Madiba Smiles

When the jailer whistles
Madiba smiles

When the child plays
Madiba smiles

When enemies embrace
Madiba smiles

When sunshine touches his face
Madiba smiles

When Madiba smiles
The world smiles with him

11/22/1963

It did not last
That sunny day
The clouds came
Dimming hearts
A hero felled
By the arcs
Of copper gnats
Buzzing through the air
With furious energy
And murderous intent
The harbingers of a madman
Who made everyone
Know his name
By shooting the lights out
Placing a loving wife
And two beautiful children
In the dark
Along with a nation

Ghosts Of Christmas Present

These gaily wrapped boxes
Stand guard 'neath the tree
Silent sentinels of joy
Some for you, some for me

Those, right near the corner
Seem to glitter much less
Colors and ribbons now dour
And darker, I confess

For my heart was not in it
As the paper I did fold
Knowing they were frozen
Truly never to grow old

Christmas presents they are
But present are not
The small hands whose presence
Would occupy that spot

Rending the paper
Flaying it away
To bubble and chuckle
On another Christmas Day

Life does go on
That can't be in doubt
But it's vitality is dimmed
By one less happy shout

So now and on forward
The day will be less pleasant
As our minds do ring hollow
For the ghosts of Christmas present.

They Were No More

A big hand holds a little hand
As smaller legs pump to keep up
Walking to the bus stop
On the cool Autumn morn

The little yellow bus arrives
To the squeal of brakes
The squeak of doors
And the sounds of bubbling voices

Small legs pump up stairs
As backpack crumples jacket
Then at the top a turn, a smile
A wave and "Goodbye, Mommy!"

And then they were no more.

Take Your Child To Work

Grasp their hand tightly
As you enter the milling throng
Shunted into shiny metal boxes
Bereft of space and distance
Shuttled to the nondescript
Space that pays your bills
Show them the grandeur
Of your eight-by-eight ranch
Wrangle them into a chair
That fills precious volume
Let them see the sheaves
Of unkempt paper
Let them see the marks
Of hundreds of emails
Give them a tour of that
Lonely space within you
And burn it into their soft minds
To shun this life as they would
The thief or pirate
For here, too, life is stolen
Like so many coins
Deposited in a bank
The earns no interest
Let them know this is
Not what they want
Not what you wanted
When you, too, were
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
And the world was full of
Endless possibility
Show them it all
That they might know the signs
Steering clear of the shoals
That would consign them
To the depths of despair

Thank You

You cannot hear the shot and shell
That punctuate the battle hell
Nor the rocket roar or bullet wheeze
That cover screams amid the trees
Ground trembles from a mine's blast
And bodies and their parts are cast
Like the cordite smoke upon the wind
To sprinkle around where none have sinned
Save to stand and take that ground
From hand grenade and rifle round
Of those as determined to wrest it away
And hold it yet another day.

You cannot hear the silent scream
Of men boiled away in the steam
From a boiler burst by torpedo blow
Rending the hull so far below
While planes swoop down spitting lead
And you think all the while you are dead
But for comrades who rise up from the deck
To fight them off and give them heck
Till they succumb to a bursting bomb
Taking their death with stoic aplomb
Giving their last full painful breath
While you give some meaning to their death

You cannot hear those who fight
But in every sullen, starry night
The fight returns to haunt their dreams
Filled with unholy, painful screams
Sounds of battle, smells of blood
A quiet miasma, a rising flood
Drawing them back to a time long ago
When their life was not just so
When the enemy stalked and fire blazed
And the battle for life left them dazed
A 'thank you' seems a pittance for what we owe
But it's important we tell them, important they know

The Long Roll

One by one
The names waft
Upon the air
Sent aloft in pain
And joy
And sorrow
And remembrance
To take flight
To rise above
To soar over
The huddled masses
To fill that space
Where once stood
Mighty towers
That they might
Rise above
The hate that
Felled them
And fill once more
Hearts with hope

Embrace

Embrace hate... that it may turn into love.

Embrace hopelessness... and will it into the light.

Embrace anger... and fill it with joy.

Embrace intolerance... and share the peace of humanity.

Embrace bigotry... and erase the differences between us.

Embrace poverty... and make everyone richer.

Embrace the dying... that they might live in you heart.

Embrace war... that we might no longer fight.

