Crystal Dreams

A downy-soft lane of crystaline dreams

Stretching eternal, limbs of purity

Cavernous blanket o’er laneway subdued

A horsedrawn carriage with urgency passed

In boldest of silence save sparrow’s flight

Air cleansed by its falling ever gently

Virgin flakes layer upon frozen ground

Buried leaves leaven in earthen decay

Footprints lay nestled in a silent trail

Steps without purpose, aimless wanderings

At peace in the splendor of nature’s tale

Embracing crystal dreams, a rhapsody

Effusive outflow escapes without voice

A wordless rendition, faint whisperings

Echoing thoughts meander passively

Adrift as frost-bitten imaginings

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

By Water’s Edge

Gentle the mid-day’s winds caress

Transparent massage upon face

Eyes cast outward, seas cascading

As upturned waves cresting white

Silence permeates endless thought

Ghostly heartbeat’s echo intense

Naked toes stroking weathered floors

Fingertips trace salt-laden sill

Searching for answers ever lost

Swept away, unforgiving tide

Staring long into darkened depths

Of an ocean despairingly

Wondering what will tomorrow

Bring forward from failed yesterdays

By water’s edge so long I wait…

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

You Went Away

Throughout our lives we expend great energy establishing and maintaining friendships. Our relationship with friends blossoms from a seedling, maturing to a point of intimate fondness reserved for a select few. We nurture that relationship as something so sacred, so close to our hearts that seemingly nothing can stand in the way of that friendship. Sadly something happens along this journey and the relationship changes…the flower withers and dies or that intimate friendship suddenly disappears, sometimes for no apparent reason.

How do we let such precious relationships slip through our grasp? Now all that’s left is the pain.

You Went Away

All that we had I thought was a lifetime
The days and nights spent, the laughter and tears
So many moments, so many memories
All of a sudden you just walked away

How can I change what must have been broken
So wrong that forever you went away

Time and distance has gotten between us
Irrevocably close, now torn apart
The warm embraces, unspoken glances
Kept all that we had forever in place

What did I say that brought separation
So wrong that forever you went away

All of the miles that we walked in silence
The paths that we chose so easy to climb
Words always came to us without effort
The memories linger of better times

Can something so good slip through our fingers
So wrong that forever you went away

All I feel is regret for whatever
Suddenly severed the bond that we had
Am I mistaken, was it your doing
How can something so right turn out so wrong

Just one more chance is all that I’m asking
Make up for the pain that sent you away…

How can I change what must have been broken
So wrong that forever you went away

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Lest We Forget

Since the early beginnings of recorded history and beyond there has been conflict between peoples. That conflict has turned violent, whether between individuals, tribes, factions, organizations, and the military. Whether for personal, religious or political reasons the results are often tragic. We subscribe to ideologies that at times become an obsession, fixating on what we deem to be correct, moral, just or rational. We are no longer a peaceful, patient people. Instead we let force navigate our existence, our fate. We loath banal indifference preferring a call to action, the consequences be damned. We take life as a means to an end begrudgingly, resignedly.

But what of the lives that are lost and the devastation left for surviving loved ones to deal with? We cannot and must not ever forget about the consequence…

Death by precision justifies
Killing field’s slaughter, consequence
Limbs strewn in bloody disarray
The stench of war suffocating
Tears stain a soldier’s uniform
Streaks of anguish shed in vain
Abated fear haunts silent graves
Where the fallen rest, prayer’s refrain
A nation mourns the deathly toll
Mounting daily through unresolve
Row upon row of caskets draped
With flags of homeland awaiting
Courage, conviction marked their way
With honor dispatched, homeward bound
While loved ones gather far away
Distraught, they grieve their painful loss
Lest we forget the brave who served
Pause to reflect their selfless acts
Preserve our freedom and protect
Our way of life, to live in peace

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Hours Bleed Eternal

…for loved ones lost everywhere

Hours Bleed Eternal

Nightmares frequent, relentless remind

The torment of your passing scars

A heart crippled in anguish now

By your leave tears burn without end

Pangs of torment haunted your soul

Agonized by fear, suffering

Borderless pain, anxiety

Left your blessed world torn apart

A faceless image in mirrors

Inconsolable, looked away

Clouds of uncertainty blanket

A mind forever locked in chains

You fought invisible demons

With courage and dignity won

Before succumbing to weakness

Too weary now to struggle on

Trapped behind a seamless glass cage

In desperation hands against

Cruel translucent barriers

Drawn in a current of refrain

Vision singular as Cyclops

Impaired by forged entities

Distorted reality grips

A mind eternally besieged

Absent your laughter, calming words

So gentle your touch, warm embrace

Lost, the silken flow of your hair

Fragrant in scent caressed your face

Your stride with such purpose told me

Of life’s meaning you once possessed

Now the hours bleed eternal

Your spirit, your life ever lost

Copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Reflextions

I sit in quiet contemplation of all that life means, its triumphs, its pitfalls, my reason for being. The solitude of this place, its resolute and comfort consumes me. Seemingly shattered yet completely whole I search here for answers to questions that beg my study.

