Web of Spindled Time: A Poetic Point of View
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WEB OF SPINDLED TIME
A Poetic Point of View
A...spiritual journey unspooled in free verse, short prose and original artwork...the image of spindled time perfectly captures the experience of encountering Hendersons cosmic tome...This rhythmic alternation of inward and outward focus is one of Hendersons persistent themes, introduced in the prologueLooking outward, at my world, / I observed the constant changes around me, / Peering inward, I analyzed / My own shifting feelingsand revisited frequently, most memorably in several examples of concrete poetry...Elsewhere, various narrators on numerous paths and journeys invariably learn how much they do not yet know. In Blakean fashion, Henderson strives to deconstruct the tension of man simultaneously seeing himself as the image of perfection and as a mere, and mortal, fool. Wisdom, he suggests, lies in unifying both visions, often via paradox. In The Flight of the Spirit, for instance, the narrator laments, I have searched for an escape. / But, death comes to all. / Escape then, is inevitable. / Life is short. After further contemplation, however, he instead concludes that chains are loosened by death. / The soul drifts into the freedom / Of eternity, / Forever has no end / If death is short / And life is everlasting. For all its lofty philosophical inquiries, Hendersons poetry is generally unadorned, marked by plain speech and the occasional simple rhyme scheme. Because the mystic nature of these revelations is likely to confound reason, the mind can be slow to believe...so reading in small doses may be the best approach.
Readers who see spiritual perfection as a journey, rather than a destination, will appreciate Henderson as a fellow traveler.
Tom Henderson
Tom Henderson, a native of Michigan, has worked as a news reporter for many years. He has been a sportswriter for Detroit Free Press, a freelance writer for Detroit News, and a senior editor for a monthly business publication called Corporate Detroit. He currently covers finance and technology for a weekly business publication, Crain's Detroit Business. Henderson is the author of A Deadly Affair, Blood Justice, Darker Than Night, and Afraid of the Dark.
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Web of Spindled Time - Tom Henderson
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© 2011 Tom Henderson. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
First published by AuthorHouse 4/28/2011
ISBN: 978-1-4567-5105-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4567-5102-9 (dj)
ISBN: 978-1-4567-5107-4 (e)
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WEB OF SPINDLED TIME
(A POETIC POINT OF VIEW)
*
This book is dedicated to:
My wife, parents, siblings, and friends
My two sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters
*
And to:
*
Ancestry, divergence, and progeny
Fate, destiny, and expectations
A link in that endless chain
The future of man
The seed
*
And to:
*
The awesome division of now
The evolution of thought
And that bright light
Of
Beyond
*
By
Tom Henderson
*
Contents
PROLOGUE
SEASONS AND TIME
CASTLES IN THE SAND
I JUST WONDERED
