by IRENE FOWLER, Contributor

“There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred,
there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.”
– Siddharta Gautama

To read Irene’s new poem “Swimming with Sharks” click:

Swimming with Sharks

by Irene Fowler

Clay with ether, begotten and bespoke
Life and death conjoined and yoked
Stairways ascending and descending
Airy light and deep darkness blending
Reality and golden dreams clash
Brace for the upset and smash.

**

High mountains, cavernous caves
Present, from cradle to grave
Vast teeming oceans, fixed stars
Repositories of mysteries, near and far
Splendour and glory displayed
Tireless, endless and fetching parades.

**

The fabric of society marred by jagged fringes
A torn, messed up tapestry with tattered trims
A story not weaved by the brothers Grimm
Growing more rare, are sweetness and light
Stalked and hunted down by cruel, brutal might
Truth and justice scarcely in sight.

**

The planet we call home in wild disarray
How little time left – who is to say
Sterling values cast out into record scorching heat
The outcome of damnable conceit and deceit
Even so gross, cold darkness permeates
And our hot and frosty date with destiny – awaits.

**

Swimming with spine-chilling sharks
Light years from a frolic in the park
To go where angels dare to tread
Turning safe security on its head
A twilight voyage into soiled, bloodied waters
Not for the faint of heart or falterer.

**

Deliverances are few and far between
It’s the same tired rhetoric and banal routine
Albeit, the irrepressible spirit soars
To prise open every window, unlock every door
Broken, hurting humanity fast becoming undone
Yet, is the best still to come?

© 2022 by Irene Fowler