Feeling all the emotions
an airplane through the wind
a whirlwind of spring
jabs a thing into my heart
Thoughts come and go
some stick
and take time to de
tach
Coming home to poetry
into its familiar embrace
as the feelings rush by
rush through
and the harmonica plays.
Eyes aglow like fire-bathed moonlight
Face shining as if dawn was near my beloved’s soul broad as the whole Earth
Such resplendence beholds my dear.
Her ruddy cheeks are children of love and her nose sits calmly square
Her smile, most of all, warms cold everywhere.
I am beyond grateful, beyond the realm of luck;
To have her so near and to know love knows no fear
Finally to know, to feel, to hear, to understand love.
This is a different parting
Sure, there were tears, there are travels to be
There is the squeeze and tearing of heartstrings
As the tear rolls down your cheek
But there is something different about this
There is something hopeful beneath the sadness
There is a sense of arrival with the departure
The parting with an old past and coming of a future
A hopeful future,
a future bursting with love and hope
To quash those tears,
to breathe in strength anew.
Oh Canada, O Canada, Ah Canada!
You’ve treated me well
through no decision of your own.
As your Christmas lights twinkle on the streets
And as Christmas jazz rings out on Wave 98.3
I can look back on it all.
Your majestic landscapes embraced me
as I stood in the palm of Their hands
Embraced me tight when I needed it most
As I showed myself how to be
once more content in my own skin;
I know you had something to do with that.
Your splendid concert halls rang and echoed
with Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and fellow musicians
My heart rings out with life anew.
This was a séjour of all the senses,
of all the emotions.
I will cherish it
I will cherish you for evermore.
Your Christmastime saxophone blares
good tidings for all
As in the palm
of Nature’s hand we stand
O help us coexist
in harmony
May festive jazz ring out
on this blessed planet for evermore.
Four months have I resided in your cradle
and savoured your hospitality
You showed me your troubles
and I unveiled mine
But together we learned from each other:
I saw your beauty
and you saw mine.
My darling, look how our flowers grow
they’ve had a good year
let them rest now for the winter
to be stronger than ever next year.
Let their roots shatter all doomsaying rocks
let their blossoms urge love to flourish
let their petals take others along the journey
and let the stems hold us all up.
Hope.
Just one word
Says so much
If only we had more hope
less misery, we say
But that’s not hope
Hope is knowing
Believing!
There are things out there for us
within us
which give us hope.
Hope gives us hope.
Cherish it.
Nurture it.
Don’t forget to hope.
When there were snowflakes on your lashes
I saw the future disappear and fade far away
I hesitate not, I would not relive that day
Despite the moment and the memories it catches
But later we boarded the rollercoaster of life
And are planning a future so bright
It shuns all darkness—what a sight
Of hopes and dreams and excitement rife
Looks like there’ll be more rollercoasters
And many more snowflakes on your lashes
And we’ll laugh and talk about the time
When you first became mine;
And we’ll smile and grin about the moment
We became each other’s constant.
Seeing your softened face
day and night for the last while
as your loving smile
fades and leaves a trace
a life-changing trail
of love, emotions and tenderness
makes me frail
to stand up to life’s somethingness.
Goodnight darling
may your dreams be sweeter than your kiss
and brighter than the song of starlings
as you approach slumberous bliss.
I hope your night will be a good one,
goodnight sweetheart
and dreams filled with flowered fields in which to run
and places where with the day’s ailments you part.
Snuggle up into the covers and tame the sheets
as it’s time to say sleep tight, dear
rest those weary legs which walked the city’s streets
and rest those perfect hands which pulled me near.
Now it’s time to close your eyes
as you make the day’s goodbyes
a content smile stretches from the lips I miss
soon, though, those lips I will gladly kiss.