come away fly
come, come... come away fly
this old dead tree
will no longer bear
the fruit of longing
the fruit of care
january, 1973
The Fabric of Humanity
We come and go from each other’s lives
Leaving a part of ourself
In the heart of each one
We touch
And taking a part of their lives
Imprinted in our heart
By their touch
This is what it means to be a human being
Woven into the fabric
Of life and love
Together
February 22, 2023
Autumn Wind
The wind
Caresses the delicate leaves
In the sumac tree outside my window
They turn over
Showing their white undersides
Shuddering under the soft touch
Of the late September breeze
They are just starting to turn red
Blushing as they prepare
To undress
Before the coming winter
september 2021
The Sea Came In Last Night
The sea came in last night
And carried away the people
This morning it brought back
Their bodies, but
They were empty
To what shore did it carry
The people?
Family, friends, and strangers
Search the sand, but
Find only shells
And weep
And I?
I wonder why they weep
For soon that same sea that brought them here,
To be united with their own bodies, and family, and friends,
and strangers
will soon return to carry them to that same shore
leaving
only shells
june 2014
The Key
The Key
Every Lock has a key
The breath
Is
The key
That unlocks the treasures
Of the heart
october 2021
Welcome to Spring
The gods of gardens and flowers and bees,
Bushes and butterflies and trees
Are raining down pollen upon us
Now our noses and eyes are full as the streams
Welcome to Spring
april 2017
Sleeping Beauty
Show Me Where Perfection Lies
The first poem below was written in 1976 and represents the part of me that is insecure and doubted that I would ever find the kind of fulfillment I sought. I was never really satisfied with it because it felt incomplete. Finally, in 2015 I was able to complete the expression with the second poem.
Show Me Where Perfection Lies
show me where perfection lies
that i may come upon her sleeping
and
have her for my own
Original: april 1976
Sleeping Beauty
show me where perfection lies
that i may come upon her sleeping
and
have her for my own
this was the wish of my youth
imagine my surprise
when I was shown that place
where perfection lies sleeping
and
when I came upon her
she opened her eyes
and
smiled at me
and said,
I have been waiting for you
to find me
and
she opened her arms to me
and
took me for her own
Final: july 2015
if you want to be heard
If you want to be heard
Whisper
For those who want to hear
Are listening
If you are longing to hear
Listen carefully
For the heart does not shout
It whispers
november 2014
now
If you fear the Future
and what it may hold for you
if you are worried about the Past
and how it may haunt you
take shelter in the Now
for it will protect you
The Now remains untouched
by the Past or the Future
for they come and go
The Future is always coming
but never arrives
The Past once was
but is no more
The Now is ever-present
and remains untouched by time
If you want to connect with Now
pay attention to your breath
for Now brings Life into you
carries away whatever you discard
and returns gratitude
for whatever you have received
The Now is always available
in the Breath
And Life is always carried in the Breath
june 2020
Just Breathe
We give our lives to
Dreams that will never come true
We give our lives to
Memories that can never be relived
We give our lives to
Fears that are merely phantoms,
like fog that lifts when the sun shines on it
We give our lives to
Beliefs in things we read or hear about from others
but have no basis in our own experience
When will we awaken to
what is Real
what is Here
what is Now
We believe in Time
But we live only once
One breath at a time
No breath can be retrieved once it is spent
Because it is gone into the past which is no more
No breath can be bought from the future
Because the future does not yet exist
What we have is
This breath
Now
Here
And
consciousness
gratitude
love
Life is a gift
To recognize
To receive
To enjoy
To celebrate
To live
Just breathe
july 2021
The Siren's Song
Do you wish to hear
the siren’s song?
What are you willing to give to her,
to sing her song for you?
Where will you seek her,
the mermaid of your heart?
What sea will you sail
to find her?
You can hear the echo
of her whisper
in the shells along the shore
but she is not there
You can glimpse the shining
of her eyes
in the stars above the waves
but she is not there
To what depths will you dive
to lose yourself in her embrace?
The sea she dwells in is
your heart
What you must give her is
your self
Then she will sing her song
for you
And keep you with her always
january 17, 2015
Dreams
Dreams.
Dreams of old loves.
Dreams of old emotions, all fresh again.
Dreams so real. The feelings just like new.
Dreams of going back.
Time passes like a river, carrying away the past.
It never brings it back.
Just carries it away.
Leaves only dreams.
Or,
Now.
october 2009
The Pain of Beauty
the pain of beauty
is having a heart
too small
to contain it all
the beauty of having
a heart too small
is the ache
when it is overfull
with joy
November 2010
The Woman That I Love Is Winter
the woman that i love
is
winter
whose snow soft kisses cover
me ...
in autumn she stands before the wind
undressing
in
such
a
fall
of
fallen
leaves
stooping
before fingers of my breath
... and in winter i stoop
uncovering
under snow
her
brown hair
february 1975
To What End Comes a Drop?
To what end comes a drop
arisen from the sea
into the air
fallen back as rain to that same sea?
Does the sea remember the going out of the drop?
Long for news of where went its drop?
Does the sea recognize the drop on its coming in?
Ask the drop to tell the story of where its been and seen and felt?
Does the sea remember?
Does the drop?
january 2010
How Big Is Your World
How big is your world?
Not the world outside
As seen from space
Or on television
Or on your computer
Or that somebody tells you about
Or you read about in
Books
Newspapers
Text messages
Tweets
Newsfeeds
Or you think about
Or you wish for
Or you dream about
The world that is you
All you have
Seen
Heard
Smelled
Touched
Felt touching you
Experienced for yourself
The world that is your world
Inside
Explore this world
Find
Beauty
Appreciation
Gratitude
Love
Joy
Contentment
Peace
Inside of you
Find someone who can guide you
Into
Your Self
Your World
Your Heart
And enjoy
Your Life
August 2014
Between Memories and Dreams
between memories
and
dreams
now
is where i live
moments arranged
into
memories
ordered
carefully cared for
adorned with
color and sound and fragrance
and
emotion
now can be spent
fondling
memories
fondly
rearranging them
into
dreams
or
absorbing
feeling
newly
february 2011
One Breath
The autumn sun hangs rusting in the liquid sky
Its light dust falling on the trees below,
Melting the green of summer into shades of russet, red and gold.
The crimson clouds drip fire on the Pin Oaks and Sugar Maples
Burning up the beauty of another summer gone skipping into memory.
The old woman sits mumbling in her bed,
White stubble where the white-gold locks of childhood once floated on the running wind.
Her teeth are gone. Her gums are pink.
Her tongue is thick with praise and glory.
It goes so fast.
So fast the passing of each breath
So fast each spring and fall,
The once long winters and the summers so thick with heat and lethargy
Each breath so short
Each breath so precious
Who knew?
Now, she sits in wonder at a lifetime passed
Full of wonder
Full of memory
Looking back one last time
Seeing glory
Seeing beauty burning in her eyes one last time
Oh, the breath
One more, just one
One to say, “Nice life, nice life, nice life”
One for what is gone
One for what is now
Just this one
To carry me away...
april, 2002©wkgray
The Wedding Toast
I wish for you the passion
That will bring you knowledge;
The knowledge that will teach you love;
The love that will bring you to understanding;
The understanding that will make you wise;
And the wisdom to know that nothing in this life endures
Except love.
august 1969
Winter Comes Again
The season of death
is done
Spring comes, sees, weeps
then forgetting, moves on
to summer sun
One thinks chills will never return
But soon
Autumn lies in heaps
Winter comes again
october 1963
