Peaceful Valley

Wells Grey Park, BC

Breathe deeply as you gaze out over the valley

The river a silver ribbon racing fast in the gully

The forest lived millennia in this fertile home

Now you stand here single, but never alone

This is where your ancestors dwelt night and day

In communion with all life, kneeling to pray

This earthly beauty that takes breath away

Beats through your blood, begs you to stay

First soft silence is all that you hear

Until nature’s music reaches your good ear

The rustle in the undergrowth and wild birds calling

The rivers splash, and the sunlight gently falling

Your body and soul leans to this tender peace

Knots you didn’t acknowledge find release

All worry slips and drifts on the evening mist

Happiness replaces ill will; loosens clenched fist

Evergreens stand tall; deciduous leaves are blown

By breezes meanderin , eliciting song and moan

The colours form a tapestry of remembrance and delight

And the sun slips silently melting to moonlight

 

Piece of Heaven

Autumn in Victoria

Bruises under my eyes; I haven’t slept in days

In the woods wolves howl; in answer the dog bays

The pastel dawn bleeds up from the rising sun

I pull on shorts and t-shirt and head out for a run

Underfoot the paths are soft with fallen leaves

Autumn colour stains the forest as it breathes

I try to lose my mind in the rhythm of the run

Seeking peace away from thought, but I find none

So many people waiting on me for decision

So many will meet and greet me with derision

Like them, I don’t want this role I’m forced to play

But they must heed me come what may

Wish there were only two well-marked roads

Instead of several scripts in enigmatic codes

Like life, there are no signposts to point the way

That leads to the light and far from dark decay

I jog up the last hill toward the cabin

Longing for the shower and coffee therein

I’ll be on the road back to the city by seven

Amid the stress, I have this little piece of heaven

That Y Chromosome

Pic not my work: From the Internet

You pretended to be what you are not

Like George Costanza in a Seinfeld plot

And I feel like a fool for getting caught

There’s a con man underneath your skin

You let it loose to play as you drew me in

It’s happened before, and my patience runs thin

It started with my father a long time ago

He acts the flawless gentleman out in the world

But he’s a hard hearted devil when he’s at home

I left that place as soon as I was able

And I’ve never returned to sit at his table

He just laughs snidely telling me I'm unstable

But it appears I find him inside each of my men

Like they’ve all come from the same pack and den

Conniving wolves happy to tear apart a hen

I feel I’ve been conned by every man I’ve known

Rewarded with lies after the trust I have shown

Maybe it’s a trait inherited on that Y chromosome

Perhaps unconsciously I’m still looking for his favor

Or maybe I’m addicted to a certain flair and flavor

And once again, I fall into the role of the giver

Yet still I hope to find a good, honest man

One who will protect me and hold to my hand

His truth would sear my heart like a brand

I want a partner in life, in home and in heart

A man with integrity, who doesn’t play a part

I want romance, then for true love to start

But so far, I’ve been conned by every man I’ve known

Rewarded with lies after the trust I have shown

Maybe it’s a trait inherited on that Y chromosome

***Note:  I wrote this after listening yo David Ramirez's song 'Harder to Lie' and reflecting on the misrepresentations between the sexes