The Book of Quatrains (the text)

— THE NEW RUBÀIYÀT —

COPYRIGHT 2007 Austin Patrick Torney

Long before I’d ever heard of Omar Khayyàm, I had, apparently, come to some of the same conclusions as had he, or so my friend told me one day, saying that I was already living out and proving Omar’s philosophy. Amazed that I hadn’t heard of Omar, my friend gave me a copy of the Rubàiyàt, one of those charming small sized editions from the late 1800’s. Of course the Rubàiyàt stuck a chord in me which was already resonating to Omar’s frequency, so, I read it cover to cover several times with both wonderment and understanding. As the years went by, I found other editions and began collecting them. At the same time, I began writing down some experiences of my own, most of which I had either lived through or had seen through the eyes of my friends.

It eventually occurred to me that I could write my own set of quatrains. Somehow, inexplicably, the verses came to me as I lived through all the experiences described therein—for I dared not write of any philosophies which had not been tried and proven.

My quatrains, like Omar’s, aim into the heart of life’s dilemmas, offering simple common sense solutions. In this hectic, complicated world of ours we often forget that it is the simple things in life that are still the most enjoyable and inexpensive—for, everyone dies, but not everyone lives. There are many who will read my quatrains and say “those are good ideas”, but immediately revert back to old habits, for change is not an easy thing. All I ask is that they try again, and again, if necessary. Likewise, the spirit of Omar’s heady Persia-fume has reached me across the centuries, as he had hoped it might, and has overtaken me unaware, inspiring me to live and write, in that order.

—————————————

< 0 >
— The Poetic Form —

The verses beat the same, in measured chime;
Lines one-two set the stage, one-two-four rhyme.
Verse three’s the pivot around which thought turns;
Line four delivers the sting—just in time.

< 1 >
— Omar’s Persia-Fume —

Through his Rubàiyàt, I sense enchantment,
Essence distilled by the translator’s scent;
Recomposed from Khayyàm’s dust and spirit,
Potent elixirs escape interment!

< 2 >
— Distant Promise —

To future columns we stretch our present row,
By a lifeline of tenuously spun vow.
Oh how soon the weighted web begins to fail—
The only real time under our feet is NOW.

< 3 >
— Fear Less —

I fear not death, Heaven, or even Hell—
For death is only life’s natural knell,
And Heaven and Hell are within myself;
The one thing I fear is not living well!

< 4 >
— The Last Remembrance —

Engraved is “THE END” of our earthly sigh—
Six sides surround: five are dirt, one is sky.
Shov’ling, Death talks to us at last and says,
“What were you doing during all of nigh?”

< 5 >
— The Best of All Worlds —

Earth’s a garden, an oasis in space,
A world of boundless beauty and grace.
One could search the heavens for such in vain,
Finding no equal, anytime or anyplace.

< 6 >
— The Bird of Time —

A moment of eternity in hand,
Caught from a wingèd creature on time’s sand.
Then put aside to later view in peace—
It flew! Now pursue it through Never-Land.

< 7 >
— Sensibility —

Knowing that we can’t solve all life’s mysteries
Frees us from that senseless task of misery.
Now we see, hear, smell, feel, and drink in all
Reality that penetrates rationality.

< 8 >
— Abloom —

At first, we sleep in our dear mother’s womb;
At last, we sleep in the cold silent tomb.
In between, Life whispers a dream that says
“Wake, live, for the rose withers all too soon!”

< 9 >
— Board of Existence —

The wings of time are checkered black and white,
For fluttering ’round the day flies the night.
Like chess pieces, we gamely play for life,
Until into the box we return—quite!

< 10 >
— Looking Down the Road —

The walker down the morning path gazes
To where s/he’ll be when the next trail blazes.
Do we, too, whom this moment calls her own,
Stare past the scene into hazy mazes?

< 11 >
— Noonday —

At noon, upon the river’s cliff I play
On a blanket with my lover each day.
We enjoy wine, song, verse, and sweet embrace—
This is Heaven on Earth in every way!

< 12 >
— Despoiled —

Living in the abstract becomes our toil—
We grasp out for—well—nothing, hence, we spoil!
Off we float, lost between Heaven and earth,
For our roots no longer reach nature’s soil.

< 13 >
— Eternity’s Smile —

Luckily, we live at peak, atop life’s pile
Of miraculous lives, from eons of wiles.
We’re alive, thanks to all who’ve come before,
So how could we live by any style but smile?

< 14 >
— Future Interest Penalty —

Let not the certainty of the present be
Held mortgage for the Deed of Futurity,
For tomorrow’s just a gleam from afar
And yesterday’s but a cold ash of thee.

< 15 >
— Halfway There —

Daydreams pierce the noise of consciousness
To reveal that which is best for us—yes—
Mere aspiration halves realization;
What we have now was once a dream, no less.

< 16 >
— Remnant —

In our youth we heard life’s call clear and plain;
Life was for living, hope and dreams became!
Ere we were aware, the echoes faded—
The regret that’s left does alone remain.

< 17 >
— Love Feast —

Lady, meet Old Khayyàm, poet of myth—
Fly to him, drawn by incense fumes therewith;
Drink wine, live a poem, make love—enjoy his
Second coming, and his third, fourth, and fifth.

< 18 >
— Self-Less —

When younger, I knew not my elder same,
But when older, I told my younger same
That youth must be young—he knew not my name!
It was my younger self that was to blame.

< 19 >
— Earth-Bound —

In Heaven, desired pleasures fall like rain,
Or so we’ve dreamed to avoid mortal pain;
But we needn’t wait for some promise beyond,
Since on Earth—enjoying life—we have the same!

< 20 >
— Wishing-Well —

When tomorrow’s well is full, will we drink?
Or should we live today? Must we sit and think?
If so, then even today is too late—
The wise just lived yesterday to the brink!

< 21 >
— 2 is greater than 1 + 1 —

A mutual self we form: friend and lover,
Soul-to-soul through language we discover,
Opening each the other up; thus, in sum,
Totaling more than One plus One other.

< 22 >
— Re-Versed —

No time to taste life’s joy or read a verse?
Too busy for friends? Rushing for the hearse?
Then life’s lost in the living—that’s the curse.
Pause—save a life: simplify, start anew, reverse.

< 23 >
— Recipe —

Sunbeams, breezes, dewdrops everywhere,
Nature, love, friends, sensation, adventure—
We have it all—all elements are there:
Life’s a mix of earth, fire, water and air.

< 24 >
— Wholeness —

Classicists drone toward mechanical perfection,
Romanticists drown in emotion’s affection,
And worse, others alternate between extremes—
The way’s not this or that, but joined in direction.

< 25 >
— Thought Experiment —

If you were old or sick, you might regret or pine,
Giving anything to have back some better time,
But now you are young and fine, so, be glad, smile,
For you will never again live this life of thine.

< 26 >
— Love Currents —

Riverside, we raise our cups to the zephyr:
A diamond wealth sparkles upon the water,
Seen, gleaming, through rosé-colored glasses,
As we relax on a summer noon after.

< 27 >
— Worlds in Collusion —

Imagination lights the mind to shine,
Cooling Venus’s reasonless passion,
Warming Mars’ fight song into compassion…
Between those two orbits, the Earth is mine!

< 28 >
— Prismatic Lens —

In Heaven’s darkroom eternal lights wink.
We flash into being, souls filled to the brink!
Like rainbows, we unveil life’s true colors—
Till the picture fades, when back to night we sink!

< 29 >
— In My Own Time —

As I age I drink life’s bountiful wine,
Savoring each droplet in its good time.
As a living chalice of swirling blood,
I must tip my cup to this life of mine.

< 30 >
— The End of My Rope —

Of earth, fire, and water I’m a braid,
Withstanding life’s tangles unafrayed.
Well, I’ll live till death unravels me,
When comes wind to blow my strands away.

< 31 >
— The Light in the Window —

Earth couldn’t be farther out in space, alone;
In all directions it rolls along, unknown.
Look at the stars piercing the depths of time:
They beckon, warm and welcome—the fires of home.

< 32 >
— A Further Complication —

Since life’s complex, some say it must have origin:
It couldn’t have made itself or always have been!
The answer: God; but they’ve begged the question:
He couldn’t have made himself or always have been!

< 33 >
— Ever-More —

It’s all right that I’m not young anymore,
I still live as much as I did before:
Morn, noon, and eve have each their own charm—
As all have enchanting paths to explore.

< 34 >
— Mindless Death —

Currents flash signals through the human mind—
Chemicals decode the impulses in kind.
Where do ideas go when minds turn to dust?
None came back to tell—I must die to find!

< 35 >
— Heaven Found —

Purgatory’s on Venus, where sulphurs rain.
Hell’s found in the sun’s heart, oh, hot burning pain!
Of Heaven’s site, no one has any idea—
For it’s the world’s best kept secret: Earth’s its name!

< 36 >
— Immortal Words —

I burst from the soil and looked for the sky;
Lo, I beheld life’s fount and drank it dry!
My poems, they will live forever and ever;
Me? I must return to the earth and die.

< 37 >
— “To Life” —

Drink the lifeblood of the grapes you’ve sown
Before pressing time squeezes out thy own.
Do toast with thy chalice and all inspire:
“To life’s red wine I give all that I own!”

< 38 >
— Time, Death, and Stardust —

Time and stardust made us Earth’s living guest
While quick death sifted the rest from the best.
Those three—our birthright—form our epitaph:
RIP—time expired, death came, dust was left.

< 39 >
— Illumination —

The stars are eternity’s running-lights—
They shine, even through the fathomless night!
From what bright star came the gleam in your eyes?
To what distant sun returns your smile’s light?

< 40 >
— Dust unto Dust —

In spring we rise from the garden in birth.
Summer blooms long with the roses’ fresh mirth.
Autumn creeps in—we wither on the vine.
Last comes winter, then we return to earth.

