New or New - Old

Heart Shaped Locket

I once wore a heart shaped locket
Weaved with threads of gold
In it were stored my memories
Pictures of loved ones
And the pain and grief I hold
I put it away
And put on a gold cross
And went to a church

There are some within this place
Who also have heart lockets
Weaved with threads of gold
Yet there are others who fail to see
That those outside
Tend to view God and the church
As though they are one
Sometimes they go there looking for Him
Or to know Him better
But they often do not stay

These others
They too have heart shaped lockets
Yet theirs open with nothing inside
Dross, corrupted silver at best
These pump the blood in their bodies
And produce the venom that fuels their tongues
What is unjust they try to justify
Rather than repent
They don't comprehend what they stand to lose
Nor care who it is they hurt
So long as each may carry on
With their own personal deception
While lambs weep among the wolves
Wouldn't it be nice
If their hearts would change to gold

May, 2006

Are There Such Things as Rainbows?

It was some time during October of 1999
When the sun in my life
Began to cease to shine
That was the year
My life reinvented tears
As they began to pour down like rain
And still today
Although much has happened
It seems that much hasn't changed

It is as though they have never stopped
And there have been few cheers
As it has been eight long years
Yes there have been moments of laughter
Rare in their entirety
Only when one of the few I know
Stopped by to tell a joke
Then the doors closed
And the tears reimposed

It seems that survival only resumes
That the only way to stop the pain
Is to learn to live hard-hearted
Yet I am told that I must feel
And retain memories
That seem to me surreal
Even those that had been lost
Not just my grasping hopes
But those closest to my heart
Shared with one who had forgot
Not only the memories
But me

Tears are collected in bottles
God counts them
And keeps them
And the angels gather them
And when the bottles begin to be too many
They pour them out in to heaven
And make new rivers there
There are many rivers in heaven now
And the lands are well watered

As my eyes pour down this rain
Who besides those who dwell among the firmament
Actually sees the colors of my rainbow
I have never seen this really,
Only glimpses
During slighted moments of endear
I suppose the rains must first stop
For this wonder to appear

It's just that I always thought I could some how fix it
Why didn't I see that there was nothing I could do
No matter how hard I tried
Poor angels
Do they ever resent me
For how I must tire them
As they fill the many rivers I have cried

I am told he actually wanted to see me again
That he wanted me to stop, and say goodbye
But I didn't know
It seemed obvious he didn't understand
And still
Perhaps he never will
Not in the world of my lost rainbows
I just wanted him to call me friend
As there have been few in my life
Am I anyone's special memory
Lost through time?
Will I ever be?

August 12, 2007

Sweet Voice, Sweet Love

I miss your voice
Please don't leave me
Please don't take it away
I need the comfort of your gentleness
I love you
I will follow you where ever you may go
Perhaps my steps will be staggered
As I try to keep up
And dwell in the shadow of your wings
But I'll be there
I long to be by your side
Holding your hand
I need your love
Please stay
I'll walk with you
Please teach me how
Sometimes I miss the warmth that I felt and heard
I know I still hear you in some ways
Sometimes the words "I love you"
Are like a candle's flicker
Or a flittering leaf in a tree
Whispered from above
I know you love me
I'm sorry you ever thought you had to tell me
Sometimes I feel a sense of something imparted
And sometimes I feel a twinge
As if something isn't done quite right
But it's not the same as it was
I remember the days when sight
Was like a rolling film
In the stillness of a silent night's air
Bright, and wonderfully mysterious
And right before my eyes
I am so blessed
Thank you
But please never go far away
Or my heart will break like it never has before
And you know how much that is
You said you'd never leave or forsake me
I believe you
I'm sorry for the times I didn't know
Please let me hear your sweet, sweet words
Yet again

July 15, 08

Based Upon Visions

The Rings

I have traveled a long path now
Since a long, long time ago
Yes it was rocky
And kinda windy
Yet it was more like a labyrinth
And now I wonder about it all
Was it false?
Or was it true?
Or was it really real?

