“I Read the Posts Today ‘Oh Boy’”

(with thanks to Lennon and McCartney)

Lies
Cruel world and words
Grey deeds;

Venom

Broken promises

Rash acts;

Enmity

Brittle silences
Harsh rejoinders;
Spite

Brother against sister,
against friend;
Tears

Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 4 January 2016

When the Light comes Rising

(With thanks to Susan Cooper)

I am not a Christian. 

I am a Pantheist, a Jew, a believer in Spirit and Light; 
I find satisfaction in the yearly defeat of the Darkness. 
I love the colours, the fragrances, the feel of the winter holidays, the giving, the sharing, the warmth of Good Will. 
I invoke the Light and embrace the Spirit of the Season. 

It is neither Father Christmas nor the Hogfather delivering presents, not the birth of a promised child of prophecy, not the candles of Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or the bright glittering trees, not the songs of joy, or the laughter of children building constructs in the snow, not the smell of rare or common spices that yearly infuse me with the spirit of giving and love. 

It is the Light once again come Rising, 
and with it Hope that in the future Light and Peace will again prevail. 

Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 25 December 2015

“It’s Just Another Day”

(With thanks to James Paul McCartney)

Each day is another challenge
comprised of stair treads up and downhill slides.
We mainly go through life unaware of the burdens:
leaping over the hurdles, and avoiding the pitfalls.

Some obstacles that we soar over would destroy another;
others that some might consider amusing encounters could be the fissure that swallows us.

No one knows what the next moment brings,
what its toll could be on the next thing encountered.

Never assume you have all the answers; 
you may not even know the questions.

Be kind…

Ronda R. Scott-Marak

© 17 November 2015

Wonder

“I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder.” 

(With thanks to Emeli Sande)

How does one quantify the human spirit and its ability to become?  
How does one measure the depths of compassion and empathy of any sentient being, 
its drive and determination, its desire or its will? 
How does one determine what was before and what potentials the future holds?
How do we know what follows; what happens next?

I am not so stiff-necked and self-assured to believe without any doubt or hesitation that I know all there is to know, and can determine without the whiff of hubris that others either know less than I or know more than humans can ever know with predictable logic and certainty.

I believe in the god in everything, not the God of everything.
I believe in Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Probability and Chance; 

I am not terrified by Uncertainty, only Doubt.
I believe in every tinge, tint, and shade of Grey that life can devise.
I believe in what I can see, hear, touch; also trusting what I can feel, sense and intuit.
I believe that anything is possible even when little is probable.
As long as life continues, and just maybe after…

There is Infinity.

Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 9 November 2015

Here’s to Life

(With thanks to Artie Butler and Phyllis Molinary)

When did my life become a marathon endurance contest; 
when did stubborn existence become a goal?

How does one get anything done when in constant slow-mo; 
worse yet… running backwards and in place?

Wasn't it supposed to get better with age; 
less clawing and struggling to remain one’s self?

Wasn't the promise of age one of freedom and calm; 
being, living, doing, enjoying, and not just subsisting?

How do we make living more than just being present during our own span; 
to actually participate in our minutes, hours, and days?
What does one have to do to outwit entropy; 
when do we get to do, to be, to live?

Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 29 October 2015

'Here's to Life"

Value versus Price

(for Yitzhak)

If we had unlimited opportunities to spend on life
would we still choose to disburse death?

If we could opt for beauty, health, happiness, and peace
would we still decide to select ugliness, ill will, destruction, and war?

Why is there always time and resources for hate;
acceptance of greed, rage, ruin and devastation
but no patience for charity, tranquillity, renaissance, or goodwill?

How has humankind managed to survive
while continually destroying itself and its surroundings?

How much longer can avarice and fury be satiated with entropy and death
without ever nurturing wonder and life?

When can the sound of music drown out the guns of war,
the scent of nature surpass the smell of blood,
the green of new shoots overtake the memorial poppies?

Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 20 October 2015

Sweet Dreams are Made of This:

(with thanks to Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart)

Deep within sleep, one can find safety or fear,
pleasure or pain, memory or loss.

Sleep can comfort, caress, disturb or delight
prod or poke, swaddle or drown.

Slumber can clarify or confuse, cause damage or heal,
energise or de-tense, teach or defeat.

In dreams we remember, re-join, and resolve;
our subconscious refreshed and restored.

With sleep we repair, we revive, we grow;
without it we wither, we diminish, we die.

Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 29 September 2015