< 41 >
— Rebirth —

I turn the cup: wine-drops to thirsty lips descend—
Can Old Khayyàm rise anew, like spring grass ascend?
Mournful rose petals kiss his grave, hence he a-rose!
Now Omar lives again in the heart of his friend.

< 42 >
— Love Paradox —

Arithmetic theory fails in love’s plot:
Love when divided diminishes not,
As would sadness, and vanishes not—
Each love multiplies to exceed the lot!

< 43 >
— The Last Act —

Waste not time as if you had endless breath;
Life is to act—and not to do so is death.
So then, live in the way that you would die:
Perform each act as if it were your last.

< 44 >
— Vocal Music —

Poetry makes clear what is barely heard,
For it translates soul-language into words,
Whereas melody plays straight on the heart;
Merged, they create song—heart and soul converge.

< 45 >
— Faint Reflections —

Poetry lives silently in an illustration;
A poem’s beauty is its painting with diction.
These, like music, are mere works of worldly art—
Just shadows of some Divine Perfection!

< 46 >
— Queen for a Day —

A rose’s prime lasts for but an hour of morn:
Flowering and free, then fragile and forlorn,
The petals float to earth, and there signify
That beauty’s past—for all that’s left is the thorn.

< 47 >
— Where Love Comes From —

Love’s spirit wove the soul’s warp, weft, and wave,
Creating an eternal, perfect braid
Wound from strands of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty;
Each different forms, but from the same All made.

< 48 >
— Opportune —

Be wide aware when chance shines as your sun,
For she, in turn, happens on everyone—
Graciously welcome the lady of luck
By recognizing her as Dame Fortune.

< 49 >
— Going Nowhere —

Take the road of “Eventually” toward “Someday”;
Turn back at the fork of “Maybe” and “Perhaps”;
Pass the winding path where “It Could Have Been”—
Then you’ve arrived in the land of “Never”!

< 50 >
— Now is the Time —

Live life fully every day—never wait,
For when hope’s promise masquerades as fate,
It steals your time, defrauds you, forestalls you—
Until death disposes of joys put off too late!

< 51 >
— Unbalanced Equation —

Beautiful sentiments call attention;
Style/substance equals emotion/motion.
Gather sentiments, place them on the scale—
They weigh much less than one lovely action!

< 52 >
— Inner Fire —

Starlight is the origin of our being,
The source of matter, energy—everything.
Permanent, reassuring, unquenchable—
It’s the radiant soul—a self-winding mainspring.

< 53 >
— Venus Near the Moon —

Reason spoke to Passion, with logic cool,
“Quench thy inner fire, lest it burn us, fool.”
Said Passion: “I know What I feel, not Why;
’Tis better you take heed of me—I rule!”

< 54 >
— Beware —

Plodding along through a life unaware?
Friends can be yours if you just stop to care!
You can’t see? Busy going nowhere?
When dead you’ll be even more unaware!

< 55 >
— When Seasons Pass —

She grows a clutch of blossoms to propose,
His zephyr blows nature’s page to disclose:
Spring, departing, caresses the summer…
From their only kiss blooms the lovely rose.

< 56 >
— Living on the Edge —

I dare to walk the line, balancing fun
There between adventure and misfortune—
For the greatest blunder in life is to
Repeatedly fear that you might make one.

< 57 >
— Byron’s Golden Mean —

Let us have wine, lovers, song, and laughter—
Water, chastity, prayer the day after.
Such we’ll alternate the rest of our days—
On the average, we’ll make Hereafter!

< 58 >
— Sum of the Parts —

Life must be more like a mosaic done
Than a focused laser tunnel of sun.
Since few lengthy pleasures are lent to us,
We build a stained-glass window of small ones.

< 59 >
— The Deepest Truth —

Poets translate what’s within and above,
Exhibiting truths from depths unheard of.
There is one deep truth that I know is true,
As do you: “The truth of all truths is Love”.

< 60 >
— Reasonable Passion —

I give no reason for love’s passion planned,
Since to do so would be but secondhand—
For the Heart and Soul have many reasons
That Reason can never understand.

< 61 >
— The Living Proof —

“Mentor Khayyàm, you gave me reason and rhyme;
I followed your quatrains, testing them through time;
The real proof of your advice was to live it.
Thanks, Omar—now I write the ones that are mine.”

< 62 >
— Creative Unity —

Heart-flight is love that the wondrous Earth brings,
As wind to the soul whispers unimaged things;
Senses merge as streams to flow beyond joy;
Imagination fires enlightened wings.

< 63 >
— Up and Up —

Of your love-sweet companion take a sup,
While s/he as your chalice is lifted up.
Drink deep the wine that satisfies love’s thirst;
Drink—before the winds of time dry the cup.

< 64 >
— The Kiss of Life —

To your lover, all your kisses bestow,
When life’s colors glow in your rainbow,
For as long as love’s kisses can live,
Neither age nor time on your life will show.

< 65 >
— What is Love? —

Love is giving without gain in return;
Taking is selfish—do we never learn?
Graciously accept all that you receive,
And give kindness to everyone in turn.

< 66 >
— Breathless —

Bickering and quarreling expends breath,
Saps energy, and undoes love’s promise.
Precious breath, waste it not when you have it!
Enjoy all that life can give, ere comes death.

< 67 >
— “I’ve Got to Run Now” —

See them hurrying hither and thither:
Oh, look at the time! They must go whither.
What sense the life that has no time to live?
Wherefore the wind that swirls in a dither?

< 68 >
— Balance —

Not quite sober blessed nor drunk to excess—
Never too foolish nor very reckless;
Oh, our passion is so reasonable
In this delicate state of awareness.

< 69 >
— Complaint Dept. —

Complain not to me of your present hell,
But first, set out to make the spirit well.
Life is no more than what you make of it,
So go build a Heaven, and then me tell.

< 70 >
— Incomplete —

A puzzle, if one muddles, can be made to fit,
The parts making a seamed whole, bit by bit by bit;
However, people in unions have edges that sit
Perfectly on one side but not on another.

< 71 >
— Complete —

A diamond sparkles though its every face,
Each plane contributing its view of space.
Such radiant richness does life reflect,
For one facet does not a diamond make.

< 72 >
— Gone Living —

Off I’ve gone to learn just how good life can be;
Woe’s not with me, Care’s eagle eye can’t find me,
Stress was left behind with the serpent Despair;
I’ll feast on the earth before it feasts on me.

< 73 >
— The Time is Now —

Can we seize what’s flown or yet to be sown?
No! So fill the cup and drink-in what’s known!
Since the past dies as the future becomes,
Now’s the only time we can call our own!

< 74 >
— Unrepenting —

For my sins of spring I repent my part—
No! I mustn’t repent, for how, apart,
Could I resist the beauty of love’s truth
When roses and tulips bloom in loving hearts?

< 75 >
— Whyfore Art Thou? —

It’s a short tale to tell of how and why
We all come and go through earth, air, and sky:
Out of eternity’s flame in the night,
Some sparks grow bright, then flicker and die.

< 76 >
— Lost and Found —

To find yourself, lose yourself in another,
For s/he will touch your being, and therein share,
Gently unveiling your heart, soul, mind, and senses
Till there’s nowhere to hide! You’re found, forever!

< 77 >
— One Spirit Lights Another —

Come light your lantern and mine with good cheer;
We’re magic lamps—our spirits dance in there.
Our beginning and end are of nowhere,
So radiate—since—for now—we are here!

< 78 >
— Love Rules —

So much sweeter sounds are your lover’s sighs
Than the groan of war that wins great prize.
Just one taste of true love by far outbuys
A Sultan’s wealth in some rich paradise.

< 79 >
— Don’t Worry —

Why fret about life’s ultimate secret—
For whose thoughts can escape this worldly net?
It’s so easy: don’t despair, be happy!
All told, ’tis best to live without regret.

< 80 >
— Shine On —

Like the bright faces that define the jewel,
Friends enrich each other’s view of life’s gem:
As love’s reflection in life’s diamond, they’re
Glints and gleams of reality’s sparkle!

< 81 >
— Boundless Love —

Love matures when we let it flow beyond—
Freed to wend its way to places dear and fond.
Love’s butterfly prospers when winds blow free;
Unconditional love never binds—it bonds.

< 82 >
— Soundless Depths —

Can I ever fathom the source of love?
Perhaps its fount springs from Heaven above?
But this I know: Love’s rhythm resonates,
Beneath words and thoughts, in depths unheard of.

< 83 >
— Love-Scene —

I’m fully immersed in love’s boundless dream,
Floating in peace on beauty’s quiet stream.
Truth is clearly seen—it’s so bright and right;
Purity’s goodness swells each sparkling gleam.

< 84 >
— Positive and Negative —

Good and evil were wrought from wrong and right,
When, from nought, twin genii split day and night.
Some think that black’s might can vanquish white,
But night can’t even quench the smallest light!

< 85 >
— Sore Spot —

New love is safe awhile in paradise,
And when solid will forever entice,
But the smallest crack starts the rock to split—
All is lost—you can’t have the same love twice!

< 86 >
— Love Cycle —

Loss is painful when leaves fall, but, we cope—
As always, new attachments form, with hope,
For the seasonal cycle mirrors all:
Life is a generous kaleidoscope!

< 87 >
— Beacon —

Wonder, delight, gladness, and unquenched joy
Float up gently in dark seas, like a buoy,
To mark the feelings that were hidden deep—
In depths where sadness could never destroy.

< 88 >
— Reinforced —

We did not create ourselves, of course—
We’re an expression of a deeper force.
Why rein it in or try to control it?
Since it comes from beyond, flow with the force!

< 89 >
— Stress Exercise —

Breathe in all that’s good, breathe out all that’s bad;
Peace flows into you—it’s warm, wet, and glad.
Feel it spread throughout your body, then say,
“This is the best life that I’ve ever had!”

< 90 >
— Walk, Don’t Run —

Walking gives more energy than it takes—
It’s as easy as falling forward makes.
Thoughts are clear, cares fade, alertness tingles—
Life’s spirit whispers you along, wide awake.