LITTLE BOY WORLD
ANOTHER SUMMER PASSES
SILENT BECKON
ONE MOMENT
TIME WILL TELL
ECHOES OF REGRET
I SIT HERE THINKING
FLEETING THING
PATHWAY OF PROGRESS
SHORT SEASON
RESPECT
JUSTICE CRIES OUT (For Lessons Learned)
PLASTIC FLOWERS
HOW HIGH TO CLIMB
A WORLD LIKE THIS
GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
AS THE ROBIN SINGS
THE EPITAPH
MYTH OF MATURITY
SUMMER THINGS
PRECIOUS RECOGNITION
TAKEN FOR GRANTED
REMEMBER THE FLOWERS
THE OWL
PRISONER OF MY MIND
THE WRINKLED OLD MAN
FREEDOM AS IT TRAVELS
GHOSTS THAT PLAY NO SONG
BURY ME DEEP
TRANQUIL WATERS
REMEMBER IT ALL
OF DAYS GONE BY
TOUCH OF SUMMER
WHISPER IN THE WIND
WHISPER IN THE WIND
ALONE
A BITTERSWEET KNOWING
LINGER IN MY WEAKNESS
OUR RACE
WE MUST AGREE
A PART OF US
YIELDING
MY HEART CRIES OUT
I WANT TO TRUST YOU
THE OUTER EDGES
FRIEND TO FRIEND
ARGUMENTS END
TRICKERY ABOUNDS
THE BOND
TOGETHER
MY WISH
OUR REFLECTIONS
IN THE MORNING LIGHT
I, YOUR FATHER
A TOUCHING
ONLY FOR YOU
IN THE MIDST
SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT
LIKE THE WIND
HOLD TIGHT
TWO BECOME AS ONE
INFINITY FLOWS
AWAKENED AGAIN
KNOWING YOU
WRAPPED IN TENDERNESS
THE WIND NEVER CEASES
KNOWING…GROWING…LOVE
FACIAL
A COMMON REACTION
THIS, I MUST
THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE
SENSING THE UNSEEN
A THOUGHTFUL THOUGHT
A MUTUAL RESPECT
TO DO UNTO OTHERS
MORE THOUGHTFUL THOUGHTS
IF YOU ARE MY FRIEND
EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE
IN FRIENDSHIP
REMEMBER ME
SANCTUARY
EVER LINKING WITH TIME
MINDS’ TENDER EMBRACE
* KARMIC THOUGHT *
UNIVERSAL THREAD
PERPETUAL MOTION
A SONG IN TIME
OF MYSELF
REALLY SEE
ORDER OF THOUGHT
SIMPLY COMPLEX
MY EXPRESSION
I MUST FILL THE NEED
OTHERS ARE AS I AM
WHEN YOU READ
WHERE A MIRACLE IS CAUGHT
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
EVEN WHILE, SOMEWHERE
A LOT TO SAY
THINGS I FEEL
THE BECKONING OF ONE’S SOUL
I AM THE SAME
WHERE THE OCEAN RUSHES TO THE SHORE
RECOGNITION SHINES
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU BEEN
ROAD TO NOWHERE
SUCH A THING
ALL FOR NOTHING
LAST BREATH
ONCE UPON A TIME
WHEN SUNLIGHT BRINGS CREEPING, THE SHADOWS
EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE
SILENT HOURS OF AWARENESS
SEPARATE FROM THE CROWD
STAND BY THE WINDOW
DRIFT WITH THE MOOD
KILLING OF TIME
IF I ONLY HAD WINGS
OF MYSELF
THE BREATH OF HOPE
UNIVERSAL SCALE
SELF-TRICKERY
VISIONS OF GREATNESS
CONSTANT
INSIDE OUT
RELATIVELY SPEAKING
MANKIND, THE WORLD, AND ME
GREAT, SILENT BIRD
WHERE ILLUSIONS COME AND GO
DESOLATE
WHERE ILLUSIONS COME AND GO
A MOMENT ENDS
INSIGHT
SIFT THROUGH YOUR FINGERS
THE SEED
DREAMER OF DREAMS
OF MIND
OF CURIOSITY
LIFE’S TEACHERS
THE DISTANT BECKON
BRING ME TOGETHER
THE MIRROR
TIME SPENT
NIGHT
STAR OF EARTH
PLACE CALLED NOW
FLOWERS BLOOM BUT CANNOT TALK
IMMORTAL NIGHT
ENCLOSED IN FLESH AND BONE
ALWAYS ME
WHERE ILLUSIONS COME AND GO
WEB OF SPINDLED TIME
CONFRONT YOURSELF
INDIFFERENCE
ONE LITTLE BREEZE
RIVER OF COMPROMISE
ABSENT LIGHT IS TOTAL DARKNESS
IDEAS
GHOST OF EXPERIENCED THOUGHT
ILL OF MIND
UNCONDITIONAL
ACCORDINGLY
PAYING ATTENTION
THE PUZZLE
A SOLID THOUGHT
MUTUALITY
A DECEPTIVE OMISSION
MONKEY SEE
THE CONTINUUM
SUCCESS
A KIND OF HIERARCHY
THE CRASH
GIVEN AND TAKEN
ANIMALS
WHAT DID YOU SAY?