I leave this sanctuary cleansed, purified of mind, body and soul. Were it not for quiet reflection, to my anxieties would I surrender, to my confusion and fear would I not confront. This place where I go…my inner self, my own mind.

Pastel shades blend a virginal sky
Naked, resplendant, backdrop serene
This place of refuge, of solitude
I go oft in haste, reflect upon
Tears shed in anger, laughter and pain
Is this all there is, resentingly
Stillness blankets disquiet of mind
Inhale purity, absent mankind
Eyes transfixed to a point deep within
Cavernous hollow, I imagine
A world without fear, save consequence
Tumultuous conflict, unresolve
My gaze now panning this scene surreal
In silent repose, of nothingness
Trees postured awkwardly, limbs are void
Of dressing, craggy lung lineage
Distant murmor, strained cry of a Loon
Captures the essence, soft voice to scene
An insect’s water dance stark contrast
Shuddered diffusion propagates waves
Gently rolling in outward release
To dissipate unwaveringly
Vanished by dispersion, cast aside
Unspoken reflection, realise

copyright 2008, Don MacIver

Minstrel’s Song

On weathered leather of piano stool
Postured songster croons a poetic churn
Smooth as butter yet with a rustic spin
Octaves played out, slow pentatonic verse
Ivory keys dance by gnarled fingers’ touch
Blistered, weeping digits play minstel song
Notes of pain and anger, words bitterly
Interrogate, chastise indifference
Of benign passersby, a wary glance
At this wordsmith decrying modern man
A scourge of society, whispered prose
Faint samplings of humanity eagerly
Bemused, his angst tempered by waning smile
Rhythmic notes linger, foot pedal caress
This barter of utterance lost in time
Walks to a beat of a different drum
Eyes turned away, tears fall in misery
His blackface painted somber, minstrel sings

copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Teardrops From Heaven

First drops followed by a lifetime more
Wind driven cascade of images
Reflections of past humanity
Crying out, voiceless with empty gaze
In a jolt of lightning, cloudburst rage
Freefall translucent, lost memories
Droplets mirror faith, molecular
Diffused energy drifting away
Laughter drowned by sorrow, weeping tears
Stained by the blood of their gaping wounds
Gone before their time, unfulfilled quest
To love, to live without sacrifice
Immortal beings in disbelief
Their demise imminent, teardrops fall
On dreams of tomorrow, unwavering

Thunder’s rumble distant, shuddering
Amid cloudscapes blackened, billowing
Release of whispers, encapsulate
The voice of tomorrow, Heavenly

copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Old Values Live

Perhaps kindness is weigning, a dying trend, where once the Golden Rule was the accepted norm.

Whatever happened to politeness of old, caring for each other without repremand. To be sensured for

making another’s life easier, a sign of the times, unacceptable. In a world full of hate and

disrespect we must hold on to those values we used to embrace. Please extend a hand…with a smile

today.

Call me old fashioned, a dinosour
Extending kindness to someone unknown
A door held open, smile upon face
Brief pause for thankyous, kindly exchange

Embracing old values handed down
Chivalrous gestures, well-intentioned
Courteous passage through open door
Lady or gentleman…nothing more

Indignant defiance, utterance
Refuting politeness, ignorance
Feigned social graces, in disrespect
Turn away in anger, castigate

Human decency overshadowed
By self-centered rudeness, indulgence
Old values live on through yesterday
A page in the past, obsolescence

Faded memory, benevolence
A sign of weakness, certainly not
An outstretched hand, a brotherly glance
Acknowledge respect, reciprocate

Moments of friendship, equality
A greater sense of community
Unselfish giving, warm-hearted pride
For values sustained, community

copyright 2008 Don MacIver

Undulate

Our eyes transfixed in hypnotic gaze
Sensual, yearning, so energized
Lips part amusingly, taunting more
Hands gently exploring nervously
As fingertips trace each rise and fall
Each sweat beaded curve, erotic touch
Tongues dart in furer of probing love
Penetrating deeply, serpentine
Whispered intention, lung’s gasp of air
Writhing frantic in coiled exchange
Finger nails tear at quivering flesh
Intensity rhythmic, pulsating
Limbs and torso in dampness conjoin
As singular, seamless entities
Unspeakable pleasures, desparate
Hand-probing innocence longingly
Slowing gently, this moment embraced
Grasping hardness with tightening flesh
Now quickening thrust, arching refrain
From release, consumate, seminal
Transference to a place deep within
Body and soul one as pleasures ebb
Our senses igniting, gently kiss
This moment sensual, undulate

copyright 2008 Don MacIver