Category: Enlightenment

NaPoWriMo Day 16

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Originally I had written a totally different poem tonight. Then a system crash wiped it out completely. But there’s a lesson in everything we experience. That was today’s lesson.

On Perseverence

A terrifying thing to see.

A screen so blank and white.

As I sit here staring blankly,

My thoughts flit round in fright.

I finally begin to write,

My fingers fly along.

The verse I write about the joy,

I find in each bird’s song.

I write so fast, I write so true,

I finish in a flash.

But wait what’s this it cannot be,

Oh no! A system crash.

My verse is gone and so I stare,

Once more at blank white screen.

I know it would have been a hit,

If anyone had seen.

So now I write this doggerel,

My hope of greatness crushed.

The time grows late the deadline looms,

That’s why this new one’s rushed.

So now I bid a fond goodnight,

To all whom my words reach.

For on my phone I’ve set this verse,

That is what I would teach.

When everything you’ve made is lost,

And hope’s in short supply.

Just don’t give up, there’s work-arounds,

You’ll find them if you try.

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 5

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, Loving Life, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Self Awareness, UncategorizedLeave a comment

For the record I do have heart disease, diabetes and a few other health issues. I’ve bought and paid cash money for every one. Winston made poor choices. Don’t be a Winston.

On Mortality.

A pain, such pain deep in my chest,

I wait for it to pass.

My every breath is careful now,

As though I’m made of glass.

 

It’s nothing new, I’ve lived through worse,

At times thought I might die.

The pain so bad that when it passed,

I’d just sit there and cry.

 

There’s some who’d curse and shake their fist,

Demand some reason why.

If I’d pretend I did not know,

Then that would be a lie.

 

I smoked for years, drank far too much,

And ate just what I’d please.

While other folks might run or bike,

I’d sit and take my ease.

 

I wish I had a time machine,

To slap that younger me.

To make some better choices then,

What changes might I see!

 

But I don’t have a time machine,

Can’t change what I have done.

Today the bill is coming due,

For all of my past fun.

 

Now listen close, before I go,

I’ll share advice for free.

For as you are, so once was I,

As I am you may be.

 

Start making changes now my friend,

Don’t wait to reach this state.

No time to build that time machine,

The hour grows too late.

 

Seems I’ll go on, it’s passing now,

Yes now the worst is past.

It’s not the first, it’s not the worst,

I doubt it is the last.

 

Make better choices than I’ve made,

To give yourself a chance.

In moderation eat and drink,

And don’t forget to dance.

 

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo 2020

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, family, Loving Life, my angel, my blessed life, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Self Awareness, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Ahhhh…. Spring is in the air! That means two things. It’s time to pick up the dog poop in the back yard, and it’s time to bruise my brain creating 30 days worth of something that I persist in calling poetry. I’ll let you know at the end of the month which one was more enjoyable.

Without further ado….

ON PARADISE

Sometimes I wish that I could slip,

The shackles holding me.

And drift beyond the mortal veil,

What wonders there to see.

 

But are they there, these wonders which,

I would so boldly seek?

Or just a dark and formless void,

Eternal, empty, bleak.

 

Religions tell us there is more,

For those who earn their place.

But I can’t see my ending there,

Those judges rigged that race.

 

Perhaps I’d go around again,

As some would say we do.

I’d come back as some tiny thing,

A common garden shrew.

 

Then round and round and round I’d go,

‘Til once more here I sit.

No wiser now than when I left,

Enough to make you spit.

 

But then I look at where I am,

Look clearly at my life.

Then truly see my paradise,

My family, friends and wife.

 

No greater prize could there await,

No greater joy abound.

These blessings that have filled my life,

This love that I have found.

 

Cheers, Winston

 

NaPoWriMo Day 26

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Politics, Society, Values, Warfare1 Comment

I know that the sentiments in today’s poem probably won’t be popular with some people. That’s okay. I’m kinda used to people disagreeing with me. They have that right. Just don’t think that outrage is going to change the truth of my words here.

I would also like to point out that this is nothing to do with the fine people who wear the uniform in harms way. This is about the ones who send them out to bleed, break and die for no reason.

OUR ENDLESS WAR

Now sound the trumpet, beat the drum,

Cry war throughout the land.

The time has come to teach our foes,

The end is close at hand.

They do not think or act like us,

Barbarians or worse.

If they will not be more like us,

Their name shall be a curse.

If they would try, then they could be,

Just like us here at home.

But they refuse the gifts we bring,

So our troops we let roam.

