My Poem “Big Days”

Over the course of our lives,
each and every one of us
have days of significance
that we know will have an impact on
us
and will influence us
in ways that we may not know
until a long time after the fact:
our first day of school;
the first time we fall in love;
our first day of college or university;
the first time our heart is broken;
our first day at our first job;
the first time we lose someone close to us;
our first day behind the wheel of our first car;
the first time we find someone
we want to spend the rest of our lives with;
the first time we look into the eyes of our first child
and we see the most perfect thing
that we have ever seen -
and after every instance that we find ourselves
at a moment that feels
special and life-changing,
there are never enough words
capable of expressing just how much
they mean to us…
as we grow and as we learn who we are,
what we want to do,
and where we want to be,
we all feel as if something
or someone is whispering in our ear
and telling us that the path
that we have embarked upon
will be full twist and turns,
ups and downs -
but along the way certain pieces
of the puzzle of our lives
will fall into place and reveal a hint to the secret,
as well as an answer to the question
that everybody finds themselves asking:
“Who am I? And where am I going?”
Over the course of our lives,
as weeks turn into months,
as months turn into years,
as we transition from youth to old age,
everybody experiences the sensation of time
speeding up, flashing before our eyes,
and almost leaving us all in a daze -
because there are so many things that happen,
there are so many first times
and there are so many last times
that we all have throughout our lives
that we never forget about,
because they remind us of who we are,
where we were, and how much of our lives
we have seen change
because of a series of important,
and always necessary, “big days”.

My Poem “Countdown”

Every countdown that always occurs
on the last seconds of New Year’s Eve
before the obligatory
“Happy New Year!”
is simultaneously the countdown
to the end of one year
as well as the countdown to
a brand new set of 365 days
that will see changes in the world
as well as changes in people
that will change the landscape
of humanity in so many ways.

Countdowns can be good,
countdowns can be exciting,
countdowns can be like heralds from above,
countdowns can lead to instances
that can be surprising…
countdowns can give people
something to look forward to…
countdowns can give people
the thrill of anticipation…
countdowns can give people
the courage to do something
that they have always wanted to do…
countdowns can give people hope
and are not always a ticking clock
ticking down to a moment of destruction.

Time and space is relative…
the universe and nature
has its own timetable
which does not require
any knowledge or understanding of it
by anybody or anything.

Memories and experiences
are precious and personal
to whomever recalls them…
humanity requires the ability
to preserve and measure time
to give their lives some
semblance of meaning and structure,
and countdowns are especially necessary
because people like climaxes
just as much as they enjoy new beginnings –
and there is no conclusion and restart
that people plan for and look forward to
like the instant on the 31st of December
every year when 23:59, or 11:59pm,
changes to 00:00, or 12:00am,
when those who are still awake
celebrate, wherever they are
and with whomever they are with –
sometimes with a handshake,
a hug, or a kiss –
as they declare: Happy New Year!

My Poem “October”

Everything changes depending on the season,
but there is no season like Autumn
when the changes that are happening
all around and at every second of every day
can be witnessed, experienced, and felt –
like that moment of wonder that you feel
when you fall under the ethereal spell
of nature in all its glory…
leaves change colour…
animals and people make plans
and prepare for Winter…
the clouds in the sky come together…
raindrops fall and bring alive
the aroma of petrichor to fill the air
and invigorate our sense of smell…
pumpkins are being harvested
and carved in time for Halloween…
those who adore and are inspired
by the infinite gifts of beauty
of the great outdoors go out for long walks…
those who are not afraid of the dark
sit around campfires toasting smores,
they tell ghost stories, and they sit down
in front of their screens to watch scary movies –
and their are some people at this time of the year
who indulge themselves in simply
looking out of the window, as one by one
the leaves of the trees begin to fall.

Time goes backwards…
people look forwards…
rainy days return…
the fire within hearts and minds burns…
life breathes in and breathes out…
light feels more precious than it ever does
at any other time of the year,
because the days feel short.

This time is thunderous… this time is wondrous…
this time is stupendous… this time is rapturous…
this time is joyous – so if you can, wherever you are,
between the hours of dawn and sunset,
and between the time of moonshine
when creatures from another world walk the Earth,
open your eyes, unlock all of your senses,
don’t be afraid, and wholeheartedly allow yourself
to be intoxicated and overwhelmed
by the feast to life and nature
that unveils itself during the month of October.

My Poem “Zeitgeist”

Times change… lives change…
Things change within the blink of an eye
when we’re not looking…
Seasons change… styles change…
opinions interchange…
the zeitgeist of the moment
changes it’s face with the snap of a finger…
The cream of the new crop rises to the top,
while the cherry of yesterday falls to bottom
and below the public consciousness…
The “In” can be “Out” from one week to the next…
One minute, everybody is talking
about this amazing new phenomenon –
and the next that same thing
can be considered out of date…
Time can be seen by some people
as both a gift and a predator…
You can do so much with time,
but sometimes time can feel like an ocean wave
that we are constantly trying to out-run…
Time goes by too fast, if you ask me…
Things change too much nowadays –
I’m not sure if anybody else agrees?
Maybe it’s my age? Maybe its because I’m sentimental?
Maybe my head is stuck in the past too much?
I’m not sure – but in this modern day and age
of the shortest attention-span known to man,
I think it is even more essential than ever
to be a detective of further knowledge
and see past the momentary flashes of the present
and embrace different periods and opinions
that were once considered the zeitgeist of their time.

My Poem ‘The Changeling’

Everybody changes;
everyone has been changing
into someone else
since the day that they were born;
everybody goes through a myriad
of different faces;
everyone is a brand new dawn.

Everybody loves;
everyone cries;
everybody sometimes finds life tough;
everyone dies;
everybody has their moment to shine;
everyone sees the world slightly differently;
everybody sometimes has to cross a line;
everyone will never be you,
as you will never be everybody.

Changing is remaking;
knowledge is an endless forest;
thinking is daydreaming;
trust is a test;
interactions are fascinations;
some hello’s are also goodbyes;
reflections are misdirections;
everything is worth a try.

To care should never be thought of as a crime;
to feel should be thought of as a miracle;
to take your time should never be
thought of as a waste of time;
to miss something or someone
so much that your whole body hurts
is both hard and beautiful.

Memories replace other memories;
some people fall into shadow,
as others step into the light;
vision changes depending on the way
that you use your eyes;
stars can be blinding
when you are standing close to them,
and sometimes they are more beautiful
to look at, and to be comfortable with,
when seen from far away –
like the stars of the sky
that shine and arc through the veil
of the atmosphere at night.

Life is busy;
life can sometimes make you feel
like you are going crazy;
everyone lives different lives;
everybody has their own mind;
people should always strive
to find the thing that in all the world
to them has the power
to set off a chain-reaction
that will never stop being rejuvenating;
life is a puzzle in the making
that is amazing to those who understand
that everyone and everybody is a changeling.