TODAY, I VISITED THE PAST
My memory takes a heavy toll on me
As I return to where I used to be
A pilgrim walking ever so desolately
Reliving the past times desperately
Silence summons me with the echo of a
deathly knell
Lifting me to heaven, then flings me down to hell
Stimulates my will to revisit old times too carelessly wasted
By a grace of imagination, with an elixir left untasted
Unveiling the potential of nature's resourceful essence
Essential to an ailing soul thirsting for a meagre sense
of revival to restore what's already lost in transition
While excavating the remains of a conquered acquisition
From innocence to corruption demolishing a simplicity
To make way for prosperity busily building a complexity
Now, lifelessness and desolation capture a pathetic scene below
The palm trees exhibit long scraggy hairs with heads hung low
Stirring the murky puddle opens the window of a desolate soul
For the sinner with a hidden score has his sins to answer for
Reaching into the mirror of darkness, a mirror of shrewd notion
Sadness and grief cause me to look elsewhere for consolation
See! The bowing of the swaying willows beside the stream
Like ballerinas skating and sketching a wondrous dream
To the symphony of whistling wind before a captivated crowd
Of long, wild grass on the opposite bank, clapping quietly aloud
Dangling over the glassy water with a soft and gentle dip
Sending ripples across for a deserving decorated pip
A passing breeze comes to oblige every sensuous call
For an encore, begging for a repeat performance, a recall
To cherish the abounding richness of beauty and bliss
To recover the lost treasure of a sanctuary missed
As evening heralds the cold embrace of a misty night
The clouded moon tries to hide its melancholic sight
Whilst the distant stars blink in fear with utter confusion
The dark night lingers to set up a virtual illusion
That I am lost, never to find what I am searching for
To break my spirit and my will, never to find the Door
to my Destiny - just peering at the distant dark horizon
Where death awaits me, for the light of life is gone
Silent perseverance eliminates the drunken state of pain
Revival of a forgotten past to a gracious presence of future gain
With renewed hope that the sun will soon be rising again.
Where daily prayer and dream conceive a realm in desert rain
- J. P. Lee
18 November 2019