Then the Lord touched my shoulder
And He whispered in my ear
"I will never leave you, or forsake you,"
He said
And I'll always love you
And I love you dear
I love you too, I said
Yes thank you
This is something tangible
I can take comfort in
And that I'll always know

I thought on the past
My life
And the present too
I saw how, in a flicker
In just a brief moment
My heart could change
I learned hate, for the first time in my life
Now how did that get there?
It's where confusion grew
Picked it up somewhere along the labyrinth
It kinda hung around in the air a bit
But the love is what prevails

I thought about the pit I had been in
And now I see
That it was just like a whirlwind
Formed inside a pool
Tear soaked showers every where
I wondered what was real
The Lord stood next to me
As He so often does
With His hand upon my shoulder
And said,
"Take it for what it is"

I had sudden enlightenment
But it wasn't the very first time
I had been enlightened before
But it always seems
It's the simple
I never seem to see
Right away
Yet it's actually
Quite profound
Because the simple oftentimes
Dwells in uncertainty
And is frequently found to be
Among the greatest wisdom of all

When you've lived your life in a labyrinth
It is most often, very hard
To find where simple lies
Then I wondered
What "it" is?
Is it reality?
What is reality?
That doesn't matter
I don't need to look there any more
Because it will all fade away eventually

A brand new path has been opened
And there is now
Another way to go
I had a vision
It was a huge
Bright red, ring of fire
It was very clear
It was a true vision
And then it changed
The ring of fire...
Suddenly turned gold
Bright gold
More golden then you've ever seen
Unless you've been there
(Once before)

I have seen that land
It is a very peaceful place
With an atmosphere,
Glowing in ominous hues
I've been in both rings in my life
Yet all that time
All I ever knew
And all I ever saw
Where I walked
And where I dwelt
Was that labyrinth
Thank you Lord, for always being there
And thank you for the new path

July 15, 2003

Beyond Life

A child's nightmare
Grew into a glorious dream
Intrepid cleansing mist
Rainbows obscure
Misty greenish-gold
Atmosphere
Above the heat
Of the day's piercing storms

Peering through the window's light
Wondering about the rain
In sight, and just beyond reach
A harp whispers in the wind
Playing a tune
Beyond imagination
Her golden hair flows
In stillness
The storm has ended
Hence the glow
The golden notes
Dance beyond silent harmonies
And peaceful whispers

Stretching forward in wonder
Of the glorious, ominous notes
She peers back for just a moment
To see her frail body
Lying there
Breaking, as the fever rose
Fear struck as she realized
Her life was gone
Yet she wondered why the fear
It fled, as she knew
The peace was not surreal

Then suddenly
A bright, white glow
And she awoke
Agape with wonder
The fever broken
She knew she'd been beyond that world
Once before
And would again
One day
Life returned to normal

October 31, 03

Love Like a Violin

I've unmasked many facades in my life
Why should they believe
In hiding their facade from me
It is not just the things I know
It is also what I see
When your days are spent
Within this close
Yet distant perspective
Pondering observance
Is an inevitable perception
The consequence of having one's eyes opened
Is the blessing
That you see
I'd not want to be without this faith
Thus the blessing of delivery

Cleansed in sparkling waters
Glistens whispers from above
A soft warm voice to calm your fears
As your ears are unstopped
There is no sudden release
Just because it's a process
Yet the consequence is the blessing
Of the only one we ought fear
Love as sweet as wine
Mingled with repentance and trembling
Harmony like a violin
"Every knee will bow"
"Every tongue will confess"
As He tenders His precious vine
Thank you for my blessed eyes, and ears
"My Sweet Lord"

Sept 7, 2006

Collaborations

Mud-Fields

Mocking scorn
Loving scorn or scorning love
The roots are torn
The velvet ground is stiched by them
And the stitches are rotting
Brittle bitterness
Hear the earth slowly snap

Misty raindrops trickling
Barely penetrating
The deepened crusted cracks
Lifes pitfalls
Tears touching gently
Upon the forlorn
Megre deathly growth

Splintered stalks, crying from the apex
Puddles of toxic tears are left
Where they formed
Is there hope to quell the strife
Crusting over the victims of conceit
Where bereavement increases scorn
Before winters breath
Brings utter death

Hopelessness betwixt
Broken dreams, tattered
Torn lives, where love
Or rather deferred illusions
Dwelt amidst the thorns
And phoney smiles
A whirlpool of emotion
Relived, reflecting deceiptful touches

The son of the rain
Smiled down gently
And he knew pain
Could be relieved
Lightning strikes an ancient, dead oak
A channel in to erase the deceased hopes
"Love is not to blame" he said
"Rather it is the lack"
Trickle through splintered wood
The son of the rain knew he could

Pain, an all too familiar friend
One preferred to be forgotten
But a necessary acquaintance
To blend the teardrops and earth
Creating clay
Molding hopes lost dreams
With his strong hands and loving arms
The son of the rain's greatest friend

Migrations begin
A thousand doves swooping in
Earth bleeds a drop of thriving zeal
Onto the mind flat fields
Tender clay, to mold, to form
If earth will dare to learn
To recreate and became all
It was created to be
Hope to breathe, peace to quell
The shattered plain that used to be

