Santa and Satan,
Good and Evil,
Joy and Strife,
our Childhood Myths
brought to life
in minds and hearts
by so many beings
playing their parts,
sometimes forgetting
we’ve just made them up…
(Shelley Wilson- Nov. 30, 2019)
Remembering The Dead
“We weep the loss of those held dear.
We hold their memory with our tears,
with flowers and stones
that honour their names,
releasing their bodies to earth,
to water, to air and to flames.
We note the dates of their births and deaths
with comforting words to those they’ve left.
Were they loving? Were they kind?
What were the things they left behind?
How did they define their life and worth?
We celebrate and mourn with grief
repeating inherited or chosen beliefs
as words of power to banish fears-
knowing our turn,too, is drawing near.
Were we loving? Were we kind?
What were the things we left behind?
What defined our values and our worth
co-creating our life on Earth?”
(excerpt from Those Held Dear
a poem I wrote in June 2013)
Shelley A. Wilson
Courage (Revised Revision)
When dread of danger haunts you here,
when terror and trauma stalk your days,
remember your Spirit’s many ways
of guiding you out of a world of fear…
Disregard hatred’s many violent voices
of death and destruction far or near.
Walk with what you hold most dear
of Life, of Love, of Freedom’s choices…
Show others a different way to fight
fear’s intolerance and aggression’s greed,
unquestioned beliefs and delusional need,
endless wars of sorrow, grief and fright…
With free and living souls unite
beyond borders of races and nations,
politics, religions and social stations.
Transform humanity’s desperate plight…
Be a guiding light of priceless worth
when dark deeds fill Earth’s nights and days.
Remember reverence for Life always…
Be the courage to free and bless all Earth!
(May 2004- Jan. 2018- Oct. 2019)
Shelley A. Wilson
Machine World
The Robot told me
“You are simply numbers
and key words,
frequencies and patterns,
consumers and collectors
of our Technology.
You watched slowly
but didn’t see
how swiftly and completely
we dominated you-
‘Collateral Damage’
in our Quiet Revolution-
A. I. replacing H. I.
in our Machine World. ”
(October 9, 2019-
Shelley A. Wilson)
Lines and Textures
Salubrious
‘Salubrious’ is my new favourite word. It tastes delicious as it moves about the mouth while one speaks it. Yesterday my daughter and I enjoyed a salubrious stroll along the Gorge Waterway. The air was positively salubrious as I fed it this nourishing word along the way. 😁
Violet Flowers and A Laughing Buddha
You Are Not A Robot
Breathe in the Life around you.
Stand or sit or lie quietly.
Breathe deeply, naturally, mindfully-
imagining as you do
the cycling of all Life Energy
flowing through you too.
This golden-white Light of Life
brings with It a wondrous feeling-
Life refreshed and ever new.
Breathe It in
through the top of your head.
Breathe It out
through the soles of your feet.
Fill your brain
with the glory of being-
en-light-en-ing
your body and mind.
It’s really as simple as breathing-
lifeforms ‘expressing’ Life
and every form Divine.
(September 23, 2019-
Shelley Wilson with thanks to
N.D.W. and C.W.G.)
Hagar’s Silence (Revised)
I watched in silence as violent winds
stirred grains of desert sand to clash
and bury each other in mindless waste.
Here I am, Hagar,
a noble daughter of the sacred Nile-
a pharaoh’s political gift
to a wealthy nomad chieftain-
a harem gift to serve him
and his clever sister-wife.
The sun god swiftly rises
and breathes hot upon
our smothering, restless tents.
I awakened thirsty for freedom
and rush to serve another’s needs.
Combing her hair in silence,
I begin to wonder
how it all came to be-
humanity’s enslavement
to the gods and goddesses-
the endless blood sacrifices
of man and beast
before, after and between their wars…
Suddenly aware as I humble myself
to glorify this woman and her hair
that I, too, in lifetimes past
glorified war and death by violence-
justified blood-lust
of mad men and angry gods-
angry men and gods gone mad
with conquest and revenge.
How did it come to be
that the all-powerful
Creator of all
was so powerless
as to need a nomad tribe
to fight as ally in a minor war…
The reward of promised land,
great wealth, divine favour
and countless children
to be born like desert sands…
Fierce warriors these nomads are-
the war prize covenant contract
a deed begetting countless deeds
that serve the warrior god of theirs
in continual sacrifice…
His angels come.
The chieftain calls his sister-wife
and I must serve these men
with need of food and drink-
these honoured guests of
flesh and blood.
The Order of Melchizedek
brings more secret messages
from their grateful god.
Then I watch them throw the bones-
divining a future to manipulate
and shape to their own ends.
They throw the bones for others
but I can also see
what lies ahead for me-
false promises and deceiving lies
to me and mine, used and abused-
cast out to die-
then when life itself seems lost
they come again-
these angels of an ancient Order.
It is not the mercy of their god
for me and mine
but the keeping of a covenant contract
and the power of their beliefs-
separation and superiority codified-
the Creator’s supposed favouritism
clearly defined.
I see their god selects
only the chosen few
through race, rituals of worship,
commitment to obedience…
only the chosen few
as worthy of divine favour,
the ‘promised’ land of heaven and earth,
great wealth and world domination-
‘kings and priests forever’.
This is their promised inheritance-
this divided family about to feud.
I wonder how long this could last-
this feud over inheritance such as this?
I shudder in the blazing heat
seeing the role I’m forced to play.
I must keep my silence and just pray
we’ll all find our way
to live a more enlightened day.
(Dedicated to my late dear friend Sarah T. This poem was written in October 2007 and revised September 2019)
Once We Lived On…
Long before Mars
became a cosmic relic
of terror and ancient wars
we lived and loved upon its
soil…
Too long ago to remember…
except our pale blue skin…
and we explored the heavens
then…
(April 1999- Shelley Wilson)
No One Owns The Rainbow
No one ‘owns’ the Rainbow.
No one ‘owns’ the Stars.
No one ‘owns’ Earth.
No one ‘owns’ Mars.
Some claim to ‘own’ Nature.
Some claim their Might is ‘Right’.
Some claim to ‘own’ God
and they ‘own’ Heaven’s ‘Light’.
Particles and People appear and disappear
as the Universe unfolds.
Everything is Transient that Life’s
Consciousness beholds.
(September 16, 2019-
Shelley A. Wilson)
Transition To Autumn
As the seasons change my daughter and I make simple ‘displays’ on our table to enjoy. We often photograph these ‘still life’ arrangements as well. It gives me a feeling of quiet joy whenever I look back at these seasonal ‘moments’.
Light and Shadow
Morning Light And Shadow
No Lawn
I’d rather have a garden than a lawn-
that waste of land with boring grass upon.
I’d make a winding path through fruit and veg
midst flowers, arbor, pergola, pond and hedge.
Food for the body. Flowers for the soul.
A harvest to share would be my goal.
My Paradise on Earth would have no lawn.
(Shelley Wilson- Aug.25, 2019)
