How near doth Time now stand upon the verge!
Upon our days is fallen Judgment's shade.
One woe grows still, then doth another surge,
And close behind, a third comes undelayed.
Then bitter cold shall strike, and famine loom,
Our hopes shall pass beyond the shrouded bier;
The city that we cherished, once so dear,
By Heaven's will, and war, shall meet its doom.
Believe not, people, that peace shall ever reign,
For Time already gazes into naught;
No end at all thereto shall e'er be brought—
The war returned, forever to remain.
Sarumino -BASHO MONKEYS RAINCOAT is unique in Renku ,the ancient collaborative form(36 stanza linked verse poems)with examples from Basho(and his disciples...)namely Winters First shower/Summer moon/Katydid/and Plum young herbs, considered to the most typical of Basho's mature style conveying his attitude to life & compiled during his 1689 'Back Roads' pilgrimage ,the translator/editor adds both a cultural commentary for each stanza therein and an index of informative notes thereto
A haikuist was Matsuo Basho
his masterwork,Kasen *you know
He practiced this long poetic sequence
a 36 stanza poem recited in length
*www.jstor.org/stable/2718744
We know the heart of the stranger
for 190 years, slaves unto Pharaoh in Egypt
backbreaking labor, spirit-sapping, 24/7
Within us beat loud the heart of the stranger
We take him with us, for all time, to the farthest reaches of the globe
a sacred bond between us and the Almighty
As He protects the stranger, so do we
As He promotes him, so must we
For what does God ask of us other than
to emulate Him
to walk in His ways
to do justice
___________________________________________________
Based on Deuteronomy, Chapter 26, esp. v. 11,
read in synagogues throughout the world Sat-
urday morning, August 29, 2026. The poem also
references other Biblical chapters as well as com-
mentaries thereto. ~ gw
Though the sea is far, the wind still flies thereto.
Though the sun is set, it's rays still shine from afar.
Once submerged in the vast beauty of this world,
Yet never stopped by the mundane rocks
I held in my hand.
The water still runs crisp and clear from the olden days
But the bridge above has forever collapsed.
Blossoms fall, littering the surface,
The empty tree stands, a timeless guard.
SEPTEMBER
empty swings in her heart
??
a full school bus departs
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a three line poem with a larger than usual blank space( ??)for 2nd 'line'.
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ . Thus the reader supplies his own imagination thereto.
CATARACT OP
The mist lifts slowly
??
A new vista is unveiled
*Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a three line poem with a larger than usual blank space( ??)for 2nd 'line'.
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ . Thus the reader supplies his own imagination thereto.
I Do
"I, boney, take thee, Mr Bones into my hearts darkness, to be my wedded souls husband through the shadows of light, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part until the end of time and thereto I pledge thee my faith."
"I, Mr Boney, take thee, Miss Boney into my hearts darkness, to be my wedded souls husband through the shadows of light , to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part until the end of time and thereto I pledge thee my faith."
Is he really political.? I mean he runs no party of that ilk.'
Yet I see 'the descriptive given' woven in like silk.)
Is he being held as a terrorist.? Or charged? He pleads
Guilty of journalisam.? Yet has he been pushed into that
Yard.? Guilty he is saying ' yet should that be the case.?
Or is he just tumbling in a fervid word mill-race.? Is any
Body thinking.? Or is it sheer brute force.? How can reason
Be introduced? Measured analysis, rebuttal and thereto
Unto fair discourse.'
Aged,gnarled rooted in him
Fallen,but not cast off are you
As wild boughs engrafted thereto
Fallen,but not cast off are you
The Israelites fleeing Mt. Sinai
like children at the final school bell
When the Lord quickened their pace to Israel
'We can't run fast enough,' they yelled
______________________________________
See Numbers, Chapter 10, verses 35-36. Then
view Chapter 11, verses 1-3, and commentary
thereto.
The sunflower stretched
With its stalk and its neck
As far to the sky
As it could – reaching high,
Pushing its golden face
With clumsy, awkward grace
Trying, with all its might
To reach the highest height
That it could ever muster
So it could be like Custer
Or like a grand ole redwood
(I think it thought it could)
It reached into the atmosphere
Inhaled the biting air
Looked about in wonderment
High above the firmament
But slender was its frame
It did not have the strength
To stand as so unaided –
It weakened, and degraded
It towered, then bent over,
It leaned a little lower
And found the earth up close
Had just as much to boast
As did the open sky
It wondered at up high –
And thereto did it stay
Forever and a day
A little bit hung over
As if it lost its lover
Or better yet, had found
Upon the hallowed ground
Some cosmic explanation
About its situation
Which held it in its thrall
High above it all
And made its hanging there
That much easier to bear –
"In tranquil silence, let's journey within ~
Following the scent of love, just begin"
~ quote by poet
Having an innate urge to feel contrast,
and noticing heart from head stood apart,
we journeyed thereto, without being asked,
whereupon when we added love to cart,
fears receded and thus whence die was cast,
suffused with bliss mists, soul's God search did start.
This journey without movement beauteous,
took us to heaven's very nucleus.
06-March-2023
____________
Writing Challenge - ''J'' Words - Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
HMS, Rhymezone, PS Grammar
The quest for a better way is a noble pursuit
whose navigation needs to be thought out with care.
Questions must be asked to ascertain whether it is
really superior to the present and familiar way.
Mapping out a better way also demands a better map.
The chosen destiny may well be presently seated and
duly situated, but the route thereto may have changed.
The mind of a certain man longed for a shorter route.
Having a route in the rural convinced him that he could
not always trust the maps, and this was before the broad
usage of GPS. So he did what he considered the best thing,
which turned out to be the very best thing.
He first checked with 'the locals'. After asking one of the
locals if there was a shorter route to a certain town, the
reply was, "Yes there is a shorter way, but they have guns'.
The conversation ended there, and the inquiring gentleman was
proud of himself for having consulted first with 'the locals'.
He continued his regular route.
111122PS
To learn how to recite koine Greek
That I may drink from the life-giving creek
Finish reading the words of Plato
To grow my knowledge thereto
Give up eggs and milk
So I can fully wear the white silk
Travel this dark world of hellfire
That I may hear Christ’s silver lyre
Be better for aeons to see
So I can become a marble tree
The Seasons of Life
The paths to greatness are never straight,
The paths to greatness can never be deduced,
The paths to greatness can never follow logic,
The paths to greatness are murky, dwindling, confusing, and thrilling.
The seasons of life are appointed beforehand,
The seasons of life experience upheavals,
The seasons of life are occasioned with tranquility,
The seasons of life require grace to unravel.
We sure know that life is engulfed with emotional rollercoaster,
One time you're on top of the world,
Next you're rock bottom,
It needs grace to keep us hoping, believing, and doing all that we can.
You will be happy,
You will be sad,
You will live in abundance,
You will miss a meal at times.
Your family will be okay,
Your family will experience turmoil,
Your life will be in order,
Your life will be in chaos.
These are the seasons of life,
The unsettling will happen,
Then you will be okay,
Thereto you will survive, thrive, and keep eternal hope.
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