Latest items:
David de la Croes, 17 june 2016
Winter
in caskets of husks
buried in shallow graves
faint pulses are beating -
waiting on the sun
to flower again
David de la Croes, 17 june 2016
Autumn VI
wet shadows
on misty morning -
lonely trees
have cried
all night
David de la Croes, 20 may 2016
Butterflies
Shards of spent rainbows
punctuate nature's story -
flutterings of hope
David de la Croes, 20 may 2016
Autumn IV
A rainbow dissolves
as dark clouds gather at dusk -
monochromed landscape
David de la Croes, 20 may 2016
Poetry Explosion
a rainbow shatters
and scatters laughter and tears
splatters on pages
David de la Croes, 5 may 2016
Autumn III
Floundering branches
asphyxiate in silence -
casualties of storm
David de la Croes, 5 may 2016
Autumn II
Silver grey clouds brush
the crowns of dark-green pine trees
Droplets see-saw, fall
David de la Croes, 5 may 2016
Freedom
A cage is opened
Stiff wings retracting, spreading
Blue skies are calling
David de la Croes, 5 may 2016
Missing you
It has been a long time since
I have been away from you
and tonight, I miss
your soft-glowing presence,
and the serenading shadows
conducting the silky symphony
of your peeling clothes.
I miss your reassuring steps,
as you approach the bed,
and the gentle sagging
of the mattress as you press down
to bend over to kiss my cheek
as I fall into a blissful sleep.
David de la Croes, 17 july 2013
Red Sun 2
Mother Earth stirs, awakes
and flips her cozy blanket,
causing frenzied specks of dust
to distort sunlight.
David de la Croes, 17 july 2013
Red Sun
The night flips over to day
like a book's slow-turning page
and the dust caused by motion
turns light waves to red.
David de la Croes, 26 june 2013
Above the clouds
Golden sun rays flow
above the clouds - and below
silver linings glow.
David de la Croes, 24 june 2013
Oceans apart
Separating seas.
You have sailed to distant shores -
your dawn is my dusk.
David de la Croes, 24 june 2013
Victoria Falls
A river implodes!
Mist from the smoke that thunders
suckles soft seedlings.
David de la Croes, 24 june 2013
My Plant
When I found you
you were like a plant
trampled in the mud
of your tears.
I picked you up
and replanted you
in the garden
of my love.
And I let my sun
shine on you
and my rain
nourish you.
And I watched you heal
and grow, and flowered...
Now I cannot stop
looking at you -
you are the most
beautiful thing
I've ever seen.
David de la Croes, 24 june 2013
Grandson
You are the newest thread
in the tapestry of my life -
once neatly-patterned,
but now criss-crossed
and sig-zagged
with the vibrant strands
of your sister.
You, too, will be interwoven
into the fabric of my life
and be interlaced through
its brightness and hues
and be intricately entwined
and securely knotted
with one golden thread -
Love.
David de la Croes, 24 june 2013
Kissing in the rain
Lime-scented orchard
flavours our luscious kisses
while gentle rain falls.
Love's salutation
awakens fervent longings -
desire cascades.
David de la Croes, 21 june 2013
Caterpillar
Caterpillar dreams
of wings and sweet nectar -
while munching tough leaves.
David de la Croes, 21 june 2013
Autumn Breeze
A brisk autumn breeze
causes a thousand goodbyes -
reluctant leaves leave.
David de la Croes, 21 june 2013
Rain Spider
At the stump of the fig tree
where sweetness and fragrance
have long departed
a rain spider has built a nest
of autumn-dried leaves
covered with a blanket
of delicate silk.
I stand and watch
the little spiders
coming out to play
in smooth fur jackets -
first, a game of tag
and then a fencing game
with slender long legs.
Soon they will spread out
and scurry around in the hunt for food;
raising neck hairs and bring shrieks of terror
as they intimidate nervous children and wives.
David de la Croes, 16 may 2013
Love Letter
I wanted to write you a poem,
but there are not enough words
in all the languages of the world
to express the essence of your being.
I wanted to paint you a picture
to exhibit the warmth and brightness
and beauty you bring to my life
but there are not enough colours
in the spectrum of light to illustrate
the intense vividness of your presence.
I wanted to compose
you a symphony to give harmony
to all the music you bring to me
but there are not enough notes
in the musical scale to bring forth
the melodious nature of your being.
And so I write this simple letter to say:
You are my first thought in the morning,
and the last thought at night,
and in all the moments in between
I constantly think and dream of you.
