The River Crossing

In the cold the wind is waiting
Laughing in its giant breath
Moving now and finding me
Hidden here amongst reeds

There is no stopping its invasion
Blindly it inspects my frame
Moving now to find the others
More wind comes to see again

We will wait here, cold and scared
Soon the river we'll be crossing
They are there across the water
Warmed by fire and rum

They fight for the Kings gold
We fight for hearts of gold
One Nation Under God
God of the very wind

The Veteran

For every hero on the stage
On parade or in the grave
With medals pinned and glory flags unfurled

The humble serviceman by scores
Packs the caissons, Guards the doors
Sails sea and sky across the troubled world

Comrades in arms who heard the call
And stepped across that line for all
Knowing well that fate might call their name

They crossed that sword mark in the dust
For freedoms sake and God they trust
And did it not for fortunes gold or fame

So on Remembrance Day give thanks
To veterans past and current ranks
And Praise Eternal God that they were there

Oh quiet heroes, every one
Without your hand, naught would be won
Pray our acclaim, the purest badge you wear

Amaranthine

There is a gate on the narrow way
That few there be will find
But peace and life Amaranthine
Are waiting just behind

Bread of life crumbs mark the path
Sustain you, noble fledge
Hear the Master call for you
Walk the razors edge

Burdened judgments lay ye down
Your sorrow and your hate
They will not pass the narrow way
Nor fit Masters Gate

So come along you gently now
Thou wounded by the fall
Accept the gift Amaranthine
That’s waiting for us all

The Night

Deep, dark, mysterious
The night goes on before.
Dappled on its inky fabric,
Tiny bits of light
Tease of life unknown.
We have such a luxury,
That day divides our Night.
But out beyond our shores,
There is only the Night.
So as I float and dream,
Upon the blessed waters,
I submit to the Eternal Night.
Its wondrous chasm frees me.
For all I’ve ever been,
Or all will ever be,
There is only this one moment.
Floating free.
In the cryptic chasm of the Night.

The grand oaks teach us patience.
Yet grasp they ever for the day.
And muse in ancient verbs
Abstruse tomes, written by the wind.
But in this magic moment
Enlightened by the unfathomable,
The oaks and wind sing a secret song.
Renewing their fealty to the Night.
And I have my martial music,
That I may march into the infinite.
The Night

Underwood

Oh grand machine of grand design,
I press your keys one at a time.
Pray words take form on rendered wood.
That I will craft them fine and good.
With fair intent and understood.
The gilded script now fading, wrinkling,
Spaced by hand upon the frame.
So long ago, yet all I see;
Is that script staring back at me.
The pulp and linen standing by
A pile so neatly stacked and styled.
I pray the words will come, and good.
Yet all I see is,
Underwood.
Somewhere within my huddled id
The words are there but staying hid,
And only one fine gilded word
On ancient frame in wrinkling script
Is there within my frame of view.
I close my eyes but it remains.
And though I muse of joy and pains
My poor imagination strains.
The grand machine of grand design
With keys worn barren over time
Yet every station's script remains.
I pray the words will come, and good
Yet all I see is,
Underwood.

Fire In The Sky

The fire in the sky sings a song
Each word the many lifetimes to express
We pass our days in the midst of a moment
That takes generations to pass

And while it flies through footless halls of night
It's listening to our hearts most small desire
Singing each word over eons
And always sends our answers with the fire

So as the hate and war builds in crescendo
And we corrupt each elementary life
The answer that is building is soon certain
The evil sure divided by the light

We hear the wizards peep and mutter magic
That if we fill their coffers we'll be saved
No word about the hate and separations
Their goal the human race to all enslave

But when the zenith of their grand cabal
Slips from the evil grasp of evil men
A new word will be uttered by the fire
And they'll be sore corrected of the sin

Pray your love will not be turned by sorrow
This little time we have is fading fast
An eye unblinking follows from our borders
Your crying will not change the die that’s cast

The fire in time’s great river seems eternal
Yet it will suffer death like mortal men
The acme of the soul on times horizon
The second death for those who worship sin

Moonlight

The moonlight
As the blossom falls
The shadow
Together rest
That were never separated

Dear Winston

Into the looming dark
My old friend Winston gazed
“Come hither friend and see the light!”
He said with finger raised

So straining hard and squinting then
I saw a glimmer spare
By and by it closer came
Soon it would be here

It seemed so much a phantom
Floating there upon the mist
But as its bearing yielded not
I saw his sat’ric twist

The light was firm embedded
Upon a giant of wrath
And there on either side of me
Were rails that bound its path

I turned to see my world of love
In peril dire and dread
And wondered why I tarried so
When I’d much warning had

Dear Winston strove to teach us all
He only taught the Tao
That sometimes perils come as light
And recognize it now

For soon your group enlightenment
May be your abrogation
There’s never peace where justice fails
And giants presage your nation

*****

Oaken Dreams

What can I say
How the Shining Sun
Through a windowed wall
Lit your frame
And set to motion
Years of daring do
That I might be
The boldest feathered
Or bravest in my skills
But ever short of measure

Yet how now here
This time complete
And after motion set to step
The seeking on the road
That found the wind
Would love my face
With judgment never bared
Or that the rain would succor me
And with the wind show Mighty God
What can I say

That you had poked a hole in me
A wound still weeping
Words and tears
Now issue from that break
To find their way in scattered drops
Staining parchment new and pure
Or trail into that wind
Blown upon and to My God directed
Settled there to find me hence
What can I say

And how the one who bravely loved
Would go to fisticuffs so quick
In my defense yet not enough
Was I to hold the wilding there
Who wandered too close to tall grass
And dragged into that jungle cruel
Called to me not follow
The beasts devouring soul and flesh
Ripping life I could not heal
What can I say

The leaves turn fire
A few times yet in Oaken Dreams
To find this single tear
Brace my cheek in solo trail
That wanders into nothingness
At natures call and rule
No meaning in the line
But gentle sweetness
So hard won that broke upon
What can I say

So now I am at Sunset's door
There that one
Lighted by the windowed wall
Had set my feet upon the road
Still in that natures grace
Found there as a smile
Out of reach and cavalier
Not knowing how that touch
So cruel yet innocent
What can I say


~