Libra

Upon this scale my life is weighed:
A scale on which my deeds are laid,
A scale to which there’s no compare,
A scale to which my heart is near,
But ever leaving me dismayed.

Often I find myself afraid
To stand on it, and feel betrayed
By judgment given, so unfair,
Upon this scale.

From bad to worse the needle swayed,
Each reading glaringly displayed,
Never accounting all’s that fair,
But taking note each time I err,
And still I stand each day, unswayed
Upon this scale.

Remembrance

On this day in 1918, what was the worst war the world had ever seen finally came to an end. Today, 93 years later, do we still remember what happened? Do we still appreciate the sacrifices which paved the way for us to become who we are?

Today, let us honour those who served so bravely for God, for country, and for liberty. And perhaps, as they look on, and see that we still remember, they may yet rest in peace.

"If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields." ~ John McCrae

 Lest we forget.

A House Divided Cannot Stand

A house divided cannot stand,
It crumbles, shattered from within;
A house is torn by inner hand.

Wise are the ones who understand
The good old adage which has been:
A house divided cannot stand.

And if there be grave reprimand
From those of nearest kin, it's then
A house is torn by inner hand.

From history we learned firsthand,
And from the past we've duly seen
A house divided cannot stand.

When spars and quarrels take command,
When sanity is wearing thin,
A house is torn by inner hand.

A fragile mind cannot withstand
Both thought of good and urge to sin;
A house divided cannot stand,
A house is torn by inner hand.

5 November 2011

Erosion

A gentle tide crashes the jagged shore,
Smoothing out edges left by tempests past,
Yet carving out anew—along the vast
Complex coast—jagged faces, more and more.
The waves work with a deadly silent roar...
From the surface rocks protrude and cast
An evil shadow, exposing at last
A demon deep within a hardened core.

Feast, waters, feast! upon this stony land,
'Til all the ground is but fine grains of sand,
Then carry thou this devil's work to sea,
To lands beyond that which mine eyes can see;
And as old landscapes slowly fade away,
May new ones build with every passing day.

29 October 2011

Contronym

Your name misleads.
You are not what you are called.
Man fell as you entered his being.
Many men continue to fall today
On account of possessing you––
Or rather, on account of you possessing them.

You show them something,
And they must have "it"––
More and more of "it."
Never satisfied, they seek endlessly
For "it," as you look on,
Nodding your approval.

You are strong and enduring.
You have persuaded us
Of your invincibility.
Despairingly, we hold to this belief.
You are powerful, but your name
Is Weakness.

27 September 2011

Untitled

The yellow wallpaper drives me insane

The sun beats down
The paint peels
The wallpaper fades
And yet it drives me insane

The wind whips up
The paint flies
The wallpaper fades
Even so it drives me insane

The rain drives through
The paint runs
The wallpaper fades
But still it drives me insane

The blank wallpaper drives me insane

The painters arrive
They work
They go

The blue wallpaper drives me insane...

18 September 2011

Distraction

The Past returns: it rears its heads at me––
A joyous moment flashes by to taunt,
A thousand failures follow through to haunt;
A sheepish grin with great ferocity.
I see it fade and morph with Destiny––
O! visions grand, a happy mental jaunt;
Then nightmares, grander still, my psyche daunt,
No effort made to hide hostility.

Distractions all! I start, senses returned,
Old Father Time still faithfully walks on,
Not changing course, nor speed, nor looking back––
Was her fate not grave when her eyes she turned?
Begone, both Past and Destiny! Alone
I'll follow Father Time's slow, steady track.

15 September 2011