Siren of Shooting Stars

dear friends,
it’s been a long week and a longer winter.
i began daydreaming about the warm weather
and the annual vacation we take each August.
we rent a 5 bedroom houseboat on Holly Lake
in Tennessee and find our favorite cove and
tie up for 10 ten days.

this is a repost, i edited the form. it was written
in one sitting at 3am as i sat as i always do, on the
top deck while family and friends were asleep. this song
was playing in my headphones and this poem was inspired by
the incredible shower of shooting stars that crossed the sky.

please play the song and begin reading…ty and i hope you enjoy.

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when

the

S u n

is

busy

elsewhere…..

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.

and

the

night

descends

upon

your

world…

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.

in

your

S i l e n c e…

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.

in

the

S e r e n i t y

of

forgiving

S o l i t u d e…

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.

cast

away

the

fear,
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.

just

S u r r e n d e r

your

heart

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and

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.

L i s t e n.

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.

beg

your

eyes

to

open,

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.

to

gaze

so

high

above

the

low

horizon.

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.

there…

beyond

any

doubt

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.

behind

the

shadow

of

constant

cloud,

.
.

S h e

can

be

seen

each

night

cajoling

every

S t a r

in

your

S k y.

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.

B e l i e v e,

.
.

embrace

your

F a i t h.

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.

S h e

is

O m n i p r e s e n t,

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.

S h e

is

E v e r l a s t i n g.

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.

S h e

is

a

daughter

of

the

U n i v e r s e,

.
.

a

S i r e n

of

S h o o t i n g

S t a r s.

.
.

her

voice

a

chorus,

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.

a

H a r m o n y

of

every

melody

devoted

to

.
.

L o v e.

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.

her

history

our

yearning,

.
.

the

sum

of

our

forgotten

M e m o r y.

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.

her

shape,

a

C o s m i c

swirling

of

I n f i n i t e

density.

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.

S h e

talks

to

S t a r s,

.
.

in

the

U n i v e r s a l

language

of

L o v e,

of

.
.

R e a s s u r a n c e.

.
.

a

S i r e n

offering

C o u r a g e

to

erase

their

fear.

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‘my bashful star,
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ready yourself for the voyage.

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.

T i m e

is

N o w.’

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‘oh, lovely star
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hear my song,
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my Melody of Love as you fly’

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‘go little star!

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blaze a trail
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.
across the midnight sky’

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and

become

N o w,
.
.
what you were always meant to Be.’
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and show this world
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P e r f e c t i o n,
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in your moment of
.
.
E t e r n i t y.’

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Faith interwoven….Tanka/Haiku

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evergreen boughs weigh
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heavy with hungry sparrows
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awaiting daybreak.
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their hopeful chirping,
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like sweet memories waken
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a sleeping landscape.
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our nature entwined
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in Faith that a warming Sun
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will rise once again.
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Friday Repost…..petals open slowly

Friday Repost
for my new friends,
a little dig in the
archives for you.
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petals open slowly
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across undulating fields of truthful wheat
across the window walled skyscraper cities
across churning surf and miles of embattled shore
and a mother’s loving comfort hearing her baby’s cry

know your nourishing and loyal day will arrive
an infinite Sky in her kindness and healing grace
offering all its patient memory and forgiveness
and a wisdom knowing that all petals open slowly

and renewal and its reinvention begin the day
because a child’s heart is a truth we can’t deny
my dearest friend the sun is warming at your window
and our new world awaiting to hear your hopeful reply
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Who is of smiling face
Bestower of all fortunes
Whose hands are ready to
Rescue anyone from fear

It is the child in us
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my morning music and a beautiful video::::enjoy::::

a parting of ways

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there is a journey, i’ve been walking on
a road taken and in hindsight, a road too long
so many questions, a rain wash in torrents
so few answers, a few foolishly ignored

is it because my clock
has now hastened its pace?
because i thought i believed, any day,
was not a good day to waste

am i to believe, this trouble and strife
was all pre-ordained, was planned in advance?
that i played no role, in my many mistakes
or is this me sleepwalking, standing in place?

