Blood Red Poppy Fields

Lay me down upon the hard ground

To hear the Earth tremble

With the mighty feet of a thousand men

Dashing to protect the World again

From a thousand feet of other men

Close my eyes to drift along skies

Filled with the smoke of gun powder

Rumblings of missile carriages fill my ears

My taste buds swollen with murder

Youth taken from duty bound faces

Lay me down upon Poppy clad ground

That my bosom might warm the dead

Whose blood was shed for our Lives

In a fight countries had led

For Freedoms so few understood

Smoke cleared way by thousand year breeze

Sounds silenced by young lives long dead

Freedom found within each head

Mothers left with emptied arms

As the Poppy Fields grow forever ~ blood Red.

Copyright © 2004 by Kate

only one, anyway

It is storming.

Rain pouring down

thundering exploding all around

Can't tell if it is even morning.

At that moment she realized

indeed she was alone in all ways

so only what she chose at any given time

really mattered to anyone 

since she was the only one.

Now to redefine what matters

to her alone.

Tis so ~ only one, anyway.

being "In Love"

yesterday I said good bye to the classroom

I am going to miss every last one of those students

I learned so much from them this year

each one carrying hopes and fears on their faces

taught me how fragile life is

taught me how LOVE can be a part of it all

above everything

LOVE

last night I said good bye to my Mother

she was lucid enough to know more than some might realize

I sat holding her hand while she spoke of things not so recent

and a few things all too recent

her heart right there for me to feel and see

I have learned so much from her 

along with the realization that indeed

she WILL always be a Mother

the children given to her a gift from LOVE

I worry to leave her and my heart holds her close

I can feel the envelopment of 

LOVE

This early morning before even the sun awakes

 I finish packing suitcases

The one for Mr. President I am awesomely  careful

Bathing each item in LOVE 

not just LOVE from me

but LOVE I have already received from many generations

now imprinted upon my heart

the sun shall rise in the East

where I now will go to be with three

who also love with huge open hearts

My goodness Life IS a Circle

Covered in, surrounded by, enfolded with

LOVE

I am blessed beyond measure

and I know the Blessings

with huge amounts of

an attitude of gratitude

for every last person anywhere

who perhaps, some unknown, have touched my heart

given me lessons that increased the LOVE

I am in awe for every last one

tender bits of living dripped into this life

from more humans and other living creatures,

each one now passing gently across my mind's eye

from the eyes of my heart,

than my little mind could have ever imagined alone,

so very many years ago

yet now all comes together to be

the only energy that matters

LOVE

I honestly can say I do not regret any of the lessons learned

I do not find any a burden wished to dismiss  

rather with an understanding far outside an egoic mind

my heart filled with magnificent love

embraces it all

heaving grateful sighs 

wistful memories coming through

as feelings only can wash over the land

so this really is all about awe-striking 

LOVE?!

A single thought awoke me this morning 

"Blessed be the Peacemaker"

then the distant rumbling thunder

ushered my eyes open 

my senses fully awakened

Oh such glorious Love

Love glorious

LOVE!

Thank you LOVE

I Love being "in LOVE!"

For What?

There are Three sides to every story ~ it has been said.

But this is not about sides,

This is about empathy and compassion

because one knows how it FEELS.

As the years tick off 

the older one gets

the more experiences one has

which in turn hopefully strike chords

within the heart 

that turns back into the mind to remind

of the pain felt similarly

that invokes a deeper understanding

that no amount of negative behaviors

justifies the cruelty visited upon any heart

human beings are mortal

they march to their deaths

from the moment they are born

 if people cast aside their own human "flesh 
and blood" denying them

during that march toward death 

what do they expect to have left 

the question comes forth out of the broken heart

all of this meanness and blatant cruelty

for what?

Has it helped anyone?

Gained anything?

Increased the peace within the heart?

Made any human whole?

there is a deep painful silence

that chimes times twelve

like the midnight square clock

letting the ears know

time passes no matter what

emotional pain is forever

inflicted by reasons long twisted

or even forgotten

death creeps across the land side

not caring whether there were any last good byes

only the humans continuing to reside

have marked their own hearts with scars

then let their words try to justify

hurts they believe were their right to inflict

they are left with a sourness that shows on their faces

as years lead them to the end 
all

For what?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was blessed forever to have had a Grandfather that persevered through some cruel years not once, not twice but three times and yet demonstrated a quiet peace and compassion with empathy that allowed LOVE to shine through to the end.  He taught me so much and gave me that solid foundation so I could make this journey to death learning much about Love.  

He comes to me in dreams still reminding me ~ "Katya you can LOVE no matter what.  Nothing else really matters and the heart pain inflicted upon you only increases your knowledge of LOVE ~ so love no matter what."

"LOVE does not promise no hurts and no heart pain.

It  promises to always and forever

be with you no matter what.

LOVE promises to never reject,

never abandon,

and always increase

no matter what."

LOVE is my guide.  LOVE is my saving grace.

I can wish and hope that you never have to experience so much heart pain.  I can Love you no matter what.  Life is just that short and forever is just that long.

Be well and may you find inner peace

and LOVE increased.

bothersome little gnat

ever wonder why a gnat is so clingy

yet such an angry mess

of course the instinct is to smack the creature down

deader than dead

honestly why does that

green eyed bothersome little gnat

keep showing up

is it that disappointed with itself

that it hounds a person

go away 

you bothersome little gnat

one does not even seek it out

it just keeps showing up

the angry nasty disposition

gives itself away 

everything it bitches about

is what it does not like in itself

no amount of trying to reason with the gnat

has met with any success

the gnat is convinced

it is the only real thing in the universe

sadly it negates its own life

by its bothersome fixations

as if anyone would seek out a gnat

twould be the gossiping urge alone

go away bothersome gnat

go find yourself

alas, born too late

too many waves have crashed against the rocks of time

knowing that the long ago should have been mine

the pleasure of slower passages with  verbosity 

considered blushing the cheeks of birth's harshness

tiny petals of ancient lilacs no longer grown near homes

reminders that soft amores were favored over ignoring

When I read Marcel Proust I float backward to times where I feel familiar

wistfully wishing to have been born and lived along the French countryside

perhaps to walk along side such a creative mind waiting for osmosis to work

wondering if the mind were the seduction that bore forth companionship

woven are the words penned within the fabric of depth beyond dreary

if only I could hear him speak a few of the phrases he heavily crafted

this prior week I sat by her side listening as she told me of her last little hopes

then I knew that motherhood brings no less doubts of good enoughs 

if only I might read to her the overture of her demise from the perspective of grateful hearts

not lonely just wanting to be reassured that whilst alone there was someone who loved her

there was flesh and blood that cared to be present if only to hold her ancient hand 

letting her pass easily comforted by the children that were hers as gifts without end

difficulties with the environment's attitude about this scar it must hold

if only I had been born during the heyday of luscious peony blossoms 

when the sun's light was requested stay away during mid day from soft cream skin

long skirted girls took up sewing, some thick pages of books, tall sweated glasses of iced teas

oh the quiet coolness of the retiring parlor in the heat of a sunny day 

whispers of the author wafting from the pages of the prose

alas, I was born too late

returning to the pages

hiding deep within the passages

my heart beats steady in peace