Embrace... for where there is no love, there can be no change.

-----

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spiritual leader of the American drive toward the betterment of society.

Weeping

I weep for...

Birthdays missed
Anniversaries not celebrated
Appointments not kept
Births unattended
Promotions missed
Prayers unanswered
For those who jumped
Those who burned
The heroes who rushed in
Everyone who watched
Leaders feeling helpless
Companies destroyed
Empty cubicles
Last messages on voice mail
Passengers uncomprehending
Passengers unyielding
Soldiers undaunted
Those who stayed
Those who ran

I weep.

They Fall That We May Rise

We who sit in comfort bought

Know little of the true price paid

By all those who fought and fought

And now in the ground are laid

We little think of them now

Save once or twice a year

Not ever conceiving how

They fought through all their fear

We fly our flags and gaily wave

As the living ones do walk by

Thinking of what comrades gave

Before they had to die

Then we drive off to the malls

To get our shopping in

As some gather near the walls

To remember fallen kin

The day will come and go again

As have so many passed

Never knowing exactly when

We can ever see the last

You may not know why the day

Comes again each year

But those who died along the way

Are the reason you are here

They gave hearth and home

To stem an evil tide

Never more shall they roam

From the places they have died

You owe each one a greater debt

One perhaps you can't repay

Though you can start by showing yet

To honor them this day

-----

To all the men and women, throughout the history of our nation, the United States of America, who so gallantly fought, and tragically died, that we might retain the blessings of freedom and liberty. And, to all those still living, that have fought and do fight now, for their dedication, their service, and their sacrifice in the name of their countrymen.

Ghost Dance

You awake with a start

Your hand shoots out

Only to find...

Emptiness

And yet she's there

A scent that lingers

A whisper like the rustle of fabric...

Nothing

The quiet of the morning

Raises your senses

And for a moment a...

Heartbeat

Your own

Pounding in your chest

As it has every day since...

Then

The ache comes

Weaker now but still

Surging through you, seeking...

Solace

Each day comes anew

Not so different than any other

And you still wish she were not...

Gone

Yet the heart knows

That while thought of her remains

And your sons grow up strong, she can never really...

Fade

She will stand beside you

And in the quietest moments

Your skin will tingle with her...

Love

-----

Written for Liam Neeson, as an elegy to his dear, departed wife. We wish him, and his sons, all the peace, tranquility, and love it is ours to give.

The First Night

The first night in a new place

Is always the hardest

The furniture is different

The floor doesn't squeak right

You hear noises you don't recognize

And you get up at some point

Shuffling quietly to the bathroom

Fumbling for the switch

The light stings your eyes

And it takes time to adjust

But there in the mirror

Is the face you know well

Etched by the long, hard fight

The multitudinous sleepless nights

And the tumultuous days on the road

It is a face at once familiar

Yet not quite the one you know

For it seems different somehow

In the cool, bright light that bathes you

In this unfamilair place

So you stand there staring

At the countenance before you

Listening to your breathing

As it echoes off the tiles

Syncopating with your heartbeat

Slowly the idea spreads within you

You are HERE!

The place you have always wanted

The place you knew you belonged

The place where destiny is forged

You flip off the light

Stride quietly back to bed

And nestle under the covers

That first night is strange

Until you realize you belong

Elegy

We know they are not coming home
And we care not one bit
We keep their fire in our hearts
And we keep their candles lit
They let us share their world
And so to thank them we must
Keep them in our memories
As they slowly turn to dust
Mingling with the turning Earth
To find their peace again
And we hope to meet them all
Though we're really not sure when

First posted on Jezebel.com.

Remembrance

Today is a day to remember
And you stand there
Before the cool stone monument
And pictures form unbidden in your mind
Of explosions
Of bodies
The faces of friends
Alive and dead
And the lonely notes begin to fill the air
Your eyes sting
Your heart stiffens
Each note brings it back
And you remember why you fought
What you shared with comrades
Before you picked up your weapons
And entered the fray
And as the last plaintive notes
Of that soul-wrenching tune
Waft through the air
You give thanks for having known them
You give thanks for having survived
And you hope
That no one else need suffer and die
In the defense of freedom

Ode to Autumn

Nature's green cloak
Rusts and yellows
And falls down
To the cool earth
As she heaves a sigh
And prepares for slumber