the stars lost their glimmer
twinkling to darkness
in the exhale of the universe
a dim light lost
to nothingness
no longer reflected in my eyes
swallowed by the night
like clouds covering the sun
dew drops on my fingertips
falling to the ground
mixed with salty tears
sand between my fingers
lost to the hourglass
melancholy
depression
this is the road
i travel

.
Once upon a time
my quill danced across your skin
as raindrops on a blade of grass.
The ink spilled like tears,
words formed around your beauty
tracing the curves of a Goddess.

Once upon a time
my heart flirted with your love
as bees above a flower head.
The feelings poured like honey,
caresses formed around your beauty
crying and caring for a Woman.

Once upon a time
my body moved with your body
as waves on a lonely beach.
The pleasure flowed like water,
tides formed around your beauty
ebbing the moans of a Lover.

Once upon a time...


© Pagan Paul (2017)

On my evening walk about town
I passed by all the usual places.
Martini’s to my left, Betty’s cap and gown
Hap’s store on the right, the new salon called Faces.
Oh there are many more but turning the corner
Of Second and Elm I noticed an old goat following me.

He must have belonged to someone,
He seemed clean and well feed.
But no matter where I turned
He just kept following me.
Amused I was and solidly delighted.
So I led him back through town at a brisk pace
Hoping that somebody would claim him.

I came up to parson Bill and he said,
“Hey that’s a nice goat you have there.”
“Oh he’s not my goat,
It’s just my turn to walk him,” I explained
As we headed down Main Street.
Crossing a side street Officer Don was
Sitting in his patrol car, “Hey Will,
Where did you get the old goat?” he yelled.
“Oh he’s not mine, it’s the town goat -
Haven’t you heard, it’s just my turn to walk him.”

And so we went, me and this old goat bumping
Into just about everyone that was anyone.
As I made my way back across Elm Street,
My street, I met Hap, Betty, Don, Bill, Martini,
the new owner of Faces and 12 other people
All waiting for their turn.

Yep, he’s the town goat everyone now knows.
They walk him, they pet him, they feed him, they just love him -
You know
That sure is one **** smart old goat….

Heart raising a hollow mist to the heavens
In the cove this sultry spring’s morning.
Thoughts quicken to brightly colored sail boats
Sitting quietly in their moorings.
Bobbing about to and fro
With masts reaching tall into the fog.
Tethered to land and to each other –
They dance effortlessly in the waves.

Farther out into deeper waters larger vessels
Move slowly about the harbor.
Some anchored awaiting to unburden their bloated bellies
While others sit high in the water to take on new cargo.
Each with a scurry of movement about their decks
In preparation for the chores of today’s tasks.
The pier becoming the object of their labors.

My mind dissected by the peacefulness of the sailboats
And transgressed by the labors of the larger vessels.
A frightfully busy place is the harbor.
A tranquil loving place is the cove.
A visual blend of both seemingly distant worlds
Lie before me indulging my mind into each.

And I wonder…

Am I as this sailboat tethered safely to the shore
Or am I in the harbor scurrying about
To take on the next heavy load?
The mystery hidden somewhere in the blanketing fog.
Walking across the small dock
Feet capture the movement of my sailboat.

I release the chains that tether her to mother earth
And she, I in her belly, move away from her bindings.
No longer restrained sails slip us from the cove
And into the harbor as the sun rises a new day.
The veiling fog lifting to reveal the answered
Question of this mornings predawn endeavor.

The difference between the cove and the harbor
Lies not in the depth of the water.
That depth need not be frightening.
Looking back into the cove from the harbor
I find that it is what I have brought with me –

That is what makes all the difference…..