Is life not written on the passing clouds
Shapeshifting rumors on an errant breeze
Tailoring the moon’s mysterious cloak
The fire and ice of an unsettled liege
Is she not a master of words that deny
The meaning of heaven and earth and goodbye
Conjuring demons to lead us astray
An unending search for the why of the why
Wet sands erase the sun’s sepia smiles
Leaving us breadcrumbs of love and despair
The flicker of longing we no longer feel
An aching that asks were we really there
Clouds have no mem’ry save moonrise and tide
And life only moments in which they abide
I tell you this as death draws near
As a cautionary tale, but not to fear
I now believe that a notion ingrained in us not to be true
The moment when we pass the lives we lived flash on through
I became aware as it began not long ago
Tiny fragments swaying to and fro
It happens when sleep draws close, a vignette whirs into view
Little threads to tug at and pursue
Gossamer strings of whispers float on by
Ghostly visages flicker like lighting streaks in the sky
Moments in time come from our past
We awake and remember how much we had forgotten as the years have been vast
Night after night new instants play out
Until you realize without a doubt
There will come a time when all the images disappear
The end has come, the light winks out, all will be clear.
I know I am going to die,
but I do not know at all when.
And will my life be satisfied and complete?
But it will not matter anymore then.
(09.04.2026)
I like friendly, friendly is nice
The wave, the nod, the smile's the fuel we use to get through life
Restores faith in humanity, reduces the insanity of social fabric fraying
Courtesy and manners, just like your mother said
Aren't less important now, just because you got ahead
Payback is reciprocal and karma's always cyclical
Cynical's inimical to the prosper you can foster if you follow her advice
The wave, the nod, the wink's the link, the lubricant of life
It shortens all the miles and trials, the troubles and the strife
The longer that it takes to learn, the more you let the candle burn
Clock's been ticking, what's been licking soon's been licked
No wick is going to outlive its turn upon the wheel of life
Passing the PILL?
Brightly sun beats sweat out of men--
Abreast, they hold and pass
A bumpy brownness roundball
Dirty-sweaty bronze-gray-brown bodies
Walk, hop, run skate and walk
Pop, shot shoot the pill, outside toll
A hot brazen day on the Tarmac of ”Basketball”
8/21/26
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2026© Imagism
Sometimes, life feels unreal to me
as if I am a wind
passing through the souls of people,
understanding them deeply,
yet never staying long enough
to become a part of them.
I have travelled beyond
the borders of my imagination,
through places I once only dreamed of,
and met versions of myself
I never knew existed.
Yet somehow,
the journey of experience
never truly ends.
I keep moving,
carried by the wind,
collecting fragments of every soul I meet,
every place I leave behind,
and every moment
that changes me.
Perhaps that is what life is
not a place to arrive,
but an endless journey
through people, memories,
and worlds within ourselves.
Sun dial time change-
blinding sunset, window pane.
Baby fingers growing slender,
eye glass lenses-
losing strength,
as yesterday further past I can no longer see.
I guess the prescription needs to be
stronger now
as time steals days away.
To have and to hold
To yearn but never demand
A heart left waiting
Mysterious circumstance
Mature birth
Near Death
Number 7
Doctors had given up hope
Prayer saved the day
From Heaven being the way
The Lord himself
Clear and simple
No question about it
Thee himself
Doctors were misinformed
Thinking their own understanding
Life sustained
Fulfilling future that remained
Passing storm
Fruitful life.
The morning brings the
memory of your grace,
A gentle light that time
cannot erase,
And all my world is captured
in your face.
No tweet's lack, no wind's slackness
Is behind this hush.
Awe. Multiple-eyed; dew-moist.
Earth's. Sprigged, leaved and grassed.
Man, having, what in the soul
Lights, diviner, faith
Snuffed out, for a face of dread
As it were drained of
This of its hallowing love
Shows what's harder glassed.
Green hill, grassy knoll,Mossy mountain slope,
The joy that is to come.high ridge, fresh stream,
ditch and canyon, overflowing basin.
To be at ease and without a heavy load in life,
A place of peace, we dwell in joy
Innocent of the ways of the king's land
Like Eden, without deceit and wicked schemes
Yet cynicism enters deep within,
Weariness of life drives us far away.
We are saddened, we encounter pain
This painful world is full of sorrow
A thing that passes quickly,
only temporary,Life dies, we cannot
live it forever.We are mortal,
we all depart,
Our blood returns to the earth
I don't mean to be untoward.
This news, I grant, is a bit awkward,
but there are some things that must be said.
As of last Thursday, noon, you are quite dead.
out of somewhere or nowhere a smile
appeared on his lips like a miraculous kiss
a thought descended upon his mind
it will be a wonderful journey of bliss
and happiness towards a future unknown
and suddenly he began to believe
such beautiful message from heaven
Curtsied respects
Nod's politeness
With the dressiness and dapper hat
That served them well
As ripped apart
As flung aside
Of lettered pride
Heart's own formal
Hailing displays.
Words, behind, hid. Themselves tender wrapped
In a pansy's
Ached ' think of me'
Urged sentiment.
Lost to time's scent!
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