Flower On The Water
March 30, 2009
Beauty meets beauty
As flower meets water
And the floating color
With petals in strong shelters
Drifts along
Beauty meets beauty
As the two lovers of life
Join together
One carried by the other
Having been dependent
Now immersed
Beauty meets beauty
As soul rests in spirit
As the flower is committed
To the life that sustains it
And dreams are left to fate
To the flow of the current
And to chance meetings
With the water’s edge
Beauty meets beauty
As the flower floats along
And the possibility still exists
That the water will choose
To overtake the flower
Or to carry it far away
These are the risks you take
When placing a flower
On the water
~wbv
Enough
March 29, 2009
There are no limits
To what I can accept
There will not be enough
In any day, week, or year
To overwhelm or wear out
Or to shut out or hide from
Or to cause me to turn away
From you
When the gates open
And the flood comes rushing in
When all sentiment is poured out
And the good and the bad are known
Even with pain and discomfort
It will not be enough
To change my heart
Of which you hold a piece
~wbv
Through
March 26, 2009
Deep and thoughtful, passionate and free
Full of purpose, complete with meaning
Looking past this lifeless flat surface
The source of my downfall
Pierces through me
Soft and sweet, meeting incomplete longings
A moment worth living, in place of a life
Two suns rising, bringing peace amidst turmoil
Dark places, where no other
Gaze will suffice
Painful reminders, with healing powers
Blissful captivity, and dreaded release
Giving much liberty, these shackles that bind
Are the light that is shone
On the soul that is free
~wbv
The Goal
March 25, 2009
If I had one goal
One dream
One desire
To be held above
All others
It would be for you to know
Just how much I love you
Not because I have told you
Though I still hope I tell you enough
Not because I have written about it
Though I hope I am getting the point across
Not because of any one thing I’ve done
Though I do hope that my actions show it
I hope you will know this
Deep sense of being loved
Because eventually, over time,
You realize that all along
You have been loved more completely
Than you ever thought possible
~wbv
Remaining Changed
March 23, 2009
Had you never changed
I would not have known
What I was losing
But you did change
And now I know my loss
Dreaming of a second chance
Another changing, another turn
Until we finally meet
Yet you remain changed
Without any sign of relenting
They say “some things never change”
And “dogs return to their vomit”
And mumble things about old dogs and new tricks
Sometimes regardless of conditioning
You can’t change the nature of the beast
Outwardly you may attempt to make a difference
But inside remains forever
The true nature
What, then, can be done?
Nothing.
~wbv
The Rose Without Thorns
March 19, 2009
Behold the rose
The rose without thorns
Not because it started this way
And not because it will always be this way
But because the Keeper takes great care
In tending to every thorn as it is found
And the thorns that would hurt those
Who reach for this rose
Are slowly and steadily whittled down
See this thorn of fear
It can be removed by faith
By the trust of deeper meaning
And the comfort of knowing
That love remains
See this thorn of hurt
It can be removed by forgiveness
By the seed of tender mercy
And the sincerity that stems from
Having loved so deeply
See this thorn of anger
It can be removed by simple kindness
By the honest and open heart
Clinging to the knowledge that
Love can withstand conflict
See this thorn of entanglement
It can be removed by embracing freedom
By the soul determined to be free
And the realization that
Love can be as free as laughter
See this thorn of tension
It can be removed by peace
By the inner strength that comes from knowing
That the spirit can rest safely
In the crevice of faith and love
See this thorn of hampered expression
It can be removed by the quiet song of truth
By the gradual unfolding of what’s in the heart
And the slow and steady softening
Of the receiving vessel, through love
See this thorn of unmet needs
It can be removed by sharing those needs
With the right person, at the right time
And with the kind of humility that
Will allow others to truly love you
See this thorn of inner conflict
It can be removed by learning to love passionately
Those parts of you that seem to battle
By appreciating the depth and diversity
Of the love that you hold in your heart
See this thorn of wanting to hide
It can be removed by allowing yourself to be known
By understanding that you are a precious jewel
And that those who can’t see your implicit value
Don’t deserve to look upon your infinite beauty
See this thorn of unknown troubles
It can be removed by patience
By calm anticipation
And by allowing yourself to be immersed
In the love that endures all things
See this thorn of distance
It can be removed by coming close
By finding a deeper connection to
Those parts to which you wish to draw near
By love, by spirit, by the joining of souls
See this thorn of loneliness
It can be removed by enduring friendship
With the kind of friend who would die for you
Or live for you just as well
A friend who loves first
See this thorn of sadness
It can be removed by happiness
By the joy of knowing that
Where thorns have once grown
Loving kindness now prevails
Behold this rose without thorns
Where the layers of cover have been removed
Naked and pure, the rose sits waiting
Without thorns; full of love and beauty
Waiting to be seen
Waiting to be held
You are free, oh rose without thorns
To know, to love, to feel, to thrive, to see
You need not your thorns for protection
You need only to live, and to be
~wbv
Untold
March 18, 2009
Fallen deep
Within the heart
The hidden page
Is ripped apart
The scolded hand
Is fast withdrawn
The tattered storyline
Carries on
And in the dark
The inner man
Is buried quickly
In the sand
Because of love
Because of fear
Because apparently
He doesn’t belong here
In the fold
Of life complete
Where fire burns
With intense heat
If heightened dreams
Would lowered be
The captive heart
Would be set free
~wbv
Difficult
March 14, 2009
It’s difficult to say
Just what’s on my mind
And only say it once.
Two times won’t work either
For what I could say
A million times
And not quite be enough.
So in times of silence
Though it’s difficult to hear
Do listen to my heart
And find the words I’ve lost
In an effort not to overwhelm you
By saying what you already know.
~wbv
Mentor
March 12, 2009
You taught me
The best that you knew how
You brought me
Through difficult times
You advised me
To always follow God
But wanted me
To always follow you
When I was searching for spiritual truth
When I needed a friend
When I had reached the point of decision
At the time when I needed you most
You abandoned me
I shouldn’t be surprised
That you hurt me like you did
Because I had seen you hurt people
Over and over through the years
And was only oblivious to the impact
Because I was not the recipient
Of your hatred
But now I know you
And we are not friends
Though you fake a smile
And pretend to care for brief moments
Your follow through is non-existent
And your priorities are clear
You used the word “family”
You called me your son
I guess this “family” is defined by its limits
The limits of your patience
The limits of your love
The limits of mercy and what I once called “grace”
The limits of the tiny world you live in
And the limits of your willingness
To think outside of it
You are not my mentor
You are not my father
You are not my friend
You are not
You are not
You are not
While this may sound harsh
These are the things I needed to say
To the one who was once as close as a brother
But proved to me that only one kind of blood
Is capable of creating such a bond
That friendship has its limits
And religiously rooted “love” is extended
Only as far as it can maintain control
~wbv
A Nice Place To Be
March 11, 2009
Don’t you see it?
Do you see where you are?
You are here with me
And it’s a wonderful place to be
Where we live and breathe and love
And freely think and feel
And talk and listen
And walk and stand
Together
In this place
We can rest until
Fate brings us to some other place
That may not be this nice
So let us enjoy
This place where we are
This nice place to be
Though it may not feel perfect
It is as close as we can get in this life
It’s the place where you are
This place with me
Right here, both close and distant
Where we can cling to our inner peace
And live today, this minute, this second
Waiting to meet with destiny
And longing to live as one
We can rest here
In this place
And just be
~wbv
