Forgotten ways and things long since disposed,
As paupered kings exiled and deposed,
Oh yes, all things in time become replaced,
Old monuments by conquering tribes defaced,
And glittering spoils that to the victors go,
Have not a mind to judge a friend from foe,
Oh, timeless dance that history knows so well,
Of empires borne in with the rising swell,
Whose sandy castles dampened by the sea,
Feign everlasting strength but don't foresee,
That as the sun does rise and smile upon,
The glory of this transient Babylon,
Its briny mortar leaves the sandy frame,
As vapor it returns from whence it came.
Categories:
paupered, power, remember, war,
Form: Rhyme
When time escapes the confines of my mind,
This sullied birdcage (though touchstone),
I stretched to breakpoint on some days,
(Confining yes, but not outgrown).
Will I remember earthly realm,
My animus to pain be blind,
Accept my homeless overwhelm,
Will Rose exist to call my own?
May Rainbow Promiser amaze,
Creation's clock surrender throne,
(As paupered time reveals existence kind!)
What rules survive to judge eternal bard?
What verdict reached! (We swam in time),
Reborn in love, we live to praise,
Conclusions can't be finished rhyme!
As Saints, we find past sin undone,
Though we still feel, no body's scarred,
As lovers, now we greet the Son,
(As pilgrims meet His star-filled clime.)
Yes, hope's still Bread of Heaven's ways,
Each moment fuels more light sublime,
Christ's siblings play in heaven's endless yard!
Brian Johnston
May 2, 2018
Categories:
paupered, faith,
Form: Rhyme
Bright eyes of love tell me where in the world I’m confined?
Am I beyond the horizon or cornered in the mind
Caged in iron bars of grief, arcing the universe
I plunge into deep seas, myself the coffin, the hearse
At times, I’m smaller than plankton, a dot on the page
Then soar like Colosus, the glory of an age
Hunked like a boulder, no Hercules could lift me
Swirling like perfume, no finger could sift me
If you search for me, my love, I’m no where to be found
Think of me I’m everywhere: the sky, the sea, the ground
Sometimes my exploring soul re-conquers the cosmos
Sometimes I,m paupered by brute desire counting the loss
Unlike the sun I’ll never sink or skulk, or be eclipsed:
In day or night I’ll shine through your eyes, your fingertips
In every breath I’m balanced in the cradle of my dying
Yamin’s alive in every smile, in each new baby crying
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Categories:
paupered, life, people, philosophy, urdu,
Form: Ghazal