Pictures taken in South Africa at Witsieshoek, at 3000m in the Drakensberg Mountains. The temp was 4 deg C with a wind chill of -7 deg C … just another day at the office 🙂
inspiration
A Symbiotic Life
A blog I follow posted the following stunning pictures of moss growing on a tree. The pictures inspired me to write the following poem.
https://withmyheadintheheavens.wordpress.com/2016/10/01/brushstrokes-of-nature
https://withmyheadintheheavens.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/moss-clings-to-bark-creating-new-life/
new life crawls over the old masking the scars of the past choke, mask, regenerate? do we discard progress so not to mask the past is harmony possible?  the new need not choke history like moss let the new enrich beautifying the scars of our past travails old and new a symbiotic relationship survival is dependent on the other  let the past benefit from the new without causing harm both have the ability to harm the path of balance needs to be learnt past, present and the way ahead the way of the cleaning symbiosis discarding the excess
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
White Feathers
Inspired to write a poem on peace, seeing as the 21st of Sept was/is the International Day of Peace.
a white feather fell from heaven doves fly by a bullet whistles past blood drips from the bough of a tree peace in our time is the mantra can it be believed cowardice, faith, protection, bravery peace so many messages, to which do we cleave hope from beyond; past, present or future don’t shoot the messenger crying white doves circle hoping they do not die bringing their message doves cry where children die hope dies when doves cannot fly may they be lifted on the wings of peace upwards to a burning sky to a place with no name the sun sets on a world in disarray how many more white feathers need to fall from a burning sky the spirits are watching are they at peace? I pray that they will be
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
Surrounded By Life
there is life is everywhere it exists, and always has in all that we see there is life even in death, there is life it is light, pushing darkness back fighting those that rail against it in the most unimaginable places life claws out an existence life like hope is the eternal spring that we all desire to sate our thirst long may the well overflow with a never ending river of life
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
An Incomplete Puzzle
the sky is as empty as my life a vast unfathomable emptiness charting a path through the maze of nothingness searching for the piece of the puzzle that is missing my heart demands the puzzle to be complete it yearns for the picture to be made whole only then can the bleeding stop  in a bed with an empty pillow next to me I dream of my missing puzzle piece of the one who holds my heart so sad that what we do to survive can make the puzzle incomplete I asked myself in my dream; so why do I do it? dreams like puzzles are riddled with missing pieces the one piece I need is within my grasp it comes to me all alone it means so much to me the piece, the puzzle, my beloved completing the picture bringing me full circle to completion serenity peace
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
Elijah’s Door
we open the door but no one comes in but we must always be wiling to leave the door open for those with wanderlust to enter or those with questions to exit the door to the dark enter from the dark to the light or exit out into the dark either way we can always while waiting sip from the chalice at the portal knowledge brings light to the darkness making the unknown known the artist ventures out into the dark through the open door to measure the unseen to tell the story of the unknown the open door leads out to all that is not yet known we can get lost out there in the vastness and strangeness of the dark although we can also find harmony those with wanderlust can become anyone or no one the door is always open if we can find our way back as the solitary aspect of getting lost is enticing mystery becomes our compass we become like Dante traversing jumping to hell and back to find ourselves back in paradise at the open door always be willing to leave a door open peace could enter unannounced future redemption could even enter or we could exit on another enticing journey getting lost on a quest for questions questions that might not have answers what then comes first? the question, the answer or the intention?
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
But Why ??
why this? why that? tell me more always asking questioning, searching relentless and restless answers never bring closure but only lead to more questions oh this perpetual curse of the why it’s a never-ending journey the next why leads to the next will it ever end? the see-saw of life back and forth relentless like the wind and the waves always battering at my minds doorway it is never still neither my mind nor the wind and waves I think not even at death when my ashes are to to be cast into the wind and waves they will for all eternity be battering at someone’s doorway
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
The Birth of Hope
hope arises from a distant past barrenness becomes imperfect storm drought becomes flood passions spring forth engaging in a lust-filled union the expectation of hope is laid  bringing with it change pain, discomfort, hope change forcefully thrust onto the unwitting the chaos of evolution darkness waits with expectation the challenge of darkness as hopes journey begins moving from the confines of darkness down the path to the light the waiting hand of light beckons dragging hope to into its arms moving from the known to the unknown hope emerges with a scream it rents the veil of darkness darkness gives birth to a frail hope light enfolds hope in its warm embrace hope like victory is helpless at birth it has emerged into a world fraught with despair pushed out into the world to face life’s challenges history replaces amnesia history is hopes foundation futures are built on memories foundation life is sustained by history’s past the future is moulded by past scribes seasons come and go barren winters pass always followed by springs new life hope always springs eternal from the darkness of winter hope is risky hope is trust onto an uncertain future the belief in the impossible making the improbable possible prepared to face loss, disappointment, betrayal chaos order evolution all merge into the revolution of an emerging fading hope what are we left with but this inscrutable darkness which is our future past this inescapable darkness of new life from a future past the last gasp of hope has not been born yet hope is victory wrenched from darkness’s grasp claim your moment of paradise and then ONWARD
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© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
The genie is emerging
My creative genie has been stuck in the bottle for awhile, but lately I have been doing some rubbing and its starting to emerge and unravel. Reading has been my refuge during this period, Have been diving back into doing some reading to whip up my creative juices, and have discovered a few exciting poets (Wislawa Szymborska) … and also been rereading some of my classics. TS Elliots “Wastleland” and the writings of Rebecca Solnit have been the nudge I needed to get me going again.
Been working on (IMO) a epic poem which for now; is called: The Birth of Hope … it so far runs to 8 stanzas and there is still more to write, plus I have a few more ideas/drafts/one-liners that have bubbled to the surface. My ideas journal is a spiders crawl of ink …
I leave you with this thought that has emerged from my mind today whilst flying to work ..
the last gasp of hope is still to be born push on for the rebirth
Passions Unfurled
 the embryonic morning sun peeps hesitantly over the mountain slowly it crawls forth to emerge escaping from the grasp of night’s pupae radiant kaleidoscope wings gently emerge the new day creeps forward pushing back the night day emerges, languidly stretching out offering itself to those in need who have passions to be sated new dawn brings new promises the intended gift of new passions the impatient subimago fidgets unable to fully relish the gift further unfurling wings expose more of the vivid rainbow only when the imago finally emerges can the passions be fully unveiled totally releasing the new day mornings passion breaks forth in full colour imago is now ready, waiting, eager fully active, totally passionate unfurling, opened, spread to full imago releasing new passions, to be desired the new day can now be fully devoured let us engorge ourselves on the alter of unfurled passions
© 2016 Michael D Emmerich
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