RHYTHM OF CHANGE
LIGHT IN THE SHADOWS
THE WAY
TO BE KNOWN
REASON
BALANCE THE SCALES
SOUL IN YOUR QUEST
BELIEVE
THE EMPTY BAG
WEB OF SPINDLED TIME
THAT BALL KEEPS ROLLING
A WARRIORS FAREWELL
CHAMBERS OF THOUGHT
THUNDER OF THE AGES
LIKE CHILDREN
QUEST
THE CHOICE
SOLEMN RESTITUTION
PHANTOM INFINITY
ABYSS OF REALITY
REMNANTS
PRESENCE
SPACE IN TIME
VIBRATIONS WITHIN
ITSELF
OBSERVATION
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
AS THOUGH A MIRROR
I KNOW
ABANDONED
CONSCIOUS VITALITY
HUSH OF ENLIGHTENMENT
WHAT WE ARE DOING
THEATRE CALLED LIFE
THE QUIETED THOUGHT
SILENT AWARENESS
OF LIKE VALUE
EMPTY OF ANYTHING REAL
DUST TO DUST
A WARRIOR’S FAREWELL
OF HEAVEN AND HELL
MORNING GLORIES SHINE
RING OF REALITY
GOD IS
THE WINGS OF HIS LOVE
FOOTSTEPS OF THE LORD
TOP OF THAT MOUNTAIN
THE FLIGHT OF THE SPIRIT
SOW YOUR SEEDS
HARVEST OF OUR LIVES
THE SCHEME OF THINGS
WHEN THE WINDS OF DESTINY BLOW
WHEREVER I AM GOING
EARLY IN THE MORN
WHEN PARADISE CALLS
UPWARD CLIMB
NONE SHALL BE FORBIDDEN
TOUCH MY IMMORTAL SOUL
THE JUST ARE FREE
TOO BLIND TO SEE
HE WALKS WITH THE WIND
DAWN OF REFLECTION
A God Conversation
MAMA, WHY CAN’T YOU LIVE FOREVER
MOUNTAINS AND HILLS
FOR BELIEVING
THE COOL ACTOR
TRIVIAL SOUNDS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
A PASSING
PRECIOUS ARE THESE
OF OUR MOMENT
EVERY GOOD ANIMAL KNOWS
OPEN DISCUSSION
SYSTEM OF JUSTICE
TRINITY OF THE WISE
NEGATIVE ACTION AND REACTION
MORE RESPONSIBILITY
SILENCE OF SOLITUDE
I BECOME ONE
TO A TEACHER
PARAMEDIC
THE GIRL WITH THE SILVER SMILE
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
OF MY PRESENCE
HAPPENING
HENDERSON OF THE HILL
MY PART
SNOWBALL EFFECT
TOUCHED
NOTHING TO LOSE
OF LIFE, OF LOVE
WHO KNOWS
EXPECT TO LOVE
SUM OF ME
DARKNESS
THEY SAY
ALWAYS DECIDING
PETTY PEERS
STRINGS OF JUSTICE
ONE MORE TIME
DARKNESS TAKES THE DAY
THINGS THAT GO WITH FRIENDSHIP
A BREATH UPON THE HURRICANE
SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT
SOUL OF MY MIND
A PLACE
I STILL KNOW
WHO IS WHO
PIECES OF OUR PAST
RAIN ON THE ROOF
ACTING
I HAVE A FEELING
PATIENCE
SPORT
TIC TOC
FLOATING THINGS
WRONG PLACE
REVOLUTION
BROKEN MOOD
A CURIOUS CHILD
THINGS THAT CREEP
SOUNDS OF SEASONS
SPRING
SUMMER
AUTUMN
WINTER
LEARN TO IMAGINE
I DOUBT IT
KARMA OF GOD
SUBDUED
OF SHADOWS AND SEEDS
FREED
NOWHERE TO BE FOUND
SHADES OF GRAY
SECONDS POUNDING
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
A FAILING PROJECT
ONLY A THOUGHT
THE SOULLESS SLEEPERS
THE CHURCH-BELL CHIMES
A PERSONAL DECEPTION
REST OF MY LIFE
THE CORRUPTIBLE
THE GREATEST TO THE SMALLEST
EVEN AGAINST OUR WILL
SILENT REVELATIONS
HOW MANY ARE LEFT?
