Behind The Mask (+6)

That’s the way life is…

greatness wrapped in a tattered box,

lined with regret

compliments laced with a negative refrain,

hiding the truth

Fear and delight masquerading as one,

chanting behind the mask

—that’s the way life is

 

(Dreamsleep: July, 2019)

 

 

 

The Thresher

 

The reality of who we were

destroyed what we were

—as the thresher kills the rose

 

(Dreamsleep: July, 2019)

 

 

Life's Greatest Gift 

 

The tragedy of us

is that we couldn’t overcome

ourselves

 

To become who

we were meant to be

—sharing the greatest gift of all

(Dreamsleep: July, 2019)

 

 

A Kingdom For A Poem

 

I imagined myself rich,

I saw myself poor

 

From the suite to the stable,

my soul cried for more

 

The sweeter the temptation,

the more dour the gain

 

A kingdom for a poem

—my treasure renamed

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)

 

Forever Beguiled

 

The voice of a Poet,

the breath of a Child

 

The curse of the Devil

—forever beguiled

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)

 

 

Is Death The Price

 

Is death the price of truth…

 

“The light shining brightest

that shines at the end”

 

Is death the price of truth…

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)

 

 

 

In Their Rooks

 

Are you a Poet or tactician,

or “A Rose By Any Other Name…”

 

Are your words stained with patina,

some would scrub and some would blame

 

Is your Kingly verse too rough for some,

finding safety in their books

 

Is your verse uncut with edges sharp

—all Princes in their rooks

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017) 

 

 

To My Great Grandchildren

 

To my Grandchildren, those great and beyond,

whom I will never meet

 

Know that I love you and have seen you in the

eyes of your parents when they were very small

 

I’ve heard your voices in the trees, when the

wind blows softly, calling my name as I walk

 

I’ve seen your arms reaching out to me in my dreams,

as you cry “Papa” and then drift away

 

Your spirit is mine, as my spirit is yours; and no lifetime

can keep us apart

 

I watch over you now and will watch over you then,

whenever the need is great

 

I’m that voice you hear when you think no one else listens,

and no one else understands

 

And the heart that feels what you will feel

—when no one else seems to care

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2017)