< 91 >
— A Question of Life or Death —

Since death is a certain fate on the Earth,
One might ask: “How shall I live my worth?”
Stay busy living—or you’ll be dying.
The answer please: “There’s life after birth!”

< 92 >
— Get Real! —

Nature enters along paths sensory,
As it seeps into rationality,
Then saturates the being with delight—
The greatest taste is of reality.

< 93 >
— Now Playing —

Oft, I drink-in the pleasures of creation,
For what else could be the point of cognition,
If not to absorb all that comes streaming in?
Life’s sensation is the main attraction!

< 94 >
— All’s Right with the World —

If we were angels, life would be so just;
Instead, we try, we push, we climb, we lust,
We dance, we dream, we feel, and love with zest—
Yes, all this, thanks to the beast within us!

< 95 >
— Fundamental Ignorance —

Few people celebrate life anymore—
“There’s not enough time in the day,” they’re sure,
“To care about life, friends, love, romance, joy,
Wisdom, smiles, books, dreams, art, and adventure.”

< 96 >
— Give and Take —

Freely given love returns on the wing,
But, if you keep your love you’ll have nothing;
It’s the most wonderful paradox—
Give your love and you’ll have everything!

< 97 >
— Here and Now —

As of now I hold reality’s attention,
This being the time of my present comprehension.
What is past exists only in memory,
The future only in imagination.

< 98 >
— Insight —

Take the time to relax—reflect all night:
Think, think, think with the eye of the mind’s sight,
Then find serenity, hope, and delight,
For only the heart can know what is right!

< 99 >
— Unheard From —

Don’t let life’s noise bother you day and night—
Find some secret place, far from the spotlight,
Where silence can’t be drowned, where you can hear
The voice of your inner chorus singing outright.

< 100 >
— Omar’s Gravesite —

In Naishàpùr, Persia, rose gardens sing,
Then shed their blossoms at the end of spring.
Likewise, Old Khayyàm’s earthly splendor flew,
But his Bird of Time still lives, on the wing.

< 101 >
— What Love Remembers —

We bask in the warmth of winter sunshine,
The sunbeams creating a golden shrine—
As sparks given birth from the embers,
The flames are fueled by the light divine.

< 102 >
— Growing Closer —

Your partner’s heart beats dear against thy own,
Where you’re safe, warm, and completely at home;
S/he surrounds the blossom of your flower,
Enrapting you, like the words of a poem.

< 103 >
— Paradise Regained —

Say “Farewell!” Heaven’s promise is bereft;
Yet, live with gratitude—be not distressed;
Still, dismiss immortality’s dream;
Accept, with appetite, whatever’s left.

< 104 >
— The Facts of Life —

Fresh winds make love to the blossoms of May;
The spring flowers reach for the light of day.
Drinking deep droughts of life’s sunny delight,
The fields burst with the joy of love’s bouquet.

< 105 >
— The Awe-Full Truth —

I’ve said “Good-bye” to the dream of forever,
‘Though I’m too philosophical to be bitter.
Poignantly resigned, I accept, with hunger
And joy, all that’s left—whatever—with pleasure.

< 106 >
— Endless Love —

The capacity for love is boundless—
No “piece for you” and “fraction for the rest”.
Since the sum of love’s parts exceeds the whole,
One can give and give love, never-the-less!

< 107 >
— Presence —

Often I’ve deeply sensed thee, phantasm,
Known you in my heart between its spasms,
Found you in my soul amid the chasms,
Filled my mind with your enthusiasm.

< 108 >
— Dream-Well —

Tonight, before consciousness slips away,
Reflect—plan to dream in a wondrous way…
You’ll be relaxed by the visions of night,
You’ll be ready for the promise of day.

< 109 >
— Bonding Agent —

Love lightens the cross of heaviness,
As its dreams color the drowsy darkness.
Love’s subtle hues paint life’s panorama,
For love’s the bond that secures completeness.

< 110 >
— Evensong —

Undisturbed by the day’s bright noise, I sing,
Sensing the soft sweep across my heartstring.
The soul plays rhythm to the universe,
As it brings calm to every living thing.

< 111 >
— After Someday Comes Noneday —

“Someday, I want to do all things in this land,
Such as live and love, ere time runs out of sand.”
“Thou art dead in thy youth—there’s no magic wand;
All you can do is what’s clearly at hand!”

< 112 >
— Forecast —

Flowers grow from their many roots, upcast;
Some must pass, some are steadfast. The contrast:
Those which grow much too quickly wither fast;
Those which grow steadily and slowly, last.

< 113 >
— Me and Thee —

“Thy heart touches my own; no, ’tis more I love thee!
Yes, much more art thou loved, the ‘me’ is now in thee.
Thou art the soul of my soul and mine is of thine;
Nay, ’tis more than that: thou art me and I am thee!”

< 114 >
— Night Light —

The day pours life into roots with sunlight;
Flowers bloom, showering us with delight.
In a blossom, a firefly blinks its light,
Kindling the flames of a romantic night.

< 115 >
— Thought-Full —

Insight stabs the utter darkness of nought,
As ideas that wink in the mind as thought.
This is the only knowledge to be known—
All else is aforethought or afterthought.

< 116 >
— Brick Wall —

If you’re a captive of the lifeless day,
A wall around you, brick by brick, will weigh.
Habited you’ll stay until, one day,
Bricks will be moulded from your dusty clay.

< 117 >
— Treasured Wisdom —

As living pearls we’re strung out right and left,
Lovely and beautiful on the Earth’s breast.
Her bosom heaves, as one by one we’re cleft:
A thousand truths die, until none are left.

< 118 >
— Aquavita —

Time on its stream brings all sweet things to us,
For time’s the drink that quenches human thirst.
Water of life—we drink time, it drinks us!
Time on its stream bears all sweet things from us.

< 119 >
— Sanctifier —

My soul to solitude does oft retire
When the noise of life sets my nerves on fire.
There the rhythmic songs of nature inspire—
I sense the vibrance of my inner choir.

< 120 >
— Underlying —

In his flowered bed Omar reposes,
Resting in the earth in peace, one supposes,
But beneath the words and themes on roses
In my quatrain-poems, Old Khayyàm composes.

< 121 >
— Persona Grata —

Your wine, my persona radiata,
Fills my golden chalice—oh, Sultana,
I’m intoxicated by your love-stream
Flowing freely—oh dear, amorata!

< 122 >
— Summer Offspring —

Spring’s last breath awakens him, he’s living:
The life-force passes to summer from spring.
His clover spreads, vines grow strong, roses cling—
All from the kiss of which she died giving.

< 123 >
— Keats: The Passion-Flower-Poet —

The rose was the promise of his life’s blood,
But he died on the vine, nipped in the bud;
Dewy love-tears fell, dripping on the thorns—
Oh how those drops swelled eternity’s flood!

< 124 >
— High Hopes —

A thousand starry goblets fill the sky,
So we can taste Heaven’s drink when we die.
This is man’s tale, not God’s, so, drink today—
The stars shine on, heedless of where we lie.

< 125 >
— Keeping the Flame Alive —

Gawain, Percevale, and knights of fable
Sat with King Arthur at the Round-Table.
The glow from the Dark Age enlights us still—
Their shining flame does the soul enable.

< 126 >
— Tip Your Glass, but Don’t Spill —

The light of Heav’n did the earth illumine,
When He shaped human-nature’s acumen.
Temptations He then placed everywhere,
But He’ll punish us for being human!

< 127 >
— Watering the Garden —

I drink your wine into my two-lip cup,
As meanwhile my giver-of-life comes up;
Petal by petal, your rose wide unfolds;
Passions grow from the dew on which we sup.

< 128 >
— Lost Love —

As falls the dusk my reason’s light departs—
Darkness sinks to ground, snuffing out my spark;
But rhythms rise out of sorrow’s depth:
I sing the song whose sweetness broke my heart.

< 129 >
— The Garden of Love —

In the soil we shared, these flowers we chose—
Truth: tulip, goodness: lily, beauty: rose.
Nurtured with care, they yet wave to and fro—
Storms can’t scatter the flowers that love grows.

< 130 >
— Good-Night —

Each night a genie comes to fill my urn,
Pouring sleep into me till day’s return—
Such, as day follows night for all eterne,
Fulfillment follows all for which I yearn.

< 131 >
— Illume —

Waste not the time of your life in gloom’s doom!
By these verses, the lamp of life relume:
“Your live body, full of warmth and bloom,
Is worth ten thousand lying in the tomb.”

< 132 >
— Sun’s Flower —

Born of stardust and nourished by sunlight,
I fill my cup with wonders of delight.
Life is a treasure, a radiant gem,
A vision that I’ll never see again.

< 133 >
— Absence of Light —

“I’m the darkest,” said the Shadow to the Night.
“No,” said Midnight, “compared to me you’re bright.”
“You floodlights!” said Starless Space, “Stop your fight.
The darkest plight is the lack of love’s delight!”

< 134 >
— Reverie —

Daydreams are filled with thoughts on promenade:
Wishes, fantasies o’er the mind cascade.
Listen well to these plans already made,
For by sundown the phantom shapes may fade.

< 135 >
— Music —

Memory’s ideas recall the last heard tone;
Sensation savors what is presently known;
Imagination anticipates coming sounds—
The delight is such that none could produce alone.

< 136 >
— Time After Time —

Lovely moment, come hither unto me:
Embrace me, then, expiring, give birth to
Another just as sweet—you’re mine, all mine,
For you’re giving me the time of my life!

< 137 >
— Counter-Part —

There are glances, charms, and notions that start
Another’s heart, as well might Cupid’s dart,
Bringing souls together that were apart,
For communication is heart-to-heart.

< 138 >
— Worthless and Priceless —

All the world’s wealth cannot extend the power
That drains the cup and withers the flower.
What would be the price of a moment’s breath
Purchased from Death’s hand at the final hour?

< 139 >
— The Cure —

Moods good or bad are quite contagious…
To hold your tongue when wronged is courageous
When dealing with loved ones outrageous;
In the long run this is advantageous.

