I saw it so clearly
When I wrote it.
I wrote clearly about
What I saw.
So if you’re not clear
What I’m saying,
I clearly can’t say
Any more.
Notes
From 8th January 1994
Category: Poetry
Poem: The Actor
A short poem from 17th May 1988.
The Actor
I am an actor, you see.
How well I play my part
I don’t know;
But the part that I play,
It is me.
Acknowledgements
Original image courtesy Jeremy Doorten via stock.xchng.
Gifts and Choices
I have been given a mouth
But I must choose my own words
I have been given a mind
But I must choose my own thoughts
I have been given a body
But I must choose my own actions
I have been given a heart
But I must choose who I share it with
My destiny is influenced by my endowments
But it is determined by my choices
Are You Heading for a Winter of Regret?
Will your life be a life half-lived? A life of regret?
…or will you live wisely, love well and serve greatly?
Leadership guru Robin Scharma often begins his talks with the following poem from Shesh Lehka by Rabindranath Tagore:
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Spring has passed, Summer is gone and winter is here. And the song that I meant to sing remains unsung. For I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument. |
Why not print it out and put it somewhere so that you can read it regularly?
Acknowledgements
Image courtesy Brian Lary via freeimages.com.
A Daisies Day
Today is a daisies day.
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Today is a daisies day. A small boy brings a daisy for his Father. "It's for you!" he says, "It's a flower." Pressing it tightly into the man's hand. He crushes it. As the Father accepts the tattered offering, He smiles. |
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Today is a daisies day Here and there the little yellow-and-white flowers Add interest to the grass. The child examines one. "That's where the ants come out" he explains, Pointing to the gaps between the fibres In the flower's yellow middle. I had never noticed them before. |
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A little later on I observe Two lovers sitting on the grass. They are talking about love and talking about nothing And talking about the daisies. (Actually, I think they are also squashing Some of the daisies). They begin to make chains, Gladly binding each other and glad to be bound. Now, what is it about the human heart That lets us appreciate the simple daisy? |
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Later still - on this, a daisies day A Father lets his children play With daisies. The man says nothing about the daisies But lets the children discover them for themselves. |
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Yes, Today is a daisies day And yet How often do I stop And look at daisies? |
Notes
- Original image courtesy Izabelha via Stock.Xchng.
Facing Facts
Facing Facts
The hardest fact
That I have ever had to face
Is that I spend most of my time
Running away from reality.
I discovered that,
Even though I claim
That I am seeking the Truth,
What I am actually doing
Is performing
A delicate balancing act.
On the one hand
I have to keep up the pretence
That I am genuinely seeking,
And I have become very skilled
At fooling myself.
On the other
I have to know just enough Truth
To make damn sure
I avoid stumbling over
The rest of it.
Notes
- Written 1992
- Image via stockfresh, under licence.
The Scientific Enquiry
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People desire comfort, work becomes a bore, So computers and machines will take on every chore. And when asking about the price we pay, the subject to avoid Is the barrenness of life for men who're unemployed. With insufficient energy for the mandates of our greed The nuclear provider will meet our every need; It's better not to think about the minor limitation - The soil around Chernobyl knows the curse of radiation. And when our food is tawdry, or the taste of milkshake bland, Chemists improve on strawberry, and new flavourings are planned; And no-one likes to question the healthiness of these When half the world is hungry, and begging on its knees. With nation fearing nation, when no-one's getting on, Our security is purchased by the bigger, better bomb. Though this opinion may be questioned when the past gives this instruction - It was shown in Hiroshima that we're bent on mass destruction. So whenever problems face us we're sure of resolutions With science as our saviour, providing all solutions; Even so, there yet remains a sphere where science is blind It fails to cure the folly in the hearts of human kind. |
Notes
- Written 16th May 1994
- Image under licence from Hemera
Inattention
Tiny drops of spit
Litter the air as he speaks,
His words are like stones
That are cast in a pool
And their meanings elude me.
His obvious distinctions
And clear-stated truths
Pass as senseless impressions
Blurred and bound
In a web of their own.
There is only the hum
Of tangled dream
Spun from the threads
He throws in the air
Thrilling the tips of my fingers
But somehow failing my grasp.
Notes and Acknowledgements
“Inattention” was written on 1st February 1990, way back when I was a student.
Original image courtesy melodi2 via stock.xchng.
Fire and a Cherry Tree
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<a href="https://marksinthesand.com/2012/07/04/fire-and-a-cherry-tree/japanese-flowering-cherry-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-2544"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2544" src="https://marksinthesand.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2012/07/japanese-flowering-cherry-3-300x230.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="230" /></a>My face is split in two. Cracked eyes and dry white lips Express my damp emotions, As lonely beads of pain caress my shallow name - Yet somewhere in my heart A wondrous fire burns. A joyful song, Its hands so lovingly reach out And touch my meaningless fear. Its comforting smile so meaningfully gives The redemption I sorely craved. In my heart is a fire and a cherry tree. Am I so far away? I have lost myself in my God - You cannot reach me there, But when you love the Light As you love me... You will live. |
Acknowledgements
This is my tribute to “Ashes and Lemon Peel”, a poem by R. D. Laing. Laing’s poem was once a favourite of mine – his “ashes and lemon peel” (all that remains after fire and bitterness) spoke to the emptiness and meaninglessness that I experienced long ago. In contrast, “Fire and a Cherry Tree” is a poem of hope and consolation. I wrote it shortly after I “saw the light” of Christ for myself.