New Spring

We have reached the winter's end,
There is spring upon the coast,
And the river's gentle bend
Is devoid of snow and frost.
There are buds upon the limbs,
And a chick is in the tree
And the little newborn lambs
Bleat in amiability.
There is sweetness in the air
We can taste it, with the earth
Full of leaves from blooming pears
And the raindrop's sparkle-mirth.
We have left the ice behind
There is newness coming through
If we search, then we will find
Newness in our spirits, too.

Strawberry Horizon

There's a light on the horizon,
Colored scarlet with the dawn,
Bright with copper beads of vapor
Through the soft and breathing lawn,
With its fields of rushing grasses
And its skies of burning gray,
It's a strawberry horizon
Lifting up the break of day.
There's a sparrow on the picket
And a rabbit on the hill
With its nose within the thicket
And its ears against the chill
And it watches the horizon
Whiskers braced against the breeze
It can smell the loss of moonlight
And the fragrance of the trees.
In the early pale of morning
Foxes dance within the light
Paws a cadence of a warning
To their prey that take to flight;
And the does seem softly watchful
Eyes reflecting red and gold
In the rays from rising sunshine
And the snap of fading cold.
It's a strawberry horizon
Thick with crimson-swelling beams
And the clouds that edge the heavens
Are the opening little leaves.

Water's Kiss

Gentle river, flowing free
Empty to the splashing sea
Let your springs and gushing waves
Trickle through the mossy caves.
Gulls spread wings to sparkling skies
Throats the dawn's celestial dye
Feet against your whipping foam
Flying fast and heading home.
You, dear river, wend away
Turn the bank to blue from gray
Scent the air with chilly mist
Give the world a water's kiss.

The Narrow Path

We are never far away
From the land that houses dawn
If we wander through the day
On a path untraveled on,
We will find it in the bay
And the river flowing free
Past the winding mountain's way
And the broken little bree.
It is heaven, in her form
With her soft, celestial lights
And her gentle touch of warmth
And her pure and calming nights,
Oh, and if we search, we'll find
All the dreams we dreamed before
In an angel's shining mind
And dear heaven's open door.

Spring Will Come Again

The winter will be over soon,
A memory of snow and sleet,
An echo of a white monsoon
That flutters past the blooming week.
The birds will cease to hide their heads
The deer will turn a milky eye:
And men will rise from bundled beds
To see the triumph of the sky.
Despair is not fit for the spring,
And God ordains a calmer day
When linnets rise their golden wings
And hills begin their rushy play.
Soon the blue brook will be bright with sun,
And the rock will emerge from its coat of ice
Storms will one second be over and done,
So smile, and follow the bluebird's advice.

Heart Flower

The heart is like a flower,
Its petals seem so frail,
And yet, when plucked and broken
They seem to furl and fail.
A flame can burn the petals,
A hand can crush the stalk,
And leave it bent and withered
Upon the garden's walk.
The seeds will drift in autumn,
In spring, will sprout again
The flower one thorn greater
From pruning of a 'friend'.
Each day a child ages,
Each day a maiden sighs,
The flower-heart gets weaker
And poorer grow its dyes,
But even in the winter
It dares to rise its head
A leafless little creature
But not yet fully dead.

The Morning Star

I care not for a shiny moon,
That plate seems prone to die with dawn
I care not for the burning sun,
It, too, sparks once and then is gone;
But only one fair light stays still,
In dark or day, long-lost and far
Uncalled by those who worship sky:
The bright and secret morning star.
So is the life which knew no love,
The soul which knew no single worth
Eclipsed by lights with greater fame
And poor and pale upon the earth.
But God alone receives its beams,
And I, who bless its trepid heart,
Feeling within it part of me
Knowing I am that morning star.

The Mysterious Hope

A distant light shines on the coast
You see it through the mist and frost
A golden glow, illumined by dawn
A place or point untraveled on.
The ships pass by, and do not see
The islet floating in the green
You, you alone can spot the crest
Of ferns that wave their feathered chests.
A gull lets wings skim over foam
And lands upon his dockyard home
The glitter of his eyes appear
To know a land of waters clear.
You watch the sea's soft ebb and flow
You see the boats that splash and row
And yet you keep on waiting there---
With half a wish, and half a prayer.

Past the Distant Door

Break free, my soul, break free and soar
To places on a distant shore
Where love is true and never fades
And purpose lights the shaded way.
Come free, my heart, and see the sun
The land where waves, unending, run
Where hills spill truth and honor's height
And stars dispel the dark of night.
Lift free, my soul, and learn to fly
Spread open wings to stretching sky
Here mutes can sing, the lame can dance
And those unloved now have a chance.

Real Hope and Love---Nature's Allegory

Hope lies like a strangled robin without wings,
Dies like a fire without flame,
Smolders like the smoke that always stings,
Whimpers like a foe's impugning blame.
Love turns her cheek like a maiden's blush
Hides like the winter's ivory hush,
Slides over life like a tattered glove---
Such is the presence of love.
What fragile symptoms of this world!
What difficult walls to breach!
As still as a tendril lately curled
In springtime's loosening reach.
Yet gladly to these mangled shores I'd go
If once I could catch a flake of snow
Pure white, somewhere lost in the tangles of time
Hidden beneath decades damaged with grime.