I love you. Always.
David de la Croes, 16 may 2013
Mother
You were gone before my mind
could grasp the brush which paints
faces on memory's canvas.
Vaguely, flashes of an open grave
on a sunny winter's day -
bare feet on my fourth birthday -
and pitiful looks from unfamiliar faces.
But I remember lonely childhood days
when I would visit your grave
bringing flowers picked from sandy fields -
And other times I would just come and cry
when it seemed I was the only child
in the whole wide world without a mother.
Poverty sent you to an early grave
and was my childhood's constant shadow.
Of all your children I was the lonesome one,
always seeking solace in solitude,
always wandering in lonely paths,
an exile from embracing arms
and motherly healing kisses.
Through the years I tried to reconstruct you
through siblings' tales of your mothering,
Although heredity ensures that part of you
will live in me and will continue in my off-spring
I felt I needed more than scientific fact
to find meaning in my sense of being.
Death has stripped me of you
but death has no power over love.
I am a fruit of your love, and as long
as I am able to approach someone in love,
I am connected to you. You are long gone.
I am still your son.
David de la Croes, 29 april 2013
There is no fear in love...
When I first realized that I loved you
I became afraid, for I felt exposed,
surrounded by the broken-down fences
I had painstakingly built as protection
for my fragile emotions and great fears
against a cold and indifferent world.
Suddenly, without warning, my safe world
was changed as I gave free entry to you
into my heart, and in spite of my fears,
I willingly my complete being exposed -
seeking the nestling warmth and protection
and the safety of love's strong fences.
I found that love was not caged, and fences
were not needed to live in its blissful world,
where affection was its own protection
and the sharing of life's journey with you
could allow unknown joys to be exposed
and assurances could replace past fears.
As our love grew and flowered, and past fears
were eroded with abandoned fences
I became strong, despite being exposed
to the changes of an evolving world.
I felt secure and contented with you -
In your loving care I found protection.
And through the years, love's certain protection
has shielded us against life's storms and fears
And as I have walked at the side of you
I found a paradise, without fences,
where we have built our own beautiful world,
filled with love, and our joy could be exposed.
Now we have grown old and by age exposed
our bodies frail, each limb needs protection.
As we move slowly in a twilight world
and confront diverse and alarming fears
I seek strength in my memory's fences
recalling joyous times and days with you.
A soul exposed to true love knows no fears.
The protection of your love's strong fences
secure my world - I will always love you.
David de la Croes, 29 april 2013
I missed you!
(Poem for my granddaughter)
I just found out that you visited here
while I was away at work -
and that you left a few minutes before my arrival!
Ah! Your sweet presence
would have been such a balm
for my tired and aching body -
having traveled by bus, and train, another bus,
and then dragged for a thousand metres
through blustering winds.
And now I must find consolation
in the traces of your presence -
the imprints of your feet on the bathroom tiles,
and the faint lingering echoes of your laughter,
and the fading silhouette where you sat watching cartoons.
Although you live in my heart, I still miss you, sweet child!
David de la Croes, 27 march 2013
Thank you for loving me
Thank you, my dearest, for loving me
and being there for me in times of need
and embracing me completely
with your whole being, and so tenderly
my desires with great kindness feed;
therefore I thank you for loving me.
Your love has brought me a potpourri
of pure delights, and through word and deed
you embrace my being completely.
Your love fills my soul with harmony
that I can with joy on life's way proceed;
therefore I thank you for loving me.
Your affection, with grace and beauty,
has made my life wholesome and sweet,
embracing my being completely.
From loneliness you set me free
and my heart will these words always beat:
Thank you, my dearest, for loving me
and embracing me completely!
David de la Croes, 26 march 2013
Senses
I have seen a rainbow
in a small drop of dew
and a flight to freedom
in an abandoned shoe
and in a beggar's face
I have, O God, seen You.
I have heard the dawn break
as the morning greets us
and the despairing cry
of an aborting fœtus
and in words of comfort
does Your kind voice exists.
I have felt the trembling
of those who fear the night
and the hope created
by a flickering light
Your gentle touch, O God
brings my soul full delight.
I have smelled the nectar
in tall stems of flowers
and the cool refreshment
of the gentle showers
the fragrance of your love
sweetens, O God, my hours.
I have tasted goodness
of unselfish givers
and the sweetest waters
of free-flowing rivers
Your grace, O loving God,
let me taste divine bliss.
David de la Croes, 15 march 2013
Birthday wishes to a loved one abroad
May your day be clad
in bright chitenge,
and your ears filled
with the music of falling waters!
