#69: Poem - Haiku 3

HAIKU 3
By Wayne Visser

Twin swans, white as silk
Rise and fall with gentle swell
Curvatures in sync

(2009)

#67: Poem - The Park

THE PARK
By Wayne Visser

A time for reflecting and healing
For reconnecting and dreaming
A time out, to search within
To find rhyme if not reason

A space for thinking and writing
For tending to wounds from fighting
A space odyssey, in one place
In which to touch mystery’s face

(2005)

#65: Poem - Tide of White

TIDE OF WHITE

By Wayne Visser

The tide of white
The peaceful fight
Coming, ready or not
Lest Africa’s forgot
Coming to the shores
Of the Scottish moors
Knocking on the doors
Of the fortress eight
Questioning the laws
Of the Third World’s fate
From dissatisfaction
Comes a call to action
On debt and aid
And fair world trade
The snaking convoy
The voiceless envoy
Converging on the Meadows
Merging in the shadows
The masses flock
In patient gridlock
To start the march
With banners arched
Then the final crush
Before the rush
Circling the city
With hope, not pity
The tide of white
To make wrongs right

(2005)

#63: Poem - The Tunnel

THE TUNNEL
By Wayne Visser

Every tunnel has its ending
Every aperture its light
Every rainbow arch that’s bending
Shows that you can win the fight

And though the tunnel may be black
And hardship cannot be denied
Keep moving forward, never back
And you will reach the other side

And as you sojourn in the dark
You have a secret light, it’s true:
On every journey you embark
Your loved ones always ride with you

(2007)

#60: Poem - Dream Shaper (Gaudi)

A tribute to the architectural genius, Gaudi:

DREAM SHAPER

By Wayne Visser

The very first glance took my breath away
Turning hungry night into thirsty day
With explosions of riotous colour
And swirling ideas like no other
With stone and glass curving
And wood fronds unfurling
On rooftops with teardrops
And courtyards with light-shards
You crashed in waves on my empty shore
And shook the caves of my hollow core

You stir the memory of ancient trees
And rouse the longing for restless seas
You bend and refract
My courage to act
To sculpt and create
My fusions of fate
You round my sharp edges
And speak my soul’s pledges
To fill my life’s ocean
With colour and motion

Your great gleaming spires
Hang suspended like wires
Between heaven and earth
Between magic and mirth
They echo creation
And spark revelation
To break with convention
And live with intention
To be builder and breaker
To become a dream-shaper

(2007)

#55: Poem - Skylight

SKYLIGHT
By Wayne Visser

Sky of mauve
Clouds alight
Pink and peach
Pure delight!

(2007)

#51: Poem - Look Up!

LOOK UP!
By Wayne Visser

When you’re feeling brown
Look up, not down
Don’t fret or frown
Don’t dig a hole
Don’t be a mole
There’s nothing much that’s up
When you are underground
Instead, the thing I’ve found
Is that if I build a mound
I’m already much more such more up
Than ever I was down

And if you’re feeling sad
It’s not so bad
So don’t get mad
Rather think of all the good things
Like chocolate books and magic rings
And flying without feathered wings
Or think of something really fun
Like playing in the sparkly sun
And belly laughing with someone
Or anything makes you glad
Just not what makes you sad

And if you’re feeling low
Don’t stop, just go
Go fast, not slow
Go with the flow
Or plant a seed of happy thoughts
And watch it sprout and grow
Then climb your wavy happy tree
And from the top you’ll see, you’ll see
You’ll almost touch the sky
And when you are so high, you’ll know
That you’re no longer low

So when your sky is cloudy
Be bright, not dowdy
In fact be downright rowdy
Jump and dance and scream and shout
Don’t keep it in, just let it out
And if you’re loud and clear
The sun might even hear
And come out from its hiding place
And show its warm bright shining face
And say to you a sunny “Howdy …
Look up! It’s clear not cloudy”

(2007)

