Poetry
My Poem “Adrift”
I don't know what happened...
I don't know how whatever happened happened...
I don't know when whatever happened happened, exactly;
however what I do know is that where I am now
feels more than a little familiar -
which is probably why I do not feel
as discombobulated as I might have done
if I were somebody else, or anybody else.
I have somehow, over time,
become accustomed to change,
to having to adapt to things on the fly,
and to thinking on my feet...
I have somehow trained myself
to just go with the flow
and not be shocked by anything that I hear,
nor by anything that I see...
I have somehow got used to
being someone who has no fear
of where I might find myself,
because I believe -
as I have always believed -
that wherever the path of life takes you
you find yourself where you need to be
and where you are meant to be for a reason...
I have somehow, multiple times, found myself
at a place, at a time, with certain people
who I thought I would always be with,
and then -
as if I have suddenly been whipped away
by the winds of a cyclone -
I find myself, once again,
far away from where I originally began
and walking the road before me alone.
What can any of us do
when the world around us feels as if
it has become inverted and as if
up is down and down is up?
What can any of us do
when we find ourselves
unable to return to a previous stage of life
because we have long-since moved on from it?
What can any of us do
when we know we have lost someone who we loved,
but who we were not meant to stay alongside -
because something was always going to make us realise
that what we shared would not always be enough?
What can any of us do
when what we thought we knew
about the way life is supposed to be
is questioned and tested,
and ultimately, one day, repeatedly,
we all find ourselves somewhere new,
with someone new, after making ourselves believe
that we would never again return
to where we were and we would never again
do what we did before -
but no one and no thing in this life
can ever truly stay adrift.
My Poem “Train of Thought”
Waiting for an idea
is like waiting for a delivery to arrive,
but you have absolutely no clue
what you are about to receive...
waiting for an idea
is like being told that something
is about to happen,
but you aren't told
how, when, why, where, nor what...
waiting for an idea
is like waiting for a fish
to take hold of the baited-line
that you have cast out into the water...
waiting for an idea is sometimes fruitful,
but,
most of the time, waiting for an idea
is a fruitless endeavour -
because, sometimes, when ideas
feel like they are not coming to you
then you have to go wherever the ideas are:
up in the sky, under the water,
all around the world where life exists,
and where instances of wonder
happen more often than
what we are told to believe...
waiting for an idea
is like waiting for a bus
or a train to pick you up
and take you on a journey -
and sometimes you have to
accept the fact that inspiration
runs on an indefinable schedule,
and not the one you might want it to...
waiting for an idea
can be like standing on the edge
of something epic -
like the Grand Canyon -
and marvelling at what it takes
for something so breathtaking
and unique to come into being,
and then to throw a pebble below
and to not hear it fall -
that is when you can come to realise
what an idea is, and what it can take
for an idea to grow into what
it will ultimately become:
imagination, belief, trust,
and the ability to allow
your thoughts to run free
like a wild stallion,
and be ready for whatever
and wherever your train of thought
will take you.
The Pathfinder: Interlinked
The “Canon” of my stories
My Poem “Warrior”
When I was thirteen years old,
I distinctly remember
wishing that I had a time machine
so that I could travel through time -
and, within the blink of an eye,
it seems as if thirty years have gone by,
and here I am looking back
and wondering how everything
could have changed so much...
when I compare my life as a boy
to my life now as a man -
although some things have not changed -
when I look around and I remember
who is missing and who it was
who made me who I am,
I cannot help myself wishing
that I could go back
and get one more minute
with the people
who will always matter to me
and those who I will always love.
Christmases and birthdays
over time merge into one...
when we are younger
we feel as if we have
all the time in the world
to do anything and to go anywhere
we can imagine...
as we get older most people
do not want to be reminded
of how old they are,
because every day seems
to pass faster than the beats of a drum...
as the person who we see in the mirror
changes before our eyes
each of us look at ourselves
and wonder where all that time
went in between us
asking questions to our parents and us having to face
the scars of life that can be seen
upon our reflection.
