Sonnettics

Tonight we talked before he fell asleep
His eager eyes fought long against the close
We talked about our day; our talk was deep
The deepest thoughts a seven year old knows
We reminisced about our little walk
Along the path beside the old canal
The turtles that we saw enriched our talk
“Will we see more next time?” “I think we shall.”
And then he asked if I would sing a song
I said I would and saw he was content
The final verse he asked to sing along
His voice with mine was love’s best complement
We kissed and said “I love you,” man to son
And only then were both days truly done

Upon the shores of time there lies one day
One grain of sand upon an endless beach
I’ve heard it called by name the sixth of May
Two thousand years and five within its reach
Upon that day the waves of life rolled in
To lift that day upon some higher ground
And there a new foundation to begin
Upon which an eternity was found
And I can wander all along this shore
These sands that stretch into eternity
And hear the rolling waves of life that roar
And feel the vastness all surrounding me
But oh, I know exactly where it lies
That day is still reflected in your eyes

Beside the lake I felt the spinning sun
Exploding from a billion miles away
She touched my skin as I commenced my run
A circle in the middle of my day
Insistent warmth progressed to fervent heat
I took my orbit twice and then once more
My will propelled my legs, propelled my feet
While sweat like blood was drawn from every pore
I cursed the sun in silence and aloud
Fatigued, I stopped and drank a bottled drink
I saw the shadow of a passing cloud
And thought the thought that all blasphemers think
That somehow my desire resides above
The source of life and light, the source of love

How long will longing rob me of my sleep
I know it knows the cost of what it steals
Compelled to be the company I keep
We sit and talk of how compulsion feels
And slowly as this fool consumes my mind
With foolish talk disguised as something wise
My tired eyes are burning to be blind
In silent sleep where wisdom truly lies
Where quietly my angel holds my hand
And quietly dismisses longing’s thief
And with a love I don’t quite understand
She brings my soul and body sweet relief
As everything dissolves to peace it seems
I hear my angel’s songs within my dreams

The love of knowledge is a lower road
And yet to travel there is no offense
At times a slipping slope or heavy load
May seem to be its worst impediments
A low road floods at times in heavy rain
At times its bridges simply wash away
And though you see the goal you can’t obtain
You can’t recoup the toll you had to pay
And yet this road may be a high road too
In safety you may reach its highest hill
If traveled with a friend whose heart is true
Two loves transcend what one heart never will
Go hand in hand to oldest age from youth
And all your roads will lead you to the truth

A simple hymn sung with a stronger voice
Is thunder rolling through a gentle rain
It shakes the clouds and dares them to rejoice
A flash of lightning sparks a brief refrain
The melody drifts close enough to sense
A scent of lavender upon a breeze
A whisper of a love that’s so intense
It brings the singer gently to his knees
And there the hymn becomes a prayer of faith
To raise him to his feet and to his wings
And upward to a higher holy place
Wherein his soul with wild rapture sings
A simple hymn, but with a voice so strong
It bears eternity within its song

Your mom’s asleep–let’s let her have her rest
When she’s awake she’ll play with you some more
For her and for the baby it’s the best
To have some peace. Shh. Slowly close the door
We’ll tip-toe down the stairs like little mice
We’ll talk in whispers–all you want to say
Oh yes, she’ll think it all is very nice
For us to be considerate this way
Now let me tell you something very true
A special thing about your mother’s heart
A piece of it beats here inside of you
And so you see, you’ll never be apart
You too were once inside your mother dear
And with her love she keeps you still so near

I picture potion dripping from her hands
My body tight and dry upon her bed
A priestess, she both summons and commands
Such life from me I once believed was dead
She chants my name, a steady, rhythmic beat
Attacks my flesh with vigor and delight
I reel between her knees, her legs, her feet
Entrancing flames illuminate the night
But where she learned this magic I can’t say
And if it’s legal I don’t want to know
I only know her powers have a way
Of taking me to where I want to go
To heaven, if I’m with her, else to hell
And nothing on this earth will break her spell

I closed my eyes and sighed to her content
The picnic basket still remained half full
A token that our day was just half spent
The tug of sleep became a steady pull
She let me nap, her head upon my chest
I felt the sun, her lips, both kiss my face
And when I woke from such a peaceful rest
I felt that I was truly in my place
A place of peace more precious than a pearl
Like love itself had been the oyster there
A thousand years and guarded by a girl
Who knew what lay inside and knew to care
And now content she kisses my closed eyes
And smiles a pearly smile to hear my sighs

The stars all laughed as I walked past alone
They pulled their drapes that darkness was my path
The moon fell at my feet, a bloody stone
The sun withdrew her glory in her wrath
The emptiness of walking seized my feet
The emptiness of nothing seized my mind
The fearlessness of silence was complete
As every word was slowly undefined
And then I saw a pillar of white light
And god himself was standing in its glow
And jesus too was standing at his right
They shook their heads then turned again to go
Forever and forever left behind
And all the gold on earth was unrefined