#49: Poem - Listen As She Hums

LISTEN AS SHE HUMS
By Wayne Visser

All the world’s in harmony
A thousand beating drums
When I wake up in the morning
And listen as she hums

All the world’s a symphony
A thousand chiming gongs
When I’m walking past the bathroom
And hear her singing songs

All the world’s a carnival
A thousand samba feet
When I catch her in the kitchen
Hips swaying to the beat

All the world’s a canticle
A thousand chanted prayers
When I lie at night beside her
And breathe away her cares

(2007)

#45: Poem - Chronic Rhyme Disease

CHRONIC RHYME DISEASE (CRD)
By Wayne Visser

I swear I will not bow to rhyme
(this time)
For I must learn to let words flow
(let go)
And not to drum with sonic beat
(like feet)
Or try to net the perfect match
(to catch)

But now I see I’ve failed once more
(my flaw)
To scatter words like falling leaves
(from trees)
Instead like hiccups in my chest
(no rest)
I search for words that sound the same
(this game)

They call it Chronic Rhyme Disease
(don’t tease!)
Or CRD in doctor-speak
(I’m weak!)
The illness isn’t hard to spot
(it’s not!)
And leaves the victim quite distraught
(in short)

I guess I’m one such hapless bard
(it’s hard)
Still trapped within a cage of words
(like birds)
A lover of the lilt of lines
(like chimes)
An addict of the rhyming mode
(this ode)

(2007)

#42: Poem - Far Away

FAR AWAY
By Wayne Visser

While we’re apart – each night and day –
Just close your eyes and softly say:
“There’s no such place as far away”

(2005)

#40: Poem - Bridges

BRIDGES
By Wayne Visser

A bridge across time
Through music and rhyme
Crossing the wires
With flickered desires

A bridge across oceans
To mix magic potions
Seeing new sights
With sensual flights

A bridge across space
Where fantasies chase
Living our dreams
With nocturnal streams

A bridge across rivers
Where memory quivers
Recalling romance
And whirling rain dance

A bridge across forever
Held up by a feather
Joining our fates
As friends and soulmates

(2005)

#36: Poem - Winter Song

WINTER SONG
By Wayne Visser

Crunching boots like music beat
Globs of light on misty street
Puffs of breath like smoky lace
Dripping nose on frozen face

Frosted leaves like festive cake
Shards of ice on glassy lake
Silver sun like shining moon
Twilight stars come out too soon

Cosy rooms like thermal hugs
Steaming soup in favourite mugs
Calls to shop like ringing gong
Hum along to winter song

(2005)

#34: Poem - I Hear You

I HEAR YOU
By Wayne Visser

I hear you in the silence
When all the world's asleep
I hear you tap the window
With pitter-patter feet

I hear you in the whisper
Of trees that gently sway
I hear you in the wave song
Of horse-mane ocean spray

I hear you in the country
In forests and in glens
I hear you in the river
And on the boggy fens

I hear you in the city
Amidst the traffic noise
I hear you on the playground
With laughing girls and boys

I hear you in the spaces
Your visits left behind
I hear you in my heartbeat
And in the poets' rhyme

(2007)

#30: Poem - Gentle Storm

Upon a clear and frosty autumn morn
I found myself caught in a gentle storm
No lightening flashed across the azure sky
No thunder rolled and all the ground was dry
No rain or snow, no whisper of a breeze
And yet a shower fell beneath the trees

Swooping and swirling
Drifting and diving
Wafting and weaving
Floating and flirting

And while the leaf-drops all around me fell
I stood entranced by nature’s silent spell
Kaleidoscopic colours filled the air
And mesmerised all I could do was stare
A light-and-motion dance that left me high
A tempest raging quiet as a sigh

Creative Commons 2005

#28: Poem - Born to Fly

Threads of words across the miles
Dyed with tears and strung with smiles
Ropes of friendship woven tight
Bridge the gulf of day and night

Splashes of smiles upon the page
Brushed with youth and coloured with age
Canvass of memories and imagination
Reveal the art of co-creation