Ruth Dato & Jason Richard
September 12, 99

Wind of the Eagles Plight

Knowledge, is it really knowing
Is wisdom it's true reward
Is love really love
Or are we just dying lights
Phantoms of the dust
Forgive the cliché
But is ignorance a greater reward
And lust the truer bliss
Wanting, needing, never knowing
Having, not having, desires
Internal raging, fears, self control
Wills captured by the wind
Reality, or mere illusions
The distance ever growing

To be human, continue striving
Comfort zone, sacrifice self-control
Here it comes again
A voice that scares my thoughts away
Demanding attentive affections
For itself, alone
Distorting perceived paradigms
Shifting like volcano store
This stone posture's dissolving
Prometheus is unchained
To tell the tales of the gods
If he can just avoid the eagle eyes
Those clear enough
To sift the truth from lies
Recognize
The arguing voices in my mind

Complacency is always shaken
In thoughts, in theory,
in illusion, in reality
All can sift truth, from lies
In their own way
We all have a personal reality
Our own comfort zone
What is truth anyway
Gone with yesterday
Taken by the wind
And where is love
Does the eagle know
Is it hidden deep within
The complexity of his
Translucent vision
Does he carry the arguing voices
To an unknown land
On the tips of his golden wings

And the Prometheus spectre
goes on in its way
Preaching a theology
which is not truth in display
The rock is shorn, the lies released
For what?
To expose insecurity
The earth is wobbling in its path
For what?
To display onroaming wrath
The eagle sits atop Mt. Zion
To call his own to join rebellion
The mountain rams rally about
Looking to their guide
When suddenly the eagle transforms
And a small white flight
Leads them to butt heads
With splitting stone
The idols release their death
And every eagle, ram,
Returns to Mt. Zion

Ruth Dato & Jason Richard
October 24, 99

The Familiar Journey

Return to backward water ways
Where magic once was blind
Erase the past of shaken faith
Forsaken all her pride
Strike the core, the posts within
The sealed heart of hearts
Trace the tears until the sin's
Unable to cast its part

Golden sunshine, mud pies, and doves
Laughter, and running
Innocence, purity and love
In an enchanted land where angels dwell
And giant ferris wheels gently roll
Protected by hopeful caring dreams
Fearlessly disregarding
The roller coaster's impatient intrusion
Sinking safely into his strong arms
Never grasping the reality beyond
The place where lonely troll's
Await the moon's silvery swell
So they may, in cunning
Privy stroll

The waterways are laid with stones
Amongst mossy, slippery streams
Some tossed about until
They reach a grinding halt
Then firmly embedded
Leaving gaps filled with pain, and deceit
As some remain with cracks
Amidst loneliness and despair
Yet serenity is found at the end of it all
Bearing knowledge
With milestones of insight
And for hope's sake
An ongoing plight

I have been there
Or somewhere along that path
Seeking to cushion
The empty long sought bliss
But I'm not quite prepared
To go all the way back
Afraid I may get stuck, and stay
Although perhaps one day
We will dismiss
The pondering
Of what was missed
It is often just too hard to bear
The drudgery along the way
And the icy cold glare
Among the cool midnight mist
Yet peace seems to reside some where
In this land I love so much more
And where I chose to exist

There is a haunting closet door
In the midst of it all
Where I kept a vigil, you see
Taking care
Not to let the terror out
Quieting within, the dormant troll
Really nothing more then a mouse
Yet for fear of knowing what may
Permeate the odyssey
Therefore, if I let down my guard
Even for a brief moment
The monster will attempt to destroy
The soul of the midnight house

Main body: Ruth Dato /First Stanza: Jason Richard
Unfinished, and subject to revision
Part one concluded September 14, 99

Forward & Then

Simplicity's Rage

I wish lightning would strike
And zap all the bad memories away
I wish the rain would come
And send all the old sadness astray
I wish simplicity would bear
The scars that grew upon fear
And that hope would grow
Where wisdom shattered
And left me in tears

I can hear the seagulls cawing
And crying out for more rain
I remember I once sought goodness
Somewhere among the stains
Children playing
Skipping rope
Making mud pies
Remembering Mom
And clanging milk bottles
On the porch every morn
Baking bread
The wash on the lines
Wind blowing our frolic

We now run in circles
Never meeting our ends
Wondering, or just living
Seeking castles in the sky
Looking back and wishing
Everything would just mend
What is in tomorrow
But hope for what was lost
Yet seldom revived
Through jumping hoops
With no one ever knowing
Things that were misperceived