GROWING SEASON
PLACING SADNESS
WHERE REASON DWELLS
NOT SUBJECT TO IT
TODAY, I HAVE FRIENDS
SPECTRUM
HERE AS MEN
OH, SO BEAUTIFUL
MEDITATION OF PRIVATE LIVES
MUTUALITY OF RESPECT
IT’S YOUR TURN
THAT PLACE IN BETWEEN
THE REALM OF THE UNKNOWN
LET THERE BE LIGHT
INSTINCT
A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY
THE TASTE OF AGED WINE
A MATTER OF CHOICE
ONE SIDED CONVERSATION
COOL WIND’S SUBTLE BLOWING
THAT OF REVEALING
IF NOT I AM
THE SUN WILL SHINE AGAIN
SILENT, UNSEEN
WE BECOME OUR EGOS
THE LIGHTED STAR
SILENT STRANGER
WHEN YOU TOUCH ME
A STRANGE WORLD
WINGS OF BUTTERFLIES
WORLDLY THINGS
SKILL SCOPE
A HAZARDOUS HAVEN
DID YOU EVER HAVE A DAY
WHAT WE THINK WE ARE
THE VOICES OF GOSSIP
ECHOED
RECIPROCATED
DEEDS OF YOUR PAST
OF NO CONSEQUENCE
SAFETY OF THE SHORE
ABOUT CLOWNS
THINGS NOT TAUGHT
AS THEY ARE
A CIRCLE HAS NO BEGINNING
BABIES CRY ALL NIGHT
AS LONESOME IS TO ME
IF LOVE WAS MONEY
DRIFTING APART
WHERE DREAMS BEGIN
NOT SO LONG, AFTER ALL
AS FAR AS I CAN WALK
HANG ON WITH HOPE
TILL SPACE FALLS EMPTY
WHERE I HAVE BEEN
MOST EVERY WORD
SEEDS OF LOVE
HEART FULL OF YOU
DARE YE TOUCH
THE BOXER
EVERYTHING GETS HAZY
PORTRAIT
THE COOL WATER FLOWS
REACH FOR A STAR
A FRIEND LIKE YOU
GIVERS AND TAKERS
IT REALLY HURTS
I BECOME AGAIN
SELF-PRESERVATION
DEMON THINGS
TILL YOU SLEEP
EVER THE SAME
PEACE ON EARTH
CLING TO ME
BEFORE IT IS OVER
THE WEIGHT OF A MOUNTAIN
IF ROACHES WERE
WHEN DESTINY HAS ENDED
EVER THE SAME
THE WONDERER
NEVER TOUCH AGAIN
GOLDEN DREAMS
TO EXALT THE TRUTH
ALL FADES AWAY
BATTLE CRY
SO CLOSE
SPECTER OF FEAR
APPLICATION OF WISDOM
THE WEIGHT OF INDECISION
PORTRAIT OF EQUALITY
VAST SHORELINE
OPEN INVITATION
TO MEASURE A MAN
MAGICAL MUSE
SOMEWHERE
JUST JUDGES
A MILLION MILES AWAY
BALLAD OF YOUTH
WARRIOR’S STANCE
THOUGHTS HAVE WINGS
FAREWELL
THE LAST GOODBYE
DISILLUSIONED
NEON HALOS
NOT NECESSARILY
THE TRAP
RESPECT IS GIVEN
WAKE UP
IN HONESTY
All THE SHELTERS
SILENT LONG ENOUGH
IN THE BEGINNING
PREJUDICED
FORMALITIES
THE FIRST OF MANY
KEEPER OF THE ROOTS
WHETHER OR NOT
SELF-CENTERED
MYSTERIOUS, AS YOU AND ME
THE THINGS THAT ARE
THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT
SIDEWALK ANGEL
BECAUSE YOU HAVE LIVED
THE SILENCE OF NIGHT
ONE COMMON CAUSE
SEEKING EVER
SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN
I BEG TO BORROW
YOUR PRETTY SMILE
MAY I INTRODUCE MYSELF
NO DENYING ITS DEPTH
IF IT NEVER RAINED
THEY ALL HAVE THEIR DREAMS
WAIT AND SEE
IF ANYONE WOULD LISTEN
ON WITH THE BATTLE
A MAZE OF WRONG DIRECTIONS
NEVER LEAN TOO HEAVY
GIVEN TIME AND SPACE
MAKING LOVE WITH YOU
WISDOM CAN BE
NOTHING TO ADJUST TO
AS LOVE BURNS
NONE-THE-LESS
MARS PROBE
THE EARS OF THE FOOLISH
FOLLOW THE LEADER
THE THINKING KIND
I MUST PLAY MY ROLE
ALL THINGS ARE
MAYBE, I’LL REMEMBER LATER
WHERE WISDOM REIGNS SUPREME