because, there is an unmistakeable shifting
the weight in these legs, considerably lighter
and wounds of a fragile heart, begin their heal
these clear grey eyes, see a parting of ways

and i would never claim, to have any answers
a few white whiskers…know more than that now
or maybe i’m not so afraid, to look hard in this mirror
to accept my imperfections, to reflect love in these eyes
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The Cross of Change
If you understand or if you don’t
If you believe or if you doubt
There’s a universal justice
And the eyes of truth
Are always watching you.
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the sparse lyrics, the title, the melodic, reflective music which can be
listened to as a soundtrack and a beautiful video to watch::::enjoy::::
.

banner of innocence

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‘There is a light inside you
To shine if you choose it to
There is a light inside you
To light up the world for you
Light up the world with you
As only you can do’.
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oh wounded heart, and how many years
have we walked this journey you and i
the dead ends and aborted beginnings
just how many understandings have
been set aside for yet another day?

only i know your tragedy and depth of despair
because i was there with you every painful day
deflecting the blows hoping i could protect you
covering these ears not to hear words slice so deep

oh wounded heart,

please hear the words i have found for you
forgiveness, love, acceptance and healing
hear them because the bruises they all faded
it’s the words you heard and the cuts remained

these clouds and shadows you live in
the dark and silence where you reside
there is a parting, an unmistakeable stirring
is it the light you’re drawn to or the words you hear?

because i swear

by everything holy in this world or the next
no hurt will ever again reach your gentle shore
and if the ferocity of my sword somehow misses its mark
this man will stand before you, accept the blows, every one

because the days of this silence and this fear are done

so let us swipe away those darkening shades
and open all the windows each and every one
this ambivalent world has missed your tender voice
it’s time to speak in steady words of love and light

my wounded child, this world is nothing to fear
because i have found ears that will listen
because i have found arms that will hold you
because i have found words spoken waiting to heal

here, take my hand and hold it tight
let’s take these first tentative steps
together, side by each other’s side
believing in each other along the way

sing your sweet lullaby’s of love and light
and i will unfurl this banner of innocence
because ours is only a righteous cause
a flourishing, protected and fearless child

my little boy, this world is nothing to fear
as long as we are always loving and caring
and always together, side by each other’s side
and always believing in ourselves along the way
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‘
There is love inside you
To love you if you choose to
There is a love inside you
To love the world and you
Love the world and you
As only you can do.
Light of You
Emer Kenny
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leap

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Show Me / The Pretenders
‘show me the meaning of the word
show me the meaning of the word
‘Cause I’ve heard so much about it
‘I don’t want to live without it
I don’t want to live without it’

for years my anthem, this poem was written to the tempo of this song
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leap
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clutching her hot coffee with both hands
wrapped around the styrofoam take out cup
trying as hard as she could to keep herself
warm against the autumn late afternoon chill
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she’s standing in line like they once did
when their love was still all flaming hot
giddy like little kids at Christmas time
to hear their favorite punk rock band
.

she’s mouthing sad memories to no one
and when exactly did it all slow fade away?
the steam rising up through her hair
and that anger wailing in her belly
.

because she wants no more
.

of those rerun tv dinners
of his always sleepy couch
of those damn ‘I don’t knows’
of another weekend just wasted
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because she’s so done with
.

trying to make him
remember why he loved her
trying so hard to make him
remember why her body was only his
.

a gentle hand cupped her sleeveless shoulder
and it shook her a little, so inviting and warm
yeah, those bright blue eyes totally understood
‘hey c’mon hun, let’s move up just a little bit’
.

she slithered through the crowd to reach the stage
it was always their favorite spot, when they first met
but these days the raging warmth of crushing bodies
writhing in unison…driving bass beat her steady lover
.

and now those bright blue eyes right next to hers
straining to figure out those wicked guitar riffs
her smallish fingers stretching, nearly make that leap
until now, an elusive chord just beyond her guitar’s reach
.

when that last song finally ended and every light gone dim
the sold out standing room only crowd erupted, hands raised
and in that hopeful darkness their hands met, fingers entwirled
adding their pleas to the encore chorus, ‘More….more….more….’

