Whether by Design or Accident

Utter Meaning and Nothingness

(This tragedy I've seen before;
the hero's lines I know by rote.
It is a tale of love and war;
a wide-eyed soldier is the goat.)

I came to see the panoply
for they have said such things of thee--
that you could fill a stone with zeal,
and that your sacred waters heal.

So did I come to claim my part,
to let your lightness fill my heart,
for what I'd seen and what I'd heard
had made all else to me absurd.

That dreams are fragile oft is found
by those who strain to touch the ground;
so whether fault was mine or thine,
I'll know it had to pass with time.

And all that's left behind's a mess--
utter meaning, nothingness;
sharp, fragmented pieces of
a mystery I once called love.

(February 1987)

Lonesome Row (Revisited)

In Lonesome Row the paving stones
are growing cold

and all the children who lived there
are growing old.

In Lonesome Row nobody sees;
the dreamer dies,

and in the row nobody cares,
nobody cries.

But in the row one day I'll go
and make my home,

and there will stay, will settle down
no more to roam,

and wait and welcome all who come
and are alone.

(February 1987)

A Lullaby for Lila

What is it that you wish to see?
Imagine it and it will be.
Big or little, rich or poor,
all the world's your candy store.

So close your eyes and close them tight,
and dream of pleasant things tonight.
No vicious dogs will bark at you.
No, nothing bad will come in view.

The moon has risen overhead,
and you lie sound asleep in bed.
I wonder what sweet dreams you dream,
what vivid visions fill your head.

Perhaps you're high up in a tower,
with a necklace made of flowers,
waiting for your prince to come
and take you to the setting sun.

But then, I might have things all wrong--
you could be dreaming of a song
that's being played upon a flute
or something equally as beautiful.

In a field of grass in June,
you listen to its wondrous tune
and wonder if it all will last,
if the summertime must pass.

Or, maybe, sailing on the sea
is your idea of being free--
drifting slowly 'neath the stars
whose light shines down so tenderly.

Soon, in some far distant land
you'll find yourself upon the sand,
where you shall build a castle fine--
a mighty fortress you'll design.

And there you'll find a place of rest
and thoughts will fade to nothingness.
And you will have a place to dream
of princes, ships, or anything.

So in the night, the stars shine bright
above the houses and the trees.
So close your eyes and close them tight,
and dream a happy dream for me.

(March 1987)