Van Schaick Island....last piece for the 2024 year

Van Schaick Island

Life on the Island begets satisfaction

as the persistence of the now resides

in measured rituals of daily actions

like morning coffee with toast aside

The island and I merge everyday

as the world spins more or less

and I encircled by folks quite neighborly

live in semi solitude full of happiness

Glistening rain droplets linger

on the surrounding shrubbery 

sunshine daggers warm my fingers

while I sip my coffee worry free

Monarchy dressed in orange and black

flutters silently on nearby milkweed plants

happily dancing away their lives somewhat

they turns my consciousness into reverie

filled with apparitions of ephemeral ghosts

and vivid images that please my fancy

as they enhance the pleasure of my toast

during precious moments of my reality

This island is where I feel alive

quietly enjoying the present

'Tis where today and tomorrow collide

Where my soul resides with my consent

The Hall of Mirrors...

The Hall of Mirrors

The hall of mirrors contained infinity

while I stood there feeling wonder

I experienced the beauty of eternity

as my reflection grew smaller and smaller

I paused and beheld this scene sublime

of my physical self in this mirrored scape

seeming to shrink in space and time

'Twas an infinite reflection without escape

It contained perfect symmetry in tiny scale

a geometric structure leading to nothingness

I saw my receding infinite face

become a singularity at rest

This stark visual effect of my existence

captured by sight in a neural moment

collapsed my living souls' essence

into the nothingness of eternal content

 

An Autumn Ramble

During my whirlwind of earthly passions

I gladly consume natures' revelations

that ignite gratitude in my mind

as they reveal treasures of all kind

Alone and silver-haired

I walk in mute despair

In fragrant woods still and dear

as the forest is bleak and bare

A cold breath sweeps the sky

and releases leaves to swifty fly

Then, a shadow on freshly fallen leaves

silently passes amid the naked trees

It startles me while walking

during my afternoons' wandering

Tis a redtail hawk soaring high above

floating in the clear blue that I love

and I on this trail shaded

behold natures' charm unabated

Grassy meadows near can still be seen

sporting late dandelions in frosted fields

and the woods in crimson and gold

forecast a season of relentless cold

Now, the chorus of summer sounds

has left the trees and covered ground

and I with years that remain yet

savor nature and quiet without regret

 

 

666 Trump Tower

666 Trump Tower

Votes were swiftly tallied

on that chilled night of balloting

the historic future they carried

was entwined in the black velvet evening

His mind contained a labyrinth of lies

his face was a placard of false advertising

 his rhetoric reflected a narcissistic life

and he became a Nations' choice of everything

'Twas a new day with an awkward twist

filled of deeds from his selfish life

that spread like a curtain of grey mist

casting ominous darkness hardly right

Unsuspecting electorate in this darkness

were exposed like light on film

revealing fragile hopes at best

that will be quickly discarded by him

They longed for a new day

as ordinary people creating history

but will settle for his warped way

that will surely discard you and me

HE IS THE TREESHREW

AND WE ARE THE PITCHER PLANT

 

 FORTHWITH

There is a dusting of frost

on the swirling leaves today

slivers of light seemingly lost

on the chilled forest pathway

Beneath the wispy clouds

lurks a fresh Winter dawn

as a new day begins to sprout

to reveal shapes that lack form

The projected ghostly shadows

cover the rivers' crystal features

 my spirit rankled by the erratic flow

enjoys the display of colorful nature

that dance in depth of mind

within limits of the hour

and constrained by fleeting time

elapsing steadily on the belltower

My soul absorbs this earthly fire

and I readily consume the moment

while glancing over my shoulder

as the season reveals future torment

There exist a boundary where nature

divides all that seems momentary

into the past and future

However, 'Tis the NOW that makes me happy

AUTUMN REVERIE....

 Autumn Reverie

Days were becoming shorter

and shadows certainly seemed longer

There was a cool Autumn breeze

winding through the naked trees

purposely cruel to existing life

and it encouraged nature to swiftly die

My spirit absorbed the morning light

as I walked in silent woods hardly bright

there were murmurs of birds winging

all around on that early morning

Fleeting shadows engaged my mind

with visions of an impending crime

as chilling Autumn winds slapped my face 

and forecast the end of warm summer gales

A fieldstone fence coursing on my right

ended at a clearing bathed in sunlight

encircled by hills full of rainbow colors

that struck my awareness like mystical fire

The woods were awash with orange and yellow

that accompanied freshly plowed furrows

then, time seemed to stop is all I know

as I stood in the middle of yesterday and tomorrow 

'Twas a pure moment in time

that unshackled my soul and I felt fine

 

