ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work has been inspired by the appreciation of poetry in its
raw form; appreciation of poetry as an art and as leisure. I begin
by thanking the Almighty God whose faithfulness is inimitable.
My gratitude for His presence in my life’s every moment is
untellable.

Secondly I would like to thank my parents, for their support

and encouragement in my many endeavors. I would also like to
thank the JKUAT poetry society, for being a forum for growing
poets to learn and express.

Lastly and in many ways not least, I want to thank humanity.

Life is made of relationships, and nothing else…
  
 
 
 
 
 

TO LOVE,
TO ITS GREAT HOPES,
TO ITS GREAT PAINS,
AND MOSTLY,
TO ITS UNFATHOMABLE JOYS
  
 
 
 
 
 

A BASKET
OF RUBIES

Kingsley Ndiewo
 CONTENTS
 A Basket of Rubies 1
 A Curse For Everyday Use 2
 A Minute, A Poem 3
 A Song to Sing 4
 Be Ye Not 5
 Believe 6
 Blind, Deaf and Dumb 7
 Blithe 8
 Business 9
 Change We Need 10
 Consistency 11
 Cornucopia 12
 Dawn’s Mist 13
 Density of Time 14
 Destined 15
 Ephemeral 16
 Every Cryptic 17
 Every Time 18
 Fears 19
 Feel My Pain 20
 Feline 21
 Fire Burn 22
 For Friends 23
 For The Guild 24
 Glad 25
 God’s Smile 26
 Grandness 27
 Happy 28
 Holiday 29
 Holy Grail 30
 Honey 31
 I Said 32-33
 Inside and Out 34
 It’s A Friend 35
 Jay 36
 Je Ne Sais Quoi 37
 Just Love 38
 Justified 39
 Knowledge 40
 Leased 41
 Life is Grand 42
 Love Is 43
 Love 44
 Man Eat Man 45
 Newness 46
 Out of Sight, Out of Mind 47
 Palace Politics 48
 Pint 49-50
 Polar 51
 Silent Whispers 52
 Tempting 53
 That We May 54
 Thinking 55
 This Little Smiley 56
 To Err 57
 Turned Upside Down 58
 When I Soar 59
 Where The Wind Blows Free 60
 A Basket of Rubies

Fear not the sunny bondage of love,

For it is a treasure of magic to have,
Be wise in your ways with affection,
‘tis a road tattered with imperfection.

Hasten not on the road to wisdom,

Rather stroll with pace of boredom,
For patience is the sage’s kingdom,
God Himself treasures its rare blossom,

Lean not on your strength in peace,

Leave not the narrow path of faith,
Human things always carry unease,
That evil shadows like a witty wraith.

Live not very quickly in temperament,

Lest your life be one of disappointment,
Savor joy as a long-awaited refreshment,
Make smiling your treasured commitment.

Drop not these rubies from your basket,

Bear them as long as there is breath in you,
For the foe of fear let trust be your musket,
Though place this trust with caution too!

1
 A Curse for Everyday Use
This is for all you charlatans and normal people,
For you unprincipled souls who live in this craze,
Where the principled are the outcasts and weirdos,
This is my awaited sweet and unrestrained revenge,

As you laugh and point and mock and criticize,

As you whisper cold untruths and outright lies,
So will they in their time do likewise to you all,
The doctor will have the selfsame drug he gives,

You taunt and tease and halt your understanding,

You play the perfect and point out imperfections,
Woe unto you when you also must err in your ways,
For the mercy of life shall deal with you heavily,

As you steal so shall you be attacked and robbed,

As you judge harshly so shall your chances be few,
As you do unto others the Good Book warns you,
So shall it be done unto you at a time of weakness,

As your lives get more and more secure and godless,

As your plans gain more and more human confidence,
So shall the Lord strike a sudden deathly blow to them,
For He directs the steps and we must trust and obey.

2
 A Minute, a Poem
What would I write right here,
If only a minute I had to spare,
Would I freeze in my utter fear?
Or face this rather unusual dare?

What would I say in this very note,

if there were sixty seconds to type?
Would I recall a long and lost quote?
Which has more or less lost its hype,

Well I rather think I've answered thus,

'tis short a span to stew a rhyme sauce,
Yet just before you all make a lively fuss,
I made my minute stretch to three by force.

3
 A Song to Sing
It’s easy to step out of tune,
It’s easy to spoil the flow,
It’s easy to mess the tempo,
And wreck the song upon the rocks,

It’s hard to write a new song,

Harder to write a good poem,
Everyone expects it to rhyme,
Because it hasn’t even tried to,
I’ve wrecked the song upon the rocks,

It’s an honor to stand before men,

Even greater to stand before ladies,
But that doesn’t help with stage fright,
Nor does it make this sound any better,
Or guard the song from all these rocks

It’s hard to build anything useful,

But so easy to bring it down,
You’d think nature was wiser,
But there’s little we know about her,
Because we wreck our songs upon her rocks,

It’s easy to sit and listen,

It’s easier not to show up at all,
But I hope I’ve shown you,
It’s easy to write something too,
And the rocks aren’t so bad after all.

4
 Be Ye Not
Be ye not too quick to ire, yet not surreally slow,
Refine your relations, but don’t accept every blow,
Be ye not easy to captivate, but trust in something,
Have your doubt and ease, but don’t reject everything,
Be ye not too agreeable, but find things to believe,
Be free with your pinch of salt, but you must live,
Be ye not too single minded, yet not too random,
Life must have change, still an unshakable kingdom,
Be not lengthy in words, yet not unhelpfully brief,
Keep to the point always, but don’t make it stiff,
Be not too jovial, yet never wallow in sorrow,
Be not too exhilarated, yet never embrace apathy,
God grants us wisdom, but also loves children.

