Rude Awakening

I saw the puddle shimmering faintly,
Blocking the sidewalk where I'd planned to tread.
As I walked through, I plunged down instantly,
And felt the water close above my head.
When mightily, I struggled up for air,
I felt strong hands take hold of both my feet,
And pull me into darkness and despair,
To guarantee the end I knew I'd meet.
Then distantly, I heard alarm bells ring -
They seemed to say it's time to leave this place.
I thought I saw a giant furry thing,
Deploy a bright red sponge to slap my face!
The family dog was standing on my head,
I pushed away, and fell out of my bed.

Mick McKellar
August 2017

I'm not certain that reality bites, but it can slobber.

Mick

Shattered Rays

I’d dreamt of the skip-dance of souls in flight,
At speed of thought, exuberance flying.
Too energetic to pause, or alight;
Perpetual light ballet undying.
Once, my inner fire, burning blinding bright,
Tried to leave my body, stone-cold behind;
But I captured, in a spasm of fright,
The brilliant breath of my passionate mind.
Shattered rays leaked through my fingers held tight:
Tense digits drawn taught lest my spirit flee.
I huddled down low, to surround the light,
Fearful I might lose the essence of me.
I barely held on through dread and God’s will...
My spirit glows brightly within me still.

Mick McKellar
August 2017

Not all near-death experiences are similar. What if your soul simply wanted to leave, and somehow you managed to capture and keep it safely within you? At once, the image is amazing and scary and heartbreaking.

Mick

The World I See

When first I felt that I might die,
Then changed my view of all I see.
I held my breath and tried to cry,
But sadness just eluded me.

I saw my world as must a child;
I quailed at its electric touch.
The peace and joy of running wild,
Called to my heart so very much.

I'd never set my spirit free,
To roam abroad among my kin
And kith, who shared this Earth with me --
Yet never felt the planet spin!

My world, so bright with life it glowed,
Made each short day a wondrous sight;
And kindness shone, as it bestowed
A brilliance to defeat the night.

And love, the liquid light supreme,
That ought to inundate the Earth,
Still flowed, but in a tiny stream,
And many suffered from its dearth.

With clarity, I then perceived
That none there with me felt the change;
And none would ever have believed,
Or shared my sudden vision strange.

I've kept my counsel until now,
Unto myself and never shared,
Or dared describe it all somehow,
To those so closed and unprepared.

Though muted, I still see the light,
Still feel the warmth, still share the peace.
I dream about it ev'ry night,
And pray that it will never cease.

Mick McKellar
August 2017

When you think you might be leaving this world, it looks, sounds, and feels very different to you. There is no time for hate and fear, no time to spread darkness, when you are celebrating life.

Mick

Dark Icons, Holy Relics

They're preconceived, they're precious, and held dear.
By holding fast, I limit what I share.
I bury them, to hide them in my fear
Of losing what I treasure, what I bear.
Unlike most precious stones and golden rings,
That I acquire by purchase or by gift,
I helped create my trove of sacred things,
And keep them to myself in silent thrift.
Sometimes they draw, and sometimes they repel,
Their dark allure is murder to resist.
I fear I can't convince my mind to dwell,
Outside the pale of my most sacred list.
The myths and prejudices deep in there,
Are arrant holy relics in my care.

Mick McKellar
August 2017

How often we talk of prejudices and preferences as though they are easily removed, adjusted, and reinstalled at will. Many are so well hidden we cannot see them, and so well integrated we rarely, barely resist their allure, their brutal force. Little wonder that when challenged, our first thought is to defend them to the last. True now, as it was in May 2003.

Mick

Action Figures

We take baby steps when strides are needed -
Caution is a virtue, but not always.
Cries for help and action go unheeded,
As leaders ponder their next steps for days.
Recklessness is seldom to be lauded,
Yet being careful can be overdone.
Assertiveness ought to be applauded
When it's seen, by each and everyone.
Pardon this overt recommendation,
That comes without a modicum of tact:
It's often a gross miscalculation,
To sit and think when it is time to act.
Pray that we don't suffer paralysis,
From nearly unending analysis.

Mick McKellar
July 2017

I'm the last person to suggest leaping without looking, and I truly despise those who live by the credo: "Ready, Fire, Aim" but fail to study what "Ready" means. Of course, one should look before leaping and think before acting. However, there are those who debate because they cannot act, or seek to prolong debate as political theater. I want a careful driver, but I have no wish to die of old age in the parking lot because my driver will not move.

Mick

Middle of the Night

What advantages there reside
Betwixt the hours of dark and dawn,
When sleepy soul has naught to hide?
The erudite can only yawn,
And seek clear vision to retain;
As soundless screams of passion fire
Echo across a lake of pain;
To awaken sleeping desire,
And stoke bright flames, that intellect
With its fast frozen heart of ice,
Seeks from myself to me protect--
And yet seems never to suffice.
From deep, an aching tenor springs
A heartsong filled with all it yearns
To life, and weeping as it sings,
Full reaps the reason that it earns.
Yet, still the fire burns in my core,
Banked warm against life's bitter frost.
Then write l must, and write some more,
To feed the fires and pay the cost.
So, in the early morning hours,
When most are fast in slumber's thrall,
l seek to circumvent those powers,
l strain that slice of death to stall,
By alchemy of food and drink.
But age and nature have conspired,
In league with common sense, l think,
To always make sure l get tired...

Mick McKellar
July 2017

I actually awoke in the middle of the night, to write about waking in the middle of the night, to write about waking in the middle of the night to write. I think. It was August 2003 when wrote down the idea, but could not stay awake to finish the thought.

Mick

Why Worry?

I know there will be sunshine after rain,
For dark gray clouds can only hide the blue.
A time of peace will always follow pain,
And solace for the soul must come to you.
The fire of dawn must follow dark of night,
Surely as the Earth rolls toward the morning,
Through the long darkness filled with sparks of light,
Until the glow of day gives its warning .
And even Winter's snow must melt away,
Within the solemn promise kept each Spring
Of life reborn, from fields of brown and gray.
In mad profusion, life bursts forth to sing
Its song, and tell its tale in a hurry...
If peace follows pain, why should I worry?

Mick McKellar
July 2017

If darkness leads to light, if pain precedes peace, and if death leads to rebirth; all can be endured. The darkest night leads to dawn, clear and bright, the heaviest rain cleans the air to let in the light. If all will be alright, why should I worry? The idea sprouted in June 2003, but the flower bloomed in the last six and a half years.

Mick