La Jeunesse...( YOUTH )

 La Jeunesse

Our restless youth in time dealt

immerses us in moments hardly felt

passing swiftly as months and years

while defining our existence quite clear

The miracle of youth in essence

mimics morning lights' presence

and in a flash lingers in sight

as we shake off the cobwebs of night

The emotional urges of youthful moments

reside in the sweetness of innocent intent

then, much like the morning light

vanishes from our sense of delight

'Tis where time elapses too soon

as JEUNESSE loses its youthful bloom

and mornings freshness disappears

while passing of time colors our hair

Our skin and pores sport life's fire

and blushes still with desire

as it chases the fading sunlight 

while we relinquish our youthful prize

Full Frontal Umbrage...

 Full Frontal Umbrage

The hours between midnight and sunrise

are where dreams full of surprises

enter the mind and dance in half-light

before invading a new morning bright

Our visions then become an Autumn afternoon

where daylight disappears too soon

and reveals the world half-clouded

as colors seem to have departed

Those dream visions with their inherent fears

live in the emptiness of passing years

and challenge reality after midnight

when darkness mingles with mindful fright

Life's dull greys sustain inherent fear

as past deeds cycle through there

and become roaming ghosts in white

who shade every morning light

Life becomes a garden without bloom

where darkness appears much too soon

and daylight stirred into morning coffee

becomes impossible to see

 Night dreams surely warp our life

stirring umbrage into constant needless strife

that emerge in the land of night

However, we must always seek the light

Inspiration Station....

 Inspiration Station

During a mid-Summer day

while spurred by my imagination

I travelled by rail to a place far away

a secluded realm called Inspiration Station

There, trails wound in heavy cover

that smelled of pine and honeysuckle

and meandered along a coursing river

flowing quietly in a song subtle

I noticed deep woods darkness gather

amidst the twisted tangled vines

that shaded the ground, there yonder

gently cooling my wandering mind

'Twas far away from city life hectic

while wrapped in the canopy of forest caves

where my mind offsprings joyfully frolicked

that I experienced moments I wouldn't trade

There where occasional daggers of brightness

and pitfalls lurked in shifting shadows

with dark thickets hiding songbird nest

while on these paths I did not know

Surely, in deep forest I walked with love

and mingled with stately trees

while ivy clung to branches above

as my imagination vibrated like leaves in the breeze

 

Apocalypse Postponed...

 Apocalypse Postponed

Demons surfaced on that day

blazing from a gun barrel

as domestic tranquility faded away

vanishing in drama without equal

Virulent hatred from words spoken

motivated an unstable mind ill-formed

to release violence with action taken

hoping to save the Nation from the storm

In the darkness of this hour

a millimeter separated death and life

instantly viewed in vivid color

that revealed future hell or paradise 

'Twas a glimpse at the approaching Apocalypse 

where the Nation is torn apart

and greatness is missing on all lips

never to gather in beauty in that regard

History's winding road turns always 

while slicing the Nation in two

as assassins hide along the way

waiting to eliminate ideology hardly new 

DEEP DARKLING DIVE...

Deep Darkling Dive

I stood on the edge of darkness

as a warm breeze rose from below

the abyss was like a dark forest

something full of mysteries I didn't know

My lips where half parted in amazement

as my existence was painfully real

and while it offered nothing permanent

my vivid dreams were part of the deal

'Twas life in a reality veiled in darkling

and I prayed for my memory to endure

 wrapped in the glow of daydreaming

while death offered a permanent cure

'Tis deep in the abyss of life

that silent smiles and splendor rise

amidst the grayness of daily strife

 there for the taking as redemptions' prize 

  

 

TEMPUS FUGIT...

Tempus Fugit

When time spent in deep regret

wedged between his life and death

soaked him in earthly desire

his emotions fed daily fires

He listened to the music of life

and longed for the end of strife

as he imagined earths' blue blanket

bathing him in life giving breath

He paused and relished the moment

and time elapsed without comment

as it raced from the future to the past

while reality shifted too fast

The now swiftly vanished everyday

and became the past of today

as moments of his existence on high

relished the cerulean sky

Time invisible is recorded in memory

and is all it seems to be

too swift to notice and feel

but nevertheless, always present and real 

THE BRINK....

