Of Concrete & Glass

This is a collection of poetry that is half light, half dark. Part 1, Dawn, is about beauty. Part 2, Twilight, is about the darker aspects of humanity and society and the world.

DAWN

The Maple Leaf

The symbol of our country,

Lying dead on the ground.

The redness has faded,

The leaf has been crushed.

Is this the proud symbol of Canada?

Thrown about in the wind,

Carelessly tossed and unnoticed

By strangers, bustling about.

Is this the proud symbol of Canada?

A plain, little leaf,

Painted on our nations flag,

Hardly the size of our hands,

The maple leaf on the ground.

Butterflies

Butterflies dance

above the flowers

Like ethereal beings

No worries or cares

Just beauty and simplicity

Transformation and

freedom

Personified

Ironically

bobbing and floating

Like puppets on strings

Being pulled about

amateurishly

By an unseen hand

Dragonfly

Majestic metallic

Armour glinting

Flitting and hovering

Alighting briefly

Gossamer membranes

Frozen aloft in midair

Brilliant blues, Fiery reds

No ferocity or flames

Only beauty

And serenity

Centaur

She walks from the darkness,

into the light

Brushing leaves from her face

as she does

The coolness of the forest ends

it is bright

The comfort of her home,

the camouflage gone

Her long chestnut hair

blends into one with her body

and covers her breast

She walks unsure,

unsteady on four legs

She has never before

left the forest

Into this new world

nothing like her own

She stamps a hoof

and swishes her tail

She knows she has to

make the journey

All of her kind eventually do

And with the knowledge

that she will always be welcome

She takes her first tentative steps

Into the unknown

Outside of the forest

The cocoon she has grown up in,

experiences are limitless

She feels like flying,

her heart soars

She is free

Golden Sun

They come into our lives

Some stay only briefly

Other stay for parts

Still others for a lifetime

People come into our lives

In so many ways

And leave us

Just as mysteriously

When someone has left your life

By passing, moving on

They are always with you,

Always part of who you are

Whether they were in your life

Just briefly,

Or maybe a little longer

They all make an imprint on your soul

Like the golden sun

Shining through closed eyes

You are forever changed

By everyone you meet

Home

Synonymous with rain

Green glass glinting in the spring

and summer sun

Majestic lions look down from above

Surrounding a glittering sea

Passersby politely gawk

At celebs in trendy

Robson Street eateries

Stanley Park and emerald oasis

In a modern forest

of concrete and glass

Not just a city,

A breath of fresh air.

Avalon

Ancient, mystical,

Lush and savage land

Veils of mist part

Only for those

True of heart

Meant to learn

Its secrets

Lightwalker I

Bathed in universal love

Freed from the grasp of

darkness

Unfettered by preconceptions

Singing the songs

Of joy and purpose

Surrounded by

a radiant aura

A angel in our midst

Walking on a pathway of

light

The being that is

Pure Happiness

Lightwalker II

Surrounded by

a pink and

gold tinged glow

Pure unconditional

emotion, unexplainable

Unable to put into words

Soul experiences

Caring for humanity

Forever flowing

Unlimited

on an atomic level

The reality of

Love

Freedom of Being

(a poem about my old dog we lost summer 2019)

Running swiftly

Galloping

Chestnut fur flowing

gracefully

Shining richly in sunlight

Big golden eyes

Full of love

And hugs when we hurt

Nuzzling our face

Exploring with all his being

every blade of grass

tree, fence, lamp

Intense unwavering focus

Nothing in the universe

matters

Except the Ball

Spirit Bear

Droplets hang from sagging boughs

Of tall, dark pines

Enveloped in thick mist

Deep in the rugged wilderness of

the Pacific Northwest

Passing between the trees

A ghostly figure treads silently,

The local people whisper reverently

About a mystical, powerful creature

One rarely seen, almost imagined

Like that of the

Sasquatch

Cosmic Rainbows

Flowing like a cosmic curtain

Over the starlit sky

The cold North

and barren South

Awash with shimmering light

The magical rainbow sways

like a celestial dancer

Orchestrated by the universe

Solstice

Slivers of amber

Filter through the window

The room on fire

Towards the distant hill

Silhouetted yet ablaze in gold

Stands a figure in long robes

Long hair blowing in a bitter wind

Arms outstretched heavenward

Welcoming the season

The time of change

When Mother earth retreats

Like the phoenix

To be restored again

Rainbow Fish

I had a dream once,

of strange unusual creatures

A bat with one wing,

like a sail, on its back

A beautiful fish with a

rainbow frilled mane

brilliant blue

dotted and striped

with splashes of yellow

green and purple

And a tiny mouse

with electric fur

living in the desert

becoming electrically charged

by frequent thunderstorms

I had a dream in which all

these unique creatures were

dying

If they existed,

would we turn a blind eye?

As with the Panda

and Bengal Tiger

Wanderlust

Dark Hills

Velvet curtain

A lone figure silhouetted

Against the vast starless sky

Walking onward

Unperturbed

By cold and

Relentless animals

Always moving

Never stopping

Wanderlust

Fills his soul

Possibilities

Soaring over the grass

And blue black hills

In far away lands

I am a bird, a butterfly, a moth

Feeling the cool breeze

Whipping past

Catching a warm updraft

and floating, swirling, peaceful

My mind wanders

from its task

And again

I put pen to paper

Silent Sentry

Sun beats down

On snowcapped mountains

Frigid waters

And majestic forest

Peaceful, serene

A contrast

To traffic jams

Crowded streets and buses

The pollution and din

Of a city and its people, living life

Surrounded by glass and concrete

While being silently watched over

By the snowcapped mountains

Lazy Days

The soft cool grass

between your toes

The comforting warmth

of the sun on your hair

The subtle fragrance of

flowers, a cocoon

The low rumble of bees

an elixir

Whisking you away from reality

Floating away from the everyday

Just being

Until the ubiquitous cellphone

Yanks you back down

to earth

Quantum Life

Ordered – Chaos

Symbolism – Synchronicity

Global events – Personal actions

Seem random – But infinitesimally planned

All people – All things

Are pure energy – That is organized

Little Gods

Millions of little gods

Surround us, omnipresent

Assisting with everyday mundane

Survival – Earth, Fire, Water, Air

Inside of us

They are our being

They are energy

Everyday Magic

The concrete

beneath my feet

Turns to velvety soft grass

The stone bricks

and pillars of buildings

fade into trees

Exhausts become

a fragrant breeze

a light mist

The honking cars

turn into herds

of fragile deer

Window panes

Turn to glassy lakes

and calm streams

Shining back my reflections

All people around me

vanish

City noise becomes

the buzzing drone of bees

and the chirp of birdsong

Just imagine

Phoenix

As the sun rises

Slowly over the horizon

The phoenix,

Like you

Is reborn

As the first rays of light

Flow over the land

You,

Like the phoenix,

Come to life again

The phoenix bursts forth

To accomplish all it can

Before, in the dying light,

Under a starlit sky

It's life is extinguished

If only briefly

Only to be restored again

With the energy

Of the sun

~~~~~~

Check out Part 2 of my Poetry Collection, Twilight, below!