Lwa mitonda , kaizeli!
See us run with arms outstretched
like the wings of an airplane
because, if we could, we would fly to you;
see our encircling, turning legs
like those of sprinting cyclists
because, if we could, we would pedal to you;
see us hop, in a sitting posture
like that of a crazy taxi driver
because, if we could, we would race to you.
But we would rather have you here with us
Africa ya kutonda, kaizeli!
Ku tezi batu - we are waiting for you
Utwa, ba andamisa - come dance with us.
While distance separates you from us
we talk about you, smile, and say:
Mutu yo munde ki ya na ni sikoka kwa batu;
and we want you to remember always:
Ku sebeleza Mulimu, ki makalelo a butali.
Be blessed, dear sister!
We wish you peace, we wish you joy
and above all, we wish you love.
David de la Croes, 28 february 2013
Old love
The flames of the fire of our love
may have abated and subsided
but its embers still menacingly glow
and from time to time it's reignited
searing through us like lava's hot flow
until by joy fulfilled and delighted
it flickers, returning, mellowing slow,
into its normal pedestrian groove.
David de la Croes, 21 february 2013
Friends 2
The enduring love of faithful friends
is my shield against the false pretense
of those who laugh and smile with me
but through their actions, subtlely
have in their hearts abandoned me.
David de la Croes, 21 february 2013
Benediction
I wish you a good and beautiful morning
free from worries, suffering and pain
a day filled with rays of golden sunshine
wherein the blessings of the good God rain
May your heart be filled with joy and peace
and your mouth overflow with thankful praise
Remember that you are loved beyond measure
and your existence depend on God's grace.
David de la Croes, 21 february 2013
God is good
O God, I love the feeling of joy
when I am able for others to care
and the sense of wealth and prosperity
when I my little earthly goods share
Warmth fills my heart when I bring comfort
and I feel strong when I help the weak
In my mouth I can taste the sweetness
when I of the good in others speak
This is how You made me, and I praise
Your goodness - let it fill all my days.
David de la Croes, 19 february 2013
Trust
Should my joy be overtaken by sadness
and, confronted by life's trials and madness,
I find no reason for laughter or gladness,
I will still praise, O Lord God, your steadfastness.
David de la Croes, 19 february 2013
Reconciliation
O God, when you prepare for me a table
in the presence of my enemies
grant me a heart so that I am able
to invite them to partake of the feast.
For Jesus taught me how to live in peace
and reconcile with foe and neighbour
so when I work for conflict to cease
You grant me your good and gracious favour.
David de la Croes, 19 february 2013
Kingdom
O God, Your kingdom is revealed
in places of abundant love;
whoever diligently seeks it, finds
an unfathomable treasure trove
which brings refreshment for the soul
and healing for the broken spirit;
the poor and outcasts of this world
find beneficence in your ample merit.
David de la Croes, 15 february 2013
Friends
When the melody of your life
first resonated through my soul
it harmonised with the tones
which make my life so rich and whole
and when the lyrics reached my ears
which sang of joy, and even pain
it caused me to laugh, so smile, to cry
for my song has a similar refrain.
While your music in my ears persist
I am so thankful that you exist!
David de la Croes, 15 february 2013
Blessing
May peace and joy in your life abound
and that which is lost, again be found
may your feet stand firm on solid ground
and God's kind love you each day surround.
May all the dimensions of God's grace
reveal itself in every place
and allow a smile each day to trace
the inner joy of a happy face.
David de la Croes, 15 february 2013
To my daughter
The lasting joy which love does bring
fill your life, so that it may sing
with gladness each and every day
as you go forth to find your way
amidst chaotic passages of time
to find that all which is sublime
is already in your possession
for the most lasting impression
one can make is to share the gift
of a life unselfishly lived.
David de la Croes, 14 february 2013
Valentine
I taste your sweetness in every fruit
and smell your fragrance in all the flowers
your gentle touch is like the wind and rain
and sun which soothes life's days and hours
you radiant smile is loving and kind
and each day you are my valentine!
David de la Croes, 21 january 2013
Hope
When we are lost, God's love will find us
and when wounded, His grace will bind us
when our prospects are bleak and forlornly
and the paths we walk are steep and thorny
our hope is in God on whom we wait
more than those that watch for the morning.
David de la Croes, 18 january 2013
To my daughter
There passes not a single day
when I do not think of you, or pray
that God's love, steadfast and true,
covers, protects, and abides with you.
