tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24181143069383718772024-03-19T19:47:12.819+11:00Life is beautifulSharing some of the beauty I see in the world and life everydaySteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-7710259610663225322011-10-18T01:08:00.002+11:002011-10-18T01:08:43.844+11:00Inspiration in China<div>My first post in a very long time... and much has changed in the intervening time. I'm now living and working in Shanghai in China and I love it! It's an amazing place full of beauty and dichotomy. The people here are simply amazing. Warm, openhearted and friendly. I've made a number of close friends already and feel the warmth of their love and friendship welcoming me anew each day.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've discovered that a wonderful way to explore this amazing place is on foot. It's big but it's flat. Which makes it very walker-friendly :) Plus... if I get tired there is a wonderful public transport system and ubiquitous yet very cheap taxis to get me home.</div><div><br />
</div><div>One of the walks I do regularly is from the office to home and it was on this walk tonight that was inspired to write this...</div><div><br />
</div><div>The trees and traffic everywhere </div><div>A faint miasma in the air</div><div>A paradox of place and time</div><div>A cityscape not quite sublime</div><div><br />
</div><div>Apparent chaos all around</div><div>Below the surface order found</div><div>Striving whatever sense to see</div><div>A thrilling, wild dichotomy</div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div>T<span>ranquility and peace to find</span></div><div><span>The stresses of the day unwind</span></div><div><span>And yet the welter of the sound</span></div><div><span>E'er all the senses can confound</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span>The lights that oft may garish seem</span></div><div><span>Reflect within a peaceful stream</span></div><div><span>The water flowing softly by</span></div><div><span>Evokes a sometimes wistful sigh</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div><span>The buildings reaching for the sky</span></div><div><span>Get higher as each day goes by</span></div><div><span>Their stony fingers reaching far</span></div><div><span>As if to grasp the very stars</span></div><div><span><br />
</span></div><div>A child admires the beauty strewn</div><div>In random heaps like concrete dunes</div><div>And flowers fragrant fill the air</div>Bedecking corners here and there<div><br />
</div><div>The many multicoloured hues</div><div>That every builder chose to use</div><div>Serving to break the grey that may</div><div>Induce the wonderment to fade </div><div><br />
</div><div>And so within this paradox</div><div>Is power that our dreams unlocks</div><div>We live and breathe as days go by</div><div>Within our paradox... Shanghai</div><div><br />
</div><div>The reference to a child admiring beauty was in response to hearing a small child exclaiming over and over "Beautiful! Beautiful!" to her mum... in Chinese. A moment for a smile of joy and wonder... in delight at the joy and wonder felt by a small child.</div><div><br />
</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-83546443115322379492010-12-12T23:22:00.000+11:002010-12-12T23:22:13.392+11:00Inspiration... not lost, just differentLast night, for the first time in a while I was inspired to write.As I got home, getting out of the car, looking at the stars, I'd spent some time with some inspiring people and I felt like the word were there.<br />
<br />
Somehow through, between getting out of the car and actually sitting down to write, stuff happened. Things to do... etc. When I finally started, it was gone. No inspiration, no words. A more than somewhat frustrating moment.<br />
<br />
As always though, life offers opportunities, the learn, to grow. Taking a few minutes out to myself to just think made all the difference. It occurred to me that losing the moment of inspiration was actually an inspiring opportunity. Suddenly the words were there. Just different words, a different inspiration...<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>...wind and scattered sand</b></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The inspiration passed me by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Despite my clutching hand</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Its life had ebbed, I felt it die</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Just wind and scattered sand</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Let the thoughts unfinished be</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Their genesis be broken</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A gift from life's mundanity</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">To mourn for words unspoken</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The moment 'fore the onslaught fled</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A fragile thing it seemed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">And yet from out the ideas dead</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">New life can always spring</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For while the words for which I yearned</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">May now never touch my breath</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The paradox I now have learned</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Is the genesis in death</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Each moment dies and lays the seed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For the moments yet to live</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">And beauty that is yet unseen</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Is what these moment have to give</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Therein the paradox doth lie</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In the very act of death</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A new perspective comes to life</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">And draws its dawning breath</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-55006043965792375792010-12-05T18:52:00.000+11:002010-12-05T18:52:43.141+11:00Some old stuff rediscoveredI recently went through the poetry I've written over the last few years and found quite a few that for one reason or another I hadn't published, or even shared with anyone. Reading through them readily explained why some of them had not made a public page. Early efforts that simply served as a learning experience for the writer.<br />
