The Little Brown Seed

Lost in the depths of the Earth

With darkness all around

And no hope in sight,

The little brown seed sighed

And recalled it’s days in the light.

It remembered in the deep recesses 

Of it’s little brown heart,

The sweet heady scent of over ripe fruit

As they cracked apart.

A tiny black beak chirping and pecking

And then Splat!

Falling down into the dry grass

Among scores of busy ants

Hurrying and scurrying.

From whence it looked up at the painted scene

The pastel blue with the wispy clouds,

‘tween the green of the leaves

And the birds chirping aloud.

The bees buzzing around 

In the hot summer noon,

Among fruit burst open

And seeds everywhere strewn.

And then being lifted

By dozens of minions,

Down a deep dark hole 

To the nether regions.

All this and more

It remembered fondly,

As it lay in the dark

And mused dreamily.

And then, an overcast sky,

The distant rumble of thunder,

The first drops hit the thirsty soil

And reached the seed hidden under.

The fragrance of damp earth,

It squirmed in delight,

And the little brown seed began

It’s tryst with sunlight.

Warmed and loved

With that gentle caress,

It swelled up with pride

And burst forth in tenderness.

Soft green feelers

From within it’s sheath,

One to feel the sky

The other, deep beneath.

Which danced in the sunlight

Sprouting freshness in green,

Delighted to be where

The little seed had once been.

Lessons from a Kite

Squinting against the sun

I looked up at the sky,

A gentle breeze blew the clouds

Today my kite would fly.

Proudly I carried the roller and thread

A hop and a skip, there was Dad ahead,

A glance now and then at the colourful kite

A smile curving all the way upto my eyes.

Then at the meadow

Where the flowers grew wild,

And the birds chirped in bushes

At the restless little child.

I tugged at Dad's hands

That held the kite tight,

And my head bobbed up and down

In childish delight.

"Make my kite fly high, Dad!

Make it go up in the sky, Dad!

Hurry up Dad, there's a breeze blowing now,

Here's the roller Dad, just show me how!

Looking fondly down at the excited child

The kite with the thread to the roller he tied,

"Patience my child, have patience, my son,

This kite won't fly until I'm all done.

You don't wanna lose your kite

'fore it's halfway up the sky,

'tis the wind on which it's borne

But the roller guides it home.

How high it goes up in the sky

Is anybody's guess,

It all depends on whether 

You roll out more or less.

You must know when to pull in

And when to let it free,

Life's lesson, you know",

He winked up at me.

"And when the kite is up high

Then applause it must share,

It mustn't ever forget

'twas the wind that brought it there.

And be thankful ever too

To the strength of the thread,

That held it so secure

As it raced on up ahead".

My ears heard his words

But it didn't seem to matter,

My eyes on the kite

As I felt the wind lift 'er.

Up , up and away, as Dad spooled out the thread,

Up above the trees and over my head,

Gently he guided, pulling in, letting free,

Today the kite.....tomorrow me!

Now as I watch 

kites dancing in the skies, 

I think of all Dad taught me

Of his words so truly wise.

Thus a day out in the meadow

Life's lessons I had learned,

As I aim for the skies

Feet firmly on the ground

-----*****-----

Those Eyes

Those eyes have haunted me a long time, you know

It's been a while but they follow me wherever I go,

I look back to see if she is there

No, not her.....just those eyes that stare.

Seven years to the day, I remember all too clearly,

If I could turn back the clock, I wish all too dearly,

Maybe those eyes wouldn't always follow me,

Torment me, despise me, haunt me, you see.

I still hear the rapping on the glass,

 Hoping to attract my glance as I pass,

 Of dirty fingers staining the pane

 Trying to draw my attention in vain.

 In the cool confines of my chauffeured car,

 Engine idling, his hand on the gear,

 As we waited for the lights to turn green

 I heard the rapping on the windscreen.

"Don't look up Madam, ignore them", he   said,

"This is what they do for their daily bread,

Thieves, scoundrels, beggars they are,

You stay put inside the car".

Happy to ignore, tapping away at my phone,

I lowered my glance and shied away from the unknown.

After all I was happy, in his advice content,

Maybe there was truth in his professed sentiment.

A blaring of horns as the lights changed colour,

A sideways glance now that the coast was clear,

Oh, why hadn't I kept heeding his advice?

That glance brought me face to face with those eyes.

Beautiful eyes, expressive eyes,

In a face very dirty and not at all nice,

Unkempt hair and unwashed clothes,

Smudges on her cheeks and a running nose.

But those eyes...they stared at me,

Accusing me, despising me,

Those eyes it seemed looked into my soul,

Opening up emotions  I could no longer ignore.

"It could be me in there", those sad eyes said,

"You could be standing barefoot out here instead".

"You gave not a penny for my thoughts,

Cause you're the haves and I'm the have nots."

Not a word crossed her lips in that moment there

But those soulful eyes said all in their stare,

"Here I am in my deep dark despair....

And you just don't seem to care".

Like deep dark wells filled with rain water

Those eyes had absorbed all the pain and  torture,

They reflected all the cold shivering nights,

The rumbling stomach and aching plight.

They spoke of all the slaps and tears

And also of the small moments of cheer,

They mirrored scenes of rebuke and scorn,

Of days spent with mongrels on sidewalks alone.

Of gazing through shop windows 

At goodies displayed there,

And then being shooed off

With a shout and a stare.

There was fear in those eyes, of the future unseen,

And a strange curiosity for places never been,

But what struck me most, more than anything else,

Was what those eyes seemed to say to me.

They promised to haunt, promised  to do more,

To touch my soul, touch me to the core,

To teach me, rebuke me, to jolt me from my sleep,

Remind me of that day, and sometimes make me weep.

I search for those eyes often and at every traffic light,

Oh if only I could once again set everything right, 

But try as hard and as hard as I may,

The fact remains that to this day...

Those eyes follow me, haunt me wherever I go,

Teaching me, reminding me never to ignore,

The plight of those less fortunate than me,

The poor, the downtrodden and the needy,

To give, to care, to love and to share,

For, as those eyes said..It could be me out there.

               

-------------********----------- 

Sailing Home : A Fisherman's Tale

At the crack of dawn

With bait box and tackle,

Rough hands hoisted net

O'er shoulders bent a little.

Cap pulled down snugly

And a sweater patched and worn,

He'd watched as she'd knit them

And had ever since worn.

She'd waited by the window

Day after day,

As the first stars began twinkling

Out over the bay.

And then when she'd spot him
Day's catch on his shoulders,
A silhouette in the distance
Near his boat by the boulders.

She'd warm up the soup

And cut up the bread,

And wait to greet him

Back to the homestead.

And then by the starlight

Out by the bay,

She'd laugh as she listened

'bout the one that got away.

But now as he fingered

The sweater worn and torn,

And thought of the hands 

Had helped him put it on.

Two score years and ten

She'd sailed out with him,

Not a presence on his boat

Just a feeling within.

She'd been with him in thought

When rain lashed o'er the waves,

And it was she who kept him warm

When cold nipped at his face.

'twas her prayers led him ashore

When he'd drifted far away,

As she'd watched by the window

In their house by the bay.

Last night as he'd walked up

After docking by the shore,

How strange that there wasn't

Any light by the door.

No soup on the stove

No wool on the floor,

Her sweet smiling face

He would see no more.

And now as he threw

His net o'er the side,

He cast a glance heavenward

And heaved a deep sigh.

And sailing his boat further

And deeper out to sea,

He cried to the waves

To please set him free.

Towards the setting sun

"Ah, there she beckons me",

No light by the window

The boat out at sea.