Don't Act Your Age

Don't act your age
For that is but a number
And maturity is not
A numerical value

Rather, act your heart
For this is an unleashed spring
Watering the arid land
As does the oasis in a desert

It's not how many times
We've gone 'round the Sun
But if our heart has opened
Even once

COME UNTO ME

Come unto me O vapors of earth and I will fill the sky
With brilliant whiteness
To spread in the Sun's heat and stretch across the heavens
My crisp edges bend and flow into new shapes

I reign upon your parade, push up the daisies
And fill the hills with daffodils as far as the eye can see
Fill your ponds and aquifers to sate your thirst
Make rivers that float your boats to the sea

Come unto me O vapors of earth, give me your energy
I can be soft as cotton as fierce as a sword from the sky
I thunder your doors, flash light through bedroom windows
Where kitties scurry under the bed and children cling for dear life

Now, I disappear for days on end leaving blue skies all alone
Then come floating back to cast overcast and hide the sun from you
I darken the day and make everything shadow and grey and gloom
I let loose sleet and snow by the shovelfuls for this is me in winter

Come unto me O vapors of earth and fuel my engine
I cool the hot summer day and let my brother wind free
To blow the hats off gentle men and lift skirts with gay abandon
A willful rascal, he, with no respect for laundry nor ships at sea

As a cauliflower I billow in summer and reach the stratosphere
As cumulus and nimbus and wispy stratus
Look at my theater; you may see faces and bears, a witch on a broom
For I am a screen to your fantasy
Before the curtain closes with the advent of night

Come unto me

Ron Eklof '08

WHITE EMBERS FALL

White embers fall
Grey Moon, white sliver
Grey smoke smudge
Thump
Flash white streak
Red burst
Faces shine red
Upward chins
Eyes glisten
Ooooo
Wowwwwww
Thump
Falling white spirals shriek
Flash white streak
Green burst sparkle
Red thunder
Oooooo
Wowwwww
Blue dissolve
Falling white embers
Grey smoke smudges
Parade across black sky
Below white moon sliver
Do it again
Thump
Ron Eklof 08

SHINE ON

There are those who walk ahead
And those who walk behind
But those who walk side by side
Oh, they're the bestest kind

Through hard lessons we have learned
And shared our fresh insights
That joyful mirth and warm embrace
Make our burdens light

From the shambles of our past
Lived on desperate streets
We came to know that that dark hour
Was a lamp unto our feet

To help others on this road
We meet on common ground
With common problem, common solution
Impart the commonwealth we found

I'd not have tread this road so well
Were you not by my side
We shared the wonder that we saw
Each the other's guide

Shine on, Nicky, shine on

Ron Eklof ‘08

In remembrance of Nick Natale

A WEAVING

On a loom are we created
And have our breadth of days
Our web fashioned by unseen weaver's hands
Deftly spun we become the woof
Now the warp
Slowly turned into tapestry

The filaments of our lives entwine
Each strand touching others
Soft wool, hard jute, supple linen
A spectrum of color and feel
Amid the rough fiber find gold thread
Blended with those of common mettle

Each sees their texture but dimly
For we busy ourselves in being the yarn
Yet, in heaven's time is revealed an artful plan
A fabric woven from laughing hearts
From joyful love's embrace
And, too, of sorrow's tears
On the humble trail we trod

Shall we now lift our hearts
In sweet appreciation
For a life well lived,
For a life well spent;
Fashioned from recovered cloth
Into a weaving made divine

Ron Eklof ‘08

In appreciation for Nick Natale

Cherubim of Snow

Thanks Chicago Jim
For the sideways view of snow
Imagination

I had turned the photo on it's side like this and saw Botticelli's works: The Madonna and a cherubim.
What do you see?

THERE ARE THOSE

There are those who walk ahead
And those who walk behind
But those who walk side by side
Oh, they're the bestest kind

We walk through grassy morning dew
We stride the beach at night
Walk shady lanes in midday sun
And share soft sunset light

In summer's heat we hike the trails
To reach the mountain crest
When leaves begin to once more fall
We stop and take our rest

In winter's breath we strap on skis
To ride o'er pathless hills
But now by jonquil bedded slope
We pause to take our fill

I would not tread these roads at all
Were you not by my side
To share the wonder that we see
With each the other's guide
'05

WELCOME

We welcome you to your new life
Upon this rock called Earth.
We grant in you all blessings be;
The peace, the joy, the mirth.

May you have all the air to breathe
That you will ever need;
Abundant bread to feed your soul
And share it without greed.

