Knowledge

oceans of thought
lie undiscovered
to a parched wanderer

Intelligensia

the learned who chastise
the ignorance of others
while being unable to
stand correction themselves
are incapable of true knowledge
of the secular world
and of themselves

Lessons from a Game of Chance

Tired of mood maintenance
I take a roll of the dice which tells me to:

Question
Smile
Explore

To live as children live
certain that each day brings a new joy
certain that life is meant for discovery

Seaside Augury

espying abandoned boats
on the shore
the visitor worries
that the tide will come in
and carry them afar

the locals laugh
tap
their bare wrists
and point towards
the sun

Innocence

hiding in the shadow
of a boat bleached
by summer sun

a boy thinks only
of winning his game
of hide-and-seek

dreaming, he finds
a thrilling warmth
in abandoned wood

Secondhand Wisdom

In a book, a few hours encompass a lifetime
And the wisdom gained therein seeps
Like rain into soil
Forgotten and subtle, it may yet feed:
A seedling
A tree
A blossom and fruit

Envy Not Thy Neighbor

The people peep into keyholes
Into parlors laden with roses
The finest china
And souvenirs from far off places
In this dim glimpse
It is too easy to imagine happiness
Dwelling like a dream
And ashamed they hurry away
Shawls or coats pulled tight
Never daring to knock on the front door
Never hearing the arguments on the second floor
Never knowing the unwashed garments piling in the laundry room
The children slamming doors and pouting
The worm-eaten peonies
That the mistress of the house sobs over
In the barren garden behind the white picket house

Memento

The old mementos cease to be comforting
The look back at a rosy past
No longer forecast the same blissful future;
Ignorance once destroyed by knowledge
Cannot be pieced together whole again

Strangers on the Same Road

All people have gaps in their knowledge
But usually attribute that ignorance to others
And think that they, themselves, cannot be understood
But once they realize we are all similar
In our permutations of differences
They also realize those voids are meant to be filled
By the meeting of others

Time and Mortality

The youth knows only summer
And plays and frolics through the golden time
The man knows the fall and winter
And tries to smile as he prepares
The old one knows the seasons will pass
And cycle and pass farther than he can live
The world continues on long after we are gone
The wise mind finds comfort in this
And the child, under the weathered skin
Fears death