< 140 >
— The Days —

Days are the cyclic units of time’s pearl,
Beads worn round in the necklace of the months…
They distance themselves, like night echoes,
Into the rosary of the seasons.

< 141 >
— The World Reinvented —

Once again I’ve lived through the winter’s chills
To see another spring of daffodils—
Eager sap rises in my veins, and thrills,
As the sun pours life into my tendrils.

< 142 >
— The Seasoning of Man —

Joy and exuberance are spring’s largesse;
Sunlight, warmth, and growth are summer’s bequest;
Autumn brings wealth with its mellow harvest;
Winter’s fruit is peace—its bounty is rest.

< 143 >
— So Long Ago —

Old Khayyàm has gone to where no one knows,
Sequestered far beneath the winter snows,
Yet a voice through the centuries echoes,
As still the summer blossoms with the rose.

< 144 >
— Mistaken Identity —

Friends and lovers cannot make one complete—
Identity isn’t changed by those we meet.
Love is for people who know who they are;
Otherwise, they’ll find themselves unreplete.

< 145 >
— Peace Continuum —

My spirit flows from moment to moment,
Connecting and savoring life’s events,
Drinking-in the sounds, currents, textures, scents,
And subtle delights—a being self-content.

< 146 >
— The Three “Veils” —

Fog can’t stop the brightness that it may veil,
’Though it sink and swell through every vale,
For the beams will flow as rays of sunshine
And burn the mist—till warmth on all prevail.

< 147 >
— The Fluttering Songbird of Youth —

The child in us was warm, playful, and bold,
But vanished, ere we knew, leaving us cold.
Now this we know: The day we stop being
Playful is the day we start to get old.

< 148 >
— What Dreams are Made of —

I’m a person who keeps things happening,
Expecting that life’s ever becoming—
Because each reality was once a dream
Of someone’s that was loved into being.

< 149 >
— Dried Up —

Couples who cut off the rest of the world
Can use each other up—their lives unfurl;
They’re no longer who they were when they met.
Never dismiss a friend in the name of love’s whirl.

< 150 >
— To Love is To Give —

The meaning of love is in its giving,
Since there’s no motive towards obtaining;
Taking is the opposite of giving!
Caring? Sharing? They’re reasons for living.

< 151 >
— Self-Fulfilling Prophecy —

Think positive and thus conquer the strife:
Think of love, health, beauty, adventure, wife.
Beliefs manifest themselves in reality:
If beliefs are halfhearted, then so is life.

< 152 >
— Catching Butterflies —

Some may ask of Life: “How does one find love?”
Life says, “Be still! Don’t look far and above;
Stop—let love’s butterfly alight on you,
For that’s the touch that romance is made of.”

< 153 >
— Return from Oblivion —

Hectic and hurried, we rush to success—
Serenity can’t find us unless
We slow down, see shades, hear tones, feel textures,
Smell scents, and enjoy life’s loving caress.

< 154 >
— I, Why? —

All the stars roll by for me to classify—
Science more and more my life does simplify;
But I have one final question left to ask:
“Why in the world was I born to live and die?”

< 155 >
— Procrastination —

The world soon bypasses the diffident—
Life’s choices are not just some fringe event;
Choices are life! The worst choice is none, since
All creation takes place in the present.

< 156 >
— Déjà Vu —

Perhaps, one day, you, too, will meet someone who
Has no grace or style, and their friendship pursue.
So, then, say to them what I once said to you:
“Once I was shy and confused; once I was you!”

< 157 >
— Earning and Yearning —

If love were easy to find, have, or say,
Then its meaning’s worth would soon fly away;
But from steady effort love grows, to lead
Yearning to fulfillment—it’s there to stay.

< 158 >
— The Circle Closes —

Numerous will become the friends thou hast,
If their needs you fill when your heart is vast.
Fulfillment doth follow caring, at last,
’Though unconditional love is unasked.

< 159 >
— Free-Bees —

We roam at ease, drinking of the flowers,
Riding balmy breezes through the bowers,
And accepting nature’s dearest favors
That life provides in so many flavors.

< 160 >
— Death Knell —

Dying in the shadow of the minaret,
Old Khayyàm faces death without regret.
The Bird of Time lands—evening winds murmur;
Omar savors the glow of his last sunset.

< 161 >
— Adieu —

Farewell to the starry skies that he knew.
Oh heaven, your eyes will soon rise anew
And search for him all over the planet,
But never find him, for he’s bid adieu.

< 162 >
— Best Friend —

Dear solitude, who with silence does blend
Quietly to let all my thoughts ascend:
With you I’m alone but never lonely,
For I am my own best and loving friend.

< 163 >
— Grateful Prayer —

My blood runs warm with the sun’s heat at noon.
My spirit is swept by the swelling moon.
Air surrounds me. The ocean flows through me.
Earth’s rhythm is always playing my tune.

< 164 >
— Perpetual Sunrise —

The present’s the only reality—attend/shun,
For it’s these precious moments that make up creation.
Not only live this day as if it were your last one,
But also live it as if your life had just begun.

< 165 >
— One-Dimensional —

Workaholics give their lives to work’s career,
Leaving no time for family, self, or peer.
Health soon fails as they work themselves to death.
Alas, they’ve missed the whole point of being here.

< 166 >
— Joy of Life —

Our lives ought to be rich with excitation—
We deserve to enjoy complete sensation.
Pleasure’s not merely a reward for working—
It’s life’s foremost experience of elation.

< 167 >
— Lighten Up —

Straight-faced, tight-lipped, severe, and intent?
Limiting your ways to become content?
To relax, reorder your priorities;
Ask yourself, “What is really important?”

< 168 >
— The Growth of Friends —

Accept your friends’ temporary good-byes,
For they’re growing through life’s kindred skies.
Love doesn’t possess or demand—it frees!
Friendships bloom in the gaze of loving eyes.

< 169 >
— About Time —

Time, my old enemy, can’t vanquish me,
For I’ve accepted death’s final counter plea.
Time may now flow on—even take me beyond,
But time’s now my friend—for there’s peace in me.

< 170 >
— The Missing Link —

“If I could’ve, I would’ve—I should’ve!
Yes, I ought to, I need to, I have to!”
Life’s real tragedy is in what is missed—
Spend time on action, not just intention.

< 171 >
— Top Priority —

Loving is what this life is all about;
To give and have it is to live all-out!
Love’s the finest thing! Can you do without?
Then, why, oh why do you not seek it out?

< 172 >
— Grand-View —

“I will have my freedom,” said the artist’s sword.
“No more will I illustrate the written word—
I’ll draw whatever I please, then, the writers
Can describe my sketches with their fancy words.”

< 173 >
— Imprint —

Sweetness and serenity drift over me,
Like a mist creeping into a valley.
Dripping wet, tender, verdant, and fertile,
Life’s soft edges impress love into me.

< 174 >
— Senseless —

Senses melt away, drip by drop by drip.
Impressions flood the speechless spirit.
Emotions flow free for my heart to read.
Love draws me in—I dissolve in it.

< 175 >
— Flower Garden —

The tulip lifts her blushing cheeks to me,
While wandering winds caress the rose tree.
She wears a spring smile and pours dewy tea.
“Yes, I’ll drink you long and deep into me.”

< 176 >
— Empty Cup —

Old Khayyàm reclines on the grass, near death.
The Dark Angel arrives and to him saith:
“Drink one last deep drought from Life’s precious cup.”
Omar smiles and sips, then breathes his last breath.

< 177 >
— Farewell —

The Angel of Light finds Omar to bless,
And says: “Khayyàm, I must soon repossess
Your clay, so let us drink to your success!”
He drinks and smiles, then meets Life’s last caress.

< 178 >
— The Procession of the Moments —

Sad Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow—
They all came, led by their tears and sorrow,
To mourn old Khayyàm: “Hail, cheer, and farewell!
You took from death All that life could borrow.”

< 179 >
— Live for Today —

Omar’s Rubàiyàt was a revelation—
Seven times I read through each edition.
At last it all became clear: Life is precious!
Thus to its living I made my transition.

< 180 >
— Omar Khayyàm —

Like phantoms from the tomb, the lamps relume.
From promise in the womb, the verses bloom.
The poetic spirit spreads: Persia-fume—
As he my Book of Quatrains does illume.

< 181 >
— Tetrastich —

Out of the dust of this world’s gloom and doom,
Drift the spores of Omar Khayyàm’s mushroom,
Spreading forth the seeds of wisdom—to whom?
To those who would taste of life, I assume.

< 182 >
— Exhumed —

It is old Omar Khayyàm, I presume,
From whose inspiration my themes resume.
His wine, love, laughter, and song I subsume,
Adding my own thoughts for all to consume.

< 183 >
— FitzGerald’s Heirloom —

Across Khayyàm’s gravestone blows the simoom,
Carrying forth Omar’s Persia-fume.
Redressed in the translator’s costume,
It’s remade into Victorian perfume.

< 184 >
— Word Sculpture —

A poem provides universal advice.
It’s structured, intense, rhythmical, concise—
A unified body of sensation,
Thoughts, and passions; You’ll want to read it twice!

< 185 >
— Form and Idea —

A poem is both the thought and the presence,
An object born from one’s profoundest sense,
An image of diction, feeling, and rhythm—
It’s both the existence and the essence.

< 186 >
— Body and Spirit —

A poem is a truth fleshed in living words,
Which, by showing unapprehended proof,
Lifts the veil to reveal hidden beauty:
It’s life’s image drawn in eternal truth.

< 187 >
— Re-Animation —

Poetry makes immortal what is best,
For it frees images of dreams impressed,
Apprehends the vanishing phantasms,
And sends them forth, in fine words, fully dressed.

< 188 >
— Soul to Soul —

Poems are renderings of the soul’s spirit,
The highest power of language and wit.
The reader then translates back to spirit—
If the soul responds, then a poem you’ve writ!

