Part Thirty — The Story's End
Sweet Giti, gem in heaven's ring,
Stayed true in love through everything.
Her heart she gave to her dear flame,
Soul's companion, love's sweet name.
And Saeed—behold his blessed state!
Though challenged by his cruel fate,
Hear how his trials came to bear
His faithful heart, worn down by care.
Despite the wounds and aching soul,
From strangers' scorn and kin's control,
Praise be! The face of peace he found,
His shirt of sorrow torn and drowned.
He bound his heart to lover's hair,
Escaped the world's cold, harsh despair.
In joy they lived, in laughter bright,
Their sacred vows, their hearts alight.
Two bodies but one soul complete,
In love's sweet street they found their beat.
No more "Giti" or "Saeed" to name,
Just Wine and Cup, one heart, one flame.
____________________________________
Thus ends the tale of love's sweet art,
Where two souls joined to make one heart.
Written: July 29 2025, for contest by Brian Strand
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Blank blue sky awaits
for the night to dust
stars across its face.
Silent Shore Hiku 30
sand whispers softly,
waves gently kiss the shore~
nature`s sweet embrace.
Calling over a blurry video,
As much emotion as static would allow,
Natheless I knew you missed me; your kiddo
I can see it in your eyes and wrinkles now.
Ever since I boarded the plane for distant lands,
Venturing zealously for a better life
Excitement eclipsed the price of my plans;
Repenting now I didn’t kiss goodbye.
Recalling sweat and all the pain endured,
Even as I build another life anew,
This house lacks warmth and I'm insecure-
Underneath it all I long for you.
Rooted to home only in the tongue I hold,
Now I'm counting the debt which I've long owed.
Forbidden Ground
Wandering
beyond the limitation
of death
Trespassing
through the back gate
of forever
Maundering
alone in a virgin
wilderness
Witnessing
the future destruction
— of time
(Dreamsleep: May, 2025)
Bookends
Enough to be absent
he fumbled the words
His mind ever vacant
new truancies heard
Those spaces beyond him
those spaces behind
Bookends of fruition
— unspoken defined
(Dreamsleep: May, 2025)
Sognefjord Waiting
A mile
past tomorrow
a glacier
lies at rest
New memories stored
within its fjord
awaiting
— our behest
(The New Room: May, 2025)
blustery wind
here, in the empty field
sparse snowflakes fall
Is 30 Silver Coins All I’m Worth?
Is money all you want?
Don’t walk away from the cross.
What is 30 coins worth?
What am I worth to you?
I gave you life.
You were betrayed with a lie.
You surrendered yourself to the world.
I was handed over for just 30 shekels.
As a brother, I haven’t forgotten you.
You left me behind with an army that was brutal.
I walked on water.
You replaced me with silver.
I am the way.
Through greed, like dust you have faded.
I could have saved you.
You choose to go down the wrong road.
I have risen above the clouds.
You are now dust in the ground.
I was exchanged for very little.
I will bring down fire upon the world.
My suffering was unbearable.
I have always been with you.
One day we will meet again.
I will pass judgment toward men.
You cannot serve both God and money.
You have turned against me, so the world keeps on burning.
Matthew 26:14
A slivered moon is looming peacefully
above the pristine glow of golden dusk,
bathing in a navy sky,—me?, I bask
in her gush of seraphic majesty.
A careful look, cast in serenity,
reveals the silent shadow of her disk;
the sunless face wears a dark veil. Her mask
gazes upon me,—in return, I see
the full splendor of her thin sliced crescent.
Admiring the elegance of her curve,
I vow, tonight, my job is to preserve,
with my Poetry, her luminescent
form. I testify that, yes, I have tried—
?succeeded? that’s for others to decide.
?A grumpy grandpa (from Greece), gruff and gray,
is grazing on a grain of grass, graceful.
He’s grumbling that the grim grave is growing
greater and greedily greeting his grasp.
Celestial whispers paint the fabric of the dark expanse,
stars the glitter on Christmas baubles
merry and festive;
the glitter that spreads far,
dusting every corner yet is minded by no-one.
In the moon's basking glow
each speck pulses brilliantly.
In the cosmic ballad
they hum their timeless glory.
In their observant rays
a stargazer beholds their own story.
Among the constellations, a painting unfolds
a battle between the silvers and the golds.
So enthralling a clash the universe sees,
the stargazer dares not to breathe
as the soul ascends to join them
in that endless expanse,
if only temporarily.
Not afraid of the powers above,
nor the journey of a thousand miles.
Not concerned with critics and their words
nor the doubts that may arise.
To miss the ciff's edge is a waste,
to not tread the tight rope is a shame,
to shine brightly, a choice we must make.
Else are we truly living?
Ride the wind, the seas, the waves.
Flow like water, scorch like fire,
adapt like the sky
as determined as the Earth is solid.
A careless nature,
a wild spirit with a fierce soul.
in a world built on wealth,
I'd rather be light and free.
Darkness may corrupt the skies of this world;
pain and suffering may run rampant
but the fire of youth eliminates it all
and today I'll leave my own mark here.
Even as mountains rise and oceans swell,
I am the water in a still pond,
a statue in a storm.
Tranquil as a poem
but raging within.
Unafraid of anonymity,
unfazed by the challenges ahead,
with friends of loyalty and compassion by my side,
I'll sit high in my saddle and ride
straight into the battlefield of life.
dawn, frozen forests.
mortal peril or adornment?
plum blossoms tremor.
the second hand ticks to the beat of my heart
Waiting for the surgeon to come and make a start.
Nerves all on edge fear creeping in
Taken to the theatre for the surgery to begin.
Theatre lights shining they are so very bright
Trying to control my breathing chest is getting tight.
Let me off this thing I have made a mistake.
What do you mean that with this surgery I have to be
AWAKE.
October 30/2024
Miracle Man
With age came the realization,
that most good times lay in my past.
Often these become a temporary fixation,
and I cling to these both hard and fast.
My want to do useful things has remained,
but ability no longer shows its face.
My mobility today is now restrained,
and I dream of life in a better place.
Desire and Ability are two horses
with different pedigrees.
Tom
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