And while life's hardships still do come
and the burdens become wearisome,
when uncertainties frighten or scare
and you need help, I'll be there
for I love you more than words can say
just as I have loved you from your very first day.
David de la Croes, 18 january 2013
Grace
O God, the magnitude of your love
is greater than the sum of all my fears
and the comforting warmth of your grace
evaporates a thousand seas of tears.
David de la Croes, 16 january 2013
In Memoriam
The last note in the song of your life has been sung
but its sweet melody still echoes in my soul
and each new break of day displays the brilliance
of your exquisite smile with gentle rays of gold.
Your soft touch can be felt in petals of flowers
and the music of nature rings with your laughter.
Though there are times when sadness and heartache rule,
and challenges seem more difficult and tougher
I know that only time, not distance, separates,
and in the quiet moments of a fast-fleeting life
the sweet memory of you brings contentment great.
David de la Croes, 15 january 2013
Forever
When I am gone and forgotten
and my existence erased
from all living memory;
when my remains
are grounded to dust
I still want something
to remain of me
even a speck infinitely small
to testify to the universe
that I have loved you.
David de la Croes, 13 february 2012
terrorists
under cover of darkness,
while the oshanas were feeding
off the cuvelai
the men from the south came silently
disturbing the tilapia from its gentle sleep.
Suddenly they pounced, and the voices
of the women pierced the night
as they dragged our men
to our sacred places
where they tortured them.
David de la Croes, 2 february 2012
first-born daughter
When you were born
I became a father
and in my heart I discovered
a new type of love
which made me both tender and strong
and through the years
it has motivated and inspired me
to care as much, for as many people, as I could
And though my family and world
has expanded, I just want to say this:
There is nothing in this world that can replace
the joy I felt when you first looked at my face.
David de la Croes, 30 january 2012
Greetings to my children
Though the skies are gray
may your day be bright
and may your tender hearts
be filled with glorious light.
Let the joy which love supplies
shine through your soul and eyes.
David de la Croes, 30 january 2012
Neighbour
O God, Your hands have made me human
but Your love has made me humane
Let me approach each man and woman
and every child without disdain
but filled with Your mercy and grace
I may them as my neighbour embrace.
David de la Croes, 26 january 2012
Grace
O God, I praise
the sufficiency of Your grace!
Non-reciprocal and unrequited
it approached my soul, by sin benighted
and freed it from idolatry
rewriting its cursed history.
In return I can offer nothing, but this:
my faithfulness.
David de la Croes, 26 january 2012
Longing
The turtle dove sits quietly on its nest
and sparrows play catch-me-if-you-can
a cool, fresh breeze caresses the trees
and the waves ride gently on the tide
while my longing heart beats off the time
until I will see and hear you again, my love!
David de la Croes, 19 january 2012
First Kiss
Our first kiss
was meant to be our last:
the seal on a pact
not to complicate each other's lives
but when our lips and mouths met
the universe stood still
and the only movement
was of our cells seeking their mate
as our beings sought to fuse together
and when, after an eternity
our bodies found release
we knew that we would never part again
David de la Croes, 19 january 2012
arsonist
I found a dead sparrow
in the bone-dry bird bath
in the garden
of the big house
where the rich people live
and I was so sad
but now I am in hiding
because last night, someone
set flame to the big house
David de la Croes, 16 january 2012
Holiness
O God, I find holiness
in the wholeness
of everydayness
where Your presence
is revealed
in every living thing
David de la Croes, 12 january 2012
Prayer
With heavy sighs too deep for words
my being reaches out to You, O God
Your Spirit intercedes for me
translating each unspoken word.
You are closer to me than I am,
O Searcher of the heart of man!
And while I pray not as I should
never let me silent be. Amen.
(Romans 8:26-27)
David de la Croes, 10 january 2012
Laughter
Your sparkling laughter
is like crystal rain drops
which bend the sunlight
into a rainbow
David de la Croes, 10 january 2012
Thoughts
From afar
I can still feel
your mouth
forming into a smile
and I can see your eyes
glowing with joy
and I can hear
the music of your heartbeat
when you think
about me
David de la Croes, 10 january 2012
Coma
Oh! I miss your spontaneous laughter,
the mischievous, bright glint in your eyes,
everything around you is quiet
just like my heart which silently cries.
