Approaching Darkness

                                over
Darkness marches            distant mountains,
a solemn, menacing figure
in a swirling grey cloak
His intentions shrouded and mysterious
face masked by smiling stars,
blanketing all in his wake
with a cover of gloom,
Earth at his mercy
as she waits...
                           for beneficent sunrise

Innocence Blinded

Innocence

unseeing

her vision taken

by Seduction's blinding glare

could only stand

helpless

frozen

turning slowly to stone

in a world

which now denied

Her very existence

The Gift of Time

No candy cane is sweeter

than the taste upon your lips.

No falling snowflake softer

than your stirring fingertips.

No tone of bells so resonant

as your voice within my ear

no presence is more welcome

than your being, drawing near

No star could shine more brightly

than your eyes' revealing glow.

No fireplace is warmer

than the love that you bestow.

Sweet harmony, you bring to life

a gift of precious worth,

gives time with you a value

unmatched upon this earth.


(The picture is of the star Betelgeuse, taken by the Hubble telescope, a star nearing the end of it's life cycle.  It brought to mind, as so many things do, the value of time.  The original image can be found here:  Hubble)

Silent Night

 

Countless silent stars

twinkle in peaceful heavens

heralding Christmas

Yearnings

 

No earthly gift could rival your smile

no worldly treasure compete

with the warmth that you bring when you stay just awhile

to the way that you make life complete.

Your hand's soft touch is poetry found

your warm embrace a song.

Your presence brings a love unbound

though you cannot linger long.

I count the hours when you're away,

the minutes 'til your return

knowing that somehow, some way

you'll feel my heart's sweet yearn.

Ending

 

Leaves of our humanity

fall silent on the ground

mark the end of man's existence

with not a single sound

We go without a protest

consumed by crippling fright

fading to obscurity

as day dissolves to night

A ripple in the pond of earth

a mere moment in time.

Our shortcomings are many

complacency our crime

Vital lessons never learned

our arrogance supreme

compassion's depths were never plumbed

humility ungleaned

As each leaf falls to quiet death

lies broken in the mass

Rain down a tear for all mankind

his time and chances past

Favorite Poems: There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves

There are men too gentle to live among wolves
Who prey upon them with IBM eyes
And sell their hearts and guts for martinis at noon.
There are men too gentle for a savage world
Who dream instead of snow and children and Halloween
And wonder if the leaves will change their color soon.

There are men too gentle to live among wolves
Who anoint them for burial with greedy claws
And murder them for a merchant’s profit and gain.
There are men too gentle for a corporate world
Who dream instead of Easter eggs and fragrant grass
And pause to hear the distant whistle of a train.

There are men too gentle to live among wolves
Who devour them with appetite and search
For other men to prey upon and suck their childhood dry.
There are men too gentle for an accountant’s world
Who dream instead of Easter eggs and fragrant grass
And search for beauty in the mystery of the sky.

There are men too gentle to live among wolves
Who toss them like a lost and wounded dove
Such gentle men are lonely in a merchant’s world
Unless they have a gentle one to love.

James Kavanaugh


This is one of a few posts of favorite poems that I've timed to go up while I'm on vacation.   This poem became a favorite for me because it describes today's world so well.  A world so focused on the power of the almighty dollar--the merchant's world.  Where every holiday, every event, even every emotion, has been turned into a way to make a profit.  Where every one of those "too gentle" men is a gift and an inspiration.