5
 Believe
I believed in love,
Because I had to,
Because I wanted to,
With all my heart I needed to,
Wear my emotions on the outside,
But above all this I believed in love.

I believe in love,
Because I need to,
Because it’s loads of fun,
With all my heart I’ve risked it,
And left my mind’s doubts sulking,
But above all this I do believe in love.

I will believe in love,

Because love is forever,
Because once it becomes life,
Then life cannot exist without it,
With all the twists and turns at ends,
And the long smooth roads between them,
To God’s eternity itself I will believe in love.

6
 Blind, Deaf and Dumb
Those who see no evil are blind to the world,
Those who hear no evil are deaf to its cries,
Those who speak no evil are dumb to reality,

For there is no man with perfection inside,

For there is no woman with pureness of light,
For the world always has its dark shadows,

There is hypocrisy in turning the blind eye,

And more in muting out the noises of living,
Those which we pretend we cannot speak of,

Look around and learn by your own sight,

Listen to wisdom and folly and be the judge,
Then finally you can speak life into your words.

7
 Blithe
Oh, to be carefree and free of worldly cares!
Oh, to be happy and full of joyful manners,
Mind not whether you ever sell your wares,
When others toil and hoist screaming banners.

To live without the fear of news – good or ill,

Free of the heart-stopping apprehension of life,
Such joy to be completely of stark naked will,
Bear truth and honesty to blunt greed’s knife.

To proceed unaware of the brevity of existence,

Ignorant of the awesome length of God’s eternity,
And live with the simple methods of subsistence,
Breed peace at all times and forever dodge enmity.

Oh, to forget all the tiresome rules of society,

And remember the anarchic days of childhood,
To fill all hearts with pure and infantile gaiety,
Shun the resented and heavy ways of adulthood.

8
 Business
A market for a new product or service,
A good for an ever eager consumer culture,
Credit cards teach a lesson to those in novice,
That the banking system is an insatiable vulture,

A smart suit and the deals are clinched easy,

A soul for sale and naturally sex sells better,
Even church tenders have sunk to levels sleazy,
Our minds morals and laws no longer fetter,

Yet there are they, who make it grand and shiny,

Some for the allure of wealth and widespread fame,
Others for the good that can be wrought of money,
For love and care, and probably to make a name,

Business is that great life-defining leap of faith,

To walk the path well known but seldom dared,
It takes acceptance of the many ways to wealth,
And matters not how parents and relatives fared.

9
 Change We Need
There’s a purpose to all we read,
A point to each memorized creed,
Nothing’s learnt we will not need,
A reason waters every planted seed,

But there’s little that is cast in stone,

That which can’t be altered lies alone,
Much is spined with rubber, not bone,
For this way our adaptability we hone,

Life cannot remain constant forever,

Always the same things changing never,
Unsteady is the hand on that one lever,
That destines all to ebb and flow ever,

But this must not be necessarily an ill,

For where a way is needed there’s will,
A stream must be putrid if it stays still,
There’s no comfort in time’s frozen chill.

10
 Consistency
The sky is never any shade but blue,
And this is a truth that sticks as glue,
The sun awakens every new morning,
With yellow rays it stretches yawning,
The fire consumes all it chances upon,
From the tinder to the lottery coupon,
None of these truths has ever yet failed,
Sea of honesty nature has always sailed.

Gold is always soft and bright in face,

Copper is close but has held no grace,
Yet stoic everything in nature remains,
Though worrying that deception gains,
Amidst the cornerstone of the Creation,
Where ultimately there will be destruction.

11
 Cornucopia
Little rain brings little joy and hot temper,
Heavy rain brings yield and soggy moods,
Hardly the best news for this avid camper,
Who sits in his tent with a book and broods.

In the noontime he will open up a can of juice,

Extracted from the freshest fruit of the land,
His salad too is birthed of the heavens’ sluice,
Curse the rain with the horn of plenty in hand.

It is said that too oft we bite the hand that feeds,

As canine friends we find ourselves as ingrates,
In deepest trust we’ll all till and plant the seeds,
Then safely done we’ll head home to full plates.

Stop a while in your constant loud complaining,

To think of what little sense there is in this folly,
Why dig and plant if you won’t welcome raining?
The water is life, our very existence most surely.

12
 Dawn’s Mist
There’s a fleeting kiss that begins the day,
When the mists of dreamland are yet to go,
There’s some magic where two lovers lay,
A gentle breeze, a peace that gladdens so.

There’s a tender word that’s spoken in truth,

While a smile of God peeps through the glass,
That causes a smile which hides not a tooth,
More kisses, a gaze, a new day begins thus.

There’s a caring caress of feather lightness,

That plays upon the skin as bow upon string,
A soundless music that knows no roughness,
Music that the bane of Eros lets them sing.

There’s a long teasing reluctance to awaken,

That is generally not caused by their sleep,
There’s an inertia that stays them to hearken,
To the call of duties, activity and trials steep.

There’s the unavoidable waking and hurrying,

For even mist must clear with the sun’s rise,
Yet there stays the indelible yearning, longing,
For another dawn to react to….with surprise!

13
 Density of Time
I’ve heard a thousand times that life is short,
Big reason for living on the lawless avenues,
Drink heavy and sleep around without fail,
Because tomorrow’s rising is but a promise.

