Rain taps the dust of Qatar’s skin,
a rare hymn on thirsty ground.
Thunder rolls like distant drums,
echoing across silent dunes.
Lightning splits the desert night
a fleeting vein of silver fire,
reminding the sands
that even stillness can awaken.
Ash falls without sound,
Distant drums echo in dust
Peace hides in the smoke.
I write your name in the sand at twilight
only to watch the tide wash it away
to leave nothing but memories of love's illusion
when time was endless
and love felt perfect and permanent
Before the mist in our eyes became parched
drying out in silence
as our heartbeats sounded like distant drums
from echoes of what was
When sunsets were shared in reverence
with hands quietly held in comfort
Yet...Sunsets fall
allowing the night to cover our farewell
where we gathered the sadness of failure
from two hearts, parting
Knowing love was found beautiful, even if briefly
and was lived with a deep breath of passion
to be relived
in my solemn twilights of tomorrow
Where my memories flow like rivers
in the internal sacred spaces of my soul
As I write your name in the sand
In times of old I’ve heard it said,
That all roads led to Rome.
Now like the beating of distant drums,
Our hearts are leading us home.
It’s not the things that we possess,
That reveal what we deeply desire.
It’s a longing for peace and serenity,
To which our spirit doth aspire.
Returning to the source of our creation,
Giving up this existence in form.
To be in a state of eternal Love,
Where the Source of creation will calm every storm.
With ego we created this deceptive illusion,
Hiding our authentic self from all.
Unbeknownst to us, our truest self,
Has been answering destiny’s call.
For all the answers to all the questions,
In their time will miraculously appear.
When we’re at that place where there’s no time,
Where all thoughts are perfectly clear.
We chased the wind through gravel lots,
told stories in the sun-soft spots.
Spoke Spanish in the checkout line,
translated fear into “it’s fine.”
Held my brother’s hand through crowded space,
learned stillness in his silent grace.
Watched Mom brave a world not made for her,
became her voice, her messenger.
School bells rang like distant drums,
where I stood tall though doubt still comes.
The Boardroom didn’t feel like mine—
but I stayed, held steady, to redefine.
And when the cap flew toward the sky,
I didn’t cry—I knew just why:
We leave the halls but not the fight—
still shaped by love, still seeking light.
Some people like to dance
Some people just like to sing
Others can do both by chance
A few do neither thing
For those that go first class
Travel can be a pleasure
And so much more they surpass
Others meager treasure
Sometimes life is like a hassle
So many things still unknown
But somewhere is a castle
That each can call a home
Some choose to live behind
Walking to far distant drums
While there's those that learn in time
Tomorrow never comes
Some follow stars above
From those rules they will not part
Others will rely on love
In matters of the heart
Distant drums voice sacred song
as didgeridoo drone rings
its messages to my awaiting ears;
ancient ceremonies flood
the canyon in tones of
ancestral wisdom.
Every rock or boulder resonates,
crickets sing along and
each cell of my being is elevated;
I feel the energies of
times long passed;
those speakers of the truth,
as shamanic echoes
transport me to past centuries.
I've hear it said that our cells have memory,
that two-thirds of our brains are not used;
but what if we are simply energy?
I resonate with the past
and visions come.
I would love to live forever
In the minds and hearts of men
As long as I could do it
Without doing it again.
I’d cherish every sunrise
Tuck it in at night
Arrest the failing moon
For stealing my suns light.
I’ll carry on forever
In the sons of sons of son’s
Remain here in the shadows
Listening now to distant drums.
Although I live forever
In a vacuum without touch
Time reminds me only
That I love them all so much.
©7/22/2021
IMMORTALITY YES OR NO Poetry Contest
I love the isolation,
God help me but I do
Being alone inside my words,
neither old nor new
The rumbling of the moment,
the sound of distant drums
My eyes to close upon myself
—time now zero sum
(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2019)
Dream Theme Andaree
Come listen how the thunder rolls with its might
Like distant drums it echoes through the night
Rain has pulsed a steady stream
To ponder and dream
Create a
Theme
For my dream
Listening to the sound
Like the rhythmn in a round
I have captured my dream by daylight
Come listen how the thunder rolls with its might
Andareee Contest Andrea Dietrich (late entry) October 16, 2015
You touch my battered heart
Like the feathered wings of angels,
You burst from my poor eyes
Like the tears of awakened love.
You flood perfume scarred lungs
Like the scent of summer roses,
You sparkle in my rhymes
Like the sentient stars above.
Your breath seeds sounds of rain
(Like distant drums) soothing my fears,
Your presence feeds my verse
Like mother earth’s most verdant dreams.
Your voice calms savage soul
Like gentle breeze strumming tree limbs,
Your shadow shelters all
Like Light you move (you act) it seems.
You draw me from the sky
Like the call of nesting falcons,
You rob me of my breath
Like lava frozen in the sea
Your spark exceeds desire
Like a prism, reveals rainbows,
You fill my life with hope
Like a balloon that raptures me.
RAMABIFI HILLS
I hear distant drums sounding loud,
I hear trumpets echoing tonight,
Oh, I can hear their warm and quiet conversations,
I guess they are on the way to Ramabifi Hills!
It is a clear and loud call we cannot deny,
And when skimming silently in the starry skies tonight,
We will see that we are not alone in the night set ablaze,
Please come with me and share this wonderful view!
Look up there, the clear moon is riding high in the sky,
As it journeys slowly through the good heavens!
This brings to the end, the darkness of the long lonely nights,
Come let’s soar high up and play amongst the stars!
Are you asking me about the songs of Spring?
Listen, Ramabifi Hills have them too!
The small birds are chanting merrily from the dense tangled branches,
More clearer than man-made music could bear!
I see you and I silhouetted together against the bright moonlight,
Yes, every single breath you take is mine!
Oh, I can feel every beat of your heart!
I woke up and looked around . . . yes . . . , I was only dreaming!
From tottering infantile footsteps
Gangly adolescence and vibrant youth
Desire to taste forbidden fruits
Hobnob with society discards
Ever beckoned by distant drums
Weird people practising witchcraft
Entranced by strange rituals
Rebelling against established norms
Corrupted by wild flights of fantasy
Urge to attain impossible dreams
Sermonizing on unknown subjects
Engaged in creating hell on earth
Shunning filial ties
Ignorant of the anguish of loved ones
Reviled by all but the ignorant
And pitied by a few
Unwashed, malodorous, skeletal frame
Vacant eyes a fiery red
Registering no events, recognizing none
A pitiable mannequin in a dynamic world
Ever shrouded in a haze of acrid smoke
From endless cannabis trips
Unhinged from his roots
With no conclusion or hope
Like distant drums in rhythm pound
Endless rows of human kind
Marching soldiers cross the ground
Towards some battle line
Bound to those who went before
Obsessed in savage pride
Forge blindly to the raging war
To slay the other side
Wisdom lost in murdered dreams
Learned naught from battles past
Dead heroes lay in bloody streams
When oh God will be our last?
Like distant drums in rhythm pound
Endless rows of human kind
Marching soldiers cross the ground
Towards some battle line
Bound to those who went before
Obsessed in savage pride
Forge blindly to the raging war
To slay the other side
Wisdom lost in murdered dreams
Learned naught from battles past
Dead heroes lay in bloody streams
When oh God will be our last?
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