sounds
Happy and grateful to be alive
Just the sensations of still being alive
The cool of a porcelain object on a table
The sweetness of candy
The way cheese dinners satisfy
The feeling of clean sheets on the skin
Being held when one feels scared
The light of a lamp on a cold night
Knowing one is safe and warm
The warmth of a bathtub full of bubbly hot water
Or the sunlight falling across the room
The feel of velvet brushed against the cheek
The voice of someone who loves you
The way that fresh berries taste
When you have been working hard
Or cinnamon in apple juice
Or biscuits with bacon gravy
Tilapia that flakes with lemon and melted butter
And chili on a cold day
Spaghetti with meatballs and cheese
Soft music to listen to quietly
Movies and TV and laying still
Listening to one's own breath
When people have some spending money
And they go to the store and buy presents
Presents that they wrap and put under the tree
Warm embraces after long partings
Gifts that delight, gifts of pink and purple
Gifts of blue and yellow
A chocolate on the pillow at the end of the day
Two chocolates on two pillows
Two sticks to hold up a pile of hair
Brushing one's hair in the light of the moon
Some lost little coins
Noone knows how little
As though noone would help
And noone would come
Under the weeping willow
Where the butterfly settles and rests
Her wings of blue and black
Like cathedral windows celebrating the dawn
Spun honey drizzled onto a pool of chilled rice custard
With fresh raspberries and cinammon on top
Chicken baked in hummus, lemon, garlic and cumin
served with hummus and fresh tomatoes with feta
Chili and a grilled cheese with dill pickles
Summer sausage slices, cheese cubes and butter crackers
Fresh vegetables boiled in chicken broth
Rice boiled with onion with melted cheese
Sauteed Mushrooms on a sandwich
Collard greens mixed with cream cheese
Bellpepper and goat cheese served with crackers
Bread spread with peanut butter to feed wild birds
Peanut butter and icing on chocolate cake with chocolate
Pumpkin and icing on cake
Mashed Blackberries and icing on a blackberry filled cake
Chicken tomato curry with fresh mango and raisins
A big bowl of boiled mashed potatoes and butter after doing hard work
Cottage cheese and fresh tomato or canteloupe
Apple juice mixed with hot tea and cinnamon
Homemade Souvlaki steak and baked potato
Baked sweet potatoes warm on salads
Topped with goat cheese, bacon and raspberry vinnaigrette
Oil, vinegar and jelly on a salad is a vinnaigrette
Pizza and salad
The further one goes on one's journey
The sadder one gets
Many wander so long that they become bitter
Noone knows how much they miss their mother
To spread light in a gradual way over time
This is the best way to live
Muffins of blueberry and cheddar cheese
A few fresh flowers served with a grilled cheese
Chili served in a mug with cheese
The longer one goes the more lost one becomes
These little trinkets in the palm of my hand
May help me find my way
Many legends, stories told about great feats
The struggles were insurmountable
Love where love was not
Love found waiting in ruins
Love where love was not expected
Noone comes to call upon this lonely door
No pretty foot has trodden this path
No mouse has skittered across the floor
All quiet lying in charred stone it lays
The ruins of a proud cathedral
Sitting on luggage in a train station
Ladies in sundresses hurrying past
Women with baby carriers begging for money
The lost and lonely fawn
Mailbox in the snow against a white sky
The still calm day in the icy freeze
Giant slushie freezing the earth
The little greens and grasses struggling under its weight
Gas stations by the highwayside
Oases of respite in the bleak journey
Cold drinks and snacks and a tank of gas
Then one goes back out into one's struggle
A struggle that claims the lives of many
Where there is no warmth or comfort
Little golden door
Sleeping children softly breathing
The world softly coursing like a stream heading home
Pouring out all its great mystery
The tigers that crouch under the palm leaves
Where the african bush hunters hunt with their spears
Castles filled with luxurious dark rooms
Canopy beds hung in blue velvet
Tied back in little gold ropes
Children with grey and white mittens
Playing in the snow
Blueberry pickers on the mountainsides
Mountains peopled with healthy trees
Giant spiders that hunt people
Amok in the local forests
Women begging for cheese biscuits
To feed to their families
Women cleaning the countertops
And preparing meals that are worth eating
Marinated steak strips on wooden skewers
Served with fresh fruit and grilled vegetables
Birthday balloons and paper banners
And cards and a birthday cake
Squeals of pleasure when a sudden delight
Lights the shadows on a face that has known true pain
A little face lined with compassion
