Yeats’ Second Coming Revisited

The ceremony

of innocence is not drowned.

Our young overflow with conviction.

They call out to us,

“Help stem this blood-dimmed tide

that is loosed upon the world.”

Will we have the courage, 

will we have the will,

to prevent that rough beast of darkness

 from being born in the Bethlehem

of our collective heart?

A revelation is at hand.

                                                                                               JDG

A Forgotten Art

Many leaders now

have forgotten how to lead.

Instead, they are led.

                                                            JDG

A Wide Embrace

When the light shines through

the white blossoms on that tree,

I celebrate light

while honoring the dark earth

that holds tight the roots

and once cradled the seed from

which that white blooming tree grew.

                                                                                  JDG

Parting Act

Reluctant to leave

without offering a gift,

Winter hurriedly

produces a present wrapped

 in white ribboned loveliness.

                                                                                     JDG

Confederates In Gray

Lost in thought, I almost missed the soft touch

of that small hand

upon my 

arm. “Could

you

help

Nana

zip her coat?

Her hair’s gray too.”

Nana and I smiled and got to work.

                                                                                                               JDG

 

What Was Set Before Me

It wasn’t until I paused

and took a breath

that I saw what was set before me –

a banquet of tiny, bell-shaped flowers.

 pink with leaves of rusty red –

a petite visual treat.

                                                                               JDG

An Unplanned Gift

Trees – some evergreen,

some budding, some still bare – form

a living lattice:

playground and feeding station

for acrobatic squirrels.

                                                                                           JDG

Murphy, Jimmy, Toby, And Me

There they stood, Murphy 

the cat, Jimmy and Toby, 

the dogs. They clearly

 had weighty matters on their 

minds.“What?” I asked. First 

Murph and then the others glanced 

at their empty bowls

and then back at me. “I just

 got home,” I said. “Cut

me some slack,” but they were not

in a slack-cutting

mood. “I’m just here to serve,” I

muttered as I filled

their bowls and they began to

feed. On that we all agreed.

                                                                          JDG