Elements » Poetry

Winter 2009

Sheila — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:38:06 +0000

Flurries filled the air.

It was magical and sweet.

until we had sleet,

followed by snow.

The encore was freezing rain,

followed by more snow.

The trees froze.

Their branches,

heavy with ice and snow,

strained, cracked,

and sunk to the ground,

making a deafening sound.

They snapped and broke,

Heavy from the weight of the ice.

the branches came down,

the limbs flew around,

while the power lines dropped

and split apart.

Then the wind blew.

The surviving branches were few.

The sun came out,

but the temperatures dropped.

The hazardous weather

made every day life grind to a halt.

Maybe when the ice melts

and the snow stops

the sun will grace us

with warm rain drops.

Spring…it’s only a dream.

–written on Jan 28, 2009, a few hours after our car was hit by two huge branches, resulting in over $4,000 damage. Here are a couple of pictures that Kemal took:

Walking in the air

Sheila — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:30:56 +0000

(I was inspired to write this song while listening to a beautiful piano instrumental called “Walking in the Air” by George Winston. I’ve purchased most all of Winston’s CD’s; his music soothing to both the heart and soul. “Walking in the Air” is from his 1994 “Forest” album.)

Walking in the Air

I wonder where you are;
I wonder where you are today.
Tomorrow hasn’t come; today it hasn’t gone.

I wonder where you are;
in dreams you’re never far away.
You hold me in your arms…still wondering where you are.

Looking in my mind at scenes I cannot find…
only thing that’s real is hopelessness I feel.

I wonder where you are;
I look inside and cannot see.
I know you’re close to me…still wondering where you are.

Searching in my soul for things I cannot know…
only thing I find is emptiness inside.

I wonder where you are;
it seems so very far.

Down my face a tear may fall,
slipping down alone.
Seems to me I cannot be
where I would like to be

I wonder where you are;
I wonder where you are today.
Tomorrow hasn’t come; today it hasn’t gone.

I wonder where you are;
in dreams you’re never far away.
You hold me in your arms…still wondering where you are.

I need you close to me.
Yes, always close to me…please.

Sheila, December 13, 1994

The wind

Sheila — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:27:07 +0000

I’m a bird and you are the wind,
lifting me and supporting me,
allowing me to fly,
helping me to be free.

Lift me up and carry me
away to places unseen.
Fly with me into my dreams,
making dreams reality.

I’m a bird and you are the wind
and i fly with you through the sky.
Through the world we go exploring…
Always free.

Lift me up and carry me
away to places unseen.
Fly with me into my dreams;
make my dreams reality.

Sheila, July 4, 1996

Christmas 1988

Sheila — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:55:18 +0000

Shades of Yesterday

Sheila — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:04:55 +0000

Portraits of time gone by
are displayed in the library of my mind,
but more visible are the shades of yesterday,
still and framed,
hanging on the walls of time.
I ponder my own creation as i see myself
carrying the wounded from the battlefield,
but no where can i find my beginning.
The world exists but no one admits
to its futility, for if the world were only legendary
then there would not be a foundation for hatred.
Pure goodness is the basis of the celestial sphere,
but it does not account for totality.
Perhaps no one is utterly complete,
but it seems all life must first start as a seed,
which makes me question my own conception and my own perception of life.
Living in the in-between raises my awareness…but still…
i find myself without answers.

–t. vernuccio

What Living Really Is

Sheila — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:01:29 +0000

The autumn leaves soar high,
capitulating to the uncertainty of their destination,
as the wind carries them without need of direction
or navigation.
Up and down, sailing high or low,
they experience a freedom that most will never come to know.
As I watch the leaves float by, I imagine that I am as they,
and I find myself feeling lighter and lighter
until I am slowly lifted in the air,
knowing I can travel anywhere that this warm breeze
chooses to take me…
across grassy knolls,
down a winding road,
past a napping dog
or perhaps a playful frog…
or to watch the beauty of a newborn foal.
Through the sky so blue my hope is renewed
and i am filled with exhilaration.
This is living
and living is the inspiration to perpetuate ones life.
Being alive is not akin to living.
Living is nourishing your spirit
and setting it free to fly with the leaves.

–t. vernuccio

Beyond the Realms of Self

Sheila — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:42:44 +0000

Life continues to extend itself into regions unknown;
how vast are its territories, and yet, so much remains unexplored.
Listen to the trees for they do speak,
though the world does not hear because they have closed their ears
until only their perceptions and prejudices is all that is clear.
One can never find the secrets of the mind
unless one is willing to climb and journey,
inside the outside,
searching beyond the realms of self.

–t. vernuccio