A face that has been forced to shed tears
Many long nights crying alone
This face has weathered many storms
The face itself has been wounded
Some say there is no real face
But the child that sees through the eyes therein
Sees brutalities that would seem to age him
But instead he grows more and more innocent
As the charges are brought against him
His chariot is with the celestial powers on high
His paths are paths too high for we mortals
His arts are arts too beautiful to behold
And his music has the ability to heal pain
When he walks, the plants and trees grow faster
His presence quickens the life spirit within all creatures
What he heals will be healed
What he saves will be saved
When he bends down to gather herbs in a garden
He is choosing what to kill or to save
What he wants to do will be done by God
And he cares enough to know
The care that sprouts from the wells of his eyes
Is enough to keep a freezing person warm
Dropping tinsel and flower seeds wherever he goes
For this is a being of compassion
That, looked not for, goes unseen
His gown is knit silver with crystals
He walks barefoot in the dell
Watching the hunter hunt
He admires the strength of the arrows
He longs to watch them leave the bow
Footpad by footpad
He crouches as he follows
Calling gazelles to wander before them
And rescuing them just in time
A venison stew with peas and potatoes
And he will lay his head on your shoulder
And when he sighs, may he find peace there
For his sufferings outweigh his own comprehension
The pain that comes to the child
Is enough to make anyone angry
Where is the tormentor that turns the spit
Where is he that refuses to acknowledge him
The child is a little air spirit
Blowing free in the wild faery wind
No one too low to save
No one he will not ransom
His sufferings make him divine
His face divine for its wounds
But faces are only skin deep
And the best have no faces at all
River tumbling down the mountain
Coursing on to burst the city gates
Valleys strewn with streetlamps
Little veins leading into the remote wilderness
One wound tells a story
Of a battle endured
One wound tells legends
For wounds are marks of record
Marks that reveal suffering
And wounds are dangerous
Where there is a wound there is danger
Fickle of you to  leave this peach here
But sweet that you left it for me
Wise that you thought I would like it
And fortunate that you found me worthy
Many strange tales have passed
More of tragedy than light
Stories revealing a balance being drawn
That suggest reincarnation may be ocurring
When something strange happens to someone
It may be reincarnation
Karma coming and going on the great river
Suggesting that there is no way out
Little kiwi slices for your baby
To taste between his teeth
Husbands are babies
We care for them gently
Christmas bells
My heart soars with the Christmas bells
The Lord rides the night on the wind
Every rustle of leaf tells the coming sign
The branches bow low to the king of creation
The little dolls quicken in spirit
Everyone with broken hearts waits for God
For everyone is having a hard time
The sounds of tortured souls echoing on the walls
The cries of those who are losing everything
Torture means losing everything
And their cries of despair are piteous to hear
Surely these are the children of God
Those that lose their bodies, children, money, rights
People whisper curses without speaking
As they pass along the city streets
There is usually a fight going on silently
People are scrambling to get what is theirs
Your light and my light linger here together
Together we have everything
Our communion taken toogether
We suffer in one another's arms
People laying in eternity
They cannot ever escape
Noone wants to save them
There are few that know they are trapped
That on high which takes its revenge
The little gifts I buy you
The way you smile when I give them to you
The falling of downy white snow
Little Christmas mice nibbling corn
The way you smile back at me
The loss of those that have suffered
My friend's look of constant agony
One hawk flying
Alone over the frothy sea
Noone to hold it back from fate
Noone to clip its destiny
The people line the street for the parade
In glittering cheering array
Some cheering, others comforting one another
But how easily they are led astray
Decieved, they are all confused
Noone knows what to do
Some run for their cars and others frown
But noone understands
Why some cruel hand stirs up mischief
Oh was it human hands
Was that which brewed from up on high
Or was it from the crowd
Was there some genius mastermind
Or was it the end of the world
One sound, but noone knows how far or near
Noone even knows whether it spoke at all
A sound not heard fell on the earth
The sound was the sound of a spirit
It was a ghost sound that changed the world
A sound that never was
Maybe better that it's over
But never to have known at all