But what I say is that those who hold this true,

Have little to show for all their granted time,
No deeds or moments or exploits worth note,
Yet they claim that they have too little time!

Before we say that life is too short or limited,

Think of wasted moments and unsaid words,
Of ill-used time and myriad wild goose chases,
Of too little time spent on things that matter.

Time is a resource like any other of God’s,

To be used only in the most wise of ways,
Don’t ever put off doing or saying something,
That will make a difference to time itself.

14
 Destined
We were destined for great things,
For soaring on great silvery wings,
We were destined for utter royalty,
Yet we remain still in our poverty,
It is not destiny that betrayed us,
But rather we betrayed her cause,
We sat down solemnly and with will,
Rewrote destiny, our fall with quill,

We were destined for goodness,

For right deeds and great kindness,
We were destined for saintly piety,
Yet we remain still worth only pity,
It is not destiny that betrayed us,
But rather we betrayed her cause,
We set out solemnly and with will,
Rewrote destiny, our fall with quill,

We were destined for great love,

Closest thing to magic we can have,
We were destined for gold and rubies,
Yet we remain with broken stories,
It is not destiny that betrayed us,
But rather we betrayed her cause,
We sat out solemnly and with will,
Rewrote destiny, our fall with quill.

15
 Ephemeral
The folly of an old man is in his days,
Likewise that of a fool lies in his ways,
Oh wisdom thou art even in simple jays,
Yet your aid we find only now and then,
Like a man waiting with paper and pen,
For a tale that comes in perhaps years ten,
Wisdom she’s not a treasure mine to keep,
But rather a sacred well of fathoms deep,
Where we queue to drink like patient sheep,
Thus is the mind’s spark of maximum use,
A spike so very sharp that it blows the fuse,
After that momentary genius is set loose.

16
 Ever Cryptic
Lots of times we say what we don’t truly mean,
And that in the end seems what is really within,
Mostly we never say what we want and mean to,
Because it is safer and cleaner and prudent too,
We guard our pride and our hearts and self-worth,
By granting frank words but the very widest berth,
We uphold decency and our image to the world,
By cryptic coding and attenuation of all we hold,
We hate the mockery and the assault on our intellect,
We despise the condescension of society’s elect,
It pays to frown hard when you’re dying to smile,
Of what use is happiness if it remains an outcast?
It is wise to feign indifference when you do care,
What better way the many misconceptions to bear?
Lots of times we say what we don’t truly mean,
Not because we are mean but because we are wise,
Life is not lived in freedom but in a cold steel vise,
You can only undertake what is generally expected,
To live in peace then follow the rules you accepted.

When we want someone to leave we don’t tell them,

Because it’s against the rules and we keep them,
From whence they came we have not a tiny clue,
Rather absurd we always put this spice in the stew,
We sweep all the dreams under the bed for good,
And find something more practical to sell to souls,
Doesn’t matter that they don’t follow these rules,
Doctors will treat but don’t swallow their own pills,
Lots of times we say what we don’t truly mean,
And that in the end causeth much turmoil within.

17
 Every Time
Every time I look around I see mirth,
And mirth that is born of mocking others,
Every time I look around I see disdain,
Disdain at how others live their lives,
Every time I look around I see jealousy,
Because you have nothing unique to show,
Every time I look around I see pain,
The pain of concealed insecurity,
Every time I look around I see prejudice,
I must be this because I am also that,
Every time I look around I see hate,
The contentment of others itches because…
You want them to be sad and wistful,
You want them to admire and desire your life,
Yet for all your pain they simply won’t.

Every time I look around I see troubles,

Yet even then I still see the shining face
of God.

18
 Fears
I’m hopeful that someday I’ll be rich,
Do exploits and win all sorts of accolades,
Yet this hope for future is the present hitch,
You can’t chop present wood with future blades,

There’s a man with a big car and a great career,

I know I will be better than him someday,
Yet he’ll get the girl because she’s rather dear,
For the here and now he’ll outbid me any day,

No one wants to wait for your big bang,

While they can experience one right now,
At your time and place there’ll be ego’s stung,
The land was long sold before you got a plough,

It’s your plan God and I can’t be director here,

But can’t you see how much there is to fear?
How long must this silent patience last still?
While golden dreams that are mine I must kill,

I’m hopeful that someday I’ll be powerful,

Have enough to put all doubters to shame,
But while it always sounds so wonderful,
Millions of lost moments make it rather lame,

Why must others have this present shine?

While my turn keeps going back in line,
Will my turn come so late to the porch?
That there’s simply no one left to watch?

19
 Feel My Pain
You can smile and run around free,
You can laugh and frolic for all to see,
You can have several cakes and eat them,
For the petal bursts of fun you are the stem,
I can look away and find something to do,
I can bear the great darkness that must ensue,
I can smile even in my wretched self-pity,
Like a standing statue in a devastated city,
We can make this a blind spot and hurry,
We can ensure our meetings do not tarry,
Yes we can shiver in the midst of flames,
Thus we will daily play these dull games,
We can be many souls in the same body,
We can mimic normalcy in colorful parody,

Yet in the midst of it all you will feel my pain,

And for all the fun it will be a gaze of disdain,
Yes in the thick of things you will feel my pain,
For our bright dazzle it will be a deathly stain,
Not once will you escape you must feel my pain,
Not in the peripherals but right there in the main,
And at the end of the day you will share my pain,
And then this entire pretense will have been in vain.

