POEMS  1970 - 1991

by John WorldPeace

Copyright 1970-2002 by John WorldPeace
Houston, Texas USA

All rights reserved.

The inspiration for these poems (actually metaphors) came from many places.  Each one is an immediate response to something that captured my attention.  And as you will see, almost everything captures my attention and inspires me to write. 

I wrote about 2500 poems from 1970 to 1990 and then I took inventory of all of them and realized that I was writing on the same themes over and over.  I felt that I had said all there was to say and so I just quit writing poems and began to write prose. 

After decades of practice, I can relax for just a moment and call for a poem and it will come.  It is as if a messenger constantly waits for me to call, and when I do, that messenger brings me a poem.  I write it down and move on many times not remembering the first line as I finish the last.  I do not edit the words (except to make them legible) as they come to me.  I just write them.  Only much later do I edit. 

There is an unseen dimension that supports this physical reality.  Many people deny it, most ignore it (at least until sickness, tragedy or death manifests in their lives).  But that unseen dimension is very real to some of us.  It is infinite and from it all things manifest and all things eventually disintegrate back into it.  Some call it God.  I call it the Infinite Potential. 

I am going to go through my many poems and make them available to those who might be interested.  It is a boring, laborious job but as time permits, I will persevere. 

For those of you who are so inclined, please email your comments to: JohnWorldPeace@aol.com

The sky sent a universe of acquas soldiers
to attack the devils of the drought.

The grass and the flowers cheered
as the tiny warrior drops committed their bodies
against the Antagonist.

Slowly, inch by inch,
then foot by foot, the chokers of the living
receded into the invisible.

The whole earth was in a tumult of rapture
with tomorrow's thirst all but a dream.

112871

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I sit here watching the
soft silent snow
quietly coming down and
burying last year's grass,
I think of my own burial sometime
in the future.

I know there will be tears
cried in emptiness by you.
As I know that my soul
will be sad for the parting.

But dear one
do not weep too long.
Life goes on and
there are others
who need your love
more than I.

I shall be with you at my memorial
but afterwards
I must go on to the other place
where we spend much time
before returning again
to the heavy earth.

You know that.

So remember my time with you
as I know you will
and I will never really die.

Tell your daughters and granddaughters
how much I loved you
and show them how much they mean to us.

Just remember that the tide comes in
and the tide goes out
and life goes on forever.

012772

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through a crumpled glass
I see a young robin
hop intently in the shade
of a aged cypress tree
during the heat of a summer's day
in search of a worm
for its little chirps.

Inside the church we say goodbye
to a dear old friend
who saw his last robin
Tuesday.

020272

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I caught your dark eyes
across the room as I turned.

You had a lovely smile
on your face and my heart quivered
to think that you noticed me.

I tried not to think of you
for hours after
because you touched me so deeply.

But here you are still.

Will I go back and
try to see you again?
I should not.
I am married.

If I come back
you may burst my perfect image of you
and that I could not bear.

You will never know who you are
and I will never tell.

I love you though.

I believe in love at first sight
and I believe that people
need ideal love to draw upon
just as they need heroes and heroines.

So thank you my love.
I will not forget you for a long time.

Goodbye my brown eyed Venus.
I love you.

Maybe our paths will cross again
in another time and place.

030172

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How the body cries
when the flesh does die.
It moans a pain as sharp as steel.

The spirit tries to console
its sister the flesh
but all to no avail.

The flesh does not see
that the spirit is free
and continues in stride
when the body dies.

040172

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one two three four
one two three four
ready set go
ready set go
two three four
ready set go
birth life death
one two three four
one two three four
ready set go
ready set go
one two three four
ready set go
birth life death
one two three four
dot dot dot

070873

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through my eyes
through my glasses
through the window
through the tree
through the sky
through space
off the moon,
I saw the sun's light
reflected.

070873

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silly people write silly things
and then they read them.

Who cares what it says or
what other's say
as long as one needs them.

070873

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the sun raises
its big orange facade over our
little country bridge
and dissipates the low lying fog
early in the autumn morning,
I walk in the untrod grass
and leave marked places
where my feet have
vacuumed the dew.

The morning stillness
brings the songs of the field larks
beginning their day
and rabbits exploding
into their first run s.

In a few minutes, the sun will heat
up from its orange ember
into a yellow hot ball
and the thin layer of morning fog will
disappear from the ground.

As I walk, I think of those
who will see their last sun today
and of those who will see their first.

070173

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is very frightening
to see a tree
that has been struck by lightening.

Standing alone in the woods
a pine tree bears the sharp distinctive
writing of God.

A bolt of lightening
drew a jagged line down its side.

On this blue sky day,
the green pine needles
and the gray brown bark
emphasize the barkless
yellow stripe.

090173

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watching people on a busy sidewalk,
I see many faces.

Each is unique
and each is attached to its own
personal body.

I used to walk the sidewalks
and see only faceless forms
but now it is different somehow.

Each face, each body
repeats who and what it is.

I am fat.
I am ashamed.
I am tired.
I love you.
I hate you.
I am inadequate.
I am inferior.
I am superior.

So many unnecessary thoughts
haunt these bodies.
So many trivial concerns.

When I look closely,
I see God in all the eyes.

The eyes burn bright the soul.

Some have God in them
but many have God outside.

Look and see.
Look and see.
But do not speak;
not with words.

See quietly and you will hear.

081873

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many have lived their lives.
Many have joys and cries.
Many have passed before.
Many await the door.

041075

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up, up, up little boy,
up to arms.

Up, up, up little boy,
step to harm.

Up, up, up little boy,
the time has come
to sacrifice my joy.

041075

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was a little crab in a common hermit little shell.
I was an eagle in a stately feathered suit.
I was a tiny blade of grass.
I was a mighty oak tree last.

050175

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out of the earth strains a tiny life.

Short and green with head bowed,
giving thanks to God for its new life.

Last year mother died.
I never saw her face
but I can see her fate
for mine too will it be.

Thank you for this life.
Help me play my tiny part.

041375

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A tall green umbrella grows
in a sunny meadow grove;

With shaft a mighty three feet round
and crooked arches hanging down
that hold the cloth of little leaves
each one a mini tree.

Oh my natural parasol,
Thank you.

041375

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A jird creamed a dangernal
to his wildothers
and flaced onward to
cream regain.

The killman wacoming
and his beast wasoo.

Squabbits and rarels were
his pleasure today
and all foranimimals
knewit too.

Boopowang Boopowang
Thump Ooee   Ooee

Boopowang
resounded and strucear
in all that walive.
Silence, then the noise vacuumood
grew by buzzum and
wislewind and chirpong

til the peace natural
returned as the
killman gowent.

062275

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