< 189 >
— The Trouble with “Love” —

Only a few words rhyme with the above,
Like the overflown dove, the heartless shove,
And the ill-fitting glove. Alas, “love’s” rhymes
Remain unheard of, or aren’t well thought of.

< 190 >
— Well-Spring —

In winter’s cocoon I lay rapt, thinking,
For the imagination’s now the king;
But the mind will rest, the senses will reign,
When spring returns and winter dreams take wing.

< 191 >
— Love’s Incense —

She’s the elixir that fills my cup,
The scent on the breezes that lifts me up—
She’s love’s essence, distilled into being,
The passion-spirit that opens me up.

< 192 >
— The Cabin in the Woods —

Worries can’t find us in our forest home,
For it’s out where spirits can freely roam,
Where there’s truth, love, beauty, peace, and quiet,
Where we can reside in a living poem.

< 193 >
— Phantasmagoria —

Of you I dream, phantasm of thought’s delight,
Breathing life into you that passions excite.
As the night kisses the day, our spirits unite,
Intertwined in the magic of twilight.

< 194 >
— Quenched —

My dearest: Your wet lips’ sensual pout
Draws me to the cooling well, in and out.
Love’s sensation touches us everywhere…
At last, the sweetwater puts the fire out.

< 195 >
— New World —

I’ve constructed the world that dreams require,
One moulded closer to the heart’s desire.
In this world-body of a soul inspired,
I’ll live life entire before I expire.

< 196 >
— The Old Man —

Past, the flower of spring’s soft breath,
Gone, the summer of promise;
Faded, the colored autumn of care,
Beheld, the white winter of death.

< 197 >
— Visions —

Cares floated out on the tide and then some.
Sun-sparkles glimmered, danced, and swum,
Alighting on my mind to become
Ideas about the loving night to come.

< 198 >
— My Own —

In the water a face to me is shown,
One that sang all the songs the earth has known:
It’s yesterday’s summer wanderer,
Free again to shine on the world we own.

< 199 >
— Versifier —

Thoughts fly as sparks from the eternal fire,
To fill these pages with light to inspire,
For giving love is all that I desire,
And living life is all that I require.

< 200 >
— Dreams are Born —

I pursue the shadows of forms that live
In dreams—perfected ideals that outlive
All the minutes and hours that time devours.
I seek what hope creates, what wishes give.

< 201 >
— Dreams Become —

Moulded from thoughts and feelings, she draws me
Into the scene—dissolving into me!
Thou art in me, my phantasm, till the
Heart whose dream created you recalls thee.

< 202 >
— Dreams Take Wing —

I seize on life’s phantom dream, dimly seen.
Tremendous image! I will join thy scene:
Aspiration sires realization!
Living my dreams will soon become routine.

< 203 >
— Dreams’ Never-Land —

Dreams become imagination’s command;
The impossible I now understand.
Knowing that dreams can come true makes them so;
A real fantasy land is being planned.

< 204 >
— Avower —

We’ll journey into life’s inner bowers,
Savoring there the enchanted flowers,
Enjoying those rare visions empowered—
All that speechless memory has devoured.

< 205 >
— About Time —

At last we retrieve the wingèd hours,
Those that drudges stole and overpowered:
Hours gentle and mild, like cleansing showers
That fill the cup and freshen the flowers.

< 206 >
— Two for One —

As we walk and while away the hours,
We taste a life that’s sweet without the sour.
As soul meets soul under love’s great power,
We merge what’s yours and mine into ours!

< 207 >
— Read this Twice —

Saturate the mind with every quatrain—
Till a life of deeds echoes each refrain,
Till all philosophies are embedded,
Till dream, wish, and life are one and the same.

< 208 >
— Shelley’s Worldly Love —

I am thy moon, thy constant satellite,
Thy crystal paramour of day and night.
Above and below and within thy sight,
I whirl around you in loving delight.

< 209 >
— Bosom’s Pearl —

In a magnetic dance I whirl and twirl,
Attracted to you, the liveliest world.
’Round you as a necklace I’m all aswirl—
Wear me as thy crystalline gem impearled.

< 210 >
— Moon after Earth —

Wherever thou orbits ’round Apollo,
I must twirl and whirl, hurry and follow.
Dust I gather, meteors I swallow,
Ranging far and wide through space not hollow.

< 211 >
— Heart-Light —

Thy romantic beam, like Cupid’s arrow,
Pierces my heart to kill my sorrow,
Injecting life and love for tomorrow;
Henceforth I’ll shine with this light I borrow.

< 212 >
— Involved —

As twin planets, our orbits must convolve—
Into each our tidal motions dissolve.
Around our common center we revolve—
The focus from which our passions evolve.

< 213 >
— Unconditional Love —

As twin planets, each other’s way we pave,
With the push-pulse of the graviton wave.
We’re captured, but not as each other’s slave,
For to the sun our orbits are concave.

< 214 >
— Echoes of Love —

To your lines of flux my path I align—
I’m your constant paramour, crystalline.
Your world pours life on mine, on mine!
Dearest Earth, I must be thine, must be thine!

< 215 >
— Swell Tide —

A magnetic beam emanates from thee,
Attracting me, holding me, kissing me.
Tidal love washes freely over us,
Linking you and me for eternity.

< 216 >
— Moon Glow —

Basking warmly in the reflected light,
I’m bright, oh, so radiant in your sight!
In the love and light of your spirit bright,
I need not ever face the endless night.

< 217 >
— Electromagnetic Waves —

Your vibrations travel without a sound,
Coming from all directions to surround.
Your affection touches me ’round and ’round,
Closely binding me to you—I’m love-bound!

< 218 >
— Intersecting Circles —

We are as different as midnight and noon,
Yet drawn close by the force of Earth and moon.
As lovers, we merge in a sweet eclipse
When world meets world as a kiss on our lips.

< 219 >
— Beyond Conjunction —

Oh, as your shadow of love covers me,
I am full, so full in the shade of thee.
When we overlap, that union is us—
The “you” is in me, the “me” is in thee!

< 220 >
— Worldly Romance —

As moon and Earth we bathe in radiance,
Cleansing our hearts in love’s grand alliance.
’Round and ’round each other we dance, entranced,
Revolving in the whirl of our dalliance.

< 221 >
— The Time That Flew —

We spend our time doing nothing that’s new,
Or doing nothing that we ought to do;
We act as if there’s no end to all our days,
And then complain that the hours are too few!

< 222 >
— Vaporous Steam —

Slumbering in the orient sunbeam,
I awake as a dewdrop, all agleam,
Refreshed by the delight of my daydream,
And rise as mist, carried on the day-beam.

< 223 >
— Perpetual Emotion —

Throughout the day, I’m living out my dream,
Drifting on air, aloft in a day-beam—
Causing, when condensing in night’s dark stream,
Many more such wondrous dreams, it would seem.

< 224 >
— Making Luck —

Life roots fast in the fertile cracks of day
From seeds planted along that rocky way.
Like artisans, we mix our work and play,
Nurturing, then harvesting life’s bouquet.

< 225 >
— Fertile Ground —

When I was alone in my darkest hour,
A budding spirit rose, like a flower,
That burst from the soil of a garden shared—
So radiant, alive, and full of power!

< 226 >
— Unhealthy Habits —

It’s unnatural to suppress a natural urge,
For, this is distortion, a most unhealthy purge!
Lack of food, sleep, or sex can lead to neurosis,
So—let natural functions freely emerge.

< 227 >
— Free at Last —

Head, heart, body, and soul were together built—
So why separate them? Merge them, so thou wilt
Have more awareness of life’s experience,
Freeing sensual joy from feelings of guilt.

< 228 >
— Aromatherapy —

Pleasant smelling scents lift her heart and mine:
Essence of lotus, rose, amber, jasmine,
Night-queen, myrtle, saffron, and sandalwood
Stimulate the inner spirit sublime.

< 229 >
— The Inner Sanctum —

Spontaneous, endearing acts allow
Dead yesterday and unborn tomorrow
To be dropped from the calendar, for,
In the love-temple, there is only NOW!

< 230 >
— Bubbling Sexual Passion —

Like water, a woman is slow to boil,
And likewise slow to cool down afterward;
Man, like fire, can be ignited and quenched;
Yet fire and water in balance make steam!

< 231 >
— The Four Love-Making Elements —

Hardness rises from the earth element.
Secretions flow as water’s element.
Sexual friction evokes sacred fire.
Ecstatic pleasure fills the firmament.

< 232 >
— The Old Ways —

We rarely sit in front of fires created,
So the light of the sacred fire has retreated
Into our subconscious; thus, candle flames are
Harmonious with life’s passions stimulated.

< 233 >
— Candle Flames —

Fire inspires everyone under the sun,
Especially lovers having their fun.
Firelight flickers, playing on nakedness,
The inner fire as sacred as the outer one.

< 234 >
— Inner Scenery —

Inhale the life-force of the universe—
Retain, visualize the scene, then traverse
Rivers, canyons, waterfalls, and oceans—
Exhale the breath—you rule the universe!

< 235 >
— After-Play —

Let the fruits of your lovemaking ripen,
By remaining in close union, so then,
Energy and spirit can be reabsorbed;
You’ll blend in a mystical way—Amen.

< 236 >
— The Open Road —

Leave crowded cities far behind—so long,
And don’t bring your contrivances along.
Nature’s path will take you back to your roots.
Go now—while you can still hear the Earth’s song!

< 237 >
— Sensate Joy —

I live and sleep with my lover, the Earth,
Sensing all her charms, treasures, joys, and mirth,
Taking only what’s needed to survive,
And giving back more than received in worth.

< 238 >
— Tantric Exercise —

Look at the stars in the depths of the night—
Hold their flames in your mind, keeping them bright.
Their power flows, energizing you from
The Eternal Charger—you see the light!

< 239 >
— Meteor Memoir —

Obliterated by a war nuclear,
The Earth exploded in blazes solar!
Said a child in a galaxy afar,
“Oh, look! Look at the pretty shooting star!”

