Mantra

Beauty

Beauty

The very word born of the trees

My stained-glass heart ruptures for thee:

A pang of joy to cure dis-ease

Fire

Inside of us, there lies a flame—

A fire they will try to tame

Burn your fear—all reservoirs

And, in time, you’ll light the stars

Essentia

The last remaining ember,

The twin stars colliding

Present at my birth,

Beside as I lay dying

The ruins of Rose City,

The treasure of Bell Island

The air beyond my fingertips,

The morning mists of Titan

The sun behind clouds:

But now, you’re breaking through

You are the bedrock of all promise:

The chilled light of the moon

I See Myself (4)

I see myself in every face

Each widened eye, each line of grace

Each unsure lip, each cheek of colour

As we are one, are we not the other?

Equanimity

Equanimity

The very word, born of ‘to be’

Stymies egocentricity

And offers possibility

William’s Blood

But it’s William’s blood, inside of me

William’s blood, born of the sea

William’s blood, to see me through

William’s blood, to make me new

Dance Card

They say the best way out is through

And so I’ll take this dance with you

I’ll follow pace, I’ll move in time

You set rhythm, I’ll match with rhyme

One step forward, one step back

I’ll learn to balance where there’s slack

When you long to dip me low,

I’ll arch my back in even flow

And Life, when we’ve moved through my fears,

My dance card will be free and clear

Stream

Inside of us, there lies a spring

A stream of life neverending

Deep divides and driest days

Cannot stymie the waterway

Dive inside—abandon dock

And, in time, you’ll cut through rock

This Time

This time, someone else’s night

Won’t keep me from my moon

This time, the sun will sing me songs

Each day she’ll give me June

This time, when I’m falling

I’m only rising up

This time, when I’m pouring

I’ll drink from both our cups

This time, I won’t be paying

No matter what the cost

This time, when I find it

I’m never getting lost

This time, I’ve got a place to land

Before I take the leap

This time, when I roll the die

It’ll be for keeps

I See Myself

I see myself on every street

Each pair of brightly sneakered feet

Each warm hand clasping onto love

Each bareboned branch trembling above