Compiled Poems

Sun rising over bright heather
The mist spiraling off the loch
A red-haired maiden walks hither
Her smiling red lips remember
The night as she danced in the glen
And from the wood she is watched
She thinks of her lover and then
Her mind swirls ‘round the fire
As he swept her lightly away from friends
And asked her to join him forever
The eyes follow her there just then
While planning her upcoming wedding
She walks the cool forest to the end
Of the path where she stops to pick berries
And she’s watched still
She sings on her way to her cottage
A light-hearted tune to be sure
And she stops once again to pay homage
To the hills as she plays her tambour
The watcher lowers his head slightly
The red deer stag entranced by this creature
So beautiful he stopped to watch
She walks on
Singing

not because of pain today
not because life didn’t go my way
not because the mood was sad
not because the dog was bad
not because the bills are high
not because a friend made me cry
not because the flower died
not because one trusted lied
not because the rain has come
not because the fun is done
but because
in the next instant
something wonderful will happen!!

She felt so alone
So left behind by love
She reached to touch the phone
But there was no one to call
She struggled then to shove
A chair up against the wall
To step up with rope in hand
To drape the curtain rod there
Wondering if anyone would care
That she made such beautiful drapes
She wandered out along the walk
To smell life round her and feel the chill
Of a fresh new winter with sodden sky
She walked alone on up the hill
A man unnoticed as she walked by
Who watched her walking again today
Would she ever know how much she was loved

She sheds just one salty tear
for the loss of one so dear
it falls upon the petal of a rose
and then into the stream where it flows
winding its way down the hill
finding its way to the old grist mill
Silent witness to the cycle of life
there the old miller tends the fresh turned earth
Where his bride lay down for her peaceful berth
After seven strong sons and a daughter
And many years of joy as their mother
The mill wheel turns no more
and the stream rambles on its hapless quest
watersprites rising cool morning’s guests
up to the sun the vapor does rise
And in a faraway land a young sailor says his goodbyes
and the vapor becomes a cloud
The cloud pours out its water and wind
The ship is tossed nearly founders and then
seeks safe haven in this foreign land
Where dodging the torrent a woman and a man
Find themselves sheltering together
Away from the storm the wind and the rain
Forgetting in moments all life’s past pain
Their souls touching softly as they share a refrain
They have never known before
He from his life with the tiller and she the daughter of a miller
And in her joy she sheds just one salty tear

to hear
when nothing is said
to see
when all is dark
it is not a puzzle
for there are
no edges
with no edges there is no center
there is only
light

The snow comes now
So softly so silently
Like a kiss
A flake here and there
Hardly noticed by the earth
But still unique in eternity
To be discovered by the seed
Of love
When the seed of love grows
And spreads and heals
It will be discovered anew
And when harnessed like the wind
Will be rediscovery of fire
That does not consume but
Warms and nurtures
And in warmth and nurturing
Builds passion
In safe and loving embrace

When the world grows tiresome for me
I go and sit down where the stream runs
And the beauty of the perfect cathedral
With arching roof of blue letting in the light
And the chorus of dragonfly’s wings
Sing praises to the cycle of life
Opening my eyes and ears to the
Beauty and wonder of existence
The trout’s rise-ring rippling
Expanding concentric circles
The tiny waves kissing the mossy stones
With a soothing coolness that quenches
The thirst of the deer who shyly drinks there
And all are refreshed

Her breath was cold
Yet warmed to the touch
As the sun she loved so much
Made her green eyes sparkle
And light winds caressed
Her hair of gold
I felt her hips moving beneath my hands
As her quickening rhythm demands
I follow her body as though one with mine
The day the earth danced

Thundering thundering the hooves ring in the forest
The gray mist blending into the end of night
Cold black giving way to the enveloping light
That is the reflection of the fire within your breast
Driving shadows of shadows before you
It is not light reflected in your eyes but light from within
That causes the dark to lighten and the forest to begin
To grow silent as the hoof beats fade
And the light remains to leave life and healing as it rides

the valkyrie rides the chooser of the slain
the hoof beats thundering
softly
like the falling of a rose petal
Morrigan flys above to see
where pride is no more
and all become the same

Blood runs off of gold And trickles to the dirt
Where it returns to what it is
There is no reason to spill it then
The dirt cares not
And is insatiable in its appetite
For blood that flows along
Into the sea where blood
Mingles with the waves
Until it is blood no more
There is no reason to spill it then
I think of love of her and family
Of freedom and clear blue sky
My thoughts the one thing that is truly mine
Others may try to take away
So on this bridge I stand
With sword in hand
With brother or alone
That those who wish to take this thing of mine
Shall not pass
For if they do I am no more

