Grey Destinations

In the earliest grey light hour,
Before I am fully awake,
My imagination has power,
My soul on a journey to take.
My heart, not a captive companion,
But willing compatriot muse,
A powerful friend with compassion,
True compass, I willingly use
To navigate grey destinations,
Soft shadows and whispering lights,
Where silently wait desperations,
That haunt my loneliest nights.

We wander among recollections,
And worries about what's to be,
Following innate directions,
From wisdom and empathy.
As dimly, grey light shadows breaking,
Awareness brings clarity bright,
Light shatters shadows with waking,
And gone are the ghosts of the night.

Mick McKellar
October 2020

Not quite awake, but not asleep -- you know the twilight land, filled with grey destinations and ghostly mists. This is the place we walk in another's shoes and ponder the wisdom of "what ifs."

Mick

Artem Publica

Clouds chase the Sun.
Racing on windful wings,
Scudding the sky,
Blocking the warm arms of the Sun.
Casting cool shadows against my eyes.
Welcome in Summer.
Annoying in Winter.

Clouds chase the Sun.
Taxing the golden rays,
Harvesting a bounteous revenue,
Storing liquid assets.
Drawing deeply from the Earthly well,
Basking in heavenly waves of light.
Saving for self.
Saving for all.

Clouds chase the Sun.
Reaching to touch the source,
Seeking the cold edge of space,
Caressing both soil and sea.
Flashing and booming when sated and grown,
Feeding both soil and sea with their own.
From all in bounty.
To all in need.

Mick McKellar
October 2020

Is governance a natural phenomenon? Should it have the grandeur and innate art of the clouds, our sculptures of the sky? Does it bring balance and beauty and wonder and majesty? Is it merely out of balance when it becomes a gateway to greed? Tough questions.

Mick

I Want Only to Understand

Today, God, I want only to understand.
My inner tears fly silently,
Cat's paws on old shag carpets.
The ache and heat they carry,
Hovers just behind my eyes,
But the well is dry and the flood won't come.

Dissonant waves lap upon my shoreline.
Voices ancient and green as Spring,
Crash and thunder, wail and wonder,
Distant as the horizon and beneath my feet.
Storm...storm and crushing cascades
Of anger tear the sky.

Today, God, I want only to understand!
Your gifted world dances a dance
Of darkness, spits words of ancient iron,
Blades of bitterness and spite,
To shred the wondrous land,
To poison the virtuous sea.
I feel alone and abandoned.

Mick McKellar
October 2020

Sometimes, I don't pray for change but for understanding.

Mick

Bargains With God

“Americans don’t know how to dicker.”
Said every movie I ever saw.
We just pay full price because it’s quicker;
We never bargain, a grifter’s catspaw.
When someone is sick, or injured, or lost,
Be it me or you, family or friend,
We pray for a deal, no matter the cost,
Negotiating how crises will end.
Promesas are made, hallowed vows are sworn,
Well-intentioned pledges are on the board.
Many heartfelt sacrifices are borne
On the wings of prayer, set before the Lord.
Though generous offers are sent above,
God doesn’t bargain, His answer is love.

Mick McKellar
October 2020

With the pandemic ongoing, even worsening, frantic prayers offering heartfelt bargains must rise to the heavens constantly. I believe the Lord always answers prayers, though the answer may not be as we desire.

Mick