optimism

A Moment of Sunlight

R. Horton

Everywhere he went,
he confronted peace and
rumours of peace.

Each dawn, he would follow
the light on rising roads
and find fellowship with companion
travellers and comfort with locals
sharing a spirit of cooperation.

As the sun passed over,
he and new neighbours he met
would break bread, drink
and laugh with abandon.

With evil vanquished and animosity
dimmed, the world awaited eternity
with clear eyes, dry cheeks
and a pacific breast.

Finally actualised, he sees a reality no
longer tenuous, but one girded on the
impervious foundation of
enlightened belief.

Whispers of Dongpo in Bamboo Sway (#poem)

R. Horton
woman standing beside bamboo
Photo by Leticia Ribeiro on Pexels.com

The knocking of the bamboo
In the wind
Restores my awareness.

Su Dongpo said he could live
Without meat but not without bamboo.
Bamboo brings life, of course,
As meat destroys it, but
Dongpo had a different
Understanding (he loved eating meat),

Yet his words weave
Through the leaves
With warning and assurance
Of life whose end has not
Arrived so long as bamboo
Sways her promise to us.

 

Sisyphus in a Pickup (#poem)

R. Horton
yellow pick up truck on grey concrete road
Photo by Derwin Edwards on Pexels.com

If this were a country song,
I’d say I’m so far down
I have to look up to
See the bottom.

I used to get more
Kicks than a horse in a
briar patch, but the old mare
Ain’t what she used to be.

I always heard that
Rock bottom is a lonely place,
But this domain is
Now well populated.

If misery loves company,
She’s become a promiscuous
Polyamorist, and we’re having
A resentment orgy.

We look up at the peak,
And get the idea a group
Of down and outers can climb up
To bring the Gods right back down.