20
 Feline
She’s a cat that always lands on her feet,
And when you pet her she’ll purr so sweet,
That it is great joy to play with her all day,
And be awed by her agility, speed and grace,

She’s a cat that won’t eat what she didn’t kill,

And when she laps up her milk there is no spill,
It’s her regal mien and her majestic manner,
That pride that screams all around like a banner,

She’s a cat that lazes around much of the time,

And suns herself for hours in idleness sublime,
Yet when she goes to the hunt and meets prey,
Not for the end of time her attention won’t stray,

She’s a cat and that’s all she’ll ever be till death,

Grooms herself not by water but seemingly breath,
Out and about relentless on some pointless adventure,
For next morning there’s another aimless new venture.

21
 Fire Burn
Energy consumes me from my mind within,
An engulfing miasma of determined passion,
It may be for angelic good or for deadly sin,
Yet as it burns only then can I stay in action,

It may be green envy of the haves and may haves,

Or red fury at the doubters and detractors many,
It may be the undying shine of a girl the heart loves,
Every fire burns and for need of heat you’d use any,

Fire burn for endless ages carrying an idea through,

Fire burn with fierceness of a thousand noon suns,
Fire burn and ceaselessly spread your radiance too,
Fire burn the mazes up and reveal their many turns,

Fire burn with fondness of a young heart that’s taken,

Fire burn with the awesome will of a spirit that’s free,
Fire burn with the unwavering faith of a promise given,
Fire burn away all of doubt’s blindness and let me see,

Fire burn like the awesome rage of a mountain awakened,

Fire burn with the steadiness of an anchor fastened.

22
 For Friends
Because you're a beautiful person,
I wanted to send something beautiful to you.
Because of laughter and happiness,
I wanted to send something bright to you.
Because our friendship is true,
I wanted to send some roses to you.

It's not much, but I hope it will do.

In my own special way,

I just wanted to let you know that
You’re in my thoughts today,
and I'm sending some good wishes
your way.

23
 For the Guild
It’s a club with a spark,
Yet it’s not a club at all,
When it crows you must hark,
Words and rhyme timelessly enthrall,

It’s about poetry and that at core,

Wordsmith skill that the crowds adore,
Recite and write and yield smiles bright,
Verse is expression and lifts to heights,

It’s fun and it’s new and for a few,

It’s about faith and love and dragons we slew,
It’s about hastily borrowed paper and pen,
Even hastier words and some applause even then,

Poetry has its own real license poetic,

Its own form and body so dynamic,
It’s a club with a bright spark,
It’s a club with a depth stark,
Yet it’s not a club at all,
But a poetic hall.

24
 Glad
I’m glad I met you, and got to know you,
I’m glad I saw you, and was awed by you,
I’m glad I came to you, this to show you,
I’m glad I have you, my heart adores you,

I’m glad I laugh with you, and cry with you,

I’m glad I share with you, and dream with you,
I’m glad I walk with you, and sit still with you,
I’m glad I jest with you, and bear my hurts with you,

I’m glad I hold you in my arms and gaze,

Deep into your eyes to see a reflection of love,
Playing back and forth as two hearts beat as one,
I’m glad I hold your hand in mine and sigh,
A sigh of the intensity of affection untold,
Intensity that is truly untellable,

I’m glad I whisper to you sweet words,

I’m glad to say I love you so dearly,
I’m glad my heart bursts into a field of roses,
A field in which you happily take in the scents,
I’m glad you fill my mind with your finesse,
With your beauty and grace and sweetness,
I’m glad I’m hopelessly in love with you,
But most of all I’m glad because:
You’re glad too!

25
 God’s Smile
I woke up that morning bright and early,
Hurried about dressing feeling a tad surly,
And walked briskly to the beach in anxiety,
Wanting to experience this wondrous beauty,

Cameras were carried and breakfasts forgotten,

In the haste to reach the white sand before dawn,
To see the early light begin the dark to chasten,
And see the new day as it is on the horizon born,

‘Twas a brilliant orange light that rose off the ocean,

Like a golden orb pouring forth rays of pure light,
It was a moment of silent awe at God’s own mien,
Breathtaking glory in sun’s slow ascent out of night,

We took pictures yet the moment could not be frozen,

A warm living experience cannot be held cold and still,
It was over in a number of minutes approaching a dozen,
God’s smile was high over the water and we had our fill.

26
 Grandness
We all dream of the big things, the good life,
We all dream of the fine things, the sweet life,
We all dream of the rich things, the high life,
We all dream of the easy things, the cool life,

I live for the big cars and houses, the status,

I live for the pearls and jewels, the luxuries,
I live for the long holidays abroad, the vistas,
I live for the great career and all, the relaxation,

I live for the contented existence, the carpe diem,

I live for the fame and fortune, the coup de grace,
I live for the complementary wife, the coup de foudre,
I live for strategy and intellect, the coup de main,
I live for the Son of Man, the ultimate raison d’être,

We all try to please those we care about, ad hominem,

We all think we are the best at something, ad infinitum,
We all feel our weaknesses are temporary, ad interim,
We all want life to turn out as we wish it, ad libitum,
We all want others to be judged on merit, ad valorem,

You live for big ideals and principles, the ‘goodness’,

You live for the elitist clubs and groups, the cocoon,
You live for the holier-than-thou networks, the sieve,
You live for the money before the smile, the greed,

We live for the mass hypocrisy, the utter lie of life,

We live for a painting stuck on the mirror, the image.

