Tribute to the Tyger

Conflict arose

from a timeworn bookshelf

out of musty old pages

a master's lesson

innocence and experience

can you travel far

and never venture

into the Forests of the Night?

Leave the comfort of day

the soft side of the meek lamb

to find

in that blackness,

glowing eyes staring back

fearful symmetry

twisted sinews of the heart

rhythmic beating

cadence of time

rising, falling

the forest beckons....

Fearsome, the omniscient force crafts

both the danger and the beauty

blazing tiger eyes,

magnificent predator.

The path enters the forest

safety of light dimming

beyond the innocence of the lamb.

The hand that dared to seize fire

also extends outward

as heaven rebels,

the stars threw down their spears

sorrowful cries

the ultimate duality of human existence.

Envision the blacksmith as he worked

forging flames of fire,

the fierce blazing allure

stealth and prowess

and at the altar of the flames

we learn the lesson.

Through the Window

Mesh wire laced windows

with pulley closures

like Popeye the Sailor Man

rigged them up

sun streaming on the gym floor

basketball goals sans nets

inner city school in a town

that doesn't know it's a city

disconnected masses

someone asks

"Howya doin' Miss?"

if they slip by

they'll wander the dungeons

of this old school

linger in its haunted auditorium

spirits leftover from the 1920s

are we here the sum total

of its morter and brick?

living off the glorified past

of its now defunct alumni

no one here drives those

oak-lined streets now

glimpse through the spruce hedge

that deflects the wind

see a real life hustle outside

every year closes out the former

as decades carve themselves

upon stone memorabilia

and those that remain

climb the fracture-laden cracked steps

meeting the struggle

transcending time

Seeking the Bard

You come to me

slipped from a dream

and from that lofty platform

where all players have played their parts

beneath that opulent moon

the curse of the star-crossed

the sorrowful stars have scattered

I knew your song

you sang it well

transfixed, I stood there

on the ballroom floor

picking out my destiny

one heartbreak at a time

It was then that I was drawn

when hot hands touched

palm to palm

the holy palmer's kiss

the clock stopped

like a time travel pendulum

Look there now

I was never the sun

knowing full well

than to swear by the moon

that deceptive luminare

casting upon

a jewel in the night

tears falling down on the cheek of those

destined to part in sweet sorrow

love that was stronger

but burned less

than moderate mankind

could handle...