I wish you could acknowledge my words
and respond when I gently touch you
no-one now bothers to kiss away
my tears as they unrelenting flow;
for I fear that you will never wake
and that I would be alone again
in the dark and the frightening nights
asphyxiating from my piercing pain
David de la Croes, 6 january 2012
In Memoriam
At times my tears involuntarily flow
because I was unprepared for the pain
of your sudden departure
and the loneliness of the paths
on which we walked together
and the emptiness of the places
where your voice has become silent.
I often go to your garden to seek solace
and find that each tree and plant and petal
each leaf, and every blade of grass
testify of your patient and tender care.
David de la Croes, 6 january 2012
Visitation
Last night, while you were asleep
resting your tired and sick body
I visited you in my thoughts
and danced with you.
David de la Croes, 6 january 2012
War
Oh, this opera of hatred
composed by men
who do not know the pain
of our forced participation!
The libretto of our cries
and explosions of our lives
bring thunderous applause
and the victors stand up
to congratulate themselves
on a superb performance.
David de la Croes, 5 january 2012
I wish ... poem for my granddaughter
I wish I could look at a flower through your eyes
and discover why you are so fascinated by it
I wonder why your eyes glisten
when you look at the stars,
and why you smile at the moon.
I wish I could find out what triggers you
to jump and skip, or giggle with glee
and I strain my ears to hear the silent melody
which causes you to break out in song
I wish I could embrace someone so firmly
as you do when you jump up to greet me
I wish I were like you when I was a child.
David de la Croes, 4 january 2012
True love never dies...
True love never dies,
yet my heart is mourning.
Is it because your eyes
fail to light up when you see me
or perhaps that your smile
has disappeared when you talk to me?
Our kisses have become tepid
and you no longer touch my face.
I sometimes feel as if I am standing
outside the intensive care unit
of our relationship,
watching the rhythm of its heartbeat
becoming slower and slower.
True love never dies,
and yet I am crying.
David de la Croes, 3 january 2012
haiku
Like a bright ribbon
your smile completes the wrapping
of my perfect day
David de la Croes, 23 december 2011
You
You are the spring in my step
and the swing in my arms
you are the ring in my laughter
and the melody in my song
you are the sparkle in my eyes
and the colour in my cheeks
you are the line in my horizon
and the circle around my world
because you complete my life
David de la Croes, 23 december 2011
archaeologist
At night I dig amongst the ruins
of a past civilization
looking for signs
of our lost love
but all I find
is the shards of broken promises.
I call out your name,
but all that answers is the wind
and instead of your charming perfume
my nose is filled with dust
and the stench of decay.
I wish I could lose my fear
that even after my death
I will still wander here
without ever finding you.
David de la Croes, 21 december 2011
Poem for my granddaughter
Your first smile
wiped away the dust and mould
from the canvas of my soul
and your first laughter
splashed its bright colours
over dark and somber tones
and then you framed it
with a rainbow
created by the refracted light
of your transparent being
David de la Croes, 21 december 2011
Blessings
It is a blessing to be surprised
by the familiar;
to notice a smile
that has always been there
and the softness of voice
of people who comfort and care,
to feel the gentle touch
of those who encourage and cheer
and the kindness in eyes of those
to whom one is precious and dear.
David de la Croes, 21 december 2011
Smiles
I have often wondered
why you always seem so happy
when you see and greet me
and then I looked
into your shining eyes
and saw my smiling face...
Perhaps it is because
I am so happy
when I see you...
Latest comments:
25 april 2024
sam53
przychodzi czas i trzeba zdecydować...
24 april 2024
jeśli tylko
nadszedł ten czas..
24 april 2024
Weronika
Sekwencja ram obrazów z dzieciństwa.
24 april 2024
violetta
Fajnie się czyta, superowe pisanie.
24 april 2024
Adam Pietras (Barry Kant)
Dzięki! : )
24 april 2024
Czy ja wiem? Tu chodzi o to że fajna jest przyroda
24 april 2024
Eva T.
"Życie w arcydziele"? Pisownia irytuje.
24 april 2024
Fajna próbka. Czyta sie dobrze. Pozdrawiam :)
24 april 2024
Spacer z bocianem ;)
22 april 2024
Martwa ale z wyjątkiem strzelistych bluźnierstw.
20 april 2024
:) Dobranocka:)
20 april 2024
kb
chwilą... jedyną :))
24 april 2024
Satish Verma
23 april 2024
Adam Pietras (Barry Kant)
22 april 2024
Satish Verma
21 april 2024
sam53
21 april 2024
wiesiek
21 april 2024
Satish Verma
20 april 2024
Satish Verma
19 april 2024
Satish Verma
18 april 2024
Satish Verma
17 april 2024
Jaga