Strange sounds there have been many
Like the ocean against the hollow of a shell
Ships coming in from up on high
We many never know how many
Or how many have been victimized
Or if they even are
One light, all lights, lights
How many are we up against
That which flies overhead is strange
There is nothing that can deny
But maybe one can rebulid now
And maybe we will not hear of them again
Some sea roses light like breath
Or a pink angora sweater
Candy corns and pumpkins in a tin
When you and I have broken hearts
We both have broken hearts
So we sit with broken hearts together
But hearts break gently
I begin to find my peace in you
I should have seen you were the one
Before it was too late
But now I am alone with a broken heart
Oh why was I so blind
Some feathers for your hair
For you are a mountain beauty
Your lips berry dark
Your eyes blue grey
Noone knows how lost the world careens
Like sheep without a shepherd
Like children with no comforter
Like mothers with no father
Or homeless people with no charity
Or ducklings who have fallen behind
No mother to keep our boots all warm
For there is noone to help us
All things lead to all things
No one comes to this place any more
All alone, it is a lonely place
The ship is out at sea
The gentle shepherd pats our heads
He loves us very much
In the stillness of the night one can feel the love of Jesus
Guiding and watching over every one
Ball of twine that I am rolling in my hands
Where is your center
A quiet place full of ghosts
Where is the man that I loved
Oh bleak winter
Blowing against my cheeks
Bring some sign of the weary traveler
That rests here in my shade
May you be set free
May that which attempts to destroy thee
Instead wrap thee up in a heated blanket
And make you feel so safe
All alone, all alone
Oh City By The Sea
Whose trumpets break upon her shores
Where all lost things come into being
Where lost stuffed bears and rabbits are found
Where lovers are reunited
The dead candle lies in rubble
And new energies are shifting in
That which has followed behind
Will be lost off course
And that which one has not found
Will someday be found
Eggplant vines grow around cottage steps
And you can run up the stairs
Everybody you love is there
Sitting humbly by
Noone knows the way home yet
Noone can go back home
But there is a bugle on the horizon
Maybe some answer in the storm
I went out into the cold thunderstorm
I went out to look for you
You had run into the face of the storm
To Walk into the city
The rain was pelting on my face
I tripped and fell into some mud
A man stopped me by the road
He tried to force me to go home with him
I had to run back home
My hair was matted and wet
I cried bitter tears that I could not find you
And later caught pneumonia
The bunny that rests in your lap
With the soft way of thinking
Little nose listening to you
Large soft ears against its fur
Chicken and dumplings when you feel tired
When you feel you cannot go on
Trees listening to your sickness
Hoping you'll get well
Butter and flowers and fresh bread
Big clocks ticking reliably
Lost on a day when all was lost
Noone has come home yet
Solitude on a day you have to yourself
A day to do anything you want
A day to cut out butterflies from paper
A day to sit by the fire
The dark and pulsing night overhead
Like a huge pulpy orchid listening to you
The still and quiet union
The deadliness of solitude
The reason one puts one's canoe to water
The reason one forgets one's purpose
All things flowing into all things
Lost puppies with noone that loves them
The way puppies whimper when noone wants to play
Then they curl up in a ball for warmth
Animals die of sadness
They die when they realize noone loves them
A heated blanket could help them live
Or someone to make them feel safe
Animals need a little hope
They need a reason to get up in the morning
People need white and pastel mushrooms
They need baby blue moons and yellow stars
They need elaborate pastel castles
With little turrets with windows in them
And someone looking out the window
Little cottages with chickens in the yard
And a lamppost lighting the way back
Baby bunting in your pea green netting
Where is your mother
For everyone needs a partner
A partner is someone that loves them
Everyone needs someone to keep them safe
Someone to turn down the lights for them
It could be anyone that loves you
The person often starts out as a stranger
But they become someone that keeps you safe
So you never need to be afraid
Chickens pawing around the front porch
Asking for some corn
Baby bunting safe and sound
Noone will bother you today
Noone will trouble you for money to pay
No one will tell you to go
You will have bunnies and little cream puffs
And some flour and butter to cook with
You can make dumplings out of it
And drop them into chicken broth with chicken
Then you can eat it out of a bowl
And roll around in bed