<br />
One or two of them are, I think, not too bad, and are either salvageable or perhaps even publishable. I'll put a few of them up here over the next few weeks. I'd love to know what people think of them.<br />
<br />
This is the first. I don't have a clear recollection of what place I was in when I wrote it but I'm glad I'm not in that place now. Nonetheless, I actually quite like it...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Awakening</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The dark tides converge<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Closing in, I’m welcoming<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The coming embrace<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Enrapt in numbing darkness<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The solace of not caring<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The darkness softly<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Embraces, seducing me<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Alluring gently<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The solace of not caring<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">A death, no life, a comfort?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Cocooned in the dark<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Life seeps away so slowly<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Deep inside I cry<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">A death, no life, a comfort?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">I think rather this is hell<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">A cry awakens<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">A sliver of soul buried<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">In darkness. Struggle begins<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">I think rather this is hell<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Am I truly so empty?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">No longer seduced<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Beginning to see the light<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">A journey starting<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Am I truly so empty?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Perhaps no longer, perhaps…<o:p></o:p></span></div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-19808612072377436122010-08-01T22:59:00.002+10:002010-11-05T08:43:54.853+11:00A Morning ConversationWhen I was growing up I just adored the delightful, whimsical verse of Edward Lear. I've often thought how it would be to try my hand at writing in a similar style. This is my first attempt.<br />
<br />
<strong>A Morning Conversation</strong><br />
A blade of grass so green and small<br />
Grows upon the ground<br />
He looks at me so high and tall<br />
And utters not a sound <br />
<br />
"Good morning sir, and how are you?"<br />
To him I gently ask<br />
"I'm very well today" he says<br />
"It's kind of you to ask"<br />
<br />
He looks at me and softly speaks<br />
"What plans have you today?"<br />
"I pray you have a thought for me"<br />
"Let your mower silent stay"<br />
<br />
I start of guilt I felt for sure<br />
My plans indeed were made<br />
I knew that what I had in store <br />
Was the mower for the blade<br />
<br />
But now I couldn't bring myself<br />
To venture to the shed<br />
A friend is an important thing<br />
I wouldn't see him dead<br />
<br />
But how could I explain my need<br />
To never mow the grass?<br />
I while away the time you see<br />
While sitting on my arse<br />
<br />
And so my friend grows green and tall<br />
While the mower gathers rust<br />
He greets me every morning now<br />
A friendship meaning muchSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-29484057643619354162010-07-31T21:00:00.000+10:002010-07-31T21:00:52.823+10:00A melody in light and darkI wanted to say something about the difference between the potential of what we have and the possible reality of where we're going. The contrast between light and dark seems very stark these days and life often looks as if all we have is a light at the end of the tunnel.<br />
<br />
A melody of love and wonder woven through the hearts,<br />
Through all the dreams and yearnings of the people taking part<br />
A gift to all on which we stand so beautiful to see<br />
A planet rich and green with life, a wondrous place to be<br />
<br />
Despoiled with hate and war and strife the fabric of the world<br />
Is rent and ruined, we see this place as swine instead of pearl <br />
Does such a blindness surely mean we have to take a road<br />
To hell with just a hoped return before we grow too old<br />
<br />
The dreams our grasping fingers reach toward are barren gold<br />
The lustrous sheen deludes our minds we cannot see the cold <br />
With no more meaning than a children's playtime fantasy<br />
For such as this we sacrifice our future chance to be<br />
<br />
Where to from here as always is the question we should ask<br />
It's ne'er too late to make amends no matter what the task<br />
The healing of world begins with not a giant leap<br />
Rather hand in hand we make some promises we keepSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-13264346183692389622010-07-29T22:58:00.000+10:002010-07-29T22:58:30.026+10:00More winter musingsSitting on the train staring at the grey landscape... it seems like it has rained every day for a long time. A few thoughts...<br />
<br />
<b>A thought in the gloom</b><br />
<br />
The dull grey scenery shuffling by<br />
A leaden procession of gloom outside<br />
As the rain slowly falls and smothers the land<br />
With its incessantly miserable hand<br />
<br />
Winter drifts by and nary a cry<br />
We look stoically forward with a silent sigh<br />
With resignation, we wish and wait<br />
For spring to arrive with undue haste<br />
<br />
What purpose now is served by the cold<br />
Making us creak and feel so old<br />
Perhaps a much needed brief respite<br />
Ere the world once more does spring to life<br />
<br />
If everything happened at once perhaps<br />
The cycle of life would soon collapse<br />
So now we wait, the days we abide<br />
Till spring doth arrive in it's own good timeSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-84733434486558412882010-07-28T23:38:00.000+10:002010-07-28T23:38:53.103+10:00A kitchen tableAfter doing a little cooking this evening (a grated chocolate and Passionfruit Pavlova) I was sitting at the kitchen table and was struck by what a multitude of roles something so simple can play in life...<br />
