Flying Home

FLYING HOME

Someone laid out

carpet samples

down there

Someone carved out

wiggly lines

down there

All those

shades of green

down there

And then the desert

Above the wing

and far away

Frosted horizon

Sierra Nevadas

(tiny lakes)

I thought I saw

a Cessna

down there

trying to keep up

me too.

Flying Along

Flying Along

Flying along

Big and Strong

me and Dad

above the clouds-

How the valleys

in the clouds

reflect the valleys

on the ground.

My father's hands

are thick and brown,

his eyes are creased

with many a frown.

His breath is thick

with sour beer 

and nicotine is always near.

No albatros nor eagle

has wings which reach as far

as Pappy's in a Cessna

(or Jon inside his car.)

Between the Son and Father

The Poet writes away

The words which grab at meaning

The words he needs to say.

With all eyes closed

and silence spoken

the memories

are soft unbroken.

Now sky, now ground

Now seaward bound

And in the night

Come take flight

and spread your wings

above all things.

fly eagle proud

above the cloud...

A lazy eight

would sure be great

a stall and dive

to feel alive

Like words in a song

Flying along

I'm always glad

To fly with Dad.

Mother Chant

Mother Chant

Honor to the Mother,

Giver of Life and Form,

Maker of the Sun and Moon,

The Wielder of the Storm.

Honor to the Great Womb

From which all Life is born,

When souls are cast as mortal

The Rose receives its Thorn.

Honor to the Ancient Crone

To whom all Life must turn,

Whose body takes all forms at last

When down the candles burn.

Honor to the Circle,

The Dance and Song of All.

Come take your place before Her,

Come Dance within Her Hall.

The Womb is soft and comforting,

The Hall is warm and moist.

There is no Life refuses,

For you never had a choice.

Let It Happen

LET IT HAPPEN

Just let it happen
Just let the waves wash over you
    Ganesh
Let the sun wash over you
    Ganesh
Let the waves part for you
The Great One parts the waves
One tusk whole one tusk broken
Remover of obstacles
Parting the Reed Sea
Followed by Moses and his tribe
Just let it happen
Paddling through the marsh
Just let it happen
Pursued by no one
Just let it happen
    Ganesh
Let the obstacles be set aside
Just let it happen
Moses tear down that wall
Just let it happen
    Ganesh
Make the way clear for all.

Death and Electons

So here we stand so mild and meager
Stupidly staring at one who is eager
To rule over nations and mankind et al
To lounge back in ease just having a ball.
Expecting some mercy from this sort of fool
Is consciously, willingly pulling down the wool.
Everybody moves toward their comfort zone
Hoping someone Up There will throw them a bone
While growing around them are herbs which bring Life -
They're mowing them down for the Great Leader's wife.
It's so easy to be stupid, it's an honor to be fooled
They control who are the teachers and we all must go to school.
The fey folk and the forest folk and the gnomes deep underground
Have been watching when they're watching as a Race is come unwound.
It doesn't happen often that a People self destruct...
Mostly it's individuals who somehow got them Puck'd
Yet here we are still staring like a blind Prince in a curse
The fey have took the best of Us and the rest have got the worst.

Fred Brighton
January, 2016

Dad

DAD

I hate talking about Dad

in the past tense

He had

He did

He was

in my head

he still

is

and always will be

The Urn

THE URN

When you burn them

Jon's ashes

Feel the heat

Let it scald you

Make your eyes run wet

Hard to breathe

When you shovel them up

Jon's ashes

Feel the weight

Like leaves, like sod

Like the weight of

A quarter of a century

Make you ache for days

When we toss them

Jon's ashes

Breathe them in

Hot and burning

Into your lungs

Jon's ashes

Make them part of you

Hard to inhale

Hard to exhale

Frozen by the results

Of that fire, that oven

When you throw them into water

Jon's ashes

Jump straight in

Hold your breath in

Jon's ashes

Feel the cold of death

The suspension of weight

The feeling of being

Swept away somewhere else

When you place them in the urn

Jon's ashes

Sealing away the sight

The smell the texture of

Jon's ashes

When you pick them up

Jon's ashes

Let them slide away

Your fingers part

He slides away

Jon's ashes.