From time to time a poem

PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS

Among the later dinosaurs
Though not the largest, strongest,
PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS had
The name that was the longest.

Yet he had more than syllables,
As you may well suppose.
He had great knobs upon his cheeks
And spikes upon his nose.

Ten inches thick, atop his head,
A bump of bone projected.
By this his brain, though hardly worth
Protecting, was protected.

No claw or tooth, no tree that fell
Upon his head kerwhacky,
Could crack or crease or jar or scar
That stony part of Paky.

And so he nibbled plants in peace
And lived untroubled days.
Sometimes, in fact, as Paky proved,
To be a bonehead pays.

~ Richard Armour


I might be too old to have a favorite dinosaur.. but this one is it and I found the poem when I was about 23 or so.

In the Temple the knight kept his guard,
though this task was very hard.
He could hear the voices from the deep,
like the songs of a funeral dream.

The sirens cast their net with pride,
trying to seduce the noble knight;
there he kept to the painted walls,
never letting his voice be stalled.

Over time there was a toll
on the knights eternal soul.
He dallied with the temptations long,
listening to the evil song.

Yet there he stood without a care
in the dark where no one dared,
keeping long to the vigil's call,
the knight was not seduced to fall.

The Temple is lit over long
with the fire of the song,
the song that issues through the night
to the souls that never die.

Sages

Those dim candle-lit chambers
Within ourselves, secluded
Where the old sages sit

Ringed in darkness, meditating
They speak without words
Know without needing to see

You led me to another room
Where, gazing at the dancing flame
In silent thought I found myself.

Shadow

In my dreams we’re always alone
Hands touch, escape
Curl into shadow,
Bolt and run, and run forever
Slipped from every scene together

Back behind the world
The corners of abandoned lots and
Ghost town alleyways

I chased you to the end of the garden
Dew on our bare feet
And we stood there
Facing each other

At six paces
Morning sun not over the hedgerow
Smoke in our breath
Our hands were empty

Sometimes I wonder
When or how we died
It’s gone, and I’m glad.

In my dreams we’re always alone
Lost, unafraid
Stretched long in sunlight;
I will carry you with me
Wherever I go.

Perhaps I am a Jedi Seer,
although to me this isn't clear.
But I put my
visions
into rhyme,
at times oblique,
sometimes sublime.
Sometimes
the visions
do come true,
maybe offer
what we must do.
Sometimes
they come to naught
and hold some things
that should not be taught.
Other things
that I have seen
may yet
be those
that have
yet to be.

Of course
there are those
that think
me the fool,
that I never
see the truth.
But although
we may feel
a certain way,
the truth remains
like a bright blue day.

The Moon

The stars about the lovely moon
Fade back and vanish very soon,
When, round and full, her silver face
Swims into sight, and lights all space

-Sappho

Black Ink

The swimming swirl of
Lines
Curving inwards
Shapes that shifting join

Vetiver scent, leads
South
And far, far west
Over oceans you wait

Smouldering wood, burnt
Black
Wet leaves pile as
Futures pull closer

Eclipse

One glimpse blinding, turning slowly
Gently shift each other's axis
Share totality's alignment
We will merge and flood the sky

You are like the heavens to me
Full of strange and distant wonder
I will fill my heart with silver
Radiate a golden light


Diamond ring as birds fall silent
Every feathered heartbeat stops
And the moment stretches, timeless, endless
Lost


The wide earth has become smaller
From our sudden cosmic distance
Though it's newly filled with wonder
Sometimes shadows fall at night

But there's promise in that blackness
Like the vastness of the cosmos
Mirroring, magnetic, driving
Perfect in each other's eyes.

Follow Your Dreams

If while pursuing distant dreams
Your bright hopes turn to gray,
Don't wait for reassuring words
Or hands to lead the way.

For seldom will you find a soul
With dreams the same as yours.
Not often will another help you
Pass through untried doors.

If inner forces urge you
To take a course unknown,
Be ready to go all the way,
Yes, all the way alone.

That's not to say you shouldn't
Draw lessons from the best;
Just don't depend on lauding words
To spur you on your quest.

Find confidence within your heart
And let it be your guide.
Strive ever harder toward your dreams.
And they won't be denied

Bruce B. Wilmer

Satellite

Out above the pier last night
A single cloud flew past in silence
Lit by moonlight, and below I learnt
There is no need to try

The sea that stretches outward
Ever redefines its borders
Without effort, just the push and pull
Of gliding silver light

Silent satellite, we’re dancing
Know, maintain the perfect distance
And in time, your labours ended
Fall back into my arms.