THINGS THAT MIGHT BE
DISILLUSIONED
CHERISH THE HOURS
SUBCONSCIOUS LAW AND ORDER
THE COMA
OF PRE-DESTINY
DIMLY
I’M OLD ENOUGH NOW
THOUGHT UNATTENDED
PATTERNS
YOU CAN’T HAVE IT ALL
A LOGICAL CONCLUSION
SIMPLE IS AGAIN
SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE
INDELIBLE MARKS
THAT IMAGINARY SCENARIO
THE BUSH-MAN IS GONE
TO SELF IN THE STREAM
MUCH BENEFICIAL
RULE BOOKS
EXCURSIONS INTO MIND
THE MASTER OF HEALINGS
CONSOLED AND IMPERFECT
FLOATING PEOPLE
PRELUDES TO REALITIES
SOMEWHAT CONTROLLED BY FATE
COUNTER THE STREAM
RELATIVITY
WASHED ABOUT
TWO MORE DESCRIPTIONS
LINES TO CROSS
TOWARD EITHER END
WHERE WE PLACE OUR ATTENTIONS
THE NIGHT GIVES WAY TO MORNING
I TELL THIS STORY
MOURNING ENCLOSES MY SCHEMES
CHERISH THE HOURS
INDIVIDUALITY
WITH ALL THINGS
THE SOUND OF CONSCIENCE
WHETHER WE ARE OR NOT
LIKE SHOOTING ARROWS
SOPHISTICATED LANGUAGES
ARCS IN CIRCLES
TO THE STILL
FASTER THAN THE LIGHT
I HIT THE SNOOZE
MOCKINGLY PRUDENT
GLOBAL WARMING
SPINNING WHEEL
SWEET STALKING SPIRIT
POETIC FLASHBACK
THE POTION
WARM AS LOVE
CHASE YOUR BLUES AWAY
A GARDEN IN THE SPRING
THE PASSING
To The Unknown Poet
THIS COMMON DREAM
A UNIQUE STRENGTH
KARMA
FRIENDSHIP
THE BUSTED BALLOON
THAT SICK PART OF CONCERN
TRANSFORMATION
WITH NO CONCERN
MORE TO SAY
UPON A DOUBTFUL PATH
THE CLOCK GOES TICK-TOCK
THAT SIXTH SENSE
IN MIND
BIBLES AND GUNS AND CONSTITUTIONS
INTO THE SETTING SUN
ON THE EDGE OF BOOM
NEVER FORGET
THE WAY THIS WORD GAME GOES
THE MENTAL GARDENER
POLITICS IS EVERYWHERE
THE NEXT ONE
BREAKING THROUGH THAT BARRIER
THEY JUST GOT AWAY
HOW FAR MY THINKING MIGHT GO
RESOLVED STATE OF MIND
TAG, YOU ARE IT
OUR SORDID PASTS
THE MONSTER GREED
THAT IS OK WITH ME
QUITE DELIGHTFULLY SURPRISED
THE MORE WE ARE INTO SELF
THE WHOLE PROCESS
HOW WE COME TO KNOW EACH OTHER
WE CAN ALWAYS CHANGE OUR MINDS
AT LEAST, MY WORDS ARE COOL
SHINING EXPECTATIONS
UNEXPECTED PLACES
THAT FICKLE CONSTANT
A MORALLY DEFINING MOMENT
MY INTENTIONS
Gaze in awe
THE CULTURE WARS OF 2009
THAT CANDLELIGHT KEEPS DANCING
WHAT I SEE
A GRANDDADDY SHORT-LEGS PRESCRIPTIONFOR DAILY LIVING
LAUGH EVERY DAY (A Tommot Fable)
WHAT I SEE
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW (A Tommot Fable)
LITTLE ACTORS YOU MUST DECIDE
TO HUFF OR PUFF OR NOT (A Tommot Fable)
HOPE
CHOICES
UPLOADED (A Tommot Fable)
A HAPPIER MOOD
COME TO STAY (A Tommot Fable)
INTO MY BED
HERE TO STAY (A Tommot Fable)
THE MASTERATS
BECAUSE WE COULD
LITTLE GIRL DREAMS
THE BEST OF THE BAD
IF YOU TRULY CARE (A Tommot Fable)
A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
HOW YOU HOLD YOUR OPINIONS
EVEN MORE TO SAY
THE SEDUCTION
EVEN MORE TO SAY
RAINBOWS, PROMISE, AND CHEERS
MAYBE, I JUST DON’T WANT TO BE STILL
AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE
SOMEBODY TO BE
WHO THEN?