< 240 >
— The Pattern of Change —

All things arise, but then away they go,
For life’s impermanent and volatile.
Drift and change are normal features of life;
Suffering starts when you resist the flow.

< 241 >
— The Way —

Rely on intuitive wisdom’s sight,
And live by acting spontaneously.
Conventional reasoning can’t be trusted,
For what “is” is completely beyond thought.

< 242 >
— Timeless Time —

The moment contains eternal reward—
Both past and future are rolled thereinward.
Time never passes—it stays as it is;
Still, it is ceaselessly moving onward.

< 243 >
— Where is Life? —

How wondrous this! How mysterious that!
There’s nowhere else to look for life’s impact—
One must experience the wonder and
Mystery of life in every single act.

< 244 >
— “Being” Complete —

Sensual bliss should not be a lost art,
For the body is an integral part
Of the human being, joined with the spirit—
Realize yourself with whole body and heart.

< 245 >
— Unchained Sensuality —

Hindu goddesses aren’t virgins thought of—
Their healthy desires are free to rove.
Enlightenment is sought and reached through the
Profound experience of sensual love.

< 246 >
— Completing the Other —

Men and women can’t exist in isolation,
For like valleys that give rise to mountains,
The nature of one makes necessary the other—
When they’re joined in love, there’s wholeness again.

< 247 >
— Equal Partners —

“You enclose my universe, yet, it’s boundless.”
“You fill up my universe, never the less.”
“I’ll fulfill your emptiness with my fullness.”
“I’ll empty your fullness with my emptiness.”

< 248 >
— One and the Same —

Opposites are just a different view
Of one fundamental phenomenon—
Light, beauty, and goodness are the inverse
Sides of darkness, ugliness, and evil.

< 249 >
— Harmony —

Each holds within itself the seed of the other—
Yin reaches climax, then retreats in Yang’s favor:
Cyclic movement of rotational symmetry.
Rounded life is the blend of Yin/Yang together.

< 250 >
— Perfect Balance —

Edges dissolve when opposites are balanced—
Time and dimensional space are transcended.
Everything joins yet remains as itself,
For what “is not” is as great as what “is”.

< 251 >
— Blend in Unity —

Strive for a dynamic balance—of light
And dark, Yin and Yang, and wrong and right.
Reality is found not in separate actions,
But in related events blended in twilight.

< 252 >
— Western Imbalance —

Too much aggression in the West survives—
There’s too much Yang, and not enough Yin.
Increasing the standard of living seems
To decrease the quality of the lives.

< 253 >
— We are the Cosmos —

Life’s a continual cosmic energy dance,
From some ultimate underlying happenstance.
We’re immersed in matter’s universal rhythm;
Therefore, we must all participate in the dance.

< 254 >
— Matter Equals Energy —

The void pulsates in a structured sequence—
A field is present throughout space immense,
Out of which all particles can condense,
Occurring where the field’s extremely intense.

< 255 >
— Energy Equals Matter —

Atoms are just bundles of inertia,
Knots in the field and fabric of space;
Yet matter defines the structure of space—
The Yin is in the Yang, and vice-versa!

< 256 >
— Going With the Flow —

Never struggle against the way things are,
But rather, become the way that things are.
When you give yourself to the moving whole,
Natural currents will carry you quite far.

< 257 >
— Mystical Experience —

Experience the oneness of everything,
As manifested in the ways of being.
Become aware of interrelations—
It’s a nonintellectual happening!

< 258 >
— Speechless —

Words echo the soul’s vocabulary,
Though but a shadow of what’s primary,
But once ideas have been fully grasped,
Mere words are no longer necessary.

< 259 >
— Nirvana —

No ego/self—just interrelation—
Life’s oneness is a complete sensation.
It’s beyond intellectual concepts, thus,
It defies any further description.

< 260 >
— Dear Omar Khayyàm —

Many follow the advice that you give,
Enjoying this life by being active,
But others are deaf, dumb, and blind to sense—
You can lead ’em to life but you can’t make ’em live.

< 261 >
— No Reparation —

You say that you refuse to care and share
So you can save your heart from wear and tear,
But real love builds, it never tears apart;
The alternative to love is despair!

< 262 >
— Out of Order —

Some try to HAVE, then DO, so they can BE;
However, it’s the reverse that makes you free:
First, you must BE yourself, next, DO what your
Spirit tells you, then you’ll HAVE life’s guarantee.

< 263 >
— Woven Cloth —

All feelings, sad, happy, or in between,
Crisscross the tapestry of our routine.
They’re reflections of love’s sensations,
Forming the rainbow that colors the scene.

< 264 >
— Well-Balanced Life —

Living a life that’s complete should mean
Playing, working, and forming a routine
Of deep relationships from birth to death—
Not just simply existing in between.

< 265 >
— Life is What You Make of It —

There is NO excuse for not living well;
Creative energy through you can swell.
Open your mind to the beauty of life—
You could even make a Heaven out of Hell!

< 266 >
— Conscious Imagination —

Close your eyes, then realize the light within;
Allow visualization to begin—
It attracts into your life dreams, wishes,
And desires—all that you believe in!

< 267 >
— Abundance —

This world is a great place to be! There’s worse.
Life’s adventure can be yours on the Earth.
Listen to your creative impulses—
Have a love affair with the universe!

< 268 >
— Inside Out —

You grab all that you crave from the outside,
Expecting life to give you a free ride.
Wrong! First you must be you, and therein trust,
Since emptiness fills up from the inside.

< 269 >
— The One Chance —

To those of you who ignore life’s romance:
Ignorance, like shadow, has no substance.
The shade is removed by the light within;
Feel the rhythm of the universal dance!

< 270 >
— “It” Knows More than “I” —

Listen to your inner creative source—
The power is in you to set the course.
Don’t let your ego get in the way—
Success will then this method reinforce.

< 271 >
— Thinking Positive —

Use your imagination to create
What you want from life—orchestrate!
Soon enough, success will come to you—
Life grows from the visions that you contemplate.

< 272 >
— Reaching the Ultimate —

Like living lenses, we mirror our love
In feedback loops—images spiral above,
Echoing as infinite reflections
That fill up the scene; that’s what love’s made of!

< 273 >
— OK to Enjoy —

In the Eastern world, lovemaking is an art form
In which body and soul in unity perform.
The Western approach is by joyless guilt deformed,
Though sexual energy is a human norm.

< 274 >
— Where Life is Found —

Seconds become minutes, smoothing time away;
Through the moving hours, sensations make my day;
Days soon run on, one into the other;
When weeks melt into months, a life’s been made.

< 275 >
— Inner Power —

There’s no external creative deity—
Don’t worry, this verse has no impiety,
For we are the creative principle—
Intuitive strength is our propriety.

< 276 >
— Converging Reflections —

The written word stimulates the mind intense,
As illustration feeds the sighted sense.
Back and forth they build, each upon the other,
Till the sense can “think” what a thought can “sense”.

< 277 >
— Automaton —

Hey, office worker, you desk-bound robot! Yes,
You, with your heart and soul locked up in a desk.
Get up, meet people, give your love, find nature—
Salvage part of yourself for life’s adventure!

< 278 >
— Reorientation —

Live not just for what future goals will bring;
Reality is doing, not just planning.
One’s destination isn’t the source of life—
It’s the journey that sustains life’s living.

< 279 >
— The Union Begets All —

There’s a subtle, interlinked complexity of
Life, a relation that unites the world in love—
The earth is our mother, sustaining from below;
The sky is our father, nourishing from above.

< 280 >
— The Life of the Rose —

Like the rose, Omar Khayyàm came hither
From the earth, blossomed, and showed his flower
With charm, color, and beauty—till, toward earth,
His petals floated downward to wither.

< 281 >
— The Life of the Tulip —

Omar as a tulip was like a cup,
Looking up to take his Heavenly sup.
He happily quaffed the wine of life, then
To earth he was inverted, all used up.

< 282 >
— The Calendar Revised —

There are two days about which I needn’t ask:
The one that hasn’t come and the one that’s past,
For I live in a paradisal “now”,
In which the moment is eternally vast!

< 283 >
— Future-Vision —

Pretend that you’re dead and gone, siting on a star,
Regretting there the emptiness of your memoir,
Thinking: If only I could live it all again!
Fancy yourself not here, then smile because you are.

< 284 >
— Going Places —

Come quench your thirst in the wonders of life;
This is the day, leave the towns to their strife;
Lift the dawn sun from the field with your fife—
Do it now, or you’ll be bypassed by life.

< 285 >
— Touched —

Waking in the morning-star’s glow, I lay,
Watching the sun chase the darkness away.
A dawning wave of joy swept over me—
For I’d felt the freshness of a new day!

< 286 >
— Drink Deep —

To the morning-star we must say “Good-bye”,
For the sun’s fire now lights up the whole sky.
Vapors quickly ascend toward heaven’s dome.
“Drink—ere life’s dew on your flower goes dry!”

< 287 >
— Facing the Day —

With dawn’s first breath, the birds inspired to sing,
As they felt the promise of that morning.
The sun was opening up the flowers:
This was Life’s real face smiling and shining!

< 288 >
— Pity the “Poor” Sultan —

Down where the river runs, far from Sultan’s throne,
We live by the waterside, just us alone.
Here we’ve found the perfect equilibrium:
We’re poor but rich, home yet free, great but unknown.

< 289 >
— Self-Defeating —

Since we’re embodied, we have desires.
Suppression of desire strangely backfires,
Since—and this is the paradox—it takes
A strong desire to overcome desires!

< 290 >
— Fill the Cup —

Night’s cup is empty, bottomless, and cold,
Until the daylight fills it up with gold.
A life that flows freely brings us beauty,
Else suffering’s truth to us is told.

< 291 >
— Inseparable —

Soft breezes blow, caressing me and you,
As we kiss the roses and drink the dew.
Reason and passion soon merge into one,
As truth and beauty make their rendezvous.

< 292 >
— The Beauty of Truth —

Life’s hardships can be softened by beauty,
Its weaknesses can be strengthened by truth.
When roses blossom, like realizations,
Beauty itself blooms from the well of truth.