27
 Happy
To goodness,
An open hand,
A little unasked for care.

To happiness,
A broad grin,
A lot of music in the soul.

To beauty,
A striking beauty,
A little slice of perfection.

To discipline,
A hard day’s work,
A respect for the rules of it all.

To wisdom,
A thirst to know,
A fountain of exciting discovery.

To God,
A present help,
A love beyond wildest imagining.

28
 Holiday
Ever felt as lazy as a hot African afternoon?
Such that the mere thought of getting up tires,
When your eyelids are heavy you’ll doze soon,
And wake up when the sun douses its fires,
Ever felt as happy as young, inexperienced love?
That exuberant love that knows no risk or pain,
You walk and think there’s no more to have,
And it’s beautiful both in the sun and the rain,
Ever felt as bold as the king of the beasts?
Walking royally across the African grassland,
When you can face anything until it submits,
And you can take the scorpion in your hand.

29
 Holy Grail
What’s life all about?
That we’d rather live,
Every day and the next,
With hope for more,
What’s it all about?
That we spend hours,
Planning for the future,
Yet we know not if it is,
Why are we so optimistic?
And from whence comes will?

Some live for God Almighty,

For the Son in the Spirit,
Yet in truth these are few,
Some live for money and wealth,
The ubiquitous raison d’être,
With its array of accompaniments,
Some live for pure thought and science,
For discoveries and the fascination,
Of intellectual elitism and the mystique,
We all have our pivot points where,
Our lives revolve and are centered,

Whichever we choose to be part of,

It becomes our Holy Grail,
That which we cannot do without,
And that which eventually defines us.

30
 Honey
For young love, like a flower in spring,
The bees come for nectar and its promise,
A sweetness to hope for but yet unseen,
For young love, a promise of better things.

For growing love, like the hive in daytime,

There’s honey in the combs but stings too,
We learn to get the joy without the pain,
For growing love, and the bitter sweet feel.

For matured love, like the honeyed bread,

There’s only the comfort and golden flow,
The bees long forgotten and not a danger,
For matured love, the epitome of affection.

31
 I Said
This is one for all of my friends,
Not because they are good people,
Or because they keep with the trends,
Because they are the star on the steeple,
They have in ways big and rarely small,
Made something better of what I have,
Or brought me back aloft when I stall,
This they have done in peace and love,

I said a prayer for you thus every night,

That God would grant you your dreams,
Not as you want but in much more light,
Blessings overflow and burst at the seams,

I said a prayer for you thus every night,

That God would grant you true loyal love,
The dreamy love to take your breath away,
Not only for a moment but for a lifetime,

I said a prayer for you thus every night,

That God bless the work of your hands,
For every endeavor you may do it right,
Do exploits, gain wisdom, conquer lands,

I said a prayer for you thus every night,

That God keep you in greatest health,
To live your years free of pain and worry,
And be there for those who will need you,

I said a prayer for you thus every night,

That God give you contentment and grace,
And patience to endure the good fight,
That in your eyes beauty may have a place,

32
 I said a prayer for you thus every night,
That among men you will have relevance,
Not populist but a doer of great deeds,
That through you lives may be changed,

33
 Inside and Out
It's easy to write, to tinker with words over time,
It's easy to rhyme, to make the ends most sublime,
Yet from this craft comes art and magic and poetry,
That calms tyrants and dispels most virulent bigotry,
There's a dance of science and art in ardent rhythm,
That brews both body and beauty in works of man,
The one crafts the form, the other the spirit within,
Gives meaning to words and opens the emotions can,

It's easy to give a hug and the physical warmth to feel,

But harder endeavor is that warmth of heart to instill,
It's easy to get a smile that reaches from ear to ear,
Yet we must think of the inner smile that melts all fear,
While we must give generously in the superficial sense,
We must equally give willingly in life's depths immense,
That we not only see the size of your goodness wide,
But also the brilliance of its unmistakable shine inside.

34
 It’s a Friend
It’s a friend, who knows you well,
It’s a friend, who knows your scale,
It’s a friend, who makes you laugh,
It’s a friend, who will earn your love.

Not a friend for the endless gossip,

Not a friend for many a guilt trip,
Not a friend for clouding new horizons,
Not a friend for particular seasons.

But a friend for the great joys of life,

But a friend for the depths of strife,
But a friend for the raging storms,
But a friend to defuse the big bombs.

A friend who does not ever betray,

A friend who lies will not portray,
A friend who truth will always give,
A friend who till death will never leave.

35
 Jay
It is said that love is but a delusion,
That Cupid’s venom is a surreal illusion,
I wonder about who says this for sure,
Because I have this feeling real and pure.

My queen is a beautiful lady named Jay,

Her manner is like joyous break of day,
Her smile is in itself a precious treasure,
And her royal ways are in great measure.

Jay it is all the slow way down the aisle,

And Jay it is for the bonds of affection,
I love this girl and that’s just my style,
I’ll seek God’s will to find my direction.

It is important that love be made twined,

And that her heart must speak with mine,
On this I trust her soul, spirit and mind,
That as my light burns so hers will shine.

36
 Je Ne Sais Quoi
There's a depth of mind,
Where joy itself resides,
That's a special kind,
Of endless joy besides.

There's a place beyond time,

Unshackled by petty nuances,
Where ships sail tranquil,
Scenic spaces most sublime,
True and quiet largesse,
To timid souls strong appeal.

There's a song that angels sing,

That's shared by earth and heaven,
The tunes soothe and cymbals ring,
Fills new boldness into the craven.