THE LAMENT PROCESSION
ABNORMAL BOXES
OUR TIME TO SPEAK
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY
JEEZ, US…IT FREES US
THE HERO INSIDE ME
I SAY TO CONGRESS
RISING OF THE QUIET OBSERVER
DOMINOS FALL
I’M TAKING IT QUITE PERSONAL
SPACE IN TIME
HUBRIS AND THE SPAWN OF SHALLOW WEEDS
PROLOGUE
(UNTIL THEN)
From childhood forth,
With attention fixed firmly in the present,
Ever wondering about the past and the future,
I looked on.
I was a solemn observer of life.
As I neared high school graduation,
In my mid to late teens,
I was becoming more philosophical.
Searching for my voice,
The silence inside me was beckoning.
I was driven to contemplate and to
Write about my experiences.
It became a notable part of my being.
Looking outward, at my world,
I observed the constant changes around me.
Peering inward, I analyzed
My own shifting feelings
Even, as I was seeking inspiration.
I drew strength from the reservoir of wisdom
That dwelled within my inner sanctum.
I experienced life, deeply, from
My own perspective…
I recognized at a very tender age
That my obsessive awareness
Of self, seemed to
Set me apart from most of my peers.
I encountered a number
Of life’s trivial distractions
And I reaped its greatest rewards.
I was flooded with vivid impressions
That touched my heart and soul.
My mind was opened and I was moved.
Then, unexpectedly,
At some hidden crossroad,
Humility brushed my ego.
I was filled with respect
For the spirits of the past,
Their sacrifices and advancements
To human thought was provoking.
This connection I felt to posterity made me
Wish to share my own insights and visions.
And I scattered seeds of
Wonder in the minds of many along my way.
Even in my early teens,
I had been deeply impressed
By the cycle of life and death
And, of course, I recognized my own mortality.
Thus, I confronted
My modestly arrogant tendencies daily,
These self confrontations allowed me to
Empathize with and find compassion for others.
Indeed, I saw myself, merely,
As one more insignificant link,
In that unbelievably long chain of humanity.
Still, I was driven by an insatiable hunger for knowledge.
And I was awed by the thought
Of countless seekers gone before me,
Their immeasurable attempts
To comprehend humankind,
In order to, discern their place in the cosmos.
Yes, that feeling of importance,
Which I had nurtured for so many years,
Diminished, and
My overinflated ego burst like a bubble.
I admired the collective multitudes,
The scores of different societies and cultures
That had populated
The earth from the beginning,
I could only feel gratitude for the sheer volume
And the great collection of cultures
That had spawned artists and writers.
And it had colored the visions of thinkers.
A myriad of thinkers had put forward
Their beliefs, notions, and ideals,
Recording their efforts in unknown numbers,
They hoped to advance the causes of humanity.
Those recurring exhibitions,
Those emerging dreams, insights,
And imaginations profoundly
Revolutionized the conventional
Thinking of the times…
Remarkably, the long ago cavemen
Invented the wheel,
Harnessed fire, formed groups and tribes,
And they began the unstoppable march of progress.
Human manipulation of the material world,
Like magic, freed us
From remaining trapped
By our basic instincts and animal drives.
However, we may have been corrupted as
We attempted to satisfy our wants and desires.
