A Spiritual Place

 

(Picture Credit - Love Exploring)

A spiritual place.

Set amongst ancient mountains

All clothed with timelessly old trees.

Streams and waterfalls gurgling

Down to meandering rivers.

 

Countless ancestors buried

Or ashes scattered here.

Battered old castles

Haunted mansions

Even the odd old parsonage

Perched upon a bleak northern hill.

 

You can’t put your finger on it,

But there is something in the air:

More than the howling wind;

Still present even when the thunder

And lightning

Stops.

 

Ghosts of the past are amongst us

As surely as the aromas of flowers

And cut grass.

 

The ancient souls are still with us,

No doubt wondering

What the hell we are doing.

For here are civilisations that

Have basked in glory

For many generations

Only to fall and crumble.

Abandoned, lost cities,

Cultures and even languages

That have blossomed and thrived

Only to fade away.

 

Perhaps the same fate awaits us too.

All things must end.

For even the very universe

Will fade away

Into a misty sea of protons

Leaving no memory of anything

Or anyone.

 

All that will remain

Is this spiritual backdrop

Countless souls

Refusing to go away

Even in the blackest night.

Dry ice still creeping

Through the gloom,

Never surrendering.

 

Paul Butters

 

© PB 25\6\2021.

Keep Cool

 

Keep cool and calm,

Don’t do any harm

To others or yourself.

Even when rejected,

Don’t be affected.

 

Swim through the storm

Don’t even get warm.

Maintain self esteem

You know what I mean.

Control your emotion

In all the commotion.

 

Be Mister (or Missus) Cool

And don’t be a tool

For their challenging way –

You know it won’t pay.

 

People can be evil,

We all know that.

Almost primeval –

That’s a fact.

 

Feel good about yourself

Ignoring all barbs,

Keep up on that shelf

And deflect all those words.

 

If you can, smile and laugh,

Show you’re not bothered.

Like a giraffe

Don’t get smothered.

 

Beat them with wit:

Show them you’re mentally fit.

Use sarcasm too –

You know what to do.

 

If they then want to fight

Bring it on if you must,

But if outnumbered and outpowered

Get running -

Leaving a cloud of dust.

 

But first don’t react

Or do anything you can’t retract.

Keep your Cool

Don’t be the angry fool.

 

Assert yourself

And say what you want.

While doing your best

Not to affront.

 

What more can I say?

Being Cool is the way.

That’s my message

For today.

 

Paul Butters

 

© PB 22\6\2021.

Garden Aromas

 

 (Picture Credit - Pennington com)

Garden aromas

Indescribable

Yet taken for granted

Amongst a spiritual haven

Of sacred trees

Resplendently coloured flowers

And glorious grass.

 

Aromas of blossoms and dew,

Cut savannahs

Rain and drought

Foxes and cats.

Doggy Paradise

Where they can sniff

And scuffle,

Dreaming of truffle.

 

A Summer retreat

You cannot beat,

Better for a pond

To strengthen that bond.

Just sit or stroll

And soak it all in.

There is plenty of time.

You can only win.

 

Paul Butters

 

© PB 25\5\2021.

Dazzled

(Picture Credit - Deposit Photos)

Dazzled!

Blinded by the Sun.

My eyes scream in pain.

But then they ease

And as I soak up the scene

My spirit lifts.

 

All is brightly lit

In glorious sunshine.

Lush green foliage

Reflecting those golden rays

Provoking images

Of sunny beaches

Swaying palms

On remote tropical isles.

 

Under the dome of a hazy light-blue sky

Bedecked with fluffy fair-weather clouds

We bask in the sun, sun, sun.

 

What more can you ask for

On a balmy summer day?

Well, maybe a cool pint of ale.

Amen.

 

Paul Butters

 

© PB 13\5\2021.

Conundrum

 

(Picture Credit - Justia's Verdict - Shutterstock)

Scientists say that everyone dies,

Having a set lifespan,

With the only possible exception being

Some unique jellyfish

Who regenerate like Doctor Who.

 

Yet religious folk claim

We will have eternal life

So long as we believe

In Their God (whoever).

 

So who can we believe?

Are any of them right

At all?

 

Is death the same for all?

The same for a man or woman

As for a blade of grass or withering rose?

The same for all men and women?

For humans and animals alike?

 

Have we been told the truth

About this and other matters?

The questions go on:

Conundrums whirling around our minds

As we inwardly crave Salvation.

 

All we have now,

To cling on to,

Is good old Hope.

Faith has no certainty

For me.

I never kidded myself

About that.

There’s only Hope, Hope,

Hope.

 

Paul Butters

 

© PB 10\5\2021.

Ocean

 

  (Picture Credit - New York Times)

The sea sweeps to the far horizon:

Infinity’s edge,

As endless waves lap onto the shore.

Above us gulls wheel and scream

Hunting for prosaic fish and chips.

They snatch them

From hapless humans

Down below.

 

And the breakers keep breaking.

Elsewhere the ocean rages,

Storming the cliffs

With spraying cascades of water

And thrashing rain.

 

Here today, though, it is calm and clear.

Up above we see an even greater ocean:

That of blue sky

And nightly black space.

 

Up there we truly look

To infinity

Eternity too.

Vastness

Beyond our comprehension.

 

We people are but tiny specks

On island beaches

Insignificant particles

Of humanity

Lost in a universe

That knows no bounds.

Yet here to enjoy

Those golden dawns and dusks,

Fanned by freshening breezes –

Much gentler versions of gales and hurricanes.

 

Never forget that the sea is mighty.

Just love it

When it’s in a peaceful mood:

Soak up the spirit of surf

As you watch those endless waves.

 

Paul Butters

 

© PB 8\5\2021.