< 293 >
— The Life of Art —

Art and poetry enrich human experience,
But they’re no substitutes for the living of it.
Like Keat’s figures on the urn, should we live life less?
NO!—because what is deathless is also lifeless!

< 294 >
— The Other Side —

Life, although anguishing, must be lived fully,
Since, if we’re alive enough to feel its beauty,
Then we’re exposed to the opposite twin—
Yes, Beauty’s other side is Melancholy.

< 295 >
— Essence —

When a deep truth is known so intensely
That all of its clothing falls away,
Then we have learned the beauty of truth, for
The reality of meaning is beauty.

< 296 >
— Opposite Twin —

When sadness brooded over the morrow,
I visited the deep well of sorrow.
There enshrined, inseparate, Beauty said,
“It’s from me that sadness you borrow.”

< 297 >
— The Eternal Romantic Braid —

Poets love nature, thought, art, and beauty:
Keats enchants the senses with imagery.
Shelley unveils the spirit’s mystery.
Byron lays open the earth’s majesty.

< 298 >
— No Song Unsung —

Speak freely to me—let me hear your song,
For what you know and feel cannot be wrong—
It is genuine because it is yours.
Such intimacy does our friendship prolong.

< 299 >
— On Earth —

Life’s familiarity prevents one
From marveling at beauty so well-done,
Yet the truth is staring at one: To live,
One must realize life’s meaning and then some.

< 300 >
— Shade and Sun —

CARE—a gentle old man—sits silently
By the sundial in Time’s sanctuary,
Slowly marking the hours by the shadows
That creep over the face of eternity.

< 301 >
— Sun and Shade —

JOY—forever young—turns toward the glow
Of the fair light that from the sun does show,
Basks in its golden beams, and spreads
Her radiance to everything that’s so.

< 302 >
— The Pot and the Rainbow —

Which of the following is more worthwhile:
The rainbow or the gold under its smile?
Well, the rainbow is here and now—the pot
May turn out not to be worth the miles.

< 303 >
— Honey Dew —

The rustling of the trees comes to my ear,
In this, the most mellow time of year.
The harvest brings fulfilment, yearning, too,
For autumn is both a smile and a tear.

< 304 >
— White Nights —

Never did I discover a world so white,
As when the snow-field was lit by moonlight.
Oh it was a crystalline cathedral
Built from falling stars in the holy night.

< 305 >
— Black-Out —

In the darkness I alit from the Wiz,
And tried to make sense of this world of His.
Now I’ve found the answer to life’s dark quiz:
One must live this life by what light there is.

< 306 >
— You Don’t KNOW —

You know you should drink less, eat right, diet,
Make friends, give love, work less, relax, quit
Smoking—but, you don’t, so—do you know it?
NO! you can’t KNOW it unless you DO it.

< 307 >
— Forest for the Trees —

Joining crazy cults? Looking for the way?
Embracing every new cause célèbre?
The answer’s so simple—might I dare say:
Live and laugh and love—and be loved TODAY.

< 308 >
— Ascending —

Ambition’s mist drifts upward each morning,
Outlining daydreams, although still forming,
But rising still into the clear sunlight,
And taking shape, sculpting clouds, then sailing.

< 309 >
— For Emily —

I am quickly becoming Emily,
As she merges into my identity.
Other poets within me certainly
Welcome her into the family.

< 310 >
— Alchemy —

Love’s fusion requires heat and excitement;
Steady flame insures passion’s maintainment,
Continuing the honeymoon’s enchantment,
And sustaining a reaction that’s permanent.

< 311 >
— Sensual Requirement —

No matter how ethereal love’s spirit
Sexual union is still requisite—
Because we are physical beings and
No union is meaningful without it.

< 312 >
— I’m There —

Some can’t seem to give a love that’s fair,
Or won’t—since they don’t care to share,
Or worse yet, they waste love by hoarding it;
So therefore I must give more than my share.

< 313 >
— Answering the Call —

Let me give all the love that ever was—
Of such and more I have been dreaming of.
I hear the call from within and above:
To live this life for the purpose of love.

< 314 >
— Repairman —

I mend broken hearts with a love that’s real,
Drying the tears of sadness that congeal.
I weave living dreams out of fantasies,
For I believe that all life should be ideal.

< 315 >
— Mystery —

Life suddenly fits me like a glove
As I float on my feelings, like a dove,
Renewed energy giving me a shove.
Well, could it be that I am in love?

< 316 >
— Redefining the Self —

Self-reality comes from other people,
Since they bring out all that is within us.
Strangely, one cannot be a self alone—
It’s friendships that make us individual!

< 317 >
— Self, Defined —

Our selves, or souls, are constructed mainly
Out of emotions that come from the outside,
And not so much from what begins inside;
Thus, our identity—our soul—is shared.

< 318 >
— The Dynamics of Love —

Love is the mutual creation of identity.
To be in love is NOT a loss of independence,
But rather a shared identity with a lover
That does not destroy the identity of the other.

< 319 >
— Reason For Existence —

Are we lovable and accessible?
It’s only by social interaction,
By loving and being loved, that our
Individual existence gains meaning.

< 320 >
— Who is Aware? —

“Can one really realize life’s benefit
By living each precious minute of it?
Can such awareness withstand all the strife?”
“Yes, if you’re a lover or a poet.”

< 321 >
— Dead or Alive? —

“Must I live all that I can—and cannot?
Rather than partway, somewhat, and whatnot?”
“You should know the answer—why even ask?
If you don’t have a life, then what have you got?”

< 322 >
— The Simple Truth —

After the old excuses we still retell,
And all new advice we as yet expel,
One lone truth remains, undeniable:
There is NO excuse for not living well!

< 323 >
— Where Have I Been? —

I’ve strayed, lost along the wandering way,
Far from the known, the here, the now—away.
From a distance I see what life could be,
So I’ll live and love and be loved TODAY.

< 324 >
— In the NOW! —

The reward of the moment can only
Be had by being fully present for it,
For then there are no regrets of the dead past,
No worries to quake the unborn future.

< 325 >
— Here and Now —

There’s NO LIFE in the dead past, just history,
Nor in the imagined future, a mystery,
But in the here and now life just arrives—
It’s a gift—that’s why it’s called the present.

< 326 >
— The First Step —

Problems are not as complex as you think:
Simply, misery and death follow drink;
Evil and cruelty are the same reflected;
Drugs plainly lead to a life out of sync.

< 327 >
— Drops in the Bucket —

In a galaxy among the zillions,
There’s an average sun, among trillions,
And a planet, Earth, among billions,
Where millions live and die—well, whoop-de-do!

< 328 >
— Trouble with “Life” —

I note that just a few words rhyme with “life”,
For just how often can you use your wife?
And why must poems be so rife with strife?
It’s better to fife than to stick a knife!

< 329 >
— Revolting —

The Christian God is vengeful, demands of,
And tortures us with threats of Hellish shove.
Well, if I were a God and ruled above,
You could remove all my powers but love.

< 330 >
— Riding on Air —

Happiness is a silk bubble today
That gently lifts one toward Heaven’s gateway,
But just one raven crowing in the night
Can arrest your smile and swipe it away.

< 331 >
— Unbreakable Diamond —

Yet, like a stained-glass window, the faces
Survive the loss of the puzzle pieces,
And still shine, reflecting all that remains,
As time bears us away a few paces.

< 332 >
— Good-Bye Moon —

Purest moonlight fell into the wrong hand,
As Evil swirled ’round—a drifting black sand
That drank the silvery beam from the cup—
Till the moon shone no more across the land.

< 333 >
— Good Morning —

So the primrose drank not of the moon’s well,
Until the sun, rising from earthly hell,
Exposed evil, outshone it, and sent it
To caves and under rocks, where shadows dwell.

< 334 >
— Born Again —

All the roseate hearts were cleansed by dew,
And lucky are you if spring finds you new,
And every blossom on the bush blew full,
When these wonders the new morning bestrew.

< 335 >
— For-Rest —

With her I strolled the wooded scene,
Beholding forest wonders seldom seen:
The leaves breathed deep in the wandering airs,
With the growth of spring thrust upon them green.

< 336 >
— Sunshine and Moonglow —

Just one drop of her tears washes away
The darkest sorrow of my yesterday,
As we mingle in half-light dawn or dusk,
For she is the night and I am the day.

< 337 >
— You and Me —

We kiss at the boundary of day and night,
Our-selves merging in the blend of twilight:
You and me, me and you; yours, mine, and ours—
The day-gold melts into the jeweled night.

< 338 >
— Love-Tears —

In the whisperings of the after-years,
The winds of time slowly dry my tears,
Nor would I take back a single drop, for,
From those tears love’s flowers grew without fears.

< 339 >
— Forever After —

When the sun burns out, and, soon after,
When the Earth grows cold from that disaster,
When galaxies die and rotate no more—
Then what remains is our love, thereafter.

< 340 >
— In the Wilderness —

She was sweet, soft, and inconsummably wild
As she lay beside me like a sleeping child.
Her quiet breathing stirred not the wooded scene
As she rested silently on the forest green.

< 341 >
— Wine, Bread, and Thou —

I caressed her tresses in romantic rhythm
To the contented sighs she sent toward Heaven.
We slumbered where the grass fledged the stream,
Half-awake or asleep in love’s peaceful dream.

< 342 >
— Under the Bough —

Above us the branches slowly swayed and fanned
Away the little creatures that tried to land.
The trickling waters played tinkling lullabies,
While flocks of returning geese flew the skies.

< 343 >
— Paradise Enow —

Long I slept with her in a dark eclipse,
Until, after some dreams, I felt a light kiss
On my cheek, then more, and more, down my chest—
And I’m sure that you can imagine the rest.

< 344 >
— Fruition —

Success blossoms out of a thoughtful dream,
Grown from seeds of what life to you should seem—
Then bears forth fruit healthy and delicious,
In the garden watered by a wishing stream.

