Poems From 'Just Passing Through'

Just Passing Through Section

POETRY

Vision

Their flaming torches guided them through
Shielding, yielding forest depths,
Cassocked beings whose bare feet barely graced the ground.
Unheeded, unheralded they trampled,
Free footing in search of a sacred clearing.
Eventually they came upon thrones made of thistles and discarded seeds.
A cry rang out, a sonorous throbbing incantation.
Howling banshee cries and wild animals agonised roars
Served to rent the discordant earth leaving a singed crater.
A visitation fit to still the hearts of ancient Gods.

From within, glowing webs of embered hieroglyphics float
And dance in the night skies furtive embrace.
Child like eager fingers traced the images to discern meaning
‘Our time has not yet come; the purpose has not been divined.
We await the alignment of the perfections.’
The paleness of the message led to furrowed brows
For a tradition had been fractured by a new reticence.
Where was the fire and brimstone from angry heavens
Fit to hold the waverer’s attention in a vice like grip?
Was our fervour not worthy of summoning a polished vision?

Those beings that remained breathed deeply of the acrid fumes,
Patiently waiting for lungs to be suffused and primed.
Bright eyes beheld the kaleidoscopic patterns of morphing geometries
That served to give the witnesses the power of levitation.
Would they believe the chaos had been borne of a lovers design?
For they had been taught to assert a conclusion with an iron fist
Then later work towards proving its efficacy. Sounds familiar?
The natural rhythm of Time grows weary of asserting its dominion,
Anarchy begets conservatism begets anarchy begets conservatism.
Time to lay a righteous revolutionary vision at our feet that we might worship?

Samurai Gardens

Warm sand rake, rake the cuts away.
Swirling currents, vapoured rippling, evoked water cascading,
My rising sun appeases the angry Gods,
Breathe deep, sweep the gravelled path.
Decapitated heads, limbless forms
Pushing forward through the yielding bamboo curtains
Mouthing impotent deathly threats,
‘Sleep no more, sleep no more!’
Immune, I scorn their efforts
For the ‘horror’ is my dearest companion.

Cross-legged mantras attempt to still the storm.
Calls to the abyss for tranquillity,
A thousand bone crunching, splintering swipes,
Thrusts restrained by minds shutters drawn,
All to evoke the silences practised butterfly comfort.
But this day is like no other,
Meditations power wanes, ‘sleep no more!’
Tears smearing drips, a war painted etched grimace,
Too soon to cool the iced blood,
Appease the spirit or self-immolation beckons.

The bonsai’s sharp knife stunts the branches growth,
Stoic self-control, a key, to reshape nature’s scale.
Feel my twisting blade through your heart,
Accept the fevered beaten steels fury
‘Sleep no more, sleep no more!’
Lily pond’s carp to be fed the finest ingredients
To promote the desired coloured patterns,
See how they kiss my gnarled trailing hand.
Removing armour I kneel to ensure the shady bridge dwellers
Receive a loving offering from their master.

How they greet the returning prodigal son,
My scarred reflection and bleached blood splattered clothes
Cannot penetrate their world’s surface.
Immune to the tumult, they receive the water’s comforting embrace,
Accepting my calling, my sacrifice of self.
Saffron and cherry blossom scents aid the cleansing restitution
As I return to my sand pattern creations.
Before me lies a mushroom cloud!
An eyeless Buddha’s head, a samurai’s broken sword,
The warrior shall ‘sleep no more, shall sleep no more!’

The shrine shamelessly bears my immortal name.
You emaciated stick ‘men’ are not welcome here.
Prove your manhood! Kick away your crutches,
Use them to sculpt your own sand patterns!
Where was your kamikaze spirit? Banzai!
The weak and unwanted abandoned in Mt.Fuji’s pine forests,
Sun Goddess Amaterasu reluctantly performs dogeza.
He emerged defiant from the Filipino hideout after thirty years
Still waiting in vain for a mothers embrace, a wishful thinking kiss?
Serenity borne of barbarity, barbarity borne of serenity.