The Brink

Time shadows dance on mirror waters

while his hollow voice resounds relentlessly

and social whispers share rumors

of ideals that create a frightful day

We notice his fake dead smile

and hear his words like a broken bell

that rings out rhetoric full of lies

born in the bowels of hell

While these shadows dreams appear, we stare

at visions of Democracy on the brink

as the Nation seems not to care

about what dictators always think

His presence chokes our great land

shades the light of our Democracy

and with warped mind he understands

that he will make this reality

Yet, we blink at this shade temporary

reflected in time mirrored waters

and joyful hope rises for all to see

that our future will be better 

 

NOWHERE MAN....

NOWHERE MAN

He imagined the desert while searching

for the definition of nowhere

a somewhere tranquil, void and unforgiving

where life cast shadows in trembling air

and critters wandered on shifting sand

eager to mate in hellish heat

under cactus dotting the land

as hell fire blistered their feet

He beheld nowhere in mind's eye

as a place devoid of humanity

where blowing sand consumed the wild

creating an emptiness full of misery

Nowhere was that remote wilderness

deeply engraved in his mind

that raging desires would bequest

on his purpose he yearned to find

while he rejected societies glass forest

where the lack of meaning dwelled

and promoted cerebral death at best

he resolved to purge his confused head

 

HE CHOSE TO DEVOLVE INTO

THE NOWHERE MAN

 

Love Serpent....

Love Serpent

Morning stillness permeates the darkness

as emotions wrapped in tenderness

incite the phantom demon of passion

reeking of musk and illusion

Pleasure unfolds as the Cobra rises

with a flicking tongue that surprises

while it sways gently waiting to dart

in the semblance of sexual art

There on the altar silky white

graphic satisfaction blooms in daylight

bathing perspiring flesh quite rosy

in its morning ritual of solar energy

The serpent whispers tokens of love

and absorbs the rising sun

quite proud of its performance

in the art of earthly romance 

RESSENTIR ( to feel again )

RESSENTIR ( to feel again )

The morning sun shines on my face

'Tis a new day full of grace

the sunshine haze pleases my eyes

as it reveals natures' hidden visage

golden wheat fields dance in the wind

while I feel again ephemeral things

Refreshing rain cools my skin

goose bumps appear as foreign things

my first kiss lingers in memory

lips still recall the electricity

while the sight of naked flesh

summons the spirit to posses

Holiday lights and Christmas bells

were things I perceived quite well

sparkling snow under moonlight

still a mystery unearthly bright

smoke drifting from frosted chimneys

waft again in my distant memory

Ressentir salty spray on my face

windblown waves that leave no trace

rising again and again only to break

while I stroll on sand sunbaked

to feel again the onshore wind

performing its natural thing

The colors of nature keenly recalled

on Wood ducks presenting them all

sends wonder by their presence

as eyes focus on their essence

to feel again those ephemeral treats

is to RESSENTIR moments the mind keeps 

 

'

Winds of Life...

Winds of Life

Life's winds fresh and fair

they bloom in my mind

they caress those far and near

 wrap them in love ever so fine

Brisk winds under neon moonlight

scatter rodent-like leaves

that quickly vanish from sight

as I wander in life's streets

Flashbacks of mothers' sweet breath

warm and gentle on my face

mingle with bitter regret

while my shadow joins moonlight traced

Winds of grief in their eternal silence

wash over memories that sting

frozen as in a trance

waiting evermore for some blissful wellspring

Hopeful winds part grey clouds

and expose the soul to heavens' way

they scatter the neon shroud

with sweet winds that labor to stay

Comforting winds ease my fears

that thoughts of death spark

and while drenched in salty tears

remain ceded to the dark

The chilling winds of mortality

are constantly there

to help finalize a given destiny

during the duration of allotted years

Those winds of life full of wonder

I LOVE THEM SO

as I wear my windbreaker

to shield me from what I know

Then and Now....

Then and Now

Sometimes, I leisurely stroll

in the silence of shadows

soaked in the coolness

of giant tall oaks

and I'm cloaked in the scent

of lesser but beautiful evergreens

that flood my nose with pleasure

as they gently sway in the breeze

All this natural beauty

at every turn was on display

but suppressed during past years

as the ritual of life was then

it yielded no time to notice

to savor that special something

eager to be noticed

The beauty of nature was always there

with giants casting their shadows

intent on being seen and loved

speaking to me in their silence

However, I hardly ever noticed it

rejecting the call for my attention

my reality ignored their purpose

It was me that was absent