Hallway to Nowhere

Category: poems

  • The Bones Of The Earth Are The Waters Of The Sea (Poem)

    When I was a child, I lived by the sea.

    I swam in its waters and played on its shores.

    Grey-bearded cypress trees and ancient oaks

    Were my beloved friends,

    And sea serpents taught me the beginnings of wisdom.

    Now I live in the mountains far from any ocean.

    I walk on their trails and gaze at their peaks.

    Brightly garbed maples and hickory trees

    Are my present companions,

    And the bones of the earth counsel me on patience.

    On a walk I picked up a stone and held it to my ear.

    I did not hear the roar of vast waves.

    But I did hear faint echoes of half-forgotten susurrations

    Reminding me that I am loved.

    The past is with us always.

  • What I’ve Found (Poem)

    When I was a child, I lived by the sea.

    I swam in its waters and played on its shores.

    Sometimes I would visit the sea serpents

    Who lived hidden in the deep.

    They told me many tales,

    For they were griots, wise and fierce and ancient indeed.

    Much of what they whispered

    Has given me aid and comfort through the years.

    But I have also learned this:

    Even sea serpents can lead one astray.

    Like all beings,

    Sometimes they just make things up.

  • What I Can Hear (Poem)

    As a child I lived by the sea.

    I swam in its waters and played on its shores.

    I watched the birds write poetry in the skies,

    Read stories left by crabs scuttling in the sand,

    And was lulled by mingled songs of sun, waves, and wind.

    When I drifted to sleep with salt lingering on my lips,

    I was visited by sea serpents, the wisest denizens of the depths.

    Their sibilant sagacity wove through my dreams,

    Finally coming to root in my bones.

    Now in my waning, I begin to understand.

    Ancient laughter echoes through the years,

    While the very particles of existence appear and disappear,

    All joined in a dance.

  • Thus I Hear Once More (Poem)

    As a child I lived by the sea.

    I swam in its waters and played on its shores.

    Once I dove deep into the dreamland of the depths.

    There I encountered all manner of magical creatures

    And sat with sea serpents to hear their stories.

    They would curl around me to whisper in my ears

    Marvelous tales, wise and wondrous and whimsical.

    They said, “When you arrive at the surface again,

    You will forget our time together, but only for a while.”

    I am beginning to remember and often hear their laughter

    Rippling through the stars at night.

  • Thus Have I Heard (Poem)

    As a child I lived by the sea.

    I swam in its waves and played on its shores.

    Once I cut my foot on a shard of glass,

    So my blood has mingled with the sand.

    But remember this:

    We all come from the ocean.

    Its salt waters run through our bodies.

    Hence if we choose to listen,

    We can hear the murmured stories of sea serpents

    To guide us on the path.

  • What Do I Say To Your Broken Heart (Poem)

    What do I say to your broken heart?

    Just this: You are not alone.

    We all wander the same terrain.

    We awaken to cerulean skies with a dazzling sun,

    Only to find that rain-laden clouds can drench the earth.

    When we walk, seemingly sturdy roads crumble,

    Thus we lose our footing and often fall.

    Loved ones prove prey to different ills,

    While we ourselves become halt and gray.

    So in your grief and confusion, give not way to despair.

    Here, take my hand. Lean on my shoulder.

    We will carry our burdens together.

    Eventually we lay them down,

    Our memories becoming someone else’s treasure.

  • Fires & Floods (Poem)

    The fires await in the world to come.

    But no, the land already burns.

    Beware the floods foretold to sweep the land.

    How so, when mountainsides now wash away?

    Some gleefully add to the flaming pyre,

    Dancing as the ashes scatter on the wind.

    Some open the pipes to add to the waters’ rise,

    Taking axes to the few available boats.

    We want to stare in horror, as they hasten our demise.

    No time for this luxury. No time for reckoning.

    We can only save what we can.

    The task is hard. The hour is upon us.

    Take my outstretched hand; likewise extend yours to another.

  • The Death Of Attachment (Poem)

    Chase after me.

    I turn your desire to dust.

    Make it taste like ashes in your mouth.

    You burn with frenzied passion.

    Search for anything to quieten the heat.

    I am food that never fills you,

    Water that leaves you gasping with thirst.

    Eventually you give up in despair.

    The spaces left by this cavernous indeed.

    Then can you find a path.

    See the faint traces of wiser footprints.

    Everyone has gone before.

    Follow and open your heart.

  • Below & Above (Poem)

    Dark gray branches intertwine,

    Set against the lowering clouds.

    They mirror the tangle of roots

    Hidden in the wet ground.

    As below so above.

    As I trace one serpentine limb,

    It begins to glow then explodes

    Into a metallic hue of industrial neon purple.

    It blazes brighter than the sky.

    I look away, only to see

    Suspended above the trees

    A single leaf.

    It too starts to shine,

    But with a deep indigo blue,

    Vibrating to a hidden pulse.

    Oh, the secret beauty we seldom see.

    But, look! Look!

  • Prediction (Poem)

    Beat. Beat. Beat.

    They bang their drums.

    They fly their flags.

    They plant their cross.

    And all the while,

    Amongst them we walk.

    Some of us are afraid.

    Some of us are angry.

    All of us are threatened.

    We are not them and thus targets.

    We resist in different ways.

    But we are all screaming from the battlements.

    Even if we can only whisper.

    And should our voices all die,

    Remember this:

    They will not live forever.

    They have children.

    Some of these will pick up stones.

    They will hear our cries within these.

    And they will start throwing.