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Michael Briefs Jul 2017
From white canvass,
a blank ledger of potent
expectation,
awaiting form and function.
The artist invokes
shade and light.
The seminal swirl of
her brush signals
simple hue,
discrete structures.
Then flesh strokes imbue
sanguine blush of
satin seams
and outstretched limbs;
spring greens and rampant peaks,
reaching high into
gossamer nimbus. Calm swells,
abundant bosoms,
beckoning fields of luxuriant temptation.
From an eternal cool,
the (all too) temporary warmth
of her embrace
lies just beyond:
enticing, luring, teasing
into torrid desire.
From whence,
the dream
unfolds...
See a photo that inspired this poem: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209365905400609&set=a.10208174166607884.1073741828.1113041505&type=3&theater
Michael Briefs Jul 2017
We are part earth,
part ethereal,
Spirit and blood infused.
Particles, points and waves
Entwine
and collide,
with energy imbued.
We are realized in
the sum and singularity
Of all that is.
There is no separation
between
The colossus
and the microscopic.
All of us are just variations
of an eternal theme.
We are material expressions of
a spiritual dream.
The dream of love,
the cause of hope,
the heart of God.
Michael Briefs Jul 2017
It is when you decide to leave the shoreline behind and set out upon the waves and the wild deep...that is the moment when your spark shines and your path ascends. From this start, the spirit seeks her destiny. So, find the path less taken; travel amidst your fears and take heart; see with eyes wider and soul wilder...the mountain peak looms, there! Be the fire fed by its lofty air.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211624235497450&set=a.10208174166607884.1073741828.1113041505&type=3&theater
Michael Briefs Jul 2017
Do not take it easy
Except when you go to sleep.
Do not silence your voice
Except when you are listening to someone in need.
Do not surrender
Except when you give up your fear.
Do not stop climbing
Except when you are still, with God.
Do not lose your soul
Except when you share it with a lover.
Do not give up your passion.
Ever.
Michael Briefs Jul 2017
Journeys rendered dateless,
Unending,
Wayward and extending out,
Round the compass points --
Dizzying aspiration to cease this race,
To slow my sprinting soul,
This pace splintering, in exhaustion.

Expiring breath of hope or of home
Evaporated in a distance
Vanishing and
Disconnected.
Drifting
On trackless tides, across
Labyrinthine depths,
Within the vast heart
Of the world
I cannot run from.

Yet, I moved to and between
The center or its peripherals, in
Singular or collectives,
Seeking pattern and
Drawing connectives –-
Brushing by and
Bustling among
People
Entranced In their own
Objectives.

I watched their movements
And their exchanges,
I heard their rituals and
Invocations.
In all these transitions,
They have no inkling
That their seemingly trite
Lives merely manifest
The epic motifs of the heavens!

Our imaginations mirror
The vitality of the gods!
We are as immortal as they!
Our simple, sensual stories
Are also enduring legends
Unfolding,
As our pages turn,
Our flags are unfurling!

Just as our fellow
Olympians of old
Engaged in a marathon of
Endeavor to heights
Unimagined!
From those mystic days
Since Orpheus’ ardent lyre
Sang notes
Of Nature’s divinity, Her
Eternal sweetness.

We need only sense that
It is in Nature’s essence
We are sharing.
With her, we are joined in
An undying marriage,
A unified pairing –
Our human heritage,
Our dignified bearing.

We share in that song,  
We share in that sweetness,
We share in that race,
We share in Her immanence.

This journey is our own.

It goes on, unending!
Michael Briefs Jul 2017
In the ancient ages of our story,
Long lost on the storm-tossed sea of time,
Mystics, Shamen, Seers, Poets, and Prophets
Pointed to paths leading to survival,
Vital roads for our guides to find.
Lo, our progress came through
The purge of many perils.
In the grip of that troubled existence,
Our visionaries found the way forth
From a plague of deadly terrors.

Born out of the feverish tumult of the mystic Wild-man
Or the symbolic song of a Tribal Priestess,
Came words of hope and vision.
Their inner-light was a primordial premonition, stoking
The courage to make our daunting decisions.
Their mind’s eye pierced the veil, striking
Lightning catalysts into a forest of fascination,
To ignite the strength we must bring to fruition!

We clung to their words as we clung to each other,
And heard their call to mission.
We allowed the signs of their ecstasy to gestate
Within our souls; words woven into myths
To bear the fruit of immortal imagination!
Out of this flame came the hard-won wisdom of our people,
Our embryonic culture, and the seeds of our salvation.

We traveled on in the grip of a darkened world and
Survived together, confirmed by a shared oath.
The tree of humanity’s fragile hope must take root,
To fulfill its future growth.

We are an Ark-people, a covenant people,
A people of deep foundations.
We take that light, that fire, and
That power into our destiny,
Striking wild and true within!

May the ineffable Creator bless our steps,
Secure our path, inspire our faith,
And anoint our hearts for the road ahead,
Beyond…
What I believe: Love Rules! It doesn't matter what Faith tradition you come from or you aspire to. Let love be your North Star! Everything you do should flow from that...uh, ahem..."fundamental" foundation. Religion, ritual, symbolism, doctrine...these things can be effective and even beautiful. BUT: if they don't point to LOVE and emphasize the MYSTERY of life (over Fundamentalist attempts to paint that mystery as a black-and-white, judgmental, sin-focused, us-against-them kind of religiosity), then they are only a path to hatred, exclusion/separation, war and death. Love, by it's very nature, welcomes us all; it is the source and destination of all creation. Be a source of love and you will be a source of light. You and I are a part of the ultimate power of creation, expressed as light, in love! Peace!
A photo that I thought matched well with this poem: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209731389217476&set=a.10208174166607884.1073741828.1113041505&type=3&theater
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