PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Here is a recent question posed to me that I needed time to think about…

What are the things in this world…I cannot live without?

Looking past food and water…the things my body needs in order to help it thrive…

I thought I’d concentrate on those things my heart and soul need to survive.

The first, for me, is love in all it’s many forms…like the love of my family and friends…Yes, love is definitely something in my life I never want to end.

The second would be hope…for even in my darkest times…when I was filled with doubt…hope was standing by my side telling me…things would all work out.

Any time a storm hit my life…no matter where or when…hope was there to remind me…the sun will shine again.

Perhaps that’s why I love sunrises so much…although this may seem a bit cliche…because rising with the sun each morning…is the hope of a new day.

The third thing would be beauty…for as long as I’m awake…I love my relationship with beauty…our subtle give and take.

For when the beauty I see around me…in the land, the sea, the air…finds its way into my heart…I begin to see more beauty everywhere.

Music would be next up…all the different types of music that I hear about…especially the music of nature…something I don’t think I could live without.

The roar of the ocean, the whistling of the wind, the sound of a single raindrop pinging…how you never know on a walk in nature which birds will be singing.

I’m sure there are more things I can’t live without that if I thought harder I would find…but these are the first four things that popped into my mind.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when I read this list backward…(the list I just made up above)…music, beauty, hope…all lead back to love.

No, I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all…in fact…I have do doubt…

Love is the greatest gift of all…and something I cannot live without.

NOT AN EXPERT

I am not an expert on the stars or the flowers.

I can’t think like an expert does.

I am not an expert on the stars or the flowers

but there are times…when I wish I was.

I used to dream how great it would be 

in this wonderful world of ours

to be a botanist who knows the flowers…

or an astronomer who understands the stars.

But I never got to be an expert.

An expert my parents never begat…

No…I have never been an expert

and I’m okay with that.

Because there is a distinct advantage to now knowing 

everything in sight.

It means I’m surprised most every day…

and amazed most every night.

I don’t need to know every constellation

to experience the wonder of a planet or a star.

I don’t need to know the name of every flower

to see how beautiful they are.

When I walk among a field of flowers

In a morning or afternoon breeze

I only think how lucky am I to share this beauty

with the butterflies and the bees.

Every now and then, only for a moment, I envy the experts

who have within their power

the name of every constellation, every star

and every flower.

And every now and then…

as I allow my untrained eyes and heart to wander free

I wonder if, only for a moment, 

those experts don’t envy me.

I have only head the early bird who wakes before first light

I have never seen her beauty even when the moon is bright.

There was a time I’d try to find her as her song drifted on the breeze

I would search the rooftops, and the bushes and the flowers and the trees.

But I stopped my hunt to see the early bird…even under the brightest moon

When I realized as I was searching I forgot to listen to her tune.

Now when I hear the early bird…when I hear her morning song rise

Not only have I stopped looking for her…I often close my eyes.

For I have learned a lesson…taught to me by the early bird…

That not all beauty must be seen…some beauty must be heard.

I see many wonders on my morning walks but nothing quite compares

with a little plant I see each day that grows beneath the stairs.

I’m not sure if he’s a little tree or if he is a flower…what kind

There are no other plants around him…but he doesn’t seem to mind.

I asked him once…I said, “Little plant wouldn’t you rather be

near a lake, or on a mountain top…or growing by the sea?”

He looked around and smiled saying, “This is where I’ve alway grown.

Underneath these stairs is the only home I’ve ever known.

Here I am protected from the rain and shaded from the heat of June

Somedays I dance while in the shadows…others while illuminated by the moon.

When I stop and think about it…it all seems pretty clear

to add a little beauty to this spot is why I’m growing here.

And isn’t it wonderful knowing while you’re out walking

you can find beauty anywhere…

even where you least expect it…like growing beneath these stairs.”

And he was right, that little plant…after our little talk

I can’t wait to greet him every morning for he adds a little beauty to my walk…

As I stop each day to greet him…I am totally aware

of all the beauty that would be lost If he wasn’t growing there…

I’ve had many teachers in my life…but nothing quite compares

with the lesson I learned about beauty

from that little plant beneath the stairs

He noticed her lips were quivering as she ran to him…

He saw the tears falling from her eyes

“He called me ugly, Daddy.” She cried. 

“Can you please tell me why?”

A father never wants to see his daughter hurting

does not want to see her come to any harm.

So he closed his eyes and held her close

once she ran into his arms.

“It is his heart that’s ugly.” He said. 

“For it is our heart that holds the key

as we gaze upon the world…

to how much beauty we will see.”

“I’m sad he called you ugly…

but sadder still...by far

his heart may never let him see…

how beautiful you are.”

On our walk the morning as we made the turn 

down a tree filled lane

we were greeted in the silence by a tender…misty rain.

We could feel a slight coolness brush agains our face…

and yet

so delicate were her droplets that we did not get wet.

So light…so mild was that touch of rain 

we barely could perceive her

so gentle even the most fragile flowers 

had to lift their petals to receive her.

I looked up to try and glimpse the mist 

floating against the backdrop of the dawn

but as quickly as she started…that misty rain was gone

And once again I had to smile 

as I thanked the rain for the simplicity of her greeting

reminding me to enjoy both life and beauty…

for both of them are fleeting.

“Why do you stop so often on our evening walks?” she asked.

“Are you captivated by the moon, or Jupiter…or Mars?”

“No.” He smiled. 

“Not by the moon, or Jupiter…or Mars.”,

“It’s the only time I get to see the beauty of your silhouette among the stars.”

Is there anything more beautiful

than a smile

that rises out of tears…

or more gratifying

than courage

that emerges out of fear?

The moment we find the courage

that beautiful moment when we dared

to act in the face of danger

even though we may be scared.

And the truest form of courage

of beauty ever made

is facing our fear when we’re the only one

who knows we are afraid?

He tells her often of her beauty

how she is his sunrise …and sunset

He tells her often of her beauty

because…she has a tendency to forget