There's that elusive wordless gem,

That's like a prized and envied catch,
It's like an extrapolated carpe diem,
There's that fire that has no match,

There's a thing that's wondrous today,

It was then and must untarnished remain,
Like quicksilver shaken where light will play,
It's the ultimate level of a heart's domain.

37
 Just Love
She’s an angel designed and verified by the master,
A work of art and heart, heart and soul, divine,
Her smile they say is bewitching, it clouds thinking,
But what to think of, but awe at such finery and grace?
When I look upon her countenance there’s sweetness,
I can hear angels singing in the loving lilt of her voice,
But when she smiles, that smile that melts men suddenly,
This is love defined, yet incomplete until twain shall feel,
But not just feel, for what is feeling but whimsical will?
No, love is a solid walled fort where fears can hide,
Yes, where a timid boldness can keep warm and grow,
From the master Himself comes this cord to bind,
Not as chains that detain but as a sash dignifies,

I am enthralled, and heed her beck and call,

Yet how is this, that there can be such servility?
‘tis just love they say, but for how long it stays?
When one will wash the feet of another in pure joy,
And think it a privilege worth fighting over and for,
To repay a heart so good as to give love unshakably,
A quiet love to match mine own which is boisterous,
Where two have fallen deep they will willingly tarry,
Linger for endless moments as they savor eternity,
Is this the bliss that is or the bliss that is imagined?
For I have loved an angel then this is bliss revealed,
Boldness ripened while laws of fear stand repealed,

38
 Justified
It is said that even sin has justification when we seek some,
Some valid sounding reason that takes away the guilt,
Because guilt is at the very least rather troublesome,
Yet our hearts are upon the want of luxury built,
This might be just another poem to read now,
A little food for that famished culture,
Then back to breaking rules and sweaty brow,
We say to err is human, that’s our slow puncture,
This feeling that we are destined to make mistakes,
Thus instead of waiting for accidents let’s cause them,
Little knowing that we are eating our treasured cakes,
When we’re done we’ll find we can no longer have them.

39
 Knowledge
I know so little about the entire universe,
Yet so much about but a little part of it,
I feel so great about my rather small verse,
Trumpet it much more than is good for it,

Wisdom is a very honest and firm master,

And I her appallingly undeserving apprentice,
Her precepts are slow to learn but grow faster,
They hold in halls large and crook and crevice,

That we know so much about really nothing,

And nothing at all about eternal matters,
This should lead us to change our everything,
To He whose Word is what really matters,

Seek not knowledge to be rich or powerful,

Seek not wisdom to aid your crafty ways,
For wisdom is not the slave of the artful,
She is the emissary of the ancient of days,

In all things seek truth and depth of will,

And even then seek the sovereign plan still.

40
 Leased
One of my best loved songs says,
That this life is not really mine,
That it is leased to me for a while,
But to have it for good I must buy,

It’s really a simple matter to hear,

But a difficult one to truly listen to,
That the owner is always ready to sell,
But the renters are never willing buyers,

Life is indeed something that has been lent,

That through its use God’s purpose lives,
Yet we turn it to our own ill-advised ends,
Little thinking that we will someday return,

Upon that day there will be those who bought,

And many more who merely remained renters,
Though it stands that Christ has already paid all,
To buy is simply collecting what has been bought,

This life has already been paid for at the store,

All you need to do is go collect it as yours.

41
 Life is Grand
Life is grand in tranquil seas and grand in the storm too,
Without the storm to see, the sea would be judged askew,
Life is grand in wisps of smoke, and grand in steel and solid rock,
For fire has mighty grandeur, and cities rise from majestic stock,
Life is grand from deep within, and grand in far flung places,
For from the thoughts inside, comes great joy for many faces,
Life is grand on mountains high, and grand in lazy valleys low,
Snowy peaks of royal height, to grassy lows where rivers flow,
Life is grand in peaceful silence, and grand when cranked up high,
With quiet days to meditate, and noise that busy streets deny.

42
 Love
Love is a silence; it isn’t a grandiose bellow,
It's a quiet little wind but it doesn't vanish,
It's the embodiment of the old adage that still waters run deep,
Because when there is love, the Mariana Trench is a little ditch,
Love is a feeling and a shade of life all rolled into one,
It's like changing color; it makes us different yet not overly so,
Love isn't jumping from ice to fire; it's a slow stew simmering,
It isn't a momentary burst of solar fury; it's a lazy sun-filled day,
Love is a fire that burns not, a rain that drenches not,
It's a physical cause without any tangible physical effect,

Love is madness; it's an illness you don't want to cure,

It locks our speech and makes our souls tremble as fear,
Yet ‘tis truly nothing fearful, just breathtaking heady bliss,
It turns us into pools of jelly and disables all our faculties,
Yet not permanently, just for a bit we cannot think or speak,
It takes a bit of getting used to, and a bit of learning about,
Love is common when unlooked for yet so rare when sought,
But what comes with effort must also endure the test of time,
And if it leaves it leaves a mark that is largely indelible.

43
 Love Is
Love is beauty, beauty unmatched,
A vista imagined, and born to reality,
Love is deep, depth undefined,
A complexity that makes relativity seem easy,
Love is true, truth unsoiled,
So clear that gravity is more doubtful,
Love is joy, joy untrammeled,
A happiness that borders insanity,
Love is timeless, a taste of eternity,
It was and is and will remain,
Love is divine, divinity of God,
The most precious gift that He gives,
Love is poetry, a verse inexpressible,
You might write a thousand lines,
And never really describe it.