<br />
<strong>Kitchen Table</strong><br />
<br />
A kitchen table in life does stand<br />
To sit and offer a helping hand<br />
Perhaps to listen to a friend<br />
When they need to talk again<br />
<br />
Today it's scones with jam and tea<br />
Perhaps a little cream, we'll see<br />
A little treat with love that's made<br />
While kids around the table played<br />
<br />
After work a quiet eve<br />
We sit, relax and take our ease<br />
A meal with those we hold so dear<br />
Our friends and loved ones sitting near <br />
<br />
Sometimes to sit and while away<br />
Some lazy hours of the day<br />
The sun streams in the window wide<br />
What better way some time to bideSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-9065439768757046202010-07-26T18:35:00.000+10:002010-07-26T18:35:55.780+10:00A moment in redI was walking on the track to West Head in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney today and came across a beautiful Redgum on the side of the track. I stayed there for a few minutes just enjoying the peace of the moment.<br />
<br />
Later I was reflecting on the day and feeling that I needed to write something. The memory of the moment stood admiring that beautiful Redgum inspired me to write this.<br />
<br />
<b>A moment in red</b><br />
<br />
Upon the path another step<br />
A secret view that nature's kept<br />
Only revealed for few to see<br />
An insight granted now for me<br />
<br />
Standing graceful, calm and strong<br />
A sentry over years so long<br />
Her presence touches hearts that pass<br />
And reaches out to those that ask<br />
<br />
I gaze upon her curves in red<br />
A gentle touch, no word is said<br />
A hand upon the bark will rest<br />
Almost as if at her behest<br />
<br />
Her life a balm to slow the day<br />
Creates a yearning just to stay<br />
Close beside, beneath her shade<br />
I'll linger here now, if I may<br />
<br />
I walk away and find my soul<br />
Enriched by insight not my own<br />
Rather life has given me<br />
A moment with this wondrous tree<br />
<br />
So now the memory remains<br />
My life may even be the same<br />
Save for a simple moment's time<br />
When I could leave the world behindSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-34367793323183023492010-07-25T23:13:00.001+10:002010-07-25T23:13:52.723+10:00EveningJust about to put my head on the pillow last night and I needed to write this. I found it fascinating that the mixture of thoughts and feelings that gave rise to this could be both so dark and so joyful at the same time.<br />
<br />
<b>Evening</b><br />
<br />
As evening falls the night doth bring<br />
A darkness that will quietly sing<br />
Softly in the hearts of all<br />
Until she holds us in her thrall<br />
<br />
Then slowly as the eyes do close<br />
What dreams and thoughts may come, who knows<br />
As tales of joy and woe untold<br />
Are freed as soul and spirit unfold<br />
<br />
Imagination soaring free<br />
My thoughts will oft return to thee<br />
And there within the night's embrace<br />
The hours pass with peace and grace<br />
<br />
Yet dreams that come with darkness true<br />
May not always be of you<br />
As fears that lie within me still<br />
Arise, my very being to chill<br />
<br />
And now a moment feared has come<br />
With dark and bitter taste has stung<br />
As wrapt in night's embracing wings<br />
I yearn to dream of joyful things<br />
<br />
But soon the sun's illumined light<br />
Returns to banish now the night<br />
And new horizons now perceived<br />
Give once more a chance to beSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-3361031182707951272010-07-23T10:00:00.000+10:002010-07-23T10:00:14.943+10:00Winter... a morning momentAfter writing <a href="http://stevemartin60.blogspot.com/2010/07/leaf.html">A Leaf</a> recently I wanted to try and build some momentum. So, coffee in hand I sat in the morning winter sunlight, early in the morning and I found something to say. Being surrounded by a beautiful landscape certainly makes it easier though...<br />
<br />
<strong>Winter</strong><br />
The sun rises late and casts in the morn<br />
A pale gentle blanket that's not quite warm<br />
The crisp winter sunlight over the land<br />
A telltale sign of winter's cold hand<br />
<br />
High up above the sharp flickering white<br />
Catching the eyes, a magpie's flight<br />
While life goes on at a much slower pace<br />
It never does pause, does never abate<br />
<br />
The Eucalypt's greens will always surround<br />
Guardians watching with never a sound<br />
Save the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze <br />
A nurturing whisper from beautiful trees<br />
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With bated breath the world still awaits<br />
The coming of life that spring creates<br />
Not patient perhaps, rather simply resigned<br />
To seasons that turn only in their own timeSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-57099020438993273462010-07-16T01:00:00.009+10:002010-07-17T20:23:56.087+10:00A leaf<div>I thought I'd try something a little different. I've wanted for a while to be able to write on a more regular basis and decided to look at the process from another perspective. A friend suggested recently that I think about combining more than one art form. This an attempt to do that.</div><div></div><div>Closing my eyes in a warm quiet room I let my mind wander to see where it would lead me. After a few minutes I remembered a photo I had taken recently of a leaf. I followed the thought and this is where it would lead me... </div><div><br />
</div><div>I can feel the stir of life begin</div><div>Emerging with a gentle urgency </div><div>A crisp, clean spring awaits</div><div>My first tentative, tender reach</div><div><br />
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Uplifted by the golden, warming sun</div><div>The urgency now strong, driven</div><div>Into spring into life</div><div>At last bursting green and verdant<br />
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The raindrops for upon me</div><div>Quenching, filling, giving</div><div>To me, my work increases</div><div>A channel for life and growth</div><div><br />
</div><div>Time passes... day by day</div><div>Slowing, tiring, toiling</div><div>The days are growing longer</div><div>One by one. I feel it coming</div><div><br />
</div><div>A chill touch heralds the coming end</div><div>A willing sacrifice I need to make</div><div>To help the greater life</div><div>To live, to grow, to prosper</div><div><br />