To do with bullets and with bombs,

What words and cash can’t do.

Those who cling to their culture now,

Defiance they shall rue.

We preach of freedom only if,

They become just like me.

But if they won’t, then rubble mounds,

Will their whole nation be.

So woe betide the people who,

Their lives choose to defend.

We’ll murder, bomb and burn their lands,

In wars that never end.

Our cause is just, this is a fact,

Because we have said so.

But when the slaughter finally ends,

Was it? We’ll never know.

The ones we kill are gone it’s true,

But those we leave behind.

No counselling or help they get,

For broken, tortured mind.

They’ll wallow in the blood we’ve spilt,

From cradle to the grave.

When all you’ve known is blood and death,

To strike back is not brave.

The only lesson we have taught,

With all that we have done.

If you don’t like how someone lives,

Life’s cheap. Kill everyone.

We’ve proven that, you can’t force change,

There must be something more.

A way of peace and of respect,

Not endless, bloody war.

Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 25

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Self Awareness, Uncategorized2 Comments

I’m posting this a little later in the day than usual. I spent my morning at the Heart Institute getting some tests done. Many of the other people there are in far worse shape than be so it served as a “Memento Mori”. It started me thinking about my eventual end, and this is what came out of it. Enjoy!

A SPARK TO MARK MY PLACE

Sometimes when I’m reminded of,

My own mortality.

I realize I’ll one day face,

The utter end of me.

I wonder where the time has gone,

Just where the years all went.

I’ve lived my life like anyone,

But was my time well spent?

Should I regret the things undone,

The chances that I’ve missed,

Or bow my head and thank the fates,

For each time I’ve been kissed?

And of the lives that I have touched,

Which ones will shed a tear?

And which will share a laugh about,

Some mem’ry they hold dear?

Why do I ask? It matters not.

When I no longer live.

As I wink out, will I believe,

I gave all I could give?

There’s more that I could do not doubt,

Before I leave this place.

Not something grand, some little thing,

To ripple through my race.

Perhaps this verse could be that thing,

That in a thousand years,

Someone may find and read these words,

Find themselves moved to tears.

But maybe not, I cannot know,

Just hope to leave a mark.

And pray some tiny spark remains,

When my own light goes dark.

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 24

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Self Awareness2 Comments

In my experience, each of us carries things with us that we keep locked away from those around us. If we are truly blessed, we will find someone with whom we can share almost anything…. but there’s still that one secret corner that even we don’t want to look into. Today’s poem is about that corner. Enjoy.

HIDE NO MORE

To speak the truth that’s in my heart,

To this I do aspire.

That what I write should burn without,

Reflect my inner fire.

That those who read should somehow glimpse,

The real me inside.

That words could peel off the mask,

Myself no longer hide.

For everyone of us is masked,

Lest those who judge us say.

“Behold the freak, the misfit there!”

From us then turn away.

Yes deep inside our secret hearts,

Each has some secret thing.

And each of us is sure that it,

An end to us would bring.

And so we lock that thing away,

We pray no one will ask.

And day by day that fear becomes,

Our old familiar mask.

But we cannot of these things speak,

No more could I mine write.

But when alone might whisper soft,

Deep in the darkest night.

Admit to you if no one else,

That thing within your heart.

That simple act, that honesty,

At least it is a start.

I do not care just what it is,

Behind the mask you wear.

If you accept and own your truth,

A lighter load you’ll bear.

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 22

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, Global Issues, my blessed life, NaPoWriMo, Personal Responsibility, Poetry, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

We often hear about the greed of the super rich. But the fact is, it’s most of us as well. We all see the poverty in our own communities and around the world, but so few step up to do anything about it. Instead of waiting for the rich to throw money at these problems or the government to fix them, it’s up to each of us. Today’s poem is about the low-level greed and despair that hold us back from a better world. Enjoy.

 

WE CAN BE THE CHANGE

Today I have enough to eat,

A roof over my head.

I turn a tap and water’s there,

I have a warm, safe bed.

 

Sometimes there’s things that I may want,

I’m sad I cannot get.

But then I try to realize,

They are not needs I bet.

 

So many live without enough,

To eat or even drink.

How spoiled am I to stress about,

Stuff I don’t need, I think.

 

It is the blessing and the curse,

Of where I live I guess.

We have so much, but want much more,

It makes our world a mess.

 

Why’s it so hard to understand,

There’s others need it more.

The money that I spend on whims,

Could truly help the poor.

 

Instead of doing all we can,

To help those most in need.

We drop our coin, to buy that thing,

And never think it’s greed.

