Heart's Blood

To write artful songs
I dip my pen into my heart.
Piercing tender walls,
Drawing the warm blood
Playing out on paper.


Is my song lovely
As reddest sunset sea;
Crimson laid over waves
Of deepening blue
And gold running through.

The Fool

The Joker of the playing cards
In Tarot is The Fool; high on
A precipice he freely steps,
The world far beneath his feet,
An absolute beginner now
All potent possibility.
He is journeying, the satchel
Of his possessions swings lightly
Off his shoulder, face lifted, gaze
Beyond, the zero of the deck.

One fallen fool, lost on his way,
Taught to me the way of The Fool.
I believed in him, with knowledge
Such as this, though failed, he would
Fulfill the promise therein.
He made of me a fool, untrue
To the very truth he taught me,
Though he told me sincerely
He is no Fool but the Devil,
The fallen one, the mortal fool,
In error and illusion bound.
What he knows, may he remember;

Any fool's The Fool, after all.
To my teacher, the fool: Up high
On a precipice freely step,
The world far beneath your feet,
An absolute beginner now
All potent possibility.
Go on journeying, the satchel
Of your possessions let swing light
Off your shoulder, face lifted, gaze
Beyond, the zero of the deck.

Vanitas

Beyond the mirror's thin gleam
A shadow wherein a question is poised.
The light describing existence - a veil,
The clang of life - the sounding of a bell,
Echoing briefly in greater silence.

Turning At The Round

Turning at the round I went down
The same dark street I'd gone before;
A detour southwards, away
From the eastward angle I sought.
On my right tall buildings hide
The beach, to my left a tangle
Of small streets I've wandered through.
Returning to the round recall
Here I missed the route before and
Now pause puzzled; it must be there
Just before me, go on, and right.
Indeed this was the street, to note;
Take the left before the circle,
Not after, and on my way home
Reflect on repeated mistakes.

An Actor And A Poet

How did you do this magic trick,

How you so touched and wakened me,

That when I think of your blue eyes

I see the endless starry skies.

Of your ineffable giving

Wonder - an actors' performance,

A singer singing a song, playing

All your heart to all around.

My dear, I know, I do it too,

With pen and paper, in a poem.

We've the gift of giving ourselves,

In spite of ourselves sometimes.

Hold On

Shadow regrets flying in your face,

Ancient fears stirring it up in there.

I'm taking no shit, enough of this,

You're testy, on edge, tend to shout.

The demons are dancing now, my dear.

I toss at night with something unclear,

Sweat, cry, crack, tussle, and moan.

You can't sleep, too hot, you've got an itch,

Something is knocking around your head.

The demons are dancing now, my dear.

Got you by the throat, twist an arm,

Lay a low one in your gut, bend you.

Take a breath, take heart and purpose,

Hold on, we are going to win this.

The demons are dancing now, my dear,

Easy now, one on one, we'll take them,

Clear as day, clear as a bell, in time.

Indigo Dream

Sailing the deep blue dream,
Singing last liberty,
Only indigo dream.

No earthly care and toil
To grind me to the ground.
Only a ship, the sea
And me, my companion
The wind, and endless sky,
Bound for no port or home.

Sailing the deep blue dream,
Singing last liberty,
Alone indigo dream.

No more loving for me,
Too many times my heart
Broken, love left behind.
My mistress is the sea,
Carried upon her waves,
My vessel on her breast.

Sailing the deep blue dream,
Singing last liberty,
Lonely indigo dream.

Down and out survivor,

Long had I resisted.

Peace then a distant dream

Only, a surrender

Denied, longed for, the blue

Sea of serene release.

Sailing the deep blue dream,
Singing last liberty,
Only indigo dream.