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Darkness all around is all</div><div>I see and feel now</div><div>The welcome end is nigh</div><div>A final sigh, I give my last, </div><div><br />
</div><div>I am no more, an empty husk</div><div>The merest breath of wind</div><div>Enough to breach the bond</div><div>Of leaf to tree, I am no more</div><div><br />
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In my final sacrifice I gave</div><div>What little life I had to give</div><div>That once again the cycle might</div><div>Turn to life in spring once more<br />
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</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-86482276676080454622010-07-09T21:26:00.000+10:002010-07-09T21:26:24.332+10:00Rain... Inspired by a friendI was on the way home from the gym and read something a friend had written...<em>"There's something so beautiful about the sound of falling rain..." </em>A beautiful thought, inspiring words...<br />
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The first thought that came to mind after reading it was this...<br />
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The soft patter of spring rain<br />
A random rhythm of gentle chaos<br />
Each drop a gift from the world<br />
Bearing, sustaining, begetting life<br />
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Perhaps a summer storm rolls in<br />
The roiling clouds and thunder<br />
Of the elements in full cry<br />
A deluge that fortifies and cleanses<br />
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The golden hues of autumn herald<br />
The last frenetic surge, a seasons's life<br />
Flinches 'neath the first chill bite<br />
A promise of more so soon to come<br />
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And now the piercing, pelting drive<br />
Of winters icy hand descends<br />
Each drop of rain a touch of cold<br />
That helps complete the dark embrace<br />
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And now the seasons turn again<br />
Spring rains arriving, urging forth<br />
The stirring green and budding life, <br />
Of nature's never-ending gift to all <br />
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Inspired by a friend. Thank you.SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-59449142698753035462010-07-06T19:28:00.000+10:002010-07-06T19:28:48.297+10:00Reflections & friendsI saw a friend today that I hadn't seen for what felt like forever but in reality was probably less than a year. She's someone that had a profound impact on me in terms of writing poetry. One of the immediate things that happened after I saw her was that I wanted to write again. More importantly I had something to write :)<br />
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I saw you today... I saw you<br />
The tears in my eyes reminding me<br />
Of your beauty and peace<br />
Perhaps today I really saw you<br />
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I talked with you today... we talked<br />
And thoughts and words within my mind<br />
That started in my heart...<br />
Today we talked<br />
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I remembered you today... memories<br />
That drift in placid harmony<br />
And always comfort... lift... inspire<br />
Today another precious memory<br />
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I needed you today... A need<br />
Unperceived, for your inspiration<br />
Now, as then, the unseen door did open<br />
Today a need fulfilled<br />
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Today our paths have crossed... again<br />
On a red brick way that wends<br />
Beneath the white and gentle pale<br />
Today we tread the path anew<br />
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Today... an absent friend... <br />
A presence deeply felt in hearts<br />
That yearn to ease her burden<br />
Today... and always<br />
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I saw you today and looked inside myself again<br />
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Sometimes we meet people who leave a lasting, profound and positive impression on us. Both of the people who inspired this poem have done that for me.SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-79527113222234910582010-06-25T17:17:00.000+10:002010-06-25T17:17:40.929+10:00Beautiful momentsI've recently come across two amazing short films. They've both gotten a lot of hits on YouTube. Despite the very different subject matter in each I see a lot of similarities between them. <br />
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The movies are: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tifuN6P7go">Nuit Blanche</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM&amp">Embrace Life</a><br />
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In both of them I see the capturing of a beautiful moment that is all about love. Although the contexts are different the natures of the moments are fundamentally similar, tapping into our attraction to beauty in its many forms and awakening or touching our desire to both love and be loved. Something I see as being part of the core of our higher nature.<br />
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When I first watched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM&amp">Embrace Life</a> I found myself with tears running down my face. Both of these films left me feeling a profound sense that the people in my life that I love are the most precious gift I could possibly have.<br />
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With so much ugliness in the world that it often seems overwhelming, expressions of wonder and beauty like this are a breath of fresh air and do much to restore my faith in the goodness of life. Something I hope to have till the day I die is an undimmed sense of wonder and films like this make it very easy. For some reason watching these films also reminded me of a gorgeous day I spent (ironically a day spent by myself) enjoying some of the beauty that the world has to show us, hidden away in out of the way places.<br />
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I recently had some time in Tasmania and took the opportunity to spend some while in a beautiful place called Mt. Field National Park. It's a place I remember visiting when I was a teenager and have always wanted to return to. Not wanting to waste the day I hauled myself out bed early on a frosty Sunday morning determined to make the most it.<br />