 

No, greed’s a thing for CEOs,

Not folks like you and me.

The truth is we are just as bad,

On smaller scale you see.

 

We want to keep all that we make,

The same as rich folk do.

And get upset when strangers ask,

For cash from me and you.

 

We don’t want to be told the truth,

Reminded of the fact.

That we are just like all the rest,

Who know but will not act.

 

We get so overwhelmed when we,

Think of the problem’s scale.

But don’t forget that plankton feed,

The mighty baleen whale.

 

No runner ever starts the race,

Right at the finish line.

It’s all the steps that come between,

To victory incline.

 

So think on this, the smallest step,

We take is something more.

And even baby steps move us,

From where we were before.

 

Before you buy that shiny thing,

That just now caught your eye.

Give just a bit, it’s not that hard.

To help someone, just try.

 

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 13

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Society, Uncategorized, Values2 Comments

Over the yers, I’ve become a huge fan of situational ethics. Mostly, questions of “right” or “wrong” boil down to one answer. It depends. That extremely grey area is the subject of today’s poem. (Before anyone tells me, yes I know that there are certain things which almost everyone now agrees are beyond the pale. Don’t feel obligated to provide examples.)

MORAL RELATIVISM

I wish I was a wiser man,

Than what I seem to be.

Then knowing what is right would come,

More easily to me.

But wisdom’s not what I possess,

So I just try to guess.

And hope the choices that I make,

Might turn out for the best.

What I’ve learned is that right and wrong,

Are never what you think.

The more you know the more they change,

Before you’ve time to blink.

To kill is wrong, this we all know,

Except for when it’s not.

For they will order us to kill,

When battles must be fought.

To steal is wrong, so we all know,

Unless it’s by the state.

Like taking land from other folks,

To make our country great.

So many more could illustrate,

The point I seek to make.

That right and wrong depend upon,

The point of view we take.

So think on this before you rush,

To judge another’s act.

Without context we cannot see,

Their truth and that’s a fact.

To understand the other one,

Give empathy a try.

Then right and wrong will matter less,

On reason more rely.

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 12

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, homelessness, Personal Responsibility, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

I work in downtown Ottawa which is the capital of Canada. My office is a five minute walk from our Parliament building. Every morning in the summer there are homeless people sleeping in many of the doorways on my street. You see them year round with hats or cups in hand, sometimes with a sign. They don’t ask for money because the city has forbidden it.

No matter how far they have fallen, they are still worthy of our help and being treated with dignity and respect.

IT COULD’VE BEEN ME

Each day as I walk down the street,

I see them here and there.

Their dirty coats and ragged pants,

Are all they have to wear.

 

A hat held out, a hopeful smile,

They cannot speak their need.

For we don’t want to hear them ask,

Will we their hunger feed.

 

They seem like broken drifting wrecks,

Left on a hard life’s shore.

But they have stories just like us,

And hopes and dreams and more.

 

Most mornings in the summertime,

You see them quite a bit.

In doorways where they spent the night,

Though streets are brightly lit.

 

These people are no secret here,

Most just choose not to see.

And if they do their only thought,

It’s naught to do with me.

 

But it’s to do with all of us,

I’ll tell you something true.

If things had turned out differently,

That person could be you.

 

So share your change or share some food,

Or help them how you may.

And thank whomever you would like,

You’re not out there today.

 

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 10

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, Science, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I’m a big science nerd, so sometimes it finds it’s way into my writing. Even now, when I stop and think about these things, I feel the same sense of wonder and amazement that I did as a kid.

Enjoy!

LOOK AT THE STARS

About six billion years ago,

To give or take a few.

A photon left a star out there,

To come and visit you.

 

It couldn’t stay for very long,

But it was here, I see.

‘Cause it and all it’s photon friends,

Shone down on you and me.

 

Now see the starlight on your skin,

And think of it this way.

Though oh so very far away,

A star kissed you today.

 

When sun is set and moon is dark,

And stars the only light.

Go somewhere dark and just look up,

And marvel at the sight.

 

To look in wonder and in awe,

To understand our place.

We are a speck, one tiny speck,

In vast, uncharted space.

 

Now as you look up at the sky,

Select one single star.

How many years did that light take,

To get just where you are?

 

And maybe ’round that star you picked,

A distant planet’s there.

With someone looking back, wond’ring,

If there’s someone, somewhere.

 

So keep on looking up my friends,

At those far, sparkling lights.

And maybe fall in love as I,

With clear and moonless nights.

 

Cheers, Winston