S e l e c t i o n s   f r o m   B  E  I  N  G  1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 5   by S.L. McKay

Being simply being is not enough yet too much sit and stare sun rising above trees houses and dogs howling at the wind want to go out stay in cars passing more and faster loud and gassy like the zoned, droned entities behind wheels racing to places don't want to be on the couch head covered with a worn afghan grandmother knitted by a fire in Maine too long ago to keep but an image dim want to go out stay in simply being is too much yet not enough

Madness is a State of Mind Children bloody   Blown apart  Righteous study Break the heart   Corpses blanket  Wet rusted sand Puppets’ market  Camera pans Used GI-boys salute Silver birds of prey White crosses stand mute Red wreathe holiday Cut to break Surviving Island fake Conniving Drone surrender No line between Terminator Al-Zaquawi Vengeance sweet harness Sacred redefined Souls unholy; Madness Is a state of mind

green caterpillar gapes at ghostly butterfly dancing with the wind

Love is Always Memory of that kiss Remains Moist as dew Warm as sunrise Lover’s tender whisper Echoes Through willow bowed Morning’s breeze Like a hand’s caress

Airbrushed World Airbrushed world no rough 'N tumble edges Mags, TV, Net define Faux peerless bliss Cast shallow legends Chic mortals’ bleached teeth Clench consternation Ceramic nails rot Silicone breasts heave Viagra time-out Soul searching passe Purple pill surrender Airbrushed world no rough 'N tumble edges

comfortable shoes faded with use, essential gear for seeking truth

Many Journeys Snow dancing today in Illinois Is more than tedious, white, cold It’s spunky, spry, fresh, renewed Wise, adaptable, well-traveled, bold Once a Pacific wave cooling Hot sands of Acapulco Wreaked havoc as a hurricane Churning the Gulf of Mexico An innocent part of oily sludge Skimming Prince William Sound Valiantly served as cool rain Soothing Ethiopia’s barren ground Once trekked the length of the Amazon Did a stint as dew on an Iowan farm Fogged up London several moons ago Transformed into cotton over Monaco Sentenced to hard time in Siberia Its icy experience caused hysteria Teemed with thunder across China’s vast land Calmly nurtured oysters in the Sea of Japan Forced to depths below the ocean Trapped within darkness; stagnant, alone Turmoil created change, caused a commotion Escaped--transformed-- fount Yellowstone Snowflake, raindrop, sky, ocean Icicle, dewdrop, fog, river Mist, frost, sleet, slush Cloud, lake, steam, stream Snowfall, waterfall Rainbow, rain All change, all remain Many lives, many journeys

dew like diamonds drop from red velvet fingertips into eternity

Dual Rhythm Needles prick the heart Dull thoughts, sharp words Exploding bodies, carmine streams Pooling reused mer of misery Spawning redundant generation Mind expands, contracts Cerebral rubber band snaps Screams muted, destruction glorified Oil lust, false idols, samsara westernized Libertine deceived deceivers Truths flick the heart Blunts pain, firms hope Goading conscience, waking dreams Spooling reclaimed boundless levity Dawning eternal expectation Soul expands, contracts Universal glue comprises gaps Silence exalted, peace solidified Global trust, no illusion, samsara neutralized Liberal received receivers

BeLeave Me you may not believe me when i tell you you will leave me i don't know i can see the haunting the restless and  wanting your internal struggle to let go i can't help believing keeping means losing you so don't stare at me blankly when i insist you leave me please just go i can see the fury deep beneath denied worry you have dreams to seek and know if you stay here with me we will lose the love that makes us ache and weep and cling to all the things that don't complete our restless souls so you may not believe me when i tell you you must leave me you must go

Eternal Perspective A snowflake worries not where it falls Graceful, nimble, mild perfection calls Currents may bluster severe or tame In a snowflake’s view it’s all the same An apple worries not where it falls Succulent, sweet, crisp perfection calls Humans may harvest wild or tame In an apple’s view it’s all the same A kindness worries not where it falls Peaceful, thoughtful, pure perfection calls Humans may deliver eager or tame In a kindness’s view it’s all the same

Earthbound Rumbling, grumbling Engines roar Unseen beyond cemented landscape Simply, freely Blackbirds soar Unnoticed above earthbound inmates Rushing, cussing Primates drive Vanquished  en masse to steel, brick, & glass cells Crying, sighing New slaves thrive Unfettered, untainted by earthbound varnish

Performer The tree has turned itself inside out Brown-promise to bright green bud Gushing deep mossy leaves, full and lush Bleached pale by the blazing orb Slowly dying, dimming, weak Reviving frail spirit in cool nights Steeping bright as the forgotten summer sphere Falling, falling, fallen To blanket the frost-kissed ground Color and textures and earth-real scent In its final performance of the year The tree recedes starkly revealed

What is love? What is love? Is it puppies rolly-poly flopping about? Warm golden sun peeking out after a shower? Daffodils bursting after a stark winter? Is it a whisper, breezy blowing on your skin Telling you you’re sweeter than the sweetest sin? Is it a kiss – wet, hot, demanding? Another’s heart pounding in yours? Familiar hands caressing, soft and tender Even when they’re shriveled, spotted, tired? Is it silence between the waves, coming and going without pause? A trickle of water from a rusty pipe redeeming chapped brittle earth? Is it smiling at a stranger when you feel like crawling in a hole? Is it the ethereal, breathless feeling when you discover divine light? A baby’s calm breathing in the middle of the night? Honesty when nothing else will do? Little white lies shielding arrows? Is it walking away? Is it standing firm? Accepting? Not settling? Is it asking? Is it answering? What is love?

Non Sense Don't want to feel warm sun on my face Don't want to feel cool wind in my hair Don't want to feel your fiery embrace Don't want to feel your calm midnight stare Don't want to hear mister owl hoot out Don't want to hear dull green crickets hum Don't want to hear your whispered shout Don't want to hear your illogical sum Don't want to taste lush bittersweet sin Don't want to taste cold dark morning rain Don't want to taste your sweet sleepy skin Don't want to taste your bitter bare  pain Don't want to smell amber-rich fire die Don't want to smell pale crisp dewy air Don't want to smell your ancient dank lies Don't want to smell your deep musky fear Don't want to see dawn's bruised drowsy sky Don't want to see morning's mock promise Don't want to see your cruel haunted eyes Don't want to see your soul's emptiness

Rediscovery You are the dream Arousing me from fitful sleep Gazing into your eyes I see my face inside your soul The face  I've been afraid to show... Radiant, make-up-less, exposed Hearing you breathe calms the turbulent ocean thrashing within me I touch you and find my missing pieces Warm, solid, strong, alive complete, evolving

golden oak leaves gleam against vivid cerulean autumn paints again

iced lawns settle brown awaiting peaceful slumber north wind lullaby