Every year, I have always had
something to remind me
of how lucky I am to have the family
and the friends that I have had in my life,
and so many people whom I have met
have inspired me in more ways
than I could ever put into words -
but because of what I have seen,
and because of what I have been through
personally over the last few years,
I would be lying if I said that
I had not begun to wonder
whether my time was almost up
and whether my purpose in life
had perhaps already been fulfilled.
Sometimes I look back
and I see a younger version of myself
looking back at me -
someone who had yet to suffer
all the heartbreak and the loss that I have -
and I want to tell them the truth:
that things only get harder
as you get older;
however, if and when I try
to send a message back through time
to who I was in the past,
I always just tell myself that
things will be OK
but that there will be days
when things will change
beyond our control -
so make sure to be brave
and to never forget that
everything happens for a reason,
and one day you will realize
that you are someone
who was always going to be
who you were supposed to be:
someone who will always do
what must be done,
no matter what -
because, just like your father,
you are a warrior.
My Poem “Light and Dark”
There will always be things
that happen in life
that will forever be
out of our control...
there will always be things
that happen in the universe
that will happen whether
we observe them or not...
there will always be things
that happen to people
at a particular time,
in a particular place,
that will bind them to one another...
there will always be things
that happen that will have
a profound effect on people
in different ways.
At the time of an eclipse -
when people gather together
to watch the moon align perfectly
in between the Earth and the Sun
and obscure its light for a short time -
people young and old
can be brought to tears,
the usually talkative can be silenced,
and those who wonder
whether we are alone in the universe
look up and are given a sign,
as the Moon casts its shadow upon the Earth,
and there is always a palpable mixture
of thoughts, feelings, and emotions
that rise to the surface
of the collective consciousness
of individuals who may have
been looking forward
to what is taking place
for a long time -
because witnessing an eclipse
is, and has always been,
considered special, sacred, and momentous -
because it is an occurrence of significance
that is both predictable, and yet rare.
After light returns
to a world that has been
veiled in darkness,
there is always a universal wave
of energy and excitement
that washes over people...
when the details and the colours
of the world can once again
be seen as clearly and as vibrantly,
as they are meant to be,
people can feel a sensation
of renewal, of reinvigoration,
and as if they want to make plans
and achieve new goals...
after an eclipse, people always
look at everyone around them
and appreciate them more
than before for some reason -
most likely because they realize
what the presence of certain people
in their lives means to them,
and because they experienced
what it is like to not see others
at the same time that they felt
they were still right besides them.
After experiencing a shared moment
that has a profound impact
on the way that people
perceived one another
and their connection to the universe,
when people return to their daily lives
a fragment of what was witnessed
always remains within someone
and occasionally makes them wonder
what lasting impression
they may have been left
upon those whom they have met -
perhaps akin to the importance
of the sun being eclipsed by the moon,
and those who were there to observe it
who were instantly awestruck
as they watched day become night
and light become dark.
My Poem “The Great Communicator”
Even from a young age,
everybody finds a way
to communicate with others
what they want and what they need...
from children to adults,
everybody has their own particular way
to indicate what colours they use
to paint the world of their dreams...
growing up, everybody discovers
that they have strengths that help them
interact with the world -
but now, more than ever,
people have gotten used to
interacting with others anonymously,
and they can easily transition
from who they are, what they say,
and how they are perceived in real life,
to who they want to be,
what they want to say,
and how they want to be seen virtually.
Talking and communicating with others
is an art that does not come
as naturally to some
than it does for others...
it is always miraculous
to witness a child watch, listen, learn,
and then, over time, repeat,
and even mimic, what they have heard
and what they have seen -
and the more people
that they spend time around,
and the more time that they spend
speaking and acting without thinking,
then you get to see
who they are slowly becoming,
what they like to spend their time doing,
and perhaps what aspects
of their young personality
will become more defined
as they get older.
Not everyone grows up
having people around them
who see and immediately recognise
that they are special and gifted...
some children have parents
who immediately want to mould them
into becoming another version of them -
instead of letting their child
find their own feet, find their own language,
and find out who they are supposed to be -
which is why some children defy
the wishes of their elders
and gravitate towards those
who also share the same instinct
to insight chaos instead of maintaining order.
