Atmosphere
Words fly from fingers and carry themselves to the printed page
Note:  These poems are my original compositions.    Please do not archive elsewhere without permission.




SUMMER DAYS (1999)
(Summerland Beach)



On a sandy gray beach,
Playful dogs yip and bark at cadences in the air

A sea gull swoops low,
Riding the crest of ancient waves

A solitary figure scribbles furiously on paper,
As the whistling wind laps up against the white pages of her journal

Everyfamily cavorts on the seashore,
Enjoying the idyllic summer afternoon

The faraway drone of a car engine echoes loudly,
Then recedes into nothing

A fog, seemingly too timid to chase the sun
Settles at a far distance

In the blue green Pacific, orange buoys bob to and fro,
Swinging like pendulums in a grandfather clock

A yellow beach towel flaps in the wind,
Draped partially over a young maid with stringy brown hair

Having partaken of the ocean’s jeweled tones,
She emerges … content

The upstart wind cools its breath
But the watchful sun bathes tendrils of warmth over it

Ah, but fickle sun!  It turns its gaze away, leaving fog,
That sneaky shadow to blanket the ground momentarily

When the erstwhile rays return,
Fog and wind, like goosebumps on the flesh, become no more.




LOVESONG (1988)
(Breathe's "Hands to Heaven")


Across a darkened dance hall
Our eyes meet

You hold out your hand
Beckoning me to come to you

I move slowly towards you
You clasp my hand in yours

A sentimental ballad starts to play
And you guide me to the dance floor

You gather me close
And I close my eyes

Our bodies sway to the hidden rhythm of hearts
I feel your contented sigh

As you hold me even closer
When I open my eyes

I find you looking at me
With such tenderness, such love

I stare up at you in wonder and smile
You bend down to kiss me

And the heavens open up
You send my heart soaring

I am filled with such love
I don’t ever want the song to end

You enfold your arms around me once more
Saying that you love me

And that I make you feel special and unique
You are

Because I love you too
The song ends and we begin.




ELEMENTAL (1995)
(Carpinteria Beach)

Peace, pure and simple
Primitive, elemental

Waves crashing, caressing the shore
As old as time itself
Innocent as it should be

Nothing like holding up your face to the wind
As it bestows a kiss on your cheeks

Small undiscovered pleasures
The promise of romance hangs in the air
Eternity is possible

Sun, wind and sand
The best things in life really are free

Life, in perspective
Is an endless possibility
Always fresh and beautiful
With all doubts washed away

Time holds no meaning
To the lone, exposed self

Nothing touches the soul
Even haunted, dark memories
Color comes back to restore faith

A seagull in flight
Carefree
No impatience in place

Bittersweet intensity
Overwhelming
Overpowering
Goosebumps spread in the air

Tears remain unshed
Perhaps they merely come out of the sting of the wind
Or the melodrama of it all

A bird’s flight into the sun
Can rival a trip to heaven on winged chariots

Life can teach you a lot
If you stay silent and discover its quiet treasures.







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