For, a touch of greed and selfishness
Thrust so many toward personal benefit and gain.
Empathy, compassion, and mercy,
They may have dampened
A few of our burning desires
Still, by its very nature,
Individuality tends to over-inflate the ego.
Narcissistic fantasies
And shortsighted visions
Were often sanctioned by
Vain and egotistical souls,
Many pompous and selfish dreams
Were realized but,
They came at the degradation
And expense of the masses.
Nevertheless, the dreamers and such,
They kept looking
In the direction of humanity’s better angels and
They strove to move toward
A more righteous community,
One, that was more godly—a just society.
Indeed, mankind has, persistently,
Stumbled down that path, attempting to find him self,
To merge his heart, mind, and spirit together.
Outside this spiritual context, life went on.
Man took his place at the top of the food chain.
He dominated all creatures on his planet.
The survival and propagation of the human race
Was compelling,
It moved the ancient alchemist’s experimentation.
Humans made discovery after discovery.
Plants and herbs provided early medical treatments.
Metals, woods, and the elements,
All became tools of inventors.
Cultures grew, the earth turned,
And all was set in motion.
Wars raged, dreams became realities,
Progress moved in all directions
And the unrelenting eons passed…
Still, the artists, the poets, and the thinkers
Continued to paint their pictures,
Espouse their tales,
And mold the minds of their followers.
They generated vast and endless
Arrays of folklore and legends and
They told stories which struggled to
Describe the depths and the limits of our world.
They characterized the intricacies
And the pandemonium
That made up the complexities
Of the human condition,
An incalculable number of religious and
Historical accounts were recorded
Along with mythical epics and sagas and
They continued to be passed onto their descendants.
Many emerged into sacred and authoritative doctrines.
They became rules and ethics guiding our laws.
They often suggested paths for us to follow
In the hopes, that we might reach our destinies.
The knowledge, wisdom, and imagination
Dwelling within those earnest words
Were preserved, shared,
And built upon…
Motivating and influential,
They impacted the paths of individuals.
They directed the courses of great societies.
And we, mankind,
Evolved in our thinking, we grew.
We tried to integrate our survival instincts
With our emotions and our powers of reasoning,
We reconciled each,
With our sense of good and bad,
Even with our beliefs in right and wrong.
We cultivated our empathies.
We attempted to subdue
Our egotistical relationships
With ourselves, with society,
Even with life and death.
We, somewhat, tamed our animal drives.
We continued our existence,
We walked on the moon,
And still,
We keep looking toward the stars.
Such a sharing of knowledge,
Feelings and insights
Still drips off the brushes of artists,
Still reverberates from the words of poets,
And still generates
New ideas in the minds of thinkers…
Depictions and narratives
From the present are, relentlessly,
Being painted into portraits,
Written into stories,
And perpetuated toward tomorrow,
They encompass every human characteristic,
Every understanding,
Belief and imaginary scenario
Fathomable to man and woman,
All of which may inspire, enlighten,
Even frighten those who follow.
These notions or insights will help to shape
And direct the thinking of generations to come.
Reaching down,
They will touch solitary thoughts and
Motivate the actions of individual souls.
Personal idiosyncrasies, as well as great societies,
Will continue to evolve until some unforeseen,
Or possibly predicted,
Cataclysmic event causes destruction
Or devolution to occur,
Until then,
I salute…
*
In keeping,
I offer the following poetic points of view,
As seen through the eyes of another
Setting soul…
missing image fileSEASONS AND TIME
By Tom Henderson
This book is dedicated to:
How swift things change,
How vital it is to know,
Suspended as we are,
Between
Here and there,
Now and then,
It is
Summer
And
I am
But,
Winter
Is
*
C
O
M
I
N
G
*
To days gone by*
*
SEASONS AND TIME
In This Book:
CASTLES IN THE SAND
I JUST WONDERED
LITTLE BOY WORLD
ANOTHER SUMMER PASSES
SILENT BECKON
ONE MOMENT
TIME WILL TELL
ECHOES OF REGRET
I SIT HERE THINKING
FLEETING THING
PATHWAY OF PROGRESS
SHORT SEASON
RESPECT
JUSTICE CRIES OUT (For Lessons Learned)
PLASTIC FLOWERS
HOW HIGH TO CLIMB
A WORLD LIKE THIS
GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
AS THE ROBIN SINGS
THE EPITAPH
MYTH OF MATURITY
SUMMER THINGS
PRECIOUS RECOGNITION
TAKEN FOR GRANTED
REMEMBER THE FLOWERS
THE OWL
PRISONER OF MY MIND
THE WRINKLED OLD MAN
FREEDOM AS IT TRAVELS
GHOSTS THAT PLAY NO SONG
BURY ME DEEP
TRANQUIL WATERS
REMEMBER IT ALL
OF DAYS GONE BY
TOUCH OF SUMMER
CASTLES IN THE SAND
I stroll beside
The rising tide
That rushes swiftly to the shore
Where I ran wild
As a child
And built castles, in the, sand.
