Beauty © John Masefield
I Have seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills
Coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain:
I have seen the lady April bringing in the daffodils,
Bringing the springing grass and the soft warm April rain.
I have heard the song of the blossoms and the old chant of the sea,
And seen strange lands from under the arched white sails of ships;
But the loveliest things of beauty God ever has showed to me
Are her voice, and her hair, and eyes, and the dear red curve of her lips.
The Last Sphinx (for my mother) Kenneth Carroll 1985
Before the sun splashed orange
against an obsidian sky creating purple,
Before the moon and stars were placed
upon the night to give it beauty
You loved me.
The oceans had not yet begun their watery chorus
The earth was barren and without purpose
when you first cared for me.
Before god was born
Before he sent his people northward
to build great pyramids and temples,
You were my god and my temple.
You were my savior before horus or jesus,
Before moses led his people to the promised land,
You were the land that gave to me the promise of life.
Before men made flags and assembled armies to defend their empires,
my empire was you, my anthem was:
my mother's womb, i am of thee
sweet place of security, of thee i sing.
Before words like life, beauty, and love had meaning,
you gave them to me, like gifts from a queen.
Before i knew what love was, i gave it to you in return.
Before time carved mountains out of the pit of the earth and turned glaciers
into seas and seas into deserts, You shared with me a timeless, infinite love.
Long after the sun is a burnt out symbol of a past life and the oceans are a
sip of water in the universe, i will still love you.
Warm yourself my mother, with these thoughts
when it gets too cold outside.
The Bleeding Rose © Bear
The red of the rose is my heart
To give of my self the most loving part
The green of the stem is my eyes
The window to my soul that never lies
Each crimson petal a tear shaped pledge
A loving commitment dare I more than allege
The thorns be the measure of my dedication
For I will endure the pain to feel the exhilaration
Oh to feel the touch of another's loving heart
All to over come the distrust that keeps us apart
Now I bare myself to you, my emotions I expose
Will it be love you offer or the lust of the bleeding rose
Portrait of an Artist (Jessica Palmer) © Bear
Be it intuition or inspiration attacking her senses
A building apprehension upon her mental defenses
Then a change in temperament with enlightenments dawn
Knowing once again the bondage of being insights pawn
For a need to create burns within the depths of her soul
That will in time grow to consume her and take control
Then with brush, pencil, chalk, or charcoal in hand
She will answer the calling at her talents command
So inspired, she sees through the veil of time and space
Even the moon and heavens are not beyond her embrace
Each line drawn to paper or canvas is a spiritual pleasure
And each work of art is a personal triumph and treasure