To a Soul in Pain

sit in judgement not
smile but in understanding
compassion's wisdom
brings love as balm for your soul
there is no need to compare

Mystery

autumn leaves falling

trees smile in wintry sunlight

wind whispering still

knowing of transformation

when blossoms surround birdsong

 A Raven Flies

by Barbara Pease

A raven flies across wintry skies. The cold wind blows echoing cries.

People are shivering. The power is gone. Trains are full, and leaving town.

I sit at home. Dreams still haunt me. In fear I search the darkening skies.

Sirens sound. Men wait for guns. Brilliant flashes blind our eyes.

A father cries saying goodbye to a little daughter as he reaches down. 

A raven flies across wintry skies. The cold wind blows echoing cries.

A courageous leader stands his ground, in a call for weapons, not a ride.

Ordinary people learn to shoot. A brave army slows an invader down.

I sit at home. Dreams still haunt me. In fear I search the darkening skies.

Raisa said each day during the blockade six thousand people died

in the winter of '42. The young, fill the streets, ashamed, courage found.

A raven flies across wintry skies. The cold wind blows echoing cries.

Why war? Your nation knows such suffering. Can you not hear their cries?

They ate glue to live. There was no food. A child ate peels she found.

I sit at home. Dreams still haunt me. In fear I search the darkening skies.

A leader wandering lost, ambitions destroying him, in dark lit fires.

Such passion brings its own destruction, as he walks along this ground.

A raven flies across wintry skies. The cold wind blows echoing cries.

I sit at home. Dreams still haunt me. In fear I search the darkening skies.

Run Rabbit Run

We do not want to know
what haunts us deep within.
Run rabbit run. Shadow hide
the truth of what you feel.

Run through tree and branch.
Rabbit lost and searching freezes.
Terrain begins to ease the way.
We now know the path ahead.

Cougars fierce and graceful,
running, fade to spirit light.
Fear is gone. The path is clear.
We now know where we go.

Anguish sweeps through souls.
We know how wisdom grows.
It speaks to who we are
and where we need to start.

In God’s healing waiting now,
we cast aside our running ways.

Shadow and Light

Disappear
into the world
of our dreams,
my ethical daemon,
my spiritual healer.
Together
I am your poet.

Aqua Dreams

Under an umbrella tree
where rhythm in waves
of a jungle ocean
crash the shoreline
in hushed smokey foam
reaching for driftwood and stone.
I watch from a bamboo cafe
aqua clouds and shadow gold,
seeing you.

Our Land

Harsh and clear
wild geese cry
alive with sound
against subtle grays
in a low winter sun.