Everybody makes mistakes
throughout their lives,
and everybody sometimes
says the wrong thing -
even though it seemed like
the right thing to say at a particular time;
but who would any of us be
if we did not have an opportunity
to readjust ourselves after
becoming sidetracked by something
that we formed a strong relationship with.
Some people seem to have such
an innate and natural ability
to be able to do something
that it can almost seem as if
they were always meant to be
who they have grown to become;
however, each of us -
no matter how old we are -
daily have to realign ourselves
to the direction that we know
we must travel towards,
but sometimes all that people need
to guide them is an internal compass
that allows them to always find
where there "True North" lies
so that they can have something to anchor them,
while they are able to seek out
the sometimes diverse realities
that are able to exist within the same world,
as well as finding joy in the act
of walking out upon a stage
that many others have done so before
and find something
that was left for them as a gift
of the great communicator.
My Poem “The Pathfinder”
When we all start down
upon a new path
no one can know exactly
where it will lead
nor who they will meet
along the way...
when we all begin again
in our attempt to find where
we are meant to be and with whom
no one can know how much
of who they are will remain
nor what about them
will ultimately change.
I have been walking down
a path of poetry for as long
as I can remember...
I have been running
through a forest of imagination
since I was a child...
I have been listening
to the sounds of nature
for as long as I have
been able to hear...
I have been seeing
the infinite possibilities
of life and the universe
since my mind was opened wide
after asking questions
and being given answers
that brought to life my love
of the mysterious of the unknown
that, to this day, still continue
to energize my thoughts
like the waves of light and colour
that can be seen while witnessing
the Northern Lights.
Once I have been somewhere,
I never forget where I have been
nor what I have seen...
once I have been somewhere,
I never forget how to return there -
because I have always had this innate gift
to be able to create a map
of places within my mind...
once I have been somewhere -
even a place that I may not
visit again for days, weeks, months,
even years afterwards -
I have always been able to
accurately navigate myself
back to where I was
with more clarity of memory
than if I were to attempt
to recall a dream...
once I have been somewhere,
I always create a connection to somewhere
that I can use, whenever I need,
to guide me back, as if I could
literally, and effortlessly, step back in time.
I have always been a dreamer...
I have always been hopeful
that the future will be something
that is always worth living for...
I have always loved my family,
and I have always loved
being inspired by people,
and by extraordinary experiences
that I have shared with significant others...
I have always looked forwards,
and I have always looked backwards -
because the future and the past
are always communicating with
one another,
and it has always been at the intersection
between these two extremes
where I have always found
the words to describe
what I feel with every fibre of my being
at a given moment
of pure poetic power...
I have always wanted to give back
more than I have received -
and throughout my life's journey
I have given a part of myself
to those whom I have met,
whom I have known,
whom I have inspired,
who have inspired me in return,
whether they know it or not -
because, all my life, I have been,
and I always shall be,
someone who is meant to
shine a light for those to follow,
like a lighthouse keeper,
a messenger, a traveller,
a navigator, a pathfinder.
My Poem “Walking On Air”
When you fall in love with someone,
you become weak,
you become vulnerable,
you become different...
when you fall in love with someone,
you lose your identity -
because another is rising
to take its place...
when you fall in love with someone,
sometimes you get the feeling
that you once shared something
a long time ago -
perhaps in a previous life,
as seen through a filtered lens...
when you fall in love with someone,
everything around you feels blurred
in comparison to who now occupies
what you see and who you think about
all hours of the day...
when you fall in love with someone,
you instantly believe
that nothing and no one
could ever compare to them...
when you fall in love with someone,
you can't wait to spend every moment
in their presence and be hypnotised
by their entrancing glare...
when you fall in love with someone,
it almost feels as if this time
is the first time all over again...
when you fall in love with someone,
gravity itself does not feel as strong,
nor as important as it should -
because the force, the energy,
the power of love that songs
and poetry have been full of
since the first poets found a way
to capture the transformative
journey into the unknown
that our soul takes
when we all experience
the recurring sensation
of getting closer to the stars of the sky
than to the ground below our feet,
because we feel as if we are levitating
and walking on air.
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