Sandstone Hills

once it was sand
far as eyes could see

no solid foundation
for even a single thing


we dream of beauty
things seem all the same

minds wide awake
we see beyond
our present and a plain

here where it's carved
by time and ancient rains


weighty sand piled high
will become sandstone

over time over time

eternal rains wash away 
grains(one grain at a time)

pushing grains each day
down towards the sea

dissolving and dispersing
sand stone sand stone 


once it was sand
far as eyes could see

no solid foundation
for even a single thing

First Columbine

first columbine
of the season

something notable
a thing of common beauty


our world is a mess
due to our actions

(tiny old woman said)
you give them guns
they'll use them

so we watch in horror
as our neighbours
shoot their children
(and each others')


none of your business
they say if you mention

questions arise
considering bearing arms

was it a good thing
or a very bad mistake


first columbine
of the season

Blasted Rock

shattered by blasting
the rock's integrity
is dubious now
will never be the same

rough surfaces remind


rivers and glaciers
wear rocky roughness

so gravel has no
rough surfaces
(nice to build with)


this blasted rock
i stand on
every single day

i cannot sculpt
a blasted rock
it always seems
to fall apart

it makes a pile
of shattered rubble

if i look i know i'll see
my strong foundations
are not quite what 
they could be

Tulip Season

Tulip Season

after the winter snow
   has melted away

hormones tell a bulb
      to send up glory

wonderful colour
   to the lands
above the surface


      warmth ends it
(for tulips it is over
petals fall until all
      that is left are
   stamens 

anthers)


we too have our seasons 
   a time of dubious glory
      a time inglorious

      and perhaps
   a time to prepare
for other wonders
but no clear end date

we seldom know
      when its time to go

Looking Back

   looking back at
   white and black
and many shades
      between them

without full colour
   it's some other
kind of vibe we feel


just watch this space
      (some other place)

   they love rich
   profit margins


      darker skies
should not surprise

clouds heavy with 
   rain hail or snow


part of the picture
   is very light
and part is dark

pictures aren't perfect
images might have
      sharp contrast

or some subtlety
   sharp outlines
blurry shadows

a little ambiguity
   like a good day

Purple Alium

Purple Alium

   larger than life
closer than ever

   we want to know
because we're lost
 

      this is a place
we'll never understand

      ravens and crows
from prehistoric days


they sing their songs
      a raucous racket
   in nearby forests

but here we see
      purple aliums

      in a garden
that once was forest

that time is gone


the purpose of an alium
      we'd like to know

but it is unimportant
      what we would like

    we are ignorant
      bit players 
in a universe
seeming not to care

Red Brick

Red Brick

for thousands of years
red brick's been used

building walls that stand
for something 


it's red when baked
all that heat creates

something hard
durable but even so
easy to build with


where did it end

red brick remains
a builder's dream


old mortar fails
they like to say

rome's colosseum
wasn't built in just a day


old mortar in its walls
hasn't fallen out

two thousand years
it still holds firm

almost durable as brick


for thousands of years
red brick's been used

building walls that stand
for something

Another Fine Sunset

golden light over black
      streaks of light
   as the sun sets

behind distant hills

   we watch that show
in happy appreciation

sunset is such a wonder


maybe it's metaphor
      the way our lives
   may someday end

great beauty as our own
      world goes dim


all the day long we see
colours in their beauty

   a world of rainbows
until we find darkness


golden light over black
      streaks of light
      as the sun sets

behind distant hills

   we watch that show
in happy appreciation

Walls We Build

piles of stone divide
      that was the plan

and sometimes walls 
   protected people

not failing quickly


sometimes we were 
   barbarians were us
 
walls fail sometimes
   keeping people out


keeping people in
      protecting a city
(imprisoning many)

tear down the wall
   an old man said


   when a wall falls
      a kind of beauty
to rubble left behind

shelter is one thing
   (a safety of home)
oppression another

though we need
      each other
there is no question
   walls divide us

Glass Chandelier

Glass Chandelier

glass chandelier

      it makes a show
hanging from a ceiling
   we've forgotten

i've forgotten again

      so many things 
i never even knew
and so many gone


amazing bird song
      in the hedges
   unseen singers
cheer our early day

clouds cover the sky
   so we won't know
      the very moment
   the sun rises over
eastern mountains


   today stock markets
are doing crazy things
      and funny money
may be worst of all

who buys imaginary
currency (for what)


glass chandelier

      it makes a show
hanging from a ceiling
   we've forgotten