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On the way there, I was anxious to reach my destination when, driving along a picturesque winding road, I was confronted with scene of storybook beauty seemingly out of nowhere...<br />
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The clean, crisp sharpness of the country air, the frost blanketing everything with a pale shimmering translucence and the mist sitting gently on the pastures all combined to create a vista of wonder. <br />
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The slowly meandering river was mesmerizing and I felt as I had stepped into another world.<br />
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Even something a simple as a few reeds standing resolutely in the frosty ground had a folorn beauty that touched the heart.<br />
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I lost track of time for a while just enjoying the moment and taking a lot of photographs. To say I was feeling uplifted would be a masterpiece of understatement. I was also sharply reminded of the importance of the journey rather than the destination. There is often far more to be learned, experienced and felt on the road than on arrival.<br />
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For the rest of the journey to the National Park I was just as oblivious to the passage of time as I enjoyed the passing of one lovely scene after another.<br />
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Driving into the Mt.Field National Park brought back a lot of memories, albeit fairly faded ones. It had been many years since I had last visited this part of the world.<br />
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The thing that struck me most when I arrived was the overwhelming sense of the richness of the thick green blanket of life that made up the rain forest. Seemingly infinite shades of colour merged in the morning air with the birdsong and an almost imperceptible breeze that lazily stirred the leaves into a barely discernible rustle.<br />
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Walking into the forest brought with it the relief of detachment from the outside world. The rich melange of life quickly became everything, almost creating a surfeit for the senses that embraced the heart and soul in a profoundly uplifting sense of wonder. Looking around me I was amazed at the colours and diversity of life. It seemed that every little corner of the forest, every nook and cranny, was filled with life. The never-ending medley of greens was overlayed with glorious splashes of colours that lit up the forest. The intermittent shafts of sunlight that broke through the canopy only serving to highlight the fabulous array of life surrounding me.<br />
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Everywhere I looked I saw something to delight the eyes. From the trees and ferns to the mosses covering so much of the ground, to the mushrooms whose burgeoning life and endless variety of form and colour were a mute yet eloquent testament to the cycle of life I was waking through.<br />
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A little further on I came to the "Tall Trees Walk". The staggering size of these trees almost dwarfs the imagination. At first glance it seems somehow impossible that life can be so large. The majesty of these trees is undeniable and humbling. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to get a photograph that adequately portrays the reality.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHO8xwJE2z6frV2nwYu7rMgW8woGuTjG73oAQ0koyRLF-o8R9LyRTrIPaGKWwJ1hVMTuF9MjkLG7KTQhjAjYHsuDx7TXeTIWOIiDYgpXRTWwjrTrX8mq-l1fMsfE0rkuFjoWJmWRMoCiM/s1600/Tall+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHO8xwJE2z6frV2nwYu7rMgW8woGuTjG73oAQ0koyRLF-o8R9LyRTrIPaGKWwJ1hVMTuF9MjkLG7KTQhjAjYHsuDx7TXeTIWOIiDYgpXRTWwjrTrX8mq-l1fMsfE0rkuFjoWJmWRMoCiM/s400/Tall+Tree.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
Dotted here and there throughout the park are gorgeous sites that irresistably draw a smile simply because they are so beautiful. The little streams bubbling through the undergrowth, the wallabies, caught momentarily unawares before bounding gracefully into invisibility in the background of the forest, the birds flitting frenetically from tree to tree, or simply sitting and filling the air with sounds that ranged from a raucous cacophony to heart-rendingly beautiful.<br />
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To a degree I've rarely experienced before I was deeply aware that life really is beautiful.SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-56334899637122407602010-04-17T23:24:00.000+10:002010-04-17T23:24:49.283+10:00An unexpected perspective...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I recently spent some time doing something quite unexpected and pretty unusual for someone like myself. I'm not going to into the details but it was time spent with close family and the words that time inspired are literal and metaphorical</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Your living canvas awaits the brush<br />
A delicate hand applies a touch<br />
The mirror reflects the colours true<br />
The potrait emerges that you choose<br />
<br />
The way yourself, you wish to see<br />
The person that you'd like to be<br />
The portrait painted helps you find<br />
Your inner self, a view defined<br />
<br />
It matter not what others deem<br />
Your worth lies not in their esteem<br />
Look within, strive to perceive<br />
Try not to yourself deceive</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
Upon your canvas allow to show<br />
The one that only you can know<br />
Though just a glimpse, a simple peek<br />
Of the one that others seek<br />
<br />
Through subtle shades and gentle hues<br />
Or colours wild & bold you choose<br />
To show the world a part of you<br />