Covered in finery the joy of lies Portal of light to heavens skies
The dolmen knows
Bright with sunshine the darkest of days
The dirge of sorrow by the moon’s rays
The dolmen knows
The torrent of rain to tear at flesh
The fragrance of flowers so sweet and fresh
The dolmen knows
What is known in this skeleton of stone
This mighty crypt keeper laid bare to the bone
The dolmen knows
The lichen and moss like the bride’s lacey gown
Grown icy and hard no pillows of down
The dolmen knows
Silently eternally watching the sleep
Untold knowledge and wisdom it keeps
The dolmen knows
Sleep beneath or above the dolmen
To know what the dolmen knows.

In the garden there grows A time
Plucking the garden weeds
Like thorns from my hand
Waiting for patience to announce
The arrival of the next flower
The eternal worm eating away
At tomorrow’s bright harvest
Of beauty
A field mouse came strolling
Among the stone walled beds
To remind me that the smallest
Most timid
Most insignificant
Of dwellers in the garden
Is the monarch of his moment
And the beauty of some beholder

Winter winds softly now Falling leaves so softly blow
Into the piles they all must go
These fallen leaves
Piles of leaves fallen there
Leaves who lived without a care
And died so trees could slumber here
These fallen leaves
Bursting forth with freshest green
Springtime dew a shimmering sheen
Bright colors red and orange and then
These fallen leaves
And every one as happy as can be
To bring life to their world of tree
Their perfect place in the universe
These fallen leaves

I taste the sound of sparkling stream I fly as an eagle on sunlight beam
I shed the angry coil of flesh
I become the joy
I know the warmth of Brighid’s fire
I forge the sword of passion’s desire
I smell the frost upon the rose
I write the song of Faerie prose
I grasp the sweet waters of life
That trickle between my fingers

I sit here on my wooden throne Built upon my island home
I sing to the eagles seals and deer
For who else will come to me to hear
The wisdom a warrior should possess
To keep sword and spear away from breast
Not all weapons are made of steel
Sometimes words make bitter meal
So head my song and listen close
Lest your heart be pierced and happiness lost
Choose well your words and listen true
For carelessness draws heart’s blood from you

The moon softly rising Gently tugging at the earth
The Earth Mother responding
Heaving, moaning, in the ecstasy
Responding with her power
Spring renewing power
Power older than before time
Feel it thrusting upward into
Your body as you prepare
For the rebirth of your creativity
Your gift to all the universes
Release your power
Through your crown
Your place of greatest majesty
For it is where you share
Your loving energy
To make the Faeries dance
Like butterflies’ wings
To stir the breath of love and healing
I call on the powers of my ancestors to grant you the joy of life.
Live that joy and every moment of life to its fullest.
I offer this blessing to you on this night.

When the sun comes up over the horizon of my soul The dawn breaks at times like a thunderclap of possibilities
Sometimes like the ghosts of memories which look to me for attention
Sometimes like an insatiable hunger for a love
Sometimes like a foam-capped wave threatening to drown me in the sea of life
Sometimes like the purring of a kitten contented, loved, and warm
Sometimes like the happiness of a cloud-strewn sky when viewed from a bed of sweet green grass
But always the sun rises and I walk forth into the day with power

The dreamer dreams of a dreamer Dreaming dreams of me
I am the butterfly the sunlit flower
The frothy foam of the sea
I am the starlit moon the cool mountain breeze
I am the song in a lover’s heart
I am the dreamer of me

Her name an amulet next to my heart Her eyes breathing life into thought
Her scent lingering out of time
Her touch
Oh her touch
So rare so fleeting
Consuming memory
The sound of flowers whispering her passing
Colors waiting for her to give them life

From the corner of my eye did I see Was it there
A wisp of smoke an errant floating seed
A sprite dancing on the wind
Luring my eye with stealthy stride
Sweet apparition where do you go
A comely tail beckons to starved senses
Finding its way where no trail goes
Slipping through brambles of mind
Vanishing like smoke in the hedgerow
A dance with steps unknown
To music resonating in the unseen place
So softly disappearing from my touch
Not to possess, but to cherish
The fox flies across memory of the moment

White Laurel flowers cascade down the mountainside Red Rhododendron staccato splashes on the green canvas
Silver and diamonds sparkling from coursing symphony
Vibrant rainbow the waterfall’s aura
Dream and landscape becoming one
The colors melting into my soul
I taste the fragrance of my oneness with the mountain

