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QUIET WATERS
Faintly, briefly, each ripple a sigh
There is a question, there is a song
To which tribe do they belong who sigh?
Their hopes upon the river banks
The stone a mystery
A quiet loving touch
The air is soft, warm, consoling
There are no gates to this life
Will I, will they, would we?
Questions hang upon the river bed
These questions form a pattern
A quiet shadow, where none but spirits look
And look, and see for your time has come
The sun, that regal splendid star
Pours out its glories upon the trees
And they wave off is harshness
And filter its rays with a laugh
Through shredded curtains of green
Each tree a different shade of green
Each shade a testimony of relationship with the tree
And tiny fickle disks fall softy upon the waters
Each disk a multitude of colours
All colours, all fused into one, birthing light
And I too, I sit upon the rock in hope
To see and not to see, to hear and not to hear
The questions are not asked
The silence fills us all
I and my unseen feathered friends
Music hungered to be heared
Words clamored to be spoken
Yet all were one in silent harmony
Silence, great silence
The joy, the peace, the tranquility
And twilight gazes at me in many faces
And nighttime comes, the twinkle
And in my bed I remain one with peace
Forever silent in quiet waters
LITTLE STAR
I will walk with you in the quiet of noon
When all around the garden enfolds
And the silent river passes by
I will walk with you between the trees
On the quiet river banks
I will hold your hand in love as I learn
And then I shall be wise for you shall teach
You shall not speak a word, I know
But I shall know what is in your heart
For a silent wind shall blow but not pass
And in that wind a gentle teacher
Shall make me know your mind
Let me have quiet in the night
Little star, most unseen, most unlooked at
I am the little star and you are my sky
Can I whisper in your ear my every thought?
No, I won’t, for you know
And I love you and you know
Twinkle, twinkle, I am yours
And you are mightier than the worlds
IN THE SHADE
Down the winding endless road
Through the shade of the trees
The black tar flowing down, much like
The blackened river of life
And on each side of this great river
The trees of life to shade the
Traveler from the sun. Stick in hand
Beating flies off with the mockery of man
Blanket to shield the body
From the ghastly cold of the night
Silly bag, never mind, to house the valuables
I have often traveled in the shade
And in the comfort of my car
Or austerity? For who knows best?
The lanky handsome brown skinned man
That must walk for days or months to
Reach the place where by car I may
Reach in seven hours?
We may call him a rugged nomad
A milk-drinking fool whose lot it is to
Suffer and trek for days and months
Yet who is it that suffers?
And who is most richly rewarded?
For he shall walk slowly in the shade
He shall see the butterflies that I
Cannot see and shall drink the sight
Of the grasses fresh and verdant
And if chance bless his eyes
He shall see the caterpillars eating
The leaves and the warrior grasshoppers
Leaping as though to despise the shade
I shall drive swiftly down the road
Hurrying, like all modern men, to reach
The place where I shall do nothing great
Many would deem me and my kind
Owners of the road, for we own cars
But we all know who the true owner is
It is he that walks rod in hand
Looking up upon the shade of the trees
And further up to the blazing sun
Seeing the little things I’ll never see
The wondrous birds singing softly as though
In deep and secret pain, from a tree branch
The glistering serpent crossing the road
Seeking a prey to poison
Yet afraid of the man with the stick
The heads of weed seeds nodding
In mock benediction. The cicadas whistling
It is the road that is shaded by
The trees and the man, not I, who
Walks in the shade, that is blessed
He rises with each rhapsody of dawn
And fondles his sticks as the birds
Bless the day and wake the sun
Would that I could give up all
I had, my car, my house, my all
And walk with that man upon the shade
It is well I know that I cannot speak
In his tongue, but I shall try
I shall walk with him in silence
And I shall sing his song
And when night comes I shall search
With him for a place in the shade
To burn some twigs, some wood, and
Some dry leaves. I shall sit by his fire
And then I shall drink his milk
And eat his cheese and be filled
On such nights when the moon does not
Interfere with the joy of darkness
And the stars of heaven are like
A scattering of shimmering glorious jewels
And I shall sleep peacefully
Even in the sound of the jackal
I know that I shall not be hurt
For there is a third one within
Who shall not sleep but shall watch
He shall preserve us as we sleep
And fill our dreams with secrets
Which shall never be spoken
Would that I would wake up in
The shade and give thanks
For the twilight and the dawn
And move again with my friend,
Stick in hand, silently, step by step
In the shade of the trees of life.
FOREVER
Forever, we shall stand together
Forever, we shall love one another
Though the wind blows and the storms
Though the mountain rise upon us
There is no joy in hope that is founded
outside forever, I have seen
and I know the world must shine
with this light you’ve given me
In this broken world, I see, forever
Be with me, it is you that I love
Let your silence fill me
Even when there is no hope in this world
I know there is a tomorrow, a forever
somewhere out there. I know by hope
I can see it by faith. I have entered by love
Yes, when all hopes are gone
There is forever to be had with you
And I am brave and rejoice
With open arms, to welcome
Forever.