A portrait that to you is true</span>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-46233645785644566722010-04-09T13:19:00.000+10:002010-04-09T13:19:05.341+10:00Self & Doubt...A few thoughts on during a lunch break on a sunny Friday afternoon.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">A question arises in my mind</div><div class="MsoNormal">A thought to ponder, time to time</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of who I am both now and then?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is a thought beyond my ken?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I stand afraid amongst my peers</div><div class="MsoNormal">And try in vain to calm my fears</div><div class="MsoNormal">That here revealed for all to see</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is the one I've come to be</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Does everyone this curse affect</div><div class="MsoNormal">As always we seek to confect</div><div class="MsoNormal">An image that we’ll safely feel</div><div class="MsoNormal">Can our inner self conceal</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do anyone ever truly show</div><div class="MsoNormal">And can we ever really know</div><div class="MsoNormal">What it means no more to hide</div><div class="MsoNormal">The self that’s living deep inside</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps to ponder overlong</div><div class="MsoNormal">On such as this is always wrong</div><div class="MsoNormal">With crises ever looming nigh</div><div class="MsoNormal">When all that’s done is think of “I”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For doubts will always grow apace</div><div class="MsoNormal">And ne’er we’ll know a moment’s grace</div><div class="MsoNormal">Til we outwardly we gaze and give</div><div class="MsoNormal">To others, then, at last, we’ll live</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A life that brings us joy and finds</div><div class="MsoNormal">Friends and neighbours of all kinds</div><div class="MsoNormal">A life that means so much to all</div><div class="MsoNormal">No more to self in bond and thrall</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-14062160381483932692010-04-03T01:17:00.000+11:002010-04-03T01:17:23.488+11:00DecisionsI've wanted to try writing poetry that was a little more structured and perhaps a little more traditional. I'm not sure how it came out though :)<br />
<br />
I was thinking about life and where it leads us, and how we get there. How much impact the little decisions we make each day can have on ourselves and those around us. It seems to me that in some way every moment of every day is an opportunity to make a decision. To go forward from that moment in any number of different ways. Whether things are going badly or well, no matter how wonderful or how restricted or even oppressed we are, or perhaps feel we are, there is always an opportunity to decide. Even if it's simply to strive to a little more tranquility of spirit. Do we accept a hard road that in our hearts we know is right with radiant acquiescence? Do we fight for what we believe in? Do we do nothing? <div><br />
</div><div>One of the uncomfortable conundrums is that not deciding is also perhaps a decision, but one where we relinquish control to others, or maybe to random chance...<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><b>Decisions...</b><br />
<br />
Does every step to a crossroads lead,<br />
To endless potential that waits to be freed?<br />
Does each new tread upon the ground<br />
Start paths unnumbered and yet to be found?<br />
<br />
The paths ahead in the distance wend<br />
The agony of choice the heart does rend<br />
“Don’t make me choose” the soul bemoans<br />
“I cannot decide. Too many unknowns”<br />
<br />
It matters not ere the instant is here<br />
The direction, the choice can never be clear<br />
Free will, desire, it’s ours to choose,<br />
We’ll always have all and nothing to lose<br />
<br />
As life flows on we have to decide<br />
Whatever transpires we take in our stride<br />
The moment is now the time tis here<br />
Decision made with heart sincere<br />
<br />
A new path before us endless doth reach<br />
To heart, to soul new wisdom to teach<br />
What’s gone before is gone… no more…<br />
The new path our spirit doth beckon to soar<br />
<div><br />
</div></div></div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-29282974673173922772010-03-15T07:59:00.000+11:002010-03-15T07:59:35.729+11:007am... Monday<div class="MsoNormal">Walking out the door</div><div class="MsoNormal">Above I see the last remnant of sunrise</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gently staining the clouds</div><div class="MsoNormal">A broken fluffy blanket</div><div class="MsoNormal">Strewn loosely overhead</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Down the steps again</div><div class="MsoNormal">The car awaits, the day begins</div><div class="MsoNormal">The weekend just a memory</div><div class="MsoNormal">The week ahead, ideas</div><div class="MsoNormal">Potential and promise</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Driving in silence</div><div class="MsoNormal">Through the not quite sparse traffic</div><div class="MsoNormal">An old familiar routine</div><div class="MsoNormal">The mind wanders, lulled</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the easy repetition</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Into the office</div><div class="MsoNormal">Coffee, a ritual oft repeated</div><div class="MsoNormal">A tabletop reflection</div><div class="MsoNormal">The glass gives a glimpse</div><div class="MsoNormal">The trees outside</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The morning brightens</div><div class="MsoNormal">In this most mundane of moments</div><div class="MsoNormal">With a happy realisation</div><div class="MsoNormal">That even here and now</div><div class="MsoNormal">Life is beautiful</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-7216768211090038352010-03-14T20:42:00.001+11:002010-03-14T20:54:02.113+11:00Pursuit of happiness<div class="MsoNormal">This is a topic that I've given some thought to recently. I'm very unsure where it's leading me but I wanted to share these thoughts. I was musing on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Steve.Martin.60">FaceBook page</a> recently and that gave rise to this:<br />
<br />
The pursuit of happiness</div><div class="MsoNormal">A thought for the self</div><div class="MsoNormal">An inward focus</div><div class="MsoNormal">Where’s my happiness?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do I deserve to be happy?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is it something I want?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is it something I need?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is it all about me?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes I do deserve to be happy</div><div class="MsoNormal">I want it, I need it</div><div class="MsoNormal">I am deserving… yes</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s all about me</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And… yet…</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s all so empty</div><div class="MsoNormal">Devoid of meaning</div><div class="MsoNormal">But it doesn’t matter. I deserve it</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Still… nothing… inside</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why can’t… why don’t…</div><div class="MsoNormal">I feel good… feel happy…</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s all about… me…?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What if it’s not?</div><div class="MsoNormal">What if it’s not all about me?</div><div class="MsoNormal">What if I look outside me?</div><div class="MsoNormal">What if… what if…?<br />
