Let US Pray Feature

 

 

Joseph Farley, US   Free Verse Cargo   I keep trying to unlearn, to empty the vessel, pump the bilge clean of accumulated refuse, create a void capable of being filled with finer stuff, but the hands have all gone, jumped ship or turned pirate, and the captain sits alone in his cabin reading old maps and reciting numbers that may signify latitude and longitude. These simple mantras will not propel the ship in the absence of winds. There is no one available anyhow to raise the sails, but the distraction may just be enough to quiet inner storms that threaten to sink us all.     back to basics   the life you imagined turned out to be the death you feared. break away, break away, break down atoms, let loose, let fly. send each electron to the moon and beyond.     The Anointed   The fortunate ones, the successful, the victorious, the nimble of mind and body, the top dogs in any pile, do not need God or religion. They know the glory of the mountaintop on which they stand, Those they have broken on their way up, and those who could not make the climb need God, thirst for God, die for God. And the man on the mountaintop, what does he need? Nothing but his own power and success, unless he should find it is somehow not enough and he must conquer heaven or himself.     Full and Empty (No. 2)   I think I know. I think I know. And still I doubt, I doubt, I doubt The things I meditate about. What is wisdom? What lies and guff? To what old words should we listen? In what sayings should we rejoice? Empty. Empty out this blue cup. Pour a libation on the ground. Offer up all that once was me On the altar of lasting doubt. Fill the chalice that still remains With golden liquid, flowing grace. Raise up this cup and drain its dregs.     peace   peace is found in scribbled words, vague, evasive, saying nothing, but saying all.     On fire   There is a fire in me And it is burning Soon I will become ash, But not before I glow Bright and red For a moment or two Bringing warmth and light To this cold dark night.     Silencing the Madness   In hard times leaders and saints are supposed to rise from among the people. So far all I see is politicians and churchmen, bankers and generals taking turns throttling the masses and pointing the finger. It seems there is no place to look for salvation and guidance, except to gaze inside ourselves, become a world in meditation, each changing his or her own being and watching the ripples spread out from the pebbles thrown into our small ponds.     principles of the universe   the universe consists mostly of empty space. the distance between galaxies is immense, unimaginable. within those galaxies the distance between stars is described with a unit based on how far light travels in a year. orbiting a star there may be planets, separated by millions of miles. the matter that has coalesced to form these planets consists of atoms. most of the volume of an atom, including electrons, is empty space. that sense of emptiness you feel is only natural, a symptom of the universe of which you are part, and though a hand extended, a word, a gesture, love, might seem to fill that vacuum for a time, remember man that thou art nothing, and unto nothing you shall return.     At the crossroad   The cross is the block, the intersecting road in a series of four triangles. Each trinity is the same trinity. It is we, the new gods, who hang upon the crossroads, caught between the past, the present, and eternity.