< 345 >
— Potent Spirit —

In the night lies the healthy breath of morn;
The giant oak sleeps within the acorn;
The flower waits for spring inside the seed;
And so in a daydream is your life born.

< 346 >
— Off the Hook —

Once I fished in the living stream and fought
A few, but then myself was hooked and caught
By that fisherman up above, but freed—
When He threw back the little one distraught.

< 347 >
— To You, Omar —

Here on the summer grass where you made one,
We turn down our cups—the feasting begun:
With earth’s food and heaven’s drink we toast you:
On this sacred summer lawn, we make ONE.

< 348 >
— Total Zero —

At Heaven’s birth, positive energy
Became matter, countered by gravity,
Whose attractive embrace is negative;
Thus, their sum must add up to nullity.

< 349 >
— A Little Bit of Nothing —

So from nothing was written our account,
And to nothing we’ll still have to amount—
But in between those two parentheses
The pluses rain on us from Heaven’s fount.

< 350 >
— Not So Remarkable —

Why is the Earth for human life so perfect?
And billions of other planets so unfit?
Well, if this world wasn’t right for life, then
We wouldn’t be here to think about it!

< 351 >
— Wealthy —

I own a solar system way out there,
One whose planets contain diamonds, silver,
And much in gold; so, now I’m rich—it’s all
Mine because I chose a favorite star.

< 352 >
— With You —

Strong, in the heart of the working day,
My love for you burns the hours away;
Long, in the soul of a night of sleep,
I’m with you like a dream that will stay.

< 353 >
— The Cost of Not Loving —

As I wandered ‘long the romantic way
With the one who drank life’s sadness away,
I realized that the cost of a loveless life
Was much too high a price for me to pay.

< 354 >
— Wildlife —

Oh never did I hear a sound so sweet
As when you moaned like a panther in heat.
You took me on a wild jungle ride,
Then purred like a pussycat at my feet.

< 355 >
— The Dance of Love —

Her scent was ripe and her name meant nectar.
Exotically blossoming I found her
As I buzzed my way into her flower,
For I was the bee and she my partner.

< 356 >
— In the Fire of Spring —

We strolled out into the quiet evening,
In romantic rhythm, resonating,
Then, when kissed by the balmy air, we knew
That we had lived to see another spring.

< 357 >
— Oblivious —

So there we lay in the embrace of love,
And in our intensity lost track of
The world around, and were surprised to look
And see beside us a rabbit and a dove.

< 358 >
— Tower of Light —

There, on some remoter shore of human soul
To which I helped restore life and spirit,
I learned that love was the only flame that lights
This life—for she had taught me how to give it.

< 359 >
— Whence and Whither Flown —

Oh how life is frittered and thrown away
By running back and forth this and that way
In vain pursuit of meaningless details—
When a simpler life could be had straight away!

< 360 >
— Above Ground —

The cemetery was where the ducks were fed,
Where we friends feasted on wine, verse, and bread
Amidst the flowered trees and quiet streams—
The home for both the living AND the dead.

< 361 >
— Omar Revived —

Then a few drops I poured onto the ground,
That precious drink of his quatrains profound—
It through the soil trickled and seeped,
As to his thirsty lips the way it found.

< 362 >
— An Empty Grave —

Now my cup was nearly empty and done—
There was left but one last drop for the sun
To drink, or with which to make rivers run:
Its flavor burst in joy—my life was won!

< 363 >
— Still Alive —

Refreshed, I wandered among the tombstones—
Under which rested little more than bones,
Wherefrom the life had fled when dreams were dead—
Which under me became life’s stepping stones.

< 364 >
— A World Improved —

We live at once, aware that life is dear,
Oft smiling at Heaven and Hell without fear;
Such we have some laughs, give true love, and make
Life better—for it is now and we are here.

< 365 >
— One Year’s Worth —

Now I’ve written for each day of the year,
A quatrain born of thoughts and passions dear,
So that day by day the pages can turn,
And overturn in the mind that will hear.

< 366 >
— All that’s Left —

All that I am my thoughts have gently wrenched
And put into words with sensation drenched:
Poems, spent with delight and newfound might,
To rest in print after my flame is quenched.

< 367 >
— When Winter Comes —

Youth and Beauty made agèd Winter mourn
For Summer’s grain—the waving wheat and corn;
For, Old Autumn, withered, wan, had passed on,
Leaving the earth a widow, weatherworn.

< 368 >
— Last Words —

Not all poems are pleasant—some speak of death,
Of life’s end, separate by just a breath—
I saw tombstones overgrown, underswept,
Names unknown—and to all the message saith:

< 369 >
— “Read Me” —

It said, in words engraved beyond the brink—
“You, who live, up above: of life go drink;
And you, underneath, now lying so dead:
Rest in peace, RELAX—it’s later than you think!”

< 370 >
— The Autumn Rose —

When life’s lantern fades and our soft shadows
Blend to darkness, there may come, aft the close,
A second spring, during which we’ll raise up
From dust our cups to toast where no one knows.

< 371 >
— Otherworldly Light —

The zephyr faints, dying in the half-light,
Its caress suspended, as day kisses night,
When, for some instants, stretching into moments,
We are neither here nor there, but in twilight.

< 372 >
— Angelic Vision —

I’ve never, in either life or dream, found
Anyone as alive as you—you, who ’round
Me as a living presence glows and gives
Me youth, life, love, and a spirit newfound.

< 373 >
— Revival —

Oh, no, reader—of course I’m not yet dead,
As though it may appear that you’ve just read;
No, I’m living, oh, I’m living a poem—
I’m living all the words that I’ve just said.

< 374 >
— A Lightened Step —

I hurried on, for there ahead, alone,
The golden light of my angel shone,
A star lighting my step, guiding me,
On a night when every road led toward home.

< 375 >
— The Flame Relumed —

The glow-worm rose into the summer sky,
Twinkling, love’s light unspent, now a firefly
Sighting the beacon of reply—they then,
With electric hugs, became lightning bugs.

< 376 >
— Monthly Diadem —

March, April! Spring!—we’ll reign as we May there,
Between June and her sister September,
Then, prolong the Fall, till November come
December, when we can sweet Remember.

< 377 >
— Poet Tree —

Where go the leaves of yesterday, you say,
Aft winter comes and crumbles them away?
They, like us, turn to dust, rejoin the clay,
To rise someday from unremembered lay.

< 378 >
— Intellectual Beauty —

The well-spring calls, the weary traveler rests,
As from a torrent, when, riding waves and crests,
One looks in depth to find a deeper source
And “hears” by inner sense against it pressed.

< 379 >
— Fountain of Light —

Soul to soul, it said to me, “I’m the light,
Thy spirit’s sight, a beauty bold and bright,
An inspiration come from darkest night,
A newborn star aglow with insight.

< 380 >
— Searchlights —

The sky was lit, a twinkling promenade
Of mating calls from luminated pods—
Tracers pulsing wild, searching thoughts that smiled,
From fireflies named Winkin’, Blinkin’, and Nod.

< 381 >
— Joy beyond Sense —

Awash on a love-made shore, we overcame
Our senses, leaving them behind, unclaimed,
As we floated free, quenched in sunset sea,
Basking in reflections of the scarlet flame.

< 382 >
— In Words I Live —

Whither has flown the spirit from the dead,
But rests here as the soul in all I’ve said,
And all that’s left of my earthly remains
Is this Book of Quatrains that you’ve just read.

< 383 >
— Epitaph —

And when thyself with shining foot shall tread
The journey of life, unborn to the dead,
Take Heavenly sups from this earthly cup
And live your life while the wine flows red.

< 384 >
— A Void —

The Bird of Time is off and whither flown,
And rides on breezes wherever blown,
Lightly here, slightly there—but, after gone,
Leaves the cold vacuum of what once was known.

< 385 >
— As You, Omar —

My spirit wanders ’long the Persian way
With an houri, life’s moments drank away,
In some sweet wood, far from the noise of day—
Where with her I yet live, sing, laugh, and play.

< 386 >
— Flowers I Glimpsed in Heaven: —

Coral Bells, rung by bees and humming birds—
A melody of tones without the words,
And airy sprays of frothy Baby’s Breath,
Gurgling with all that’s much too sweet to purge.

< 387 >
— Spirit’s Bloom —

There, sweet spikes of aromatic Lavender
And ready potpourri from Heaven’s splendor—
All around were the flora symbolica
To soft drowse the spirit into slumber.

< 388 >
— Reborn —

And for the romantic art, Cupid’s Dart,
Spurring men and women to play their part.
Connected by nature’s arrow of love,
They deep impart the passion of the heart.

< 389 >
— Back Down to Earth —

I’ll play the game and roll the earthly dies,
And through this worldly life enjoy the prize;
If Earth is Hell for love’s adventurers,
Then I wish no more for God’s Paradise.

< 390 >
— A Word’s Girth —

I notice here, a great pittance and dearth
Of words that rhyme with our beloved “Earth”;
So aside from mirth, how can poems give birth
To all that life on this planet is worth?

< 391 >
— Pssst! Meet Me at the Rose —

The rose is the flower that the bee cruises,
Meeting there the butterfly that love chooses;
They unfold the petals of the blossom,
Then drink the nectar of love’s sweet juices.

< 392 >
— Signs of Life —

Throughout the day we sat beside a brook,
Reading with life its most wonderful book,
And slept with each other in a sweet nook—
And this of her and me was all it took.

< 393 >
— Do-It-Yourself —

In joy we took life’s love from the earth’s shelf,
And like woodland creatures, as fairy and elf,
Built a home cozy in the forest, for, there,
Mutual passion was a law unto itself.

< 394 >
— Perpetual Emotion —

True kisses are always new—they never
Lose their freshness, for, like falling water
Or the cyclic moon, the power of love
Renews itself and sustains forever.

< 395 >
— The Unfeeling Have No Pain —

The deaf hear not the noisy wretched screech;
The mute neither good nor evil can preach;
The sightless are spared life’s dreary vision;
The love-impaired know not of love’