Love is ‘I love you’,

Without expecting the ‘too’,
The ‘too’ makes it trade, trade is bland,
Love is selfless, selflessness eternal,
It would still be if it were never requited,
But love is shadowed, shadowed by pretense,
Like an ink drop blots even the good pages,
Love is immortal, immortality at its peak,
No matter how you try it cannot die,
Love is visible, visibility of wildfire,
It is too big to sweep under the carpet,
Love is music, music for the heart and soul,
You may sing a million verses sweet,
Yet still have a song to sing.

44
 Man eat man
A society thinks itself progressive and grand,
Increasingly individualistic and getting bland,
It’s about dollars and shillings and even rand,
To buy the cars and jets and amass the land.

What happened to the simple human spirit?

The conscience and virtue and morals fit,
Where on the path did evil sweep our feet?
That for business we would have throats slit,

It’s no longer a dog eat dog world we live in,

For even dogs can united hunt and battles win,
It’s a man eat man world without and within,
And the good ice we walk on is frightfully thin.

45
 Newness
There is a seductive beauty to anything new,
That indeed we can compare to things few,
That sheen that lasts a few minutes for you,
Coupled with a smell of some industry stew,

Some try to make it last forever, funny thing,

Plastic covers on seats and every magazine,
Polish bracelets and rings for an evasive bling,
But there never was an infinite silver lining,

There’s the lovely crispness of new clothes,

And the perfect operation of a new blender,
Even new romance tends to be rather tender,
That makes shopping bliss for a big spender,

New things bring with them new expectations,

New heights are risked for sweet aspirations,
And new markets inspire newer innovations,
For new places will harbor new temptations,
That seductive beauty to anything new.

46
 Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Out of sight and out of mind,
Love is bright and mostly blind,
Trust is slightly old truth will bind,
Out of sight and out of mind,
Wisdom saves that you will find,
Fools enslaved must be left behind,
Out of sight and out of mind,
This line’s flight will presently land,
Thus we part this hand in hand,
That seems to me somewhat bland,
Out of sight and out of mind,
My plight is making my dreams true,
By rightly writing lines to accrue,
In with joy and out with the moody blue,
Out of sight and out of mind,

This poem is out of your vision, out of sight,

And perchance it be poorly written, out of mind,
Perhaps I should not end in big haste and hurry,
Play with words so that I might sneakily tarry,
Yet it ends,
Out of sight,
Out of mind.

47
 Palace Politics
Gentle lies we tell and that’s the puzzle,
How we can still go on despite this outrage?
Is it that we are blind to the manipulation?
Or completely ignorant of the stark reality?
It is wisdom to keep damage control in muzzle,
‘Tis not that our thinking has suffered an outage,
Simply that we have chosen to impose association,
Regardless of fact that nature herself makes query.

All you see we know and know plenty well,

All you deduce we have deduced years ago,
We are not childish and naïve to be so simple,
Yet by agreement we have made it all irrelevant,
Better a false heaven to soothe than a real hell,
By swallowing pride then some pain we forego,
Would you trade a skin disease for a pimple?
Just to never let it sink, that is our covenant.

48
 Pint
A pint of blood,
Flows through veins,
Like a river in flood,

In an IV drip it’s a lifesaver,

But spattered around a lifeless scene,
It’s a grisly sight,

A pint of blood,
That’s what the Red Cross wants,
And no one’s willing to face,
A large needle,

A pint of milk,
From a cow, we all know how,
Perhaps cows feel violated,
Yet tea must be made,
And dairy milk for the dames,

A pint of milk,
Is the difference between,
Coffee in glut and coffee in famine,

A pint of beer,
Is it really that dear?
Some solace for cold nights,
And a surefire cause for fights.

A pint of beer,
It’s rather funny,
That it should cost money,
To be happy.

49
 A pint of blood,
It’s red as a rose,
Coz it’s from the heart,
A pint of milk,
It’s white as snow,
Coz it’s healthy,
A pint of beer,
It’s the same color going in,
As it is coming out,
And that must really mean something.

50
 Polar
Life has lots of magical moments,
Those that never seem to fade away,
Moments you want to keep in a jar,
Collect and keep them for all time,
Yet life also has its deeper trenches,
Reaches of solid darkness that linger,
Chasms we wade frantically through,
Hours we would quite gladly erase,

Life has its smiling and sunny side,

That we bask in and feel like heaven,
There’s precious warmth and lightness,
That we secretly wish would last forever,
Yet life has its dark and stormy side,
That we act strong and take in stride,
Though it batters us so violently inside,
That other side of the coin lands up,

Life is polar; a morning and a night,

Life is dual; a dawn and a dark dusk,
But most of all, life is good.

51
 Silent Whispers
If I held your hand and walked with you,
And we got lost in tales under skies blue,
If I stopped and sighed and gazed at you,
At the sight in your eyes for every clue,
If I touched your cheek to smile with you,
So your fears vanish like the morning dew,
If I said these three magical words to you,
Whispers sweet that I your doubts subdue,
If I held you close and gently sang for you,
A lovely song with words undeniably true,
If I paused a while to write this for you,
What a tale to tell and really such fun too!