Skipping rope
Playing games
Wondering
When will the princess let down her hair
Living for the moment
Not much concerned
For what is down that road
Never comprehending
It is a path not lived in hope
Still there is some good to look at
The fruits that multiplied
Looking up to the sky
Fluffy shapes in the clouds

There is little time left
And numbness has set in
How do I clear my mind
From the hints of what has been
All that was done
In childish ignorance
And what is left
Is merely hoping, for hope
Serving our God
Seeking peace to reside
In our hearts
Hoping tomorrow
Brings a new start
Doves flow like one
Flocking towards the son

Jan 27, 04

Beyond Before ~ Rising Above

Something got lost one day
And it is often hard to tell
Why innocence was broken
And child like beauty
Formed a hollow shell
Memories once lived
From very long ago
Within a child’s forlorn confusion
Through the eyes of a tempest
Then the camera shutter closed
Memories were shorn
The sun shone
And the moon rose
Flowers blossomed
And the ocean roared
Yet the scent was not perceived
Trees arched and twisting, budded
The branches, both tender and firm
But still brittle, and lost
Formed fruit, that some how
Instead of growing naturally
Felt the winter breeze
While closed
It became broken, destroying
The natural order of purpose

Water under the bridge
Pain, pain, pain
Forgiven clichés
Whispers of pain
She can't know everything
Sometimes she doesn't know anything
Sometimes she thinks she does
Yet doesn't
Sometimes she forgets
No, she usually forgets
Like a puzzle
With many of the pieces missing
Like a tapestry
A day came
Not so long ago
The sun rose
The camera shutter opened
The memories were reborn
And although
Peace has been weaving it's way
Returning, slowly, gently
Restoring hope
Still the child like storms
Seek the fiery raging
Somewhere among the shadows

Silence endures
Silence spills
Silence speaks
Silence stills
Touched by an angel
Between the realm
Of night and day
Feeling both the fury
And the gentle loving sway
Knowledge gained
And the vine's ripening begins
Eyes shut and opened
Thoughts traversing back
To where they might begin
Seeking lost hope
A way to learn and grow
Yearning to behold
That awesome light
And it's warming glow

A new day has dawned
A new time has formed
And the page is blank
And beckoning
Waiting to be reborn
Yet the child heart lives on
Hiding peaceably somehow
Feeing warm inside the shell
As that wondrous light
Dwells alongside the delicate
And hopeful plight
Visions of a new tree
Begin to grow
New fruit to soon blossom and bud
Alongside a stream
Eagles nest in this awesome wonder
Waiting for the call
That warm and pleasant light
To rise above it all
The unpleasant storms
Lifting the innocent
Back above the fall
Seeking what was lost
Until the birth of undaunted
And untouched shores

Feb 21, 04

Haikus

Precious Bird
~
Why fly precious bird
Stay, sing to me a while
'Tis lonely down here

Sing Sing
~
Sing, sing, my tears cry
Stomach tight, heart song, long gone
Should I write it down?

Dove Songs
~
My friends are fading
What am I do do, dear Lord
My heart sings dove songs

Flight of the Doves
~
How graceful doves fly
Like souls beyond heaven's dew
Cooing with the wind

Aromatherapy
~
Tulips, lilacs, Ross
Blending in the breeze, create
Scent, senses, dessert

A Horizon
~
Horizon awaits
Where the ocean meets the sea
To grasp heaven's hope

Symphony of Art
~
Shade, shadows, sunshine
Ev'ry artist's rendering
Worthy to ponder

Something to Ponder
~
Rainbows and tear drops
Behold, wonder, are they not
contradictory?

Odd But True
~
Bitter feelings hurt
The heart, sometimes body too
Bitter seeds heal

Sweet Melody
~
Classical music
Sweet, fulfilling, heart's delight
Healing for the soul

Praise God
~
Thank the Lord, be Blessed
He sees your heart, loves your soul
Rejoice and praise Him

Look Up
~
Glance at the sunset
Wondrous painting in the sky
Amazing art work

Ode to Friendly Giant
~
Friendly Giant is
Painting castles in the sky
Some where in the past

Sept 3, 2004

Canadian Oriental Bridge
~
A perfect marriage
Vancouver cherry blossoms
Grafted with Japan's

May 2, 2005

Sighs

Run Away While I Hide

Don't you know what it's like
To be alone and miserable
The torment of being withdrawn and shy
Go ahead and dress yourself up if you want to
Go dress yourself up in your pride
It is only another way to escape
So you can run away
While I hide

