Put yourself second
Aid those in need
You can make a difference

If everybody
Took a moment

For someone else
On this planet
Radical change
Would Occur
And everyone would be
Rewarded some
Day

You shall not dance on the Sabbath my beauties
Put away your ribbons and bows.
No making merry on the Sabbath my beauties
For to church you must go.

Sunday dawned and church bells rang
Across the valley green.
No making merry on the Sabbath day
In church you must be seen.

Besides the bells, another sound
As yet from far away,
A lonely piper played his tune
Forbidden on this day.

The piper he was handsome
And played a haunting song.
Each maiden fell in love with him
And began to dance along.

Waves keep coming, crashing, clashing;
water’s running, rippling splashing
against the lighthouse rock still dashing,
as undulations breaking, smashing
on the shore.

While the autumn sun’s descending,
colours, tints and hues are blending,
to tall lighthouse now is lending
defiant spirit, strong unbending
at its core.

Let her light continue beaming,
steadfast ‘gainst the ocean’s scheming;
great ships in streams yet steaming,
passengers in carefree dreaming
pass the door.

SUSTENANCE

what pure and generous hearts
I have met on the way.
what kindness and compassion
have struck my soul
to the near ecstasy of being.
what tears I have shed for already
missing you.
I wrap myself in the warmth of
your thoughts and the music of your
words that soothe and sustain.

pretty words
espousing deplorable ideas
by effete writers
in ivory towers
are more reprehensible
than soapbox preachers
bellowing the same sorry news
to throngs of the disinterested

at least,
as far as street sermons go,
the medium tends to override the message

I search the sky,
anxiously awaiting our transient guests.
Looking for the unmistakable, unmissable
dives, swoops and loop the loops
that signal summer’s here.

Still no sign,
I worry about what fate
could have delayed them, made them late.
The barn is empty without their chatter,
age old nests hang empty in tatters.

I see them down the valley,
reclaiming their summer seats.
Such joy, as they dance upon the wing
performing their avian acrobatics
and dare devil stunts.

Withered and brown am I
by season's circumstance,
though dead to all stimuli
to the wind's song I dance.

Now autumn is all I know,
winter my only aim;
springtime was so long ago
but summer never came

A stirring now deep inside
becomes the sweetest pain,
my one love will near reside
but plays a wilful game.

Summer is a blooming cloud
for all the world to see,
my heart full and booming loud
because my love loves me.

Dawn's flourish under the furrows of evening
crept up in beauty, just as you did

Where that spectral raven, winged windward,
flitted in-out the periphery of my vision

Grainy images of sky, of scudding cloud
gave in to your presence coming into view

Glorious colour, the rain washed anew,
and another day was born in your image

And whatever ravaged my dreams was tamed
in the gentle flame lighting on your coming

Sweet, sinuous in strength, elegance sleek
through and through, a classic beauty

I have yet to see a rainbow at night
rainbows are distortions
of sun light white
and
very bright
with seven colours in sight

as in VIBGYOR
all know less or more

violet indigo blue green yellow orange and red
all the above to make sure

'tis a rainbow of yore
and can happen
just as the rains cease
and
sun comes up once more
then alone 'tis a rainbow
that nature does ensure

smiles come easy, but
a handout is expected
and not all are saints
in need of protection

I offered shelter
and got ripped off
provided sustenance
and took a fist to the jaw

such experiences tend
to put one on guard
do-gooders soon learn
as soft hearts turn hard

but, being cynical
while sharing compassion
means total acceptance
with no expectations