The valley was a wintery tableau
buried beneath a carpet of freshly fallen snow
where a defiant flower bulb did silently grow
snugged in beneath the frozen ground
it didn’t wait for spring to come around
already emerging safe and sound
The Skeptic’s View
On religion the skeptic’s view is clear
there’s no invisible guy in the sky
that mankind has to fear
Skeptics find it hard to believe
religion to them, is just a way to deceive
and that faithful followers are all naive
Skeptics often fall back on science
in dogged defiance
of religion’s compliance
taking a wait and see
attitude unapologetically
when it comes to their destiny
The Trip
Oh! so mellow…
watching pulsing colors go by
a musical lullaby
from a sugar cube
a psychedelic YouTube
a view of the universe
a thirst
never imagined
a new legend
a world flowing
flowers growing
out of people’s hair
with nothing to compare
a sense of peace
physic release
glowing hope
like smoking dope
spinning rooms
incense perfumes
dancing all night
in the light
of lava lamps
in hippie camps
deep conversations
surprising revelations
and so mellow!
Missing Pieces
A puzzle missing pieces is forever fated to be negated.
Somewhere among the missing pieces recovered in the fire they discovered another empire
If missing pieces are hidden for posterity they loose their familiarity
Missing pieces can be found in common places like the ground Sometimes they are a telling sound
Every mystery has a key or two, missing pieces that can give a clue. Possibly a chance for a breakthrough.
There are missing pieces in my memory due to PTSD. I am no longer the man I use to be. Yet somehow, I’m happy.
What is Praiseworthy?
“What is praiseworthy?” Socrates asked Voltaire
“Sacrificing one’s life for another” he replied, answering the dare
“I’m not so sure” Rousseau countered with an imperious air
“It’s in the eye of the beholder,” spoke up Jean-Paul Sartre
“Who can truly say for sure?” Plato posited as he walked by
Spinoza suggested someone is praiseworthy if they don’t lie
“I think there’s plenty of room” said Hume, “to wrongly misapply”
Then all the philosophers threw up their hands asking “Why try?“
Slipping Away
100 words
She opened her eyes and pushed away the darkness of eternity. Not yet ready to submit to that unknown journey. She embraced her life for one more day.
Happy memories gave her strength to ignore her dying body. Her pale eyes still reflected determination and an active imagination.
Her fierce soul fought to stay one more day. She would not let her life slip away silently like it never happened.
Grasping for each hour like a sinking swimmer she held on until the next dawn when her soul let go leading her towards a bright glow and an eternal rainbow.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
250 words –
Woz waited by the doorway to the labyrinth for the green light to come on. He was a professional gamer who traveled around the galaxies taking on challenges created by the Game Changer. The challenges always incorporated alternate realities, and reality.
The red light was on a timer. When it changed Woz entered the maze of dimly lit tunnels and followed the directions written in laser lights on the smooth metal walls. This challenge involved finding a crystal key to open the door to eternity.
When Woz encountered a door he went in without hesitation. The inhabitants inside bowed and called him an angel. He ignored them and went back to the endless passages seeking the crystal key.
Eons passed in the lonely search. Worlds were created and destroyed. Civilizations rose and fell into dust. Woz wandered from one dimension to the next, always re-appearing in the luminous tunnels. Never losing sight of his goal to find the crystal key.
During a time of solar systems defying gravity for gamers like Woz, he emerged from the maze to witness the birth of a dwarf planet and discovered a crystal cave. Inside, there hung hundreds of identical crystal keys swaying to gentle hidden melodies. They were bathed in a blue light.
Because the Game Changer doesn’t play by any rules, he had nothing better to do than make fools of gamers like Woz, who saw the challenge for what it was, but still played the game. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
In Praise of Poker
I was always told to know when to draw and when to fold. That playing Poker was more than a game of chance if you’re bold
A straight flush will always buy baby new shoes. If you miss drawing an inside straight you’ll get the blues. Four of a kind is usually good news
You have to have the right stuff to successfully bluff or it’s going to be tough to win
Cheaters and card sharks are always looking for easy marks playing for larks.
Some games get serious quickly and are not a pretty thing to see. If you’re a bystander it’s always smart to flee
Players play until all hours of the day. As long as there are two players they’ll stay, until one can no longer pay
A Ridiculous Look At Animals
Flying bats wearing tiny hats pursued a family of rats who recently arrived to live at a community zoo
the elephants protested and so did a kangaroo
the lions and tigers had their say
the monkey’s were furious all day
the zebras simply didn’t care
the bears didn’t know they were there
the aadvarks put out an alert
and they all hid in the dirt
the exotic birds didn’t have much to say
they were just happy to fly and play
the polar bears didn’t stare
because they were unaware
the hippos bathing in pools
thought the rats were fools
the only ones glad to see the rat family
were the snakes… waiting patiently
Keep On Dancing
here we go
starting off slow
dancing the Bolero
Then the Tango
followed by the Disco
and a fancy fandango
morphing into a mambo
quickly followed by a Calypso
until it’s time to Go Go!
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 