Richard’s Poems . . .
Copyright © 2005 by Richard T. Douse
Contents:
View from the 14th floor of the Old Seaman’s Hotel
Come walk with me across dead leaves
Under barren trees with empty arms
Uplifted
Needing that which only Spring can give
Walk on with me through brittle weeds
Across stark fields whose naked rocks
Lie waiting
Watching silently one season slip away
Where fled the warmth once we both knew
Who drained the color from this place
Once our playground too?
Tomorrow brings a gentle rain
Perhaps to ease the pain
Of a time between summers.
-Richard Douse
Another Spring has come at last
To ease the pain of seasons past;
The world is starting all anew
And I've got other things to do
Than dwell on thoughts that make me blue . . .
It's Spring! Spring! Spring! And, the birds fly high
Doing crazy antics in a clear blue sky!
It's Spring! Spring! Spring! The flowers know it!
It's certainly Spring! The red rose shows it!
And the meadowlark . . . how I love it's song,
Sings me its melody all day long;
Yet I'd trade this all for that Spring gone by,
When birds flew higher . . . in a bluer sky;
When the bright red rose grew brighter still,
And each meadowlark had a clearer trill;
When the tall green grass grew soft and sweet,
To become our bed when we would meet;
And we would love the whole day through!
Oh God! Was endless joy to be with you!
Touching, kissing, in love, at play,
You renewed my soul that Spring each day;
And the memories live within my mind,
With a heart, now broken, left behind;
Still, a tingle lives on each spot kissed . . .
As you can see, you're hardly missed . . .
-Richard Douse
Face of old in supermarket line
Jostled now by strangers half her age,
Taking rudeness simply as a sign
One sonnet's done, and she must turn the page;
Walking home past children on the street
Halfway wishing they would stop or stare,
Whose eyes and her's just never seem to meet
Who pass her by as if she wasn't there;
Alone within the confines where she dwells
A young girl lives within a wrinkled frame,
And sings and dances to her wedding bells
Reliving days when all there knew her name;
As dancing leaves of brightest green turn gold
Let each of us find value in the old.
- Richard Douse
Flattened can
Upon the street
Twisted metal
Ripped out seat
Empty shoe
In center lane
Crimson fluid
Seeking drain
Shattered dreams
Cut-off screams
Echo still
Always will.
-Richard Douse
Together we swim
As fish!
You and I
As one!
With all the rest
Of every kind
And subtle shape
We share our
Bowl of effluent.
You wonder about me,
Why I complain of it,
And, call me
Ecology nut, or worse
Environmentalist!
I wonder about you!
-Richard Douse
Through littered asphalt trails
The city caveman stalks;
Old drunks in parks,
Feeble ladies,
The fat cat with bread,
Or a girl
Give me the real jungle
Dark forests and bright meadows
Cool damp earth and
Leaves beneath my feet
Where life is useful and not wasted
Where cougars eat the meat they kill.
-Richard Douse
I thought of you last night in bed alone
And thinking kept me warm
So many things I wanted you to know
But we had only met
A meeting of the eyes
I wanted you
You knew that
And I think you felt the same;
I thanked you for the matchbook
With your address and name.
This morning when I looked I found
That slip of paper gone
Through the pockets hole, no doubt
Along with some loose change
I think I should have read it first,
At least I'd know your name.
- Richard Douse
by Richard T. Douse
The night was black in Coolgardie Camp
But the barroom lights were gay
When Dead-Eye Jim came walking in
Looking for his man to slay.
For he'd been working hard in his Black Hills mine
And the months had quickly fled,
But he got the word, or somehow heard
Of his girl in another's bed.
Oh, that dear young thing who wore his ring
Who'd a thought sweet Sue'd go wild?
But a preacher's son her heart had won
And she's heavy now with child.
Jim did not leave his Black Hills mine
For sweet Sue he could not claim,
He waited instead for the preacher's son
To give the child a name. . .
But the preacher's son (that son-of-a-gun!)
He wasn't looking for a wife,
And when he told Sue so, and that he would go
Sue somehow took her life!
Though the news cut deep, Jim did not weep,
But a fire burned within,
And he planned the day and the gruesome way
He'd right that awful sin.
Now a desert sun on a hot still day
Starts a boiling in the brain,
And a madness grows in one who knows
Where his precious love has lain.
A desert mine is a lonely place
For a man full of hate and grief,
In its darkened hole you can lose your soul
In searching for relief
And the night was black in Coolgardie Camp
But the barroom lights were gay
When Dead-Eye Jim came walking in
Looking for his man to slay.
From clinking glass and laughter loud
A hush fell in the room;
"I'm looking for a man," he said,
"To show him to his tomb!"
"Where is this slime who did the crime
To my girl, not long ago,
A preacher's son who wears a gun,
Maybe thinks my hand is slow?"
No man dared speak nor blink an eye
From fear that he'd be dead;
Where the preacher's son was at right now,
They thought best left unsaid. . .
But Dead-Eye didn't come to town
To simply ask, then leave;
He came to take a man away
Then leave a preacher grieve!
To an upstairs room he went to look,
With his foot he broke the door!
And rolling on a bed he found
His man with a village whore!
Jim took his man right down the stairs!
Took him naked, and in shame!
Then tied him to a mule he'd brought,
And took him to his claim!
Some say revenge is not for man,
That it's wrong to take a life;
But what of slime who soils a girl,
Then makes her not his wife?
Who fibs! Nay, lies! To lure a girl
Into his lustful bed,
Then, having had his way with her,
Reneges on getting wed?
But Jim was not the killing kind,
Though Dead-Eye was his name;
And, while he would not kill his man,
He'd get even just the same.
From the mule he took his captive down
To the bottom of his mine;
To the man he told, if you look for gold
I'll let you out, in time. . .
Now a desert mine is a lonely place
For a man who's filled with fears,
In it's darkened hole you can lose your soul
When committed there for years!
As the days go by and the nights go by,
Each day and night's the same!
In this hellish pit with no lamp lit,
You can even lose your name!
There is no bliss in a black abyss,
Time hangs like a heavy stone;
From crimes you've done, you cannot run,
For your deeds you must atone!
And forced penance is not without suffering!
Oh no! There's pain in remembering sin;
You'll scream in the black like a man on the rack,
When the cave-worm chews on your skin!
You'll live with the vermin that eat you,
And you'll eat them too, if you can,
Grateful that no one can see you,
To guess you were ever a man.
But Dead-Eye Jim was a gentle sort,
Not the kind would harm a flea;
So one mid-July when the sun stood high,
He set his captive free.
But a white-hot sun can frighten one
Who has lived in eternal night,
And to be turned loose, like a naked goose,
Can aggravate this fright.
With a full canteen, but naked still,
Jim sent him on his way,
'Cross a barren land of scorching sand,
Toward where the town did lay.
But that desert sun on a hot still day
Starts a "boiling" in his brain;
And while he made it down to the edge of town
Alive, he was hopelessly insane.
I saw you
Yesterday
Boarding a bus
Wiping a tear
And much too late to say goodbye
I would have said, "Hello!"
Did you see me?
Two eyes in all those faces?
One hand in all those waving arms?
Reaching for. . .not at
Wanting badly just to say
"I need you."
Perhaps I'll see you
Rounding a corner
Opening a door
Eating ice cream in the park
Someday.
- Richard Douse
Now listen to me children
And please don't say a word
I'll tell you all some stories
Of funny things I've heard
I'll tell you all some stories
The ones my dad told me
Of unicorns and dragons
And life beneath the sea.
Oh sing to us dear Daddy
Of silly things you've heard
Of unicorns and dragons
And other things absurd
Oh sing to us some stories
Whatever they might be
Of unicorns and dragons
And dolphins in the sea.
Now listen to me children
Believe me if you can
And I'll tell you of God's creature
That was a friend of man
I'll tell you of this animal
That used to play all day
And race along beside the boats
But never in their way!
Oh sing to us dear Daddy
Of silly things you've heard
Of unicorns and dragons
And other things absurd
Oh sing to us some stories
Whatever they might be
Of unicorns and dragons
And dolphins in the sea.
Now listen to me children
There's more you should be told
Of fishermen in days gone by
Like pirates, brave and bold
Of fishermen who cast their nets
As wide as the state of Maine
And weren't too awful much concerned
What died in their purse-seine.
Oh sing to us dear Daddy
Of silly things you've heard
Of unicorns and dragons