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miracle you

i should have…

i had no right to…

after so many starts and stops
an almost lifetime of yearning
but for some reason knowing
it shouldn’t all end like this

i should have…

i had no right to…

finding this wounded heart
forgetting how to beat
finding these shallow lungs
forgetting how to breath

and so close to walking alone
forever with my restless shadows
organs of life and love in dormant uncertainty
and losing all faith in their very reason to be

i should have just given up
i had no right to continue believing
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have i forgotten again to tell you how it
feels finally resting safely in your arms?
have i forgotten again like i do sometimes
to thank you… what a miracle you are?
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‘If you open your heart
You can make a new start
When your crumbling world falls apart

The miracle of love
Will take away your pain
When the miracle of love
Comes your way again’
.
Annie Lennox, David Stuart, Eurythmics

fawn

whatever you fear, whatever you hide,
whatever you carry deep inside
there’s something more than this
October Project

on that late lit afternoon amidst the blaring horns sirens rolling steel and rubber of every constant rush hour this city only knows, he saw her now sitting folded into the corner of a familiar doorway the burgundy shroud resting deep into her knees that impossible smallness an almost prayer like silent plea her meditation wishing this world would disappear from view. and as he always did walking his young golden retriever Scout a dog so serene he’d never heard him make a single sound, the closer to this little person in a doorway by itself the bustling street echos ending another ambivalent big city day, and his concern alarm now heightened wondering why this any child was left so alone, his scan for parents but found none.

closer now and details unfold black ballet slippers to black anklet socks delicately edged tiny white lace frill slim cranberry pants, then that ankle bracelet! …. it’s chain spun so finely crafted not by our any human hands sun speaking to each tiny charm glistening. …and hesitant now not ever wanting to intrude, Scout answered his questions a gentle nose nudging her knee as all good dogs will,

‘oh im so sorry, he has to say hello to everyone’,

and the slowest of motions the shroud lifted its head as if in a slumber waking finally eyes to eyes nose to Scout’s nose her hands instinctively moving involuntarily they found his golden jowls, standing motionless accepting her slow fingers moving a golden fur caress, the shroud so deep he could not yet see her face. and in a ‘time will forever stand still moment’ forever be etched in his memory, the burgundy shroud slowly lifted falling back revealing her pale skin colored paler by the blazing embers of the extinguishing afternoon sun this deliberate ray reaching her darkened corner of the doorway,

his concern its own slow fade seeing her narrow face she was no child after all, and in human years twenty something but as in the swift glint of brown in her so grateful eyes raising to meet the sun… a whiteness then the infinity white of everything all knowing and all our kindness in every universe that ever lived, hers a timeless and slow smile reply,

‘yes…he does.’

he stood there letting this moment live as long as she wanted Scout turned to leave he followed and as so many of us his slow walk away was followed in doubt, a disbelief that this was not just a dream awake so double quickstepping around the block with Scout trailing. maybe to relive a moment that should not require repeating …….maybe to speak another word that didn’t need speaking, arriving as the sun had already fallen behind every building in its way the doorway now darkened and she was gone.

whatever you love, whatever you give,
whatever you think you need to live
there’s something more than this
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mirror

a
world
between us
poetry spanning
the virtual distance,
and hearing your doubt,
feeling each tentative recoil.

and
mirror,
your words
do not dance on
such fragile trust here.

and always speak your heart
and believe it knows your truth.
and i suspect we will tell each other,
what our mirror needs telling ourselves.

submitted to 20 Lines A Day

glide

what
benefit
has your love
so quiet and fearful,
dormant in its shrouded heart?

please
don’t believe
the pale vocabulary
of this ambivalant world,
silence, its own sharp betrayal.

and what
benefit has my
abundant heart if
not sharing our pain?

i am
not afraid
of your fear.

reach then,
reach for my hand
the true sky is waiting.
couple these hearts together
and we can glide above this fray.

Written April 2013
submitted to 20 Lines A Day
prose an poetry challehnge for April