52
 Tempting
It must be tempting to remain here,
Bathed in my own self-importance,
Clinging to the pride that I hold dear,
And retaliating fiercely to impudence,
Spending days on grandiose projects,
Of purely selfish largesse and finesse,
To prove points to imagined detractors,
Deaf to the life lessons that instruct us,

It must be really tempting to stay here,

Where greatness is in economic units,
But there's only being upstaged to fear,
Where bounds are defined by human limits,
And control, influence and power are values,
Ambition, insistence and shrewdness virtues,
Really, this must be the place to remain,
Yet for the temptation there is a brain.

53
 That We May
That we may seek more confidence, and less pride,
That we may seek more understanding, and less knowledge,
That we may seek more grace of spirit, and less vengeance,
That we may seek more service, and less power,
That we may seek more openness, and fewer secrets,
That we may seek more adventure, and less caution,
That we may seek more wisdom, and less cunning,
That we may seek more wealth, and less flamboyance,
That we may seek more security, and less coercion,
That we may seek more deterrence, and less belligerence,
That we may seek more trade, and less exploitation,
That we may seek more friendship, and less acquaintance,
That we may seek more independence, and less hermitage,
That we may seek more critique, and less backbiting,
That we may seek to be more empirical and less prejudiced,
That we may seek more value, and less expense.

We gain more good and less unpleasantness.

54
 Thinking
I'm still thinking, I haven't stopped,
'cause in an inkling, the balloon is popped,
My eyes are twinkling, for all the fun,
Of ships in sinking, and ships in sun,

I'm still thinking, I haven't stopped,

My pen I'm inking, for writing hoped,
To wisdom linking, for all who read,
For wit in speaking, in thought and deed,

I’m still thinking, I haven’t stopped,

If eyes be blinking, they haven’t popped,
With evil slinking, in shaded places to lurk,
It’s odor stinking, there amidst the dark,

I’m still thinking, I haven’t stopped,

When I’m thinking, it’s widely scoped,
With glasses clinking, names are dropped,
And there by king, are lackeys propped.

55
 This Little Smiley

This little smiley is very funny,
This little smiley with the smile,
This little smiley is sweet as honey,
This little smiley is worth your while,


This little smiley is very forlorn,
This little smiley with the frown,
This smiley hopes it’s not too long,
Till this little smiley’s sorrows drown,

:-P
This little smiley is full of fun,
This little smiley is most cheeky,
This little smiley sticks out his tongue,
This little smiley is somewhat tricky.

56
 To Err
To err is human, that’s a core,
But never twice in the same way,
That’s just plain unscientific,
To forgive divine, so goes the lore,
But only after confession pray,
And in these things be specific,

To fall is to learn how to rise,

Watch that you don’t fall too often,
Lest you make it into your trade,
Patience is key for any good prize,
With some humility now and then,
Because Rome was not in a day made,

To slip is a warning that you sleep,

While poverty lies eagerly in wait,
Like a clever soul ensnaring wraith,
Sleep not too much lest you slip,
To effort add wisdom in weight,
Most importantly, have some faith.

57
 Turned Upside Down
North will never always remain on top,
As south is not for eternity down below,
And east turns to west as round we go,
Direction and orientation always arbitrary,

Never fix yourself to a point like a lighthouse,

‘tis not wise to get too comfortable o’er here,
For who knows where you go on the morrow?
Those you trample might grow too big for that,

The courtier is wise never to outdo his king,

Yet the king is wise not to be reign too heavily,
Someday the courtier will be king and then,
The world will really be turned upside down!

The simple circle is the best image of life,

There are no ends and no extremes in it,
No point can call itself superior to another,
And the centre is equally close to them all.

58
 When I Soar
If I soar, on wings not mine,
Cross the skies, on bearings thine,
If I stand on ground, not my own,
Harvest large, from seeds not sown,
If I do these things, and soar at all,
Then mine is shame, and curse to stall.

But when I soar, it won’t be yours,

When I soar, it won’t be theirs,
Though wings are torn and broken,
When I soar they shall awaken,
Though winds are fierce and laden,
With rain that’s from enemies bidden,
Though flames may burn dreams to ash,
I’ll soar to loads of better stash.

When I soar I’ll drive my height alone,

When I soar my flights are cast in stone,
If I cower from the bright sight of clouds,
Then the wiles of foes the gallery lauds,
But when I face the roof of the world bold,
Then my prize up there dwarfs pure gold.

59
 Where the Wind Blows Free
There’s a place so close I can feel its breeze,
Yet so far as I can’t bear the thought of going,
There it is with the sun’s rays bathing its vistas,
And the silvery moonlight kissing it goodnight,
There it is like a ladder to the sun in all its joy,
Yet like the pot at the rainbow’s end it hides,
I know it’s there but I can’t see where it begins,
There’s a place so close I can feel its breeze,
Yet so far that it might as well be a fairy tale.

There’s a joy so profound it makes me glow,

And so rare it’s like money that grows on trees,
There it is for a lovely but capricious instant,
And gone the next to come unexpectedly again,
There it is when I think I’ve surely mastered it,
Then as a rabbit it pops into a hole and vanishes,
Like a lovely smile on the dullest day it shines,
Then like a mirage it fades from water to dryness,
There’s a joy so profound it makes me glow,
Yet so rare that truly in the end ‘tis a sorrow.

There’s a wall so great that it keeps out all foes,

Yet so imposing that it keeps out friends too,
There it is as a defense worth every confidence,
And yet an intransigent barrier against all callers,
There it is to allow friends through a little way,
Then suddenly clamp down like sadistic steel jaws,
There it is in architectural and strategic splendor,
Yet commands respect and spite in equal measure,
There’s a wall so great that it keeps out all foes,
Yet so imposing that in truth it imprisons me.

60