The flame so bright Beaconing firelight
Dancing and twirling
Smoke rising whirling
Spirit soaring
Fragrance pouring
Summoning my essence to the flame
I am moth and end myself in that moment
Divine ecstasy fulfilled and I am happy

Violet clouds float on pink rays The offering of the sun to the moon
She succumbs to him willingly
Giving her soft night to his brash light
In the moment of explosive creation
To return again to her silent meditation
Such beauty born of loving embrace
Blinded in the moment the stars feel no pain
The earth knowing not rejoices in her happiness
And the power of his warm attentions

Looking with soft eyes across the landscape of yearning I look into the blackness of bottomless pits and see stars
My way is blocked by raging torrents of flood
Love builds bridges
Bloodied feet carry me on unyielding road
Love binds up my wounds
Till at last I crest a mountain ridge to seek my long quest’s end
But the endless road continues on no respite or abode
Love’s butterfly comes blithely by
I happily follow it

To laugh at the moon To sing to the stars
Sweet lullabies
Sending them softly across the sky
Making way for a bright new day
Finding room without and within
For the light of the sun a day to begin
If we can make room for the light of day Surely there’s room for our joy to play

The mountains move across a bright Spring day Rivers carve vast canyons in the morning
Ice caps come and go like hurried fish mongers
My peaceful eons of being watch this hurried frenzy
And I marvel at the anxious need
I think I shall tarry awhile longer
I see no need to spend this moment with rapid mind

Spirits soaring but they have no wings They are wings
Laughter echoing through the halls of the mind
Mad laughter that cheers the heart
The dance of life at times a masquerade ball
But at midnight all the masks fall away
The beauty beneath revealed
The mind touched by the dance steps
The lips touched by the beauty
The heart touched by the laughter
Spirits soar

My love might startle you in the night My love might scare your butterflies away
My love might burn you like the hot summer sun
My love might take your breath away
My love might cause you to pull back into your hidden place
My love offers no apology though at times you may think it should
My love is fierce, untamed, wild, and holds so gently your heart

The sound of light rings clear in the dawning Awakening my heart to the unsung song of day
The past dashing itself on the wind-torn rocks of now
The shards spinning off to become the hope of tomorrow
Those rocks harsh mother to my clay
Fathered by thunderous wave
My becoming surprises the urgent dew struggling to remain
and become sweet nectar upon my lips
nourishing this new moment
the heart smiles for the now and yearns for the sweet caress
of love

Standing at the end of the earthen ring Listening to the singer sing
I looked not at the show but up at the sky
For I knew I was to hear the cry
Of the eagle sent to find me there
Upon my arm he rested his flight
Dug in his talons to grasp me tight
I knew of his coming and had no fear
He leaned his head closer to my ear
He said time is short we soon must fly
You are to know that “many will die”
He said we must travel to a western land
And there you will find among the band
A wiseman who will know you by sight
For it is for you I have made this flight
Before we left he brought his head near
And with his feathers wiped my tear
Weeping not for the blood on my arm
But for all those who were to come to harm
And so the journey begins
Traveling to a drier land
with rocky cliff there dwells a band
and with this band a wiseman lives
and to his people guidance gives
he steps forth from his adobe home
his hair the color of sun-bleached bone
wrapped up in a robe of red
a broad brimmed hat upon his head
the eagle lights upon a post
I walk a measure to my host
“I have been expecting you” he will say
I have long prepared for just this day
What message do you bring from the eagle to me
For it is through you I know I will see
“many will die”
what else does the eagle have to say
I know we all have a part to play
“Have them bring the drum” I will tell him then
for the time has come for we who are men
to drum for the eagles they’ll show us how
and look to the sky they are coming now
so they will come by the scores upon score
thousands of eagles oh see how they soar
“set down the drum” and sit quietly by
all under the eagle’s watchful eye
and on the drum the eagle begins to dance
pick out the rhythm I will tell the small band
you must relay it throughout the land
once you start drumming you must not stop
beat the same rhythm until ready to drop
then pass on your stick to your brother here
and keep up the pace and have no fear
you must spread the word throughout the lands
let no drum be silent with idle hands
all must beat the rhythm as the eagle has shown
see his brothers fly now to every home
of man throughout this world
the eagles will show them how
when every drum beats the same and the eagles return
when all is well again and the eagle bids us stop
I will rest
My time will have ended