The Whale
I met a fellow traveler,
We briefly shared the road.
He told of things spectacular,
So now to him this ode.
All year long he sails the seas
Without a suitcase or a care,
And none exist whom he must please
And there is nought that he won't dare.
For he's a splendid whale full-grown,
Breaking bounds of length and girth,
Great ocean-king who needs no throne -
By nature crowned upon his birth.
And so when we met face to face,
Silent homage did I pay.
His countenance bore warmth and grace
And I admired his noble way.
Suddenly he spoke to me,
This distant cousin of the sea.
He knew of man and all we've done,
Our cities and science and victories won.
He told me many things that day
Of the universe beneath the sea,
And the hidden world where the great whales play,
And the twists and turns of their history.
The deep dark ocean is a hostile place
Far from the warmth and light of the sun,
And tears filled his eyes for the error of his race -
Their return to the sea cannot be undone.
When next I am pulled to the lapping shore
And contemplate the Earth's great seas,
I'll think, great whale, on you some more
And treasure your vast mysteries.
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Six miles high above the ground
I watch as mountain peaks abound.
Monuments rise far below
By nature fashioned long ago.
Rough-hewn face of jagged rock,
Is it me you dare to mock?
I've been told that next to you,
My life span's a day or two.
While you've seen nations come and go.
Time for you must ooze so slow.
And though you seem to touch the sky
You can't reach where I can fly,
And we have punched huge holes through you
That cars and trucks and trains pass through.
Even in your fierce eruption
You cannot match our mass destruction
With missiles high above your head
With bombs that leave whole cities dead.
And yet, oh mountain, you endure -
Great symbol of the clean and pure.
You are the temple where I pray
To see me through a trying day.
And when my spirit's feeling low,
You are the rock to which I go.
The time will come when sea and sky
No longer scheme to please my eye,
When wind-blown cloud and breaking wave
Exhort me not to shout and rave,
When all that made my heart beat fast
Be gone - save in dreams of ages past.
The time will come when love's soft glow
Lies buried deep in graves below,
When death shall steal my friends away -
Memories, ghosts of yesterday,
When only fire can warm my bones,
When youth has fled - replaced by groans.
The time will come, but not just yet.
The living ought not, of death, to fret!
So till the hour of setting sun,
Fiercely will I live and play,
And all I wished for shall be won.
The time will come - this dog shall have his day.
I am the eternal freedom fighter.
I battle on the barricade of liberty.
No gender nor race nor age have I –
I have no nationality.
I was here before they built the pyramids.
I appeared when tyranny began.
I've marched with the greatest leaders ever known –
I fought alongside champions of man.
I was there with Washington
With his troops at Valley Forge ;
A newly founded nation won
Its freedom from King George.
I marched in the Civil War
To put an end to slavery
Rode a freedom bus
In the next century.
I exist in every generation.
I outlive the Fascist that I fight.
Thousands of comrades flock to me –
Brave people doing what is right.
I have written words of revolution.
I have written many protest songs.
I prefer the peaceful way but if I must,
I will use a gun to right the wrongs.
I've seen many comrades fall
When they've answered freedom's call.
I have seen a thousand deaths
And yet I still stand tall.
Tyrants, bigots, evil men –
Hark, for I shall rise again.
I will fight eternally
In the name of liberty.
The tired day prepares to sleep –
A lazy bird flies here and there.
The fading sunlight will not keep –
Both day and night one sky must share
In twilight's magic mix of hue,
Soft clouds await the sun's demise –
A slow retreat of pink and blue
Till darkness vanquishes the skies.
As tides pay homage to the moon,
And warm winds blow across the bay,
Then in my arms will my love swoon,
Beholding nature's grand display.
With heaven as our canopy
There shall appear a mystery
Far greater than the sky above –
Two souls enjoined by the power of love.
Is this the last poem I shall write
Before my mind's eye loses sight?
Then I must carve it into stone
That shall above me stand alone
To testify that I breathed air
And tasted love and knew despair.
Will death soon come to silence me
To snuff my soul eternally?
Then I will freeze in time these lines
While my setting sun still shines.
Life's bought with burnt offerings --
And sacrifice of carefree days.
To grasp great thoughts and do great things
I paid a price – but life repays!
Of all the riches life bestows
Naught compares with giving birth
To an idea that grow and grows
And takes me high above the Earth
To see the wonders that are found
Miles above safe solid ground
Where truth and beauty wait for those
Whose souls command them to compose.
That is where I wish to die -
Where Earthly shackles fall apart
And stars command brave men to try
With every ounce of strength and heart
To do what most say can't be done
Armed with vision, fueled by love
Fighting till the battle's won
Soaring o'er the clouds above
Till the quest for art pays dividends
And the means of toil yield fruitful ends.
Are these words my parting lines
Ne'er again that place to see?
Then high on the mountain 'tween oaks and pines
With a view of heaven, pray bury me.
Mighty walls along the waters
Sloping city of glories past,
Legacy of French sons and daughters,
Dreams of empire that didn't last.
Harbor master, gatekeeper, mighty portal!
So warm under white wintry blanket so cold!
What spirit renders thee immortal?
Ancient - though you don't grow old!
Frosted glass and smooth carved stone,
Defiant fortress aloof, alone.
Smoke-topped dwellings - winding street
Flowing seaway at your feet.
Weathered statue smooth to my hand,
How tall and proud, how strong you stand.
Silent witness - I'd lend both ears
To hear the wisdom of a hundred years.
From Where Springs Your Pride?
Unafraid because you're unaware of the threat?
Do you mock death because you haven't seen it yet?
Defy you the foe from safe castle wall?
Climb only when the net catches your fall?
Are you the confident master of routine,
Smiling 'cause your world hasn't been cold and mean?
Untested, untried?
From where springs your pride?
If from good looks or youth,
Then heed well this truth:
To see the threat,
Yet to double your bet,
To stare death in the face
And remain in the race,
Fighting your foe in his domain,
Scaling the cliff though they call you insane!
To shun routine and master the new,
To bravely smile when they've made fun of you,
To sing your battle cry out loud
Thereby earning the right to be proud!
Speedy Ship that Sails the Sky
Speedy ship that sails the sky,
Wonder of the modern age,
What force enables you to fly
And spring me from my Earthly cage?
Bird with flesh and blood of steel
That lifts me o'er the tallest peak -
Descendant of the ancient wheel,
How I wish that you could speak.
For I can't see beyond the hills -
My vision's blurred by human ills.
How easy, though, it is for you
To see that which eludes my view.
From five miles high above the land,
The city skylines must look grand.
You're spared the sight of slums and crime -
And evil lurks not where you climb!
Speedy ship that sails the sky,
You've fortified my view of things.
We'll dwarf the feats of times gone by
With miracles the future brings.
"Son of Zeus, oh bursting sunshine,
Beckoning beauty, make me thine.
Add me to your splendid palate, painter of the sea and sky –
Lest the ocean waves abscond and all the planets die.
Eyes that summon all they see,
Find your target – capture me.
Fire-breather, make me burn –
Ignite my soul with Earthly passion,
Though 'tis Heaven for which I yearn –
And thou, a god, might this love fashion."
The music of this star-born soul
Rich in celestial harmony
In its magical seductive role,
A honey-dipped lusty symphony,
Pulled me to my life-long bliss,
Signed and sealed in our first kiss.