O my shadow, sail away.
Be thou far from me.
Morning deadly, thou art grey.
Poison, hear my plea.
Torn apart, O tones of time?
Nerves inside us, roil.
Countenance of bitter crime!
Belladonna, boil!
River, in thy deepest cave.
Giant, see thy grave.
Sidewalk cracked and needing pave.
Savior, time to save.
Armies of forgotten gone!
Tend thy fiercest rage!
Blackout, blossom! O my swan!
Broken, O my cage!
Automaton, mad machine!
Envy turned them green!
Roundabout run red! I deen?
Just what have I seen?
Moon above, thy fullest.
Lunatic, thy fringe.
Fill the brazen bull? Best!
Murder, on the binge!
Great queens, from thy black abyss!
Give the end a kiss!
Such a night! What lurked in this?
Serpent, time to hiss!
Hope, accrue? What do we do?
Magnetize the flue!
Stick together just like glue!
Make the whole world new...
Outside in the barn one late summer eve
a seaman toiled until wee hours of night
Solid rock surrounded by wood and nail
just the right size for "The Serenity Sail"
She lit an old candle by the window,
recalling sweetly their brave adventures
Back in the days when they were young
water was life and love was pure gold;
Over by the lawn an old weathered sailboat
sat waiting, for one more vigorous glide
"Lets take her out " he said as he toiled,
curving the wood and tapering to a point.
That night they slept in the boat like kids,
huddled under a blanket stitched with stars.
Tasting the ocean on her lips he sighed,
"Join me !" he said as she giggled, awhile.
""
""""""
""""'"""""""""
under your banner
my love loses all manner
...............of restraint...............
""
""
""
""
"" ""
""
||
"""
"""""
""""""""""""""""it's like riding"""""""""""""""
"""""a boat in rough sailing"""""
""through a calm sea"""
::::::: °•°----""""""""""""""""""----°•°::::::
::::::°•°:°•°----"":"""""":°•""::::::°•°:::::°
~°~~~°~~~°"~""~"°~~°~~~~~°~
away from desolation let’s go to the sea
across the silver wave lines
in the moonshine
let’s hear the music of the azure sea
from our agony we’ll be free
let’s sail… let’s sail on
Please join me in this fantasy
and sail away to paradise;
as trade winds blow, our sails are full
so just give in as dreams entice.
For Neverland’s within our reach,
the innocence of love awaits;
it’s calling us to sail away
and enter through her luring gates.
Tranquility has open arms
as Eden beckons with her charms.
It’s only but a dream away
this tropic reverie of mine;
please join me on this magic ride
the time is now, our stars align.
We’ll stroll the pure white sands by day
and dream beneath the stars at night
as palm trees sway with ocean breeze;
a fantasy of pure delight.
Serenity is what we long
as paradise resounds her song.
My fantasy has open arms
as Eden beckons with her charms.
August 8, 2025
If medicine gives us a tail,
The proper should not let it flail.
It should be coiled tight,
Though tea-holding's right,
Or holding the rudder to sail.
to invoke God’s grace
opt to remain still
tone down thought flow pace
enter heart and surrender will
ripples of bliss mists embrace
sip soma nectar to heart’s fill
Conch shell sea gem and sea snail
Horn held tone gyrates the tritonis trumpet
Note blown ending battles on a splinted scale
Epitome depictions make cameo’s regret
Emergent higher seas, onward this ship shall sail
Tidal wave warnings of an uprising onset
Long ago, there were the halcyon days
we once knew when we were young -
gone like dollar matinees
when from tree branches we swung.
I remembered the dire words of song,
that said changes in the weather
are often known to come on strong,
as I watched the dark clouds gather.
You tell me that this storm has passed,
but should this howling wind prevail,
a martyr, I won't be miscast -
watch a battered heart set sail.
The trumpet sounded hearty and hale
What was that? Asked Daddy; he is all male.
I ignored this and leaned over a rail
A piece of shale! A piece of shale!
Our doggie Luther was wagging his tail
For down in the depths there was a whale
It looks so frail! Said my auntie Dale
She was writing her own holy grail
Along came captain carrying a pail
Watch out for the nail! He said to the quail
When will we sail? When will we sail?
Next, we saw a bride with white wedding veil
Cookies for sale! Cookies for sale!
Pushy girl scouts on board telling their tale
Solicitors on a cruise ship without fail
Someone is reading a book in Braille!
Take me to jail! Take me to jail!
A convict in orange who looks rather pale
Give me my mail! And then we can sail.
What about bail? Asks a lawyer named Dale
Wait for me yelled my annoying cousin Gale
She was holding a plastic colander with kale
The crackers are stale! The crackers are stale!
This was a wail from a toddler so pale
It was a few seconds longer before we could sail
Sailing into the horizon
Admiring the Sunset
Distance far from the shores
Refreshing breezes
Bridges and Lighthouses along the way
Whales and Dolphins doing their dazzling maneuvers
Sharks looking to attack
The oceanic feeling like a gateway of opportunity
God’s watery creation
Heaven’s sensation
Rainbows of hope
The drift having a sail
Wonders beyond and deep
Oceans never cease
Tomorrows that continue
Every today a take in
Viewing and observing
Peaceful and calm
Tranquil mind
Writing thoughts that pop in
Calm waves forming relaxed emotions
Inspiration rise
Open air to wise
Oceanic emphasize
An insect, a bird, a bat, even a chicken can fly
Why, oh why, can’t I, said young Master Tighe
Oh, but surely you can, Master Tighe
Lift your eyes from the ground, turn them to the sky
Flap your wings, breathe a deep sigh
Now sail down the runway, give it a try…
There you go, you’re soaring high
~ at the helm of your mind’s eye
My Father's Dream
A wide and vast horizon beckons me to enter there
where oceans echo ancestral voices and gulls paint images in the air.
The Saxons and Angles, Hansas and Norse of Hamburg, Oslo, Kiel and Gdansk
flows through my blood where the sea is my home.
Father, do you miss never having lived your dream of sailing around the world as you told me when I was young?
No, son, I am older now, and I lived my dream. Just standing here with you and looking across the horizon from this Golden Gate is enough for me, now.
And yet, I know, in some small way, I see from his eyes a glimpse of hope that I will fulfill his dreams in my future.
Now the book is closed, and my sermon is said.
My father rests but his dreams are not dead.
With tiller in hand and a gaze across the sea… I live my fathers’ dreams, and his father’s, and his before… sailing off to full fill my dreams… and reunite one day on God’s given glorious shore.
Martin Braun
2/14/2025
Thank you, dad, my Captain.
I sailed towards the horizon
Where the ocean embraces the sky
Was this the edge of the world?
Would I tumble and fall?
The allure of the unknown
Captured my imagination
But the horizon kept expanding
As I sailed on
The sun dipped under
Lining it crimson
The moon popped up from below
Oh! this visual illusion
Never fails to fascinate me
From its magical delusion.
From the sagging back porch, I could see the honeysuckles.
They twisted the fence, pulled it away from its wooden posts
And I would sit beneath it for hours. Drinking the nectar from
the flowers.
It never seemed to rain when I was young.
Sometimes, when I fall into my car, I
roll the window down and the breeze is
the same one
that took me away from home.
It smells like asphalt and exhaust,
but I swear I can still smell the sweet
wildflowers beneath it all.
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