Glitter of laughter sparkling bright
Eases the dark and catches the light
Circus of clowns who entertain
Shine joy to lift the clouds of rain

Feathers of touch against the skin
Caress without and tickle within
Flutter of wings across the sky
Reminds us that we’re born to fly

Creative Commons 2005

#26: Poem - Ideas of Winter

Clouds drift
In billowing embrace
Reassuringly grey
Unexpectedly white
Wrapping me up
And tucking me in
Safe under duvet skies
Content on verdant pillows
Happily watching
Short days
Curl in on themselves
Longing for rest
In search of dreaming
While puce clouds
Weigh the option
Of dropping their ballast
To water
Ideas of winter

Creative Commons 2007

#21: Poem: I Wish

I wish ...

For lazy days in cluttered bookstores
For meandering walks in shaded parks
For swirling dances in the soaking rain

For intimate cuddles in the dark night
For whispered sighs of deep contentment
For echoed cries of passion unrestrained

For bubbling children never far away
For idle excursions to the shopping mall
For travel adventures in distant lands

For magical hours of poetry reading
For quenching delight in fresh writing
For lingering encounters with enigmatic art

For gentle floating on music's breeze
For reflected drama on theatre stages
For great movies with popcorn and coke

For butterfly kisses in unexpected places
For warm hugs for no reason whatsoever
For holding hands in silent understanding

For roaming talks without destinations
For playful experiments with illusions
For soul journeys to unseen worlds

For growing old through the seasons
For slowing down as the years go by
For being happily in love for ever after

... with you

Creative Commons 2005

#18: Poem: I Am An African

I am an African
Not because I was born there
But because my heart beats with Africa’s
I am an African
Not because my skin is black
But because my mind is engaged by Africa
I am an African
Not because I live on its soil
But because my soul is at home in Africa

When Africa weeps for her children
My cheeks are stained with tears
When Africa honours her elders
My head is bowed in respect
When Africa mourns for her victims
My hands are joined in prayer
When Africa celebrates her triumphs
My feet are alive with dancing

I am an African
For her blue skies take my breath away
And my hope for the future is bright
I am an African
For her people greet me as family
And teach me the meaning of community
I am an African
For her wildness quenches my spirit
And brings me closer to the source of life

When the music of Africa beats in the wind
My blood pulses to its rhythm
And I become the essence of sound
When the colours of Africa dazzle in the sun
My senses drink in its rainbow
And I become the palette of nature
When the stories of Africa echo round the fire
My feet walk in its pathways
And I become the footprints of history

I am an African
Because she is the cradle of our birth
And nurtures an ancient wisdom
I am an African
Because she lives in the world’s shadow
And bursts with a radiant luminosity
I am an African
Because she is the land of tomorrow
And I recognise her gifts as sacred

Creative Commons 2007

On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uh0KVOaf3k

#16: Poem: Scattered Books

I am single minded
Among my scattered books
And laser focused
Behind my fractured looks

I am neatly ordered
Beneath my messy papers
And purpose driven
Throughout my winding capers

I am quietly musing
Amidst the idle chatter
And always searching
For the words that matter

So judge not substance
By the mask of reason
Nor gauge true progress
By the whim of season

Creative Commons 2007

On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHPWE3xRRCI

#14: Poem: Flibbawookie

After Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky"

I’m loofed upon my slumpfry chair
And snugful phrapped without a care
My mind’s awhim with pluffly clouds
And wurvly willows floom like shrouds

And there beslind the zub-zib shore
I flond an open majling door
Inverpling me to shwelp into
A wurp-hole that wawoosks me through

To my surprang I chinz to meet
A flibbawookie with floq feet
She prurls into my whyful eyes
And squeebs to lerk me hypnotised

I flonk beneath her quirly gaze
And flerb into the mergly haze
I’m swooked with dreams of virv delight
And flummed with luzzness at first sight!

Creative Commons 2007