Things are different
Than they were when, I was young.
I walk into the starry night
And think of things I’ve done.
I still remember
Before, I became a man.
I still remember
Those castles, in the, sand.
*
I JUST WONDERED
As I dwell upon connections,
I look upon reflections
And I wonder
Why I am,
What
I
Am…
*
Why wasn’t I
Lightning in a storm,
A river or a stream,
Or a particle of dust
Riding on a moonbeam?
I could have been anything.
Instead, I am me.
I walk, I talk,
And I think constantly.
But, please don’t take me wrong.
I was only singing my song.
And as I sang,
I pondered.
Of how unlike the oceans,
I can feel my emotions.
So, I guess I am happy.
I just wondered.
*
LITTLE BOY WORLD
When I was a child,
I thought so many things
Were different than they were
And I was happy then.
But, like a firefly in a field,
A flash…
missing image fileWishing well fountains
And strawberry mountains,
Struts a youth so bold,
Down sidewalks of gold,
We have our fun in the summer sun
And every day we grow older.
Seasons come and go. We leave footprints in the snow
And the winters turn us colder.
And like all fairy tale fools with their Mother Goose rules,
One day I discovered
That it was different this spring, I’d had my fling
As a paper heart lover,
Time goes on, the world turns,
And another, heartache is hurled.
Little Miss Muffet can take it and stuff it because,
God didn’t make a little boy world.
*
ANOTHER SUMMER PASSES
It matters not, how brief
My span of youth belief,
Time cruelly reveals
The corroding of ideals,
Growing up was a kind of death
And a part of me has died.
Maturity was a hollow thing,
Leaving, me, empty inside.
Elusively, I grasped
At things that could not last,
The light of memory flashes
And another summer passes.
Shifting values, fleeting thoughts,
Time, awaits, not many things.
But, it was different not long ago,
When, I was young and full of dreams.
But, you can’t hold
What you can’t touch.
Now, I’m older
And I’m wiser.
*
SILENT BECKON
This time we recognize as present
Will, mingle with the past.
As it marches ever onward,
Toward the future,
Every moment,
Every day,
Every action,
Every way,
Tomorrow’s distant calling,
Its silent beckon,
Reaches out and clutches onto today.
And yesterday
Could, be, a million miles away.
*
ONE MOMENT
Instead of killing time
Just know,
When left alone,
Time will
Commit suicide
One moment
At a time
*
TIME WILL TELL
Shadows veil,
Midnight casts its magic spell.
Revealing secrets
That only time will tell.
As twilight invades my privacy
I arouse from intimacy.
The mighty sun beckons my thoughts.
And morning knows my memory.
My past has made me,*ME*.
I was…I am…I know…so well.
But, what I will be,
Only time will tell.
*
ECHOES OF REGRET
I fly upon the wings
Of the memories of my mind
As I am confined
To thoughts of faded dreams,
Blinding, are the lights
Which, shine throughout, the world.
And silhouette the shame
In, life’s sordid, schemes.
I call upon the visions
Of my shortened childhood
As I lay longing
For a strength in my aptitude,
I hear the voice of silence
As it screams against the walls,
Leaving echoes of regret
In my solitude
*
I SIT HERE THINKING
Like a ship without a sail
Drifting
Aimlessly
About,
We must go where the