Some call it a form of disease
But really it is just a mask
Carved from a piece of our past
An escape that really does not last
Someone did some damage
Not so long ago
Bruised us from the inside
The dressing is not really something you are proud of
And it is not a true confidence
Or a way to fly
So go ahead and dress yourself up if you want to
You run away
While I hide

I was not always shy
And you were not always this pride
What we became
Is what happened to us
Wounds that refused to heal
It was not right
Events without remedy
It seems so long ago now
Yet still within this night
In my love for you
I withdrew the appeal
So that you could run away
While I hide

Now I'm screaming inside
Because you are gone
And I can't tell you
All I wanted to say
But I know a secret
The place you now reside
Is warm and peaceful
A place where remedies are found
Where love lives and grows
And when my time comes
I'll see you again
And I'll not run away
From where you hide

You know I blocked out
What he did
Events which caused our lives to shift
And although I hid to myself
What really caused the rift
My heart became softened
And my ears were given a gift
Now I don't block things out
I hear that soft voice well
A love that lasts forever
I know that you can tell

I'll tell the others what I know
And where it is you are
That forever place
You've gone to
Where time does not end
And all wounds heal
Some where among the stars
Where everything gets fixed
And where no one cries
And all forgiveness is sealed

You have yet another family now
And you have a new kind of pride
And the day will come
When we'll all be one
So we'll see each other yet again
And in the meantime
I'll run to that soft, warm voice often
And try and learn not to hide

March 9, 07

Dedicated to my sister Christine Bearchell
August 16, 1953 - February 18, 2007
...'till we meet again...

Sorrow Needs a Vine

The morning sun
Bursts through a veil of clouds
Stealing shade
From the slighted venetian
Instilling intrusive warmth
As she stumbles out of bed
With a mourners gaze
As though blind
Groping for a path
With heart rendering sadness
Yearning for the night
Spliced, piercing cries of madness
Tottering amidst the precious mind's unseen plight
While a soft voice utters peaceful whispers
To the endearing fragile soul

A world of confusion and pain unfolds
And embraces each new day
With a dire need for peace and love and rescue
And distant cries
That struggle to be heard
From within the deep, elusive, inner turmoil
And unceasing endless internal strife
Beholding peaceful tomorrows
While yearning for new perspectives
And love that will dwell
Yet sorrows live this day
Bleeding, needing a vine

The vine exists
Vibrant, interwoven
Around a fated cross
Stained with uncompromising bruises
While sunbeams stream through
Abiding precious love
That brings healing
Where innocence had fled
Shadows demonstrate
Omniscient dreams
And a best friend
Who Brings powerful illumination
And radiant hope
Imparting all lost love
Beyond all impossible dreams

He has always been near
The door of her heart
Outstretched arms of love
Yet she didn't comprehend
Knocking, patiently
Sending love notes to her ears
Beseeching her to listen
And yearning for her to hear
Waiting and guiding her path
Toward the vine
Where burdens of sorrows are laid
At the base of a fated cross
To grasp once more
The warm glowing feeling
Through a sunbeam's touch
To flush a shattered reality
And live again in hope
With love, with peace

June 19, 2003

The Candle

The flame burns still
Slow and short
Above the window sill
Observing autumn dusk
Through the weathered frame
Adding life to grey
Constricted
In it's fragile concave shell
Set upon the pane

The molded taper
Will burn out one day
For good
It's half-way there
It has no choice
But to go all the way
This time
So often desiring
The lonely breeze
To join the storm
And toss it to the wind

The caretaker
Trims the wick, gently
And shuts the window tight
Yet leaves the shade wide open
So that the flickering flame
Is able to burn bright
As it creates shadows
Which waver among
It's own nakedness
Forming curled droplets

A life half lived
Or half-way still to go

May 27, 2000

The Prophet and the Righteous Man

There once was a prophet
And a righteous man
They met one day in a garbage can
A place we know as society's net
A deceptive theology upon mother earth
Sought the righteous man, full of mirth

The prophet said how can this be
I love you so wholeheartedly
She knew because of fading youth
That what he'd say would be the truth
The righteous man said, then we must part
He went away and broke her heart

The prophet had a righteous birth
Inside herself, upon the earth
So much has changed, so much is learned
But emptiness is all she earned
Not from God, but from that man
Upon society's plight, he had to plan
What can we do, but the best we can

The days are short and the nights are cold
She finds herself growing old
Her time moved too quick upon this earth
In lengthy paths without that mirth
Heaven's not so far away
Still sadness lingers while we stay
When life lets go of you and I
I'll see you there, in the golden sky

November 13, 1999