the window to my imagination is open
revealing an inquisitive mind
on the other side
a parade
a spectacle
wonders
fantasies
celebrations
exposed
for all to see
for those who
want to know me
***
Welcome to My Head
Tag: Poetry
Freedom of Fantasy
Let reality fly away
but not suffer Icarus’s fate
like a morality play
meant to recriminate
freedom of fantasy
gives us wings
and virtual reality
that imagination brings
let our visions soar
with inspiration
and passion
to fuel fascination
and creativity
before the altar of curiosity
*****
Searching for Shangri-la
I was walking barefoot in a concrete jungle many years ago
lusting for a snickers bar in a place that didn’t snow
the intense summer heat
heated up the concrete
but didn’t it burn my feet
that were weathered like fine leather
made hard from living on the street
where I drifted like a rudderless boat
in a sea of humanity
trying to maintain my sanity
while searching
for shangri-la
****
Don’t Read This
whatever made you look at these lines of cobbled words
stitched together like a tapestry hanging from my imagination
waiting for eternal condemnation?
silly sentences strung out in a parade of useless information
stuck together with super glue and honey – a sweet creation
containing a hidden message that must be lurking near
between adjectives and verbs and visions of a good beer
there lies no motivation for sounding so insincere
it’s simply that
I’m glad you’re here!
***
The Last Castle
names of fallen warriors carved
below the castle on the sea wall
invaders all
finally after a century
the towering castle
did fall
past glories reduced to rubble
and human bones hidden
in a secret tunnel
stories told about the ancient ruins spread
across the mighty seas to foreign cities
claiming the castle was haunted by the walking dead
The ragged ramparts are covered with vines and weeds
voices cheering in a cold wind from the past
admiring the castle’s warriors breathtaking deeds
the once majestic towers still stand
a testimony to the castle’s builders
who came from another land
****
The Search For Knowledge
layered in luminescent luxury
rests
a library
inside the Tree of Knowledge
sheltering history
and many a mystery
going back to the dawn of time
when human’s searched for the sublime
but mistakenly equating brute
force to an education
seeking wisdom
in a politically divided nation
where ignorance
is as pervasive as cockroaches in cheap motels
while truth seekers
live through myriad hells
****
Loss of Empathy
No mercy in the Age of COVID planet wise
when empathy dies
each day with thousands of deaths becoming data
for bean-counters and politicians
on secret missions
hospitals full of victims dying alone
in an ICU zone
it becomes hard to bear
hearing about millions dying
and the survivor’s despair
and some who just don’t care
and have no empathy
to spare
1970 Diary
helicopters in the sky playing “That’ll be the day I die…”
1970
“Let it be” – words of wisdom from The Beatles that spoke to me
I lusted for an “American Woman”
Crossed the Song Bay Bridge under fire listening to
“Bridge over Troubled Waters”
wishing young men back home
would “Walk a Mile in My Shoes”
and know about a grunt’s blues
too many villages on fire
“Somethings Burning” by a ghostly choir
Smoky Saigon opium dens wistfully playing
“House of the Rising Sun”
1970
long range patrols in the night
“Travelin’ Band” playing in the USA
going into hostile territory every day
wondering what’s “Up around the Bend”
living in a hot humid climate
“In the Summertime” that seemed like it would never end
Taking “The Long and Winding Road,” in country
dreaming of “Lookin Out My Back Door” at home
trying not to “Spill the Wine” because I’ve seen
“Fire and Rain” and will never be the same again
***
Don’t Look Back
when you hear the cry of wild wolves behind you
don’t look back
when walking on a dark forest’s floor you hear a roar
don’t look back
when unwanted memories haunt you
look ahead
don’t look back
instead
plow ahead
with your dreams
who knows what the future brings?
***
The Wild Winds of Wonderland
like a stampede of stallions across a fertile plain
the wild winds of wonderland carries dreams to countless souls
like a heavenly hurricane
and in this magical domain no one has a name
thoughts are colored lights vibrating with energy
and a positive synergy
that’s extrasensory
celebrated in a cosmic liturgy
for the ages
***
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 