Sheepdog

It has been a while

since i wrote of sunshine

of blue indigos, haciendas

games, laughter, no agendas

Now I am a rabid sheepdog

herding cattle through the smog

climbing up the endless hill

chewing on some promised frills

scurrying up home tail between legs

Safe and still before the sunshine ebbs

I am now caught in a toxic swirl

hurtling down in a headlong hurl

frozen at the same spot, still falling

wondering about the lightness of just being 

I smell fragrances of elusive freedom

sunshine, laughter, the little things - I miss 'em

Still falling, i land on the ground, start running 

Standing still at the same spot, not winning

while the world around me keeps shifting

new colors, new shades, new shadows drift in

In the stillness, i wonder if my soul has gotten new wings 

an imperceptible shift, the language of humanity brings 

I wonder if it was all actually quite simple

Was it really just - breathe, gaze, sing and whistle 

Find harmony and music in what is around 

To be one, be one - with the burning air in ghost town 

Touch down, sit down, slow down, shut down

In the sands at the sea - stretch your arms, submit and lie down.

Redemption

Walking through

A barren forest

What was once spring

Lush and green

Flowers and clouds

Butterflies chiming about

Now lying desolate

Burnt and broken

Twigs turned to ashes

Memories, grey, in flashes

I now walk in a land

Of colourless souls

Searching for magic

Confronting shadows

Reconstructing form

Memories of touch

Resurrecting, refitting

The shape of innocence.

Through the cobwebs

There is a quiet insight

That truth is a perception

That lies inside you.

Reality is what you make of it

Is it or is it not

Is what you build of it. 

So I take up some green

Spread a wash

Paint some butterflies

Hope they will fly

I switch on the records

Engineer the music

Hope the songs provide

Redemption to my soul.

B

As folks around keep smokin

And everybody seems to be runnin

While we may feel like coughin

Think about a nice muffin

And keep at it, workin

Makes you alive and kickin

Has you at times grinnin

Make you feel like lovin

So why not keep on workin

And paintin as well as writin

To keep your heart brimmin

With thoughts that're shimmerin

So long as words and colours'r rhymin

Even when nothing else is shinnin

Let the bird within,  keep hummin!!

Hummingbird, sing me a song

Thieves

knives 

a plate full of lies

broken glass

foggy smoke

monsters and holy ghosts 

crystals houses and daisies 

now covered in black soot 

so opaque, so dark

sunlight can never pass through 

marooned in an island

a place with no wind 

no meaning no point 

rudderless and unjoint

i want a little humming bird to come sing me a song

tell me its ok, we will all get along 

find me some new children to love  

find new meaning in what is around 

i need to hear some birds come sing and fly

tell me its all ok, you will soon soar high

be free, be light and in a graceful glide 

one day the music will play again, wild.

While France burns

This historic night

while the notre dame burns

i wonder about the nature of fire

that engulfs to a place of no return

some fires rage 

against the dying of the light

while others raze

what was once burning so bright

my last visit to paris

the many promises i made 

how i would come back

free and unconstrained 

having found something real

real love

real meaning

real contribution

here i am now

torched in the flames of my ambition

watching helplessly

willing all into blind submission

there you are now

burning in some freak accident

i havent come back yet

all my promised destinations arent here yet

our conversations arent over yet

i havent introduced you to my real love yet

my promises havent landed yet 

holding on tight to my spirit, that is undefeated yet

may be, we were never meant to be 

destiny had other plans for you and me

our ashes will blend someday at the sea

until then, i will miss you, mine never to be 

notre dame, you of astounding grace and beauty

our many conversations in my chaotic loneliness 

will remain special in my heart and my memory

Coffee Shop Symphonies

A hum, some whispers

Some dreamers, some thinkers

Animated loud conversation

Enveloping covert flirtation

The lone wolves, 

with macbook companionship

The young lovers, 

unease, anticipation of new relationships

The smokers, 

transfixed on their meloncholic circles 

The dreamers, 

gazing, imagining shapes of castles.  

The marketers, 

relentless, building great impressions 

The venture funders, 

reticent, poker faced in such sessions

The young college goers, 

crafting pseudo pop, counter culture wins 

The politicians, 

scheming, plotting tomorrow's demises and spins.  

A smooth blend, a quiet contemplation,

Coffee, smoke and conversations 

The cappuccinos, the lattes, 

the blueberry muffins, the parfaits

Punctuating the crevices 

of conflicting thoughts 

and alternate directions.

Through the cacophony of mind battles

Through caffeine and nicotine cackles

A path announces itself through the mist

At last, peace, quiet and some bliss. 

The coffee is drunk, the patty savoured

the bills paid, the baristas bid goodbye

An uber arrives to take you

to the other - home.