<br />
I'd love to know what other think about this. What is happiness? How do you achieve it? Should you even worry about it at all?</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-29491539331980193552010-03-12T08:27:00.004+11:002010-03-12T08:29:09.749+11:00Guitars... again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQKHrDnnAiMOcakvEEN3EoajYUvTI2qD4bmZnBXspgWTYo0bwMft7FdiuCFHdKV3Msi0e16Nk6m5iYCuF9ojyaS5JT7dmC9PnW9WOyCerf9nCdczELBlCApicwUFYaTcIcUTBxsLkr7c/s1600-h/IMG_8586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQKHrDnnAiMOcakvEEN3EoajYUvTI2qD4bmZnBXspgWTYo0bwMft7FdiuCFHdKV3Msi0e16Nk6m5iYCuF9ojyaS5JT7dmC9PnW9WOyCerf9nCdczELBlCApicwUFYaTcIcUTBxsLkr7c/s400/IMG_8586.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt2pJUZvmx2ahuP0WdlnpObfd4RC5ufWi2SbKAgCgYSXPw7pCWPKa29rkOrUGg3G3fRiL3CL7UokRNImiPZBz-Dhz62CaMU4KIzoEZ-3z1VkjY4GBxVNxyglwAr6khZ4XRrhlNS-hEbM/s1600-h/IMG_8618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt2pJUZvmx2ahuP0WdlnpObfd4RC5ufWi2SbKAgCgYSXPw7pCWPKa29rkOrUGg3G3fRiL3CL7UokRNImiPZBz-Dhz62CaMU4KIzoEZ-3z1VkjY4GBxVNxyglwAr6khZ4XRrhlNS-hEbM/s400/IMG_8618.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-15031999086164857692010-03-09T09:19:00.000+11:002010-03-09T09:19:30.413+11:00Experiments in poetryI've recently thought that it would be great to be able to write about some of the less profound moments that happen in life every day. <a href="http://stevemartin60.blogspot.com/2010/03/sunday-thoughts.html">Sunday thoughts</a> was my first attempt at that.<br />
<br />
This is another experiment. But I'm not sure that less profound is an appropriate description. It's beginning to seem that the depth and meaning of something may simply depend on our perspective. Or perhaps it's really just our perception that changes. That there is always meaning, waiting to be perceived. Yet our limitations, perhaps self imposed, perhaps not, hold us back.<br />
<br />
Anyway... enough rambling...<br />
<br />
<b>Guitars</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">A glance around the room</div><div class="MsoNormal">Guitars standing in the corners</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mutely gathering dust</div><div class="MsoNormal">Awaiting their muse</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A feeling touches my fingers</div><div class="MsoNormal">Desire, yearning awakens</div><div class="MsoNormal">To feel the strings again</div><div class="MsoNormal">To hear, to feel the sound</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My hands caress the curves</div><div class="MsoNormal">The wood glossy and smooth</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of their own volition </div><div class="MsoNormal">My hands find their place</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A single strum slowly brushed</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh dear… not so tuneful</div><div class="MsoNormal">A wry smile… a thought</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Play more often”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The old familiar routine</div><div class="MsoNormal">A reassuring ritual</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tuning is quickly done</div><div class="MsoNormal">The strum more tuneful now</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My fingers know their places</div><div class="MsoNormal">Music starts to fill the air</div><div class="MsoNormal">A little hesitation</div><div class="MsoNormal">Brief… then banished</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once again I feel inside</div><div class="MsoNormal">The swelling feeling</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of peace and harmony</div><div class="MsoNormal">That always brings peace</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Creating… playing… making</div><div class="MsoNormal">A sound… unique… a first</div><div class="MsoNormal">A moment worth living for</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fleeting yet forever</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One thing I do know is that I'm enjoying this process very much. It feels like a realisation that there is inspiration all around, all the time. I just need to take the time and see it.</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-76691503551003942272010-03-07T17:35:00.001+11:002010-03-07T23:07:28.000+11:00Sunday thoughts<div class="MsoNormal">Gazing out the window on a sunny Sunday morning</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">A dragonfly’s random flight catches my eye</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">A glint of sunlight on the blurring wings</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">A moment’s hesitation… then madly off again</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">A young magpie strides sharply across the grass</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">Eyes peeled and ever watchful for a morsel</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">Grey plumage still, a youthful promise of what’s to come</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">The sharp blacks and whites just around the corner</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">The blue of the sky through the swaying treetops</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">Scudding clouds suggest some later rain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">Autumn is in not quite in the air</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">The last vestige of the passing season clings on</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">The final heat of summer seeps into the day</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">The afternoon drags listlessly by</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">As the hot air slowly drains the dregs of energy</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">The pool an inviting respite from the easy lethargy</span></div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-90633284525218468432010-03-04T19:25:00.001+11:002010-03-04T19:29:27.852+11:00Amazing LyricsI've already posted something of mine this morning but I came across this song and just had to post the lyrics here. It's a Leonard Cohen song... Heart rendingly beautiful... If I can ever write anything remotely as good as this I'll die a happy man.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>A Thousand Kisses Deep</b><br />