MY SILENCE
Upper room, left of the setting of the sun
We’re walking together my best friend and I
The sun kissed mountains of the Holy city
In the light of a miracle of rainbow colours
Scattered all across the sky
I shouldn’t say, it is magic, is it real
It is too common to be magic
And it is too beautiful to be real
The golden city high up in the sun
The shimmering waters glistering with the light
The music, sung by burning flames
As they move around the burning throne
And none are consumed of the fire
Have I got a right to ask?
Have I got a right to stop and watch?
Yes, I am a son, a favoured one
I will sit not alone but on His lap
I will sit with my best friend on His throne
I see His eyes radiating the purest joy
I had been listening to the music and the dance
What was He thinking about?
I can ask Him, I can ask Him! But I don’t
I notice with sudden shock
He hadn’t been watching the dance
His eyes are burning with His love
I expect condemnation for I had been bad
But there is nothing from Him
Only His eyes betray His feelings
His pure joy. His pure febrile joy
He is honoured to have me
I who am but a dirty son
Yet He feels it’s a privilege
To have love fulfilled in silence
I am more relaxed and at rest
If He could accept me, who am I to
Reject myself? If He could love me, who,
Am I to hate myself? If He could be holy,
I too can be holy. If He could suffer for
His beloved. I too, I, can suffer for mine
I rest upon His throbbing heart in love
He is my peace. He is my God. He is my silence
JOY
What transcends my bedroom window
Like a great light from the sky?
There is a yearning and a quest
There is tranquil there is a peace
What is this silent warmth I find?
Entwined around my heart in wait for home?
What is this laughter and this smile?
The church bell rings above the hills
The waiting priest, the suffering lamb
Should I become an omen or a dread?
Or should I be an unknown joy
I’m not body, I’m not soul
I don’t feel like spirit too
There is just a crystal warmth
Like an eagle swooping down
No words are spoken, its silence time
The darkness is not time to cry
For in darkness it is there
As much in darkness as in light
I love the woman and the child
I love the beggar on the street
The past kindness done to me, all return
How can I forget, the guiding love
The many laughter and the tears, the fears, the dreams
The plans made long ago which have been discarded
The yellowing pages of old letters
The graceful bowing out from youth to old age
The quarrels caused by hot blood, the differences
And yes, the ones that are least remembered
The bitter pain and broken hearts, the rancor
What is this spectrum of a light?
And I to have all this, all for me
The warmth caress my poor heart
I know the silence that I feel, it’s my secret
I cannot tell another man
I am a child yet an old man
I have been walking in my sleep, and I awoke
To see the brightness of the sun
Like the holy city I was engulfed in golden light
And music arose to the sound of the church bell
I am in love with the One I cannot see
He is not absent. He is here
I am so happy with my life
For He is all I know I have
And I am content, with this joy
My holy secret. Like a light. From the sky
IN THE RAIN
Many are angry but I am not
Many are hurrying to get away
I am not. For I’m walking in the rain
The lost age, thunderstorms all around
Tucked in fluffy sweaters, a sad child
Watching the children of the poor playing in the rain
Naked children unashamed to show the world
What the world would rather hide
Innocent children unaware of lust
As the adults that bore them are
Sitting by window I watched
Them playing wildly in the rain
Oh how I’ve often longed to be wild
How I have longed to run naked
Playing soccer wild and free in the rain
Yet I got my chance in boarding school
Those thunderstorms when no teacher was about
We ran wildly, naked and free
It was abominable for future priests
Yet it was the best abomination
Joy like never before pulsated my veins
I laughed half blinded by the rain
But growing up came up so fast
Another day another priest
I left my childhood and my dreams
Yet this day I pretend, make believe
First to others, “I am caught in the rain”
Then to myself “I’m a wild child again”
Walking home, full of pleasure and of joy
I’m a man but like all men
There’s a child in the man
And I’m that child on this day
Let me laugh, let me sing a little song
That shall never be heared in the rain
Let me make believe that I’m naked
Let me find a floating ball
In the centre of my dreams
And play again, just once again
I will sing to His name
I’m a little child again
There’s a secret that I have
As I wonder in the rain
That I’ll be a child again
In the rain.
LITTLE GOAT
Bouncing feet, furry legs, what a wonder to be born
Angel face, strangest sight, you’re a marvel to behold
And should we cast another glance
Upon your black and shiny form?
And teach us how to sing we pray
Songs of love, songs of joy, songs of happy bounding leaps
We have listened to your voice, in the day
Cry aloud, make us laugh, let the nanny run to you
Yet you’re never in distress, little goat
You’re the innocence we seek
You’re a pure infectious joy
You’re a wander to behold, little goat
When we’re sad and depressed
And you shake your little tail
It’s a sight to make us laugh
As you bounce up mountains high
Do not fall, little goat
We have loved you like our own
Let us learn to be like you
As we throw our cares on Him
Free of care, run along
As we’re mentored by your faith
In the One who cares for all, little goat.
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