Oh, child of mine; oh, daughter ours,
Welcome to freedom, come.
In artful ways, spend all your days,
In playful realm, not glum.

In winsome mask shall you employ
Beguiling strands of whimsy.
Bedeck the days, 'tis yours to do,
With slithy toves of mimsey.

May you find that sunny days
And cloudy days, as well.
Give grace by divergent means
Upon you, gentle belle.

For you can sing a song of joy
No matter what the season;
To bring forth love so we may see
A zest for life most pleasin'.

Now, here you lie within your crib,
When all is done and said;
Let slumber rest your innocence;
Easy lay your tousled head.

We look at you, at your sweet smile;
You have come to bless this world.
We take this time, we take this while,
To welcome our little girl.

Norfolke '99

STARDUST

We are of Stardust made
And have been here since the beginning
If there ever was one
We will be here til the end
If there ever is one

If ever there was a Creation
This is it
Right here, right now
And nothing is missing

Are we not full of wonder
Are we not wonderful
For we are of Stardust made

(c) Norfolke '97

I WROTE

I wrote out a poem called
“STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING”
With the familiar line “And miles to go before I sleep”
I wrote this work by Robert Frost in pen
On a lined yellow pad of paper

My hand moved the ink
Over and around vowel and consonant
Up stroke and line curving each letter
To bring forth the words

Had the feeling of completeness
In each line and thought
Felt the joy of writing a famous poem
And what Robert may have felt writing it first
I did not have to edit a thing
For Robert had already done that part

This was not just a piece to read and leave
But to be involved with; in the creativity of it
The pleasure was mine as it had been his
We wrote together

Knowing the emotion of writing my own poetry
In words from my lexicon and mind
The feeling and intuition of my soul
I share as he shared the experience sublime

Someday I will write another poem
Maybe in my words or someone else’s
For to put pen to paper
Is to open and create

(c) Ron Eklof 2003

A WANDERING MINSTREL I

A wandering minstrel I
Met a fair spinstral by
The wood on a sprightly fall day.

And in my insouciant way
Asked the lass for a lay.
To which she spit in me eye.

Tut, tut, my dear little slut,
'tis it not time for a rut?
Let us pass the day in the hay.

To wit she replied
All haughty and snide,
“You sir, are a rascal, a bounder and a cad.“

I could only respond,
“And you, Madame,
Are a mackerel, a flounder and a cod.”

(c) Norfolke 2000

(0o)

!!

.

NAKED CAME I

Naked came I from the womb of woman
And naked am I 'neath this cloth.
Yea, come the end of my time,
And I'll naked lie, eternal.

When the winds of change
Wrestle the palms by the shore,
And the heavens heave tumult below,
I stand a rock on the barren sands,
Braving the forces infernal.

'Tis an arrogant one who flippant be;
'Tis the foolish one who pushes his pride
Beyond the scope of rational thought;
To outwardly show what no one should see:
The tormented child held internal.

Jut of the chin says come punch me now.
Knock this chip off my shoulder.
Get up seven times
After seven times down,
A practice repeated diurnal.

Where, oh where has my little soul gone?
Where, oh where can it be?
'Neath a stony cold heart?
In the harsh words of hate?
In the icy black ink of my journal?

Naked came I from the womb of woman
And naked am I 'neath this cloth.
Yea, come the end of my time
And I'll naked lie, eternal.

© NORFOLKE '00

CHILL

A chilly Florida morning
Seems colder than the north country
Where winter gales impale the neck
And shiver me timbers down

'Tis colder here where the feet are numb
And the spine recoils from draft
I snug the jacket in wrapped embrace
And you,
Cold heart,
You say,
"It's only 48."

Brrrrrrrrr

Norfolke '01

KEEPERS

He walks along the shore with his companion
A bright summer morning, air fresh, sky blue,
The cool sand crunching under their feet;
Gulls call in the distance.

He stops to pick up a shell, she walks on.

Iridescent green and red shine in its inner spiral.
Intricate striations and knurls on its outside.
It is beautiful, perfect, a keeper.

He takes it to his friend.
She looks at it, observes that it is pretty,
But, it has a piece missing;
It's broken and not whole.
"You're not going to keep it, are you?"
She moves on, looking for her keepers
Further along the shore.

He walks with her,
Still holding the shell,
And knows that, to him,
It is whole and complete,
In and of itself.

It is not deminished by what is absent,
But is perfect just the way it is;
Just so.

He puts it in his pocket.

Rather than looking to find perfection,
He finds perfection where he looks.

Oh, look at that...

Norfolke '99

I SAW A WOMAN

I SAW A WOMAN with rings on her toes,
Rings in her ears and rings in her nose.
She brings her persona wherever she goes.
Wants to be diff'rent, I guess, I suppose.

I SAW A WOMAN on the way to her work,
Not as a waitress, not as a clerk.
She wore a grey suit, making ev’ry head jerk.
Wants to be diff'rent, I guess it must work.

I SAW A WOMAN with blue hair on her head.
Her rouge was not blush, but orange instead.
Insouciant lips were painted blood red.
Wants to be diff'rent 'til the day she drops dead.

I SAW A WOMAN with mind all asunder,
Going around stealing the thunder,
Spouting faux pas and political blunder.
Wants to be diff'rent, I guess it’s no wonder.

I SAW A WOMAN wearing gypsy-like clothes,
All in a jumble, this costume she chose,
Some of it shabby, like the runs in her hose.
Wants to be diff'rent, I guess, I SuppHose.

(c) Norfolke '99

I WILL NOT

I will not, cannot, must not pursue my dream
But crush any bliss I would have
And hide my light under bushel, within dark closet
Beneath ignoble rock

Not for me a pursuit of legend, joy, and great stature
Rather, in gloom of day, I plod the drudgery road
No star to guide, no ship to return
As none was put out to sea

Yea, I fear of death, simple evil
And the unseen power of an unglimpsed future
I revile these gifts wrapped within
Have contempt for talents that lie undisturbed
Yet ask no grant or favor to break the chains in me

So, keep this fold upon mine eye
That I not see through disquieting fog
Ray no light to reach my skin
Nor allow me view the moon of aspiration

I clutch my cloak of dark despair
Muse be gone from me
When Time is come to loose my mortal illusion
I dread to meet feared fire

Yet let it come while I am unready

Ron Eklof (c) 2002

THE HAIR ON MY NOSE

So the hair on my chinny-chin-chin
Is better than a hair on my nose.
Can there be a whinny-win-win?
It goes without saying, but I'll say it, I suppose

That the rhyme of all reason
Calumny tantamount to treason
In the vilified season
This hair sure ain't pleasin'

Let us guillotine the offending shaft
Off with it's 'ed, send it to bed, no, to the floor instead
But, we are rebellious, and not a little bit daft
Yet like sheep to the sheerer, to the barber we’re lead

Is this what we want? To cut what we soweth?
It’s utterly fantastic, a solution so drastic
To sever so sublime a gentle growth
Of this umbrage, I’ve become quite spastic

For the eye of the beholder, beholds a great wrong
In public I'm told it, in private I'm scolded
To bring my appearance to high standards erelong
The ego is crushed; it is bent and is folded

Belay your baleful eye; withhold your viewing
of this hair you're eschewing
Who do you think I am, a pimpled-faced soda jerker?
For it's not just the nose, but my persona you're skewing
Me thinks I'll go Islamic and wear a grey burkha

With slits for the eyes and shod in my sandals
I hide in the tents, hang out with the camels
In darkened alcoves lit with small candles
Avoiding the glances of two-legged mammals

I love this little one curled upon once proud snout
Our lives are filled with pain and sorrow
I want you here, hair; others want you out
Be us resigned; hair today, gone tomorrow

Snip

'03

MUSE OF PEN

Come to me, o muse of pen
And course across the page
Let words flow out of sense
And paper be thy stage

Let fly the ink to indelible stain
From a heart that finds its speech
Once writ it lies for every eye
To see the inward reach

May this trail of penciled lead
Scribe over smooth pulped wood
A tale of import and delight
Easily understood

To be carried from this day forth
In hearts ever young
On lips, place this song
That it be ever sung

For ‘tis not I who creates what’s writ
But serving for thy use
I give you chance to make clear
What once seemed obtuse

Tho’ accolades of hand and word
May come to find my ear
I, in simple gratitude,
Thank you for being here

Ron Eklof (c) 2002

A CHEESE

After "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." - G. K. Chesterton, I submit the following:

A CHEESE

Silent frommage
Contained it holds firm, odorless.
Yet freed from the bonds of containment
Crumbles unto the plate, aroma unleashed.
Feta compli

*

THE BEACH

Sounds of the waves splash in my ears
Squealing seagulls swirl overhead
A child throws her bread into the air
So, the gulls, they hover and strike

Strong gusty breezes blow on my skin
While a bright summer sun bakes the sand
Towering clouds move in from the west
And sounds of the waves fill my ears...

Norfolke © ‘98