<br />
The ponies run, the girls are young,<br />
The odds are there to beat.<br />
You win a while, and then it’s done –<br />
Your little winning streak.<br />
And summoned now to deal<br />
With your invincible defeat,<br />
You live your life as if it’s real,<br />
A Thousand Kisses Deep.<br />
<br />
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,<br />
I’m back on Boogie Street.<br />
You lose your grip, and then you slip<br />
Into the Masterpiece.<br />
And maybe I had miles to drive,<br />
And promises to keep:<br />
You ditch it all to stay alive,<br />
A Thousand Kisses Deep.<br />
<br />
And sometimes when the night is slow,<br />
The wretched and the meek,<br />
We gather up our hearts and go,<br />
A Thousand Kisses Deep.<br />
<br />
Confined to sex, we pressed against<br />
The limits of the sea:<br />
I saw there were no oceans left<br />
For scavengers like me.<br />
I made it to the forward deck.<br />
I blessed our remnant fleet –<br />
And then consented to be wrecked,<br />
A Thousand Kisses Deep.<br />
<br />
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,<br />
I’m back on Boogie Street.<br />
I guess they won’t exchange the gifts<br />
That you were meant to keep.<br />
And quiet is the thought of you,<br />
The file on you complete,<br />
Except what we forgot to do,<br />
A Thousand Kisses Deep.<br />
<br />
And sometimes when the night is slow,<br />
The wretched and the meek,<br />
We gather up our hearts and go,<br />
A Thousand Kisses Deep.<br />
<br />
The ponies run, the girls are young,<br />
The odds are there to beat . . .<br />
<div><br />
</div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-77133266742013740912010-03-04T08:42:00.000+11:002010-03-04T08:42:28.258+11:00Inner PathsSometimes I feel nothing but bewilderment at where things come from. As I drove home from work last night a line came to me in the car. "The night enfolds us in her gentle embrace". By the time I got home I completely forgot about it. Later when I remembered, all I could do was remember that I had thought of a line but not what is was.<br />
<br />
This is something that's happened before and I've tried to get in the habit of writing them down on the spot. I once stopped by the side of the road and scribbled hurriedly on an old serviette. So, I didn't give it any more thought until a few minutes ago, thinking it was gone. Then out of nowhere it reemerged along with a few more lines.<br />
<br />
As with <a href="http://stevemartin60.blogspot.com/2010/02/away-from-dark.html">Away from the dark</a> I'm unsure of the meaning as yet, maybe even more so this time. I'd love to know what you think it means, and perhaps more relevantly I'd love to know what it means to you, if anything <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><img alt="" height="19" src="http://gfx2.hotmail.com/mail/w4/pr01/ltr/emoticons/smile_regular.gif" style="text-indent: 0in !important;" width="19" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<b>Inner Paths</b><br />
<br />
The night enfolds us in her gentle embrace<br />
Her darkly soft arms, her caress<br />
Her touch calming our fears<br />
The cares of the day melt away<br />
<br />
Closing our eyes we drift slowly away<br />
To a place not here, not now<br />
Our deepest thoughts and feelings<br />
Rise slowly to meld with our minds<br />
<br />
Mind, body, spirit… meditating<br />
On the slowly rising tide of being<br />
Gazing at last deep into ourselves<br />
Wondering… wondering<br />
<br />
What secrets lie beneath the veils of self?<br />
What treasures yet to be unearthed?<br />
The journey at last begun<br />
Toward the life within<br />
<br />
Many steps, many paths, many roads<br />
Lie ahead, untrodden, uncharted<br />
They await a footfall to make them real<br />
As they call to us endlessly<br />
<br />
The gentle echo of their whisper urging<br />
Us onward, deeper into… where?<br />
Is this our self buried deep within<br />
Unseen, unheard, unknown<br />
<br />
Yet for all the dark mystery within<br />
Perhaps this is where we need to live<br />
To exist… to be…<br />
Within our deepest self… alwaysSteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418114306938371877.post-73062327381854307622010-03-02T21:59:00.001+11:002010-03-02T22:09:25.490+11:00Musing on a gloomy afternoonThis came to me as I looked out of my office window. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><div><b>Musing on a <span class="il" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #ffffcc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">gloomy</span> afternoon</b></div></div><div><br />
</div><div>A gentle breeze stirs the leaves</div><div>The branches sway languidly</div><div>The humid air thick and heavy</div><div><br />
</div><div>A crisp, subtle rustling</div><div>Ripples across the morning</div><div>Autumn creeping slowly in</div><div><br />
</div><div>The grey aftermath of the rain</div><div>Hangs overhead, <span class="il" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #ffffcc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">gloomy</span>, pregnant</div><div>With promise and threat</div><div><br />
</div><div>Yet a simple glance around</div><div>Reveals exquisite grace</div><div>In a simple drop of rain</div><div><br />
</div><div>Clinging gracefully to a leaf</div><div>A puddle reflects the life above</div><div>A sense of wonder once again renewed</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">I think the gloom I initially saw was not only not there then, it's never there. It simply our limited perceptions that create the illusion of gloom. The weather, like so many other is never gloomy, or happy or anything else of that nature. It just is. It might be dangerous, hot cold windy etc but the emotions are ours.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Perhaps a simple insight is always there to be gained when we look out at a rainy day. Our perceptions of it may be a reflection of something that exists inside us. Could this be a useful tool for increased self awareness?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">I'm not sure but I'm going to try it and see.</span></div>SteveMartin60http://www.blogger.com/profile/12557116300064356590noreply@blogger.com2