men of thought
& men of action —
.
no satisfaction
rolling stones;
.
in the life of modern man,
the myth of sisyphus unfolds;
.
mass existence in a chrysalis
of businesses & phones;
.
inner riches rendered impotent
by syndicates when sold
— T.M.P.
The Lion, The Goat, & The Peacock
Within a sprawling meadow green,
Tucked far away from prying eyes,
I came across a dreadful scene —
A falling-out, to my surprise.
There stood three of my dearest friends —
As Peacock fanned his vibrant tail,
Goat gave a snort & reared his head,
& Lion roared w/ a violent wail.
Before their rift grew out of hand,
I stepped between the troubled three
& spoke, “My friends, thy shouts are grand!
What quarrel has so ruffled thee?”
As Peacock turned to look my way,
The Sun shone on his feathered plume,
& w/ a grimace, he took to say,
“The others dared to question whom
Among us earns God the greatest praise,
When I, of course, deserve renown!
The spotlight of His gracious rays
Upon me proves I’ve earned the crown!”
“That’s nonsense,” Goat said w/ a sneer,
“That pride of yours has swelled your head,
My cocksure crony. Listen here —
Despite your looks, you’re seldom bred,
But I, the virile wunderkind,
Have sown my seed both far & wide;
My nanny goats will soon begin
To populate the countryside!”
Then, w/ a grin, he turned to me
& chuckled, “Do you see, my friends,
How God above observes thru me
The glory of paid dividends?”
On that note, Lion puffed his chest
& shook the tangles from his mane,
Then let out, as you must have guessed,
A mighty roar that shook the plain.
As his companions stumbled back
& cowered underneath their fright,
He grinned & spoke the subtle fact —
“Unto me God bequeathed his might.”
w/ proven point, he bowed his head
In my direction & inquired,
“What, Woman, has aroused thy dread?
I hope not something we’ve inspired.”
My eyelids gently pursed, I sighed
& gazed upon my quarreling friends,
Then, after pausing first, replied,
“Before I can implore amends,
I must confess, it troubles me
That three of His beloved kin,
Whom God sent me to undersee,
Have raised between them such a din!
For you’re mistaken, don’t you see?
One cannot claim his Highest grace;
You’ve pled your cases potently,
But anger can’t provide the space
From which to elevate the soul
Upon a pedestal unclaimed.
If one can’t celebrate the whole,
On solid ground he shall remain.”
My friends fell silent as I spoke,
But each one cast a doleful glance
Upon me as my lines invoked
A truth that left their souls entranced,
& as I turned to walk away
To give them all a chance to think,
I heard the voice of Peacock say,
“At last I understand the link
Between all creatures of the earth —
That which has been our source of spite,
For ‘tis the features from our birth
Thru which we bring the Lord delight!”
The others shared a thoughtful sigh,
& Lion cleared his throat to speak,
“That notion never crossed my mind —
Yes, truth be told, we’re all unique!”
But Goat, it seemed, had another thought
That he could not leave unexpressed —
“In my opinion, mothers ought
To be revered above the rest.”
The others gasped in unison,
& a mocking grin crossed Lion’s face.
“You’ve always been the foolish one,”
He laughed, but Goat replied w/ grace —
“'Tis Woman who bestows the gifts
w/ which we honour God above,
& even now she’s sewn the rift
Between us three with honest love.”
w/ his kind speech, I turned around,
Tears gently streaming from my eyes,
As rays of sun dispersed the clouds
& beamed upon that goat so wise.
— T.M.P.
death horses & eternity
.
time bought, sold,
& borrowed;
.
living off punch clocks
& promised tomorrows
.
destiny fated;
an object of sorrow
.
the blood of christ
iced; dionysus
& bordeaux
— T.M.P.
The Tree of Knowledge
With every deed, we plant a seed
That promptly takes to growing;
It never deceives — wherever it leads,
It blossoms into Knowing.
When we harvest the fruits of Wisdom’s tree,
We’re best to quickly share it,
For knowledge unspoken breeds misery
& loses all its merit.
As we savour the taste of newfound grace,
We’d do well to remember —
We mustn’t make haste & pick up our pace,
But wallow in its splendour.
— T.M.P.
Free Will
No more a slave to destiny,
I aim to call the shots,
For free will crowns the recipe
To claim one’s sovereign lot.
If not, be it the death of me,
Condemn me on the spot,
Adorn the gallows festively,
& leave me there to rot!
— T.M.P.
a perfect world,
curated & cultivated,
.
pixelated into fractals
& subjugated;
.
snapshots of
infinity’s fluctuation
sit in rusted frames,
painless, in trust
& patience
— T.M.P.
Tristitia
my timeline doesn’t
shine like a fine wine;
post-traumatic flashbacks
rewind behind my mind’s eye.
my hindsight rendered blind, why?
a lifetime flies by like
an ibis in the night sky;
w/ every sigh, it passes right by,
& now i’m on my knees
praying for some guidelines…
how can i define “i”?
why would the divine lie?
how do i unwind now that
every tear’s been cried dry?
why have i been side-lined?
when will it be my time?
if it’s really by design,
how can i refine mine?
sometimes, i find, signs
hide behind defined mind;
you have to gaze at the abyss
to read the fine line.
— T.M.P.
Summer ☀️
Streams of golden light caress
Unspoiled dreams of life’s success;
Midday rains & ocean tides
Masquerade as hopes denied;
Evening’s scarlet glow descends,
Reflecting our supposed end.
— T.M.P.
The Pleasure Principle
I aim to make the most of pain,
& with its grace I hope to gain
The strength to spring back to my feet,
No matter what I chance to meet —
For sorrows are but clouds that pass,
& inner peace is bound to last
As long as one has come to know
That troubles come & troubles go.
— T.M.P.
To Hell & Back
As I walk thru the valley
Of the shadow of death,
Its luxuriant malaise
Enraptures my breath;
Fraught w/ sinners who burn
w/ the foulest of smells,
How it twists & it turns
Thru the bowels of Hell!
I was once just like you,
w/ my head in the clouds,
‘Til the light grew too bright
& I fled underground,
But upon my arrival,
I questioned the choice;
As I prayed for revival,
There beckoned a voice —
“My son, don’t be a stranger —
Acknowledge the face
Of God’s favourite angel,
Once fallen from grace!”
As I looked up at Satan,
He said w/ a grin,
“Perhaps you should make
Friends w/ that devil within!”
& so, wisely, I heeded
Those words of advice,
Which revealed the one secret
I’d searched for in life,
For once I could acknowledge
The darkness inside,
The light shining within me
Had no place to hide!
As it grew to eclipse all
My malice w/ wonder,
The image of God
Rent Hell’s palace asunder,
& He showed me a vision
Of parchment unfurled,
Bearing verses of hope
To impart to the world…
— T.M.P.