Tag Archives: Main

Invictus, by William Ernest Henley

by

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY, 1875

One of two poems I turn to for inspiration, (the other is “If” by Rudyard Kipling)

Here’s a link to a powerful reading by Morgan Freeman from the movie “Invictus”, in which he plays Nelson Mandela.

 

Layers

by

Breathing

scents
of fallen
rose petal
secrets

Unwrapping

tied up
boxes
of lost
surprises

Waiting

while tear drops
melt
false maskes
from me

Staring

into mirrors
of screaming faces
behind
shadow smiles

Knowing

layers
illusions
are dissolving

my truth
is being
revealed

tio stib, 1995, 2018

You might also enjoy: First Snow, Sometimes They Smile

Two Rivers

by

ahead
the canyon wall plunged
fell from the sea of sky
the river
dancing from shadow to sunlight
promising a new world
vanished

the rapid exploded

bouncing
white water splashes
rainbow mist
giggles
screams

the raft was spit
into beyond

and she was there
clear, quiet, confident
two rivers
two lifetimes
flowing
swirling
joining
at last

together

a shared smile
two travelers
now one

tio stib, 2016

You might also enjoy  Life Is Like a Broken Egg, Veiled Vision

The Campfire

by

a lone form sits
in front of fire
a sacred glow
on sea of black

as sparks rise
to eternity
I warm my hands
cold nips my back

giant shadows shelter me
dark branches reach for stars
I shiver
then look out again
as time swims into hours

a tiny speck of being I am
no more no less than all
alone
yet somehow one
I know the peace of home

a hint of bright appears beyond
a light begins to grow
moon man crawls up into night
revealing worlds below

in silent silver majesty
on every hill I see
the silhouettes of noble elk
taking midnight tea

the curtain lifts
strange voices shriek
a thousand years unfold
as Nature’s unseen opera shouts
to spirits now and old

with these wild
coyote swoons
I watch Man’s dreams
fly past the moon

Tio Stib, 2015

You might also enjoy: Imagine Water, Dead Horse Point
Tags: Nature, campfire, Tio Stib, blind poet, blind writer, poetry, solitude, traveling, wildness,
wilderness, Oneness, moonrise, wonder, peace, home, tranquility

Tio Stib, 2015

You might also enjoy: Imagine Water, Dead Horse Point

Dead Horse Point

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15649986108_30161cb9bb_z                                                                                    Image by Fred Moore

stone silent sat
the silhouette
in front of screaming sky
gold, orange, red
and brilliant blue
a day had drifted by

time ran lost
through canyons steep
sandstone carved by gods
warm wind echoed
ancient feet
ghosts passed by with nods

as my soul watched
from Life above
the dream below unfold
a gringo Buddha
slowly smiled
at stories yet
untold

tio stib, 2015

You might also enjoy: Promise, Imagine Water

You

by

You
can never be possessed
only devoured
Delicately
Consumed with abandon
Caressed
Yet never touched

to love you
I must surrender
all desire to own
and release any hope
of forever

then
perhaps
from this gloried chaos
comes oneness

tio stib, 2015

You might also enjoy: Footprints, A Cure For The Valentine’s Day Blues

Footprints

by

standing silent on the sand
as time drains from my mind
I see a lone heart on the beach
a love that once was mine

you asked for love
you let me in
to see
your wounded soul
you shared your shame
but did I hear
sadly, I said “no”

your heart screamed
did I feel your pain
no,
I hid behind my walls
afraid to love again

I violated sacred trust
your tears a silent shout
and now lost in loneliness
mere words will never count

I know now a larger love
That cries we’re not apart
too late though in my emptiness
I see footprints on your heart

tio stib, 1995, 2015

You might also enjoy: A Cure For The Valentine’s Day Blues, Intimacy

Veiled Vision

by

framed
in distant doorway
transparent
wrapped
in veiled turquoise
laced
with dazzling
emeralds
sunbeams
shimmering
on golden
red hair
perfect
serene
statue
moving
beckoning
threatening
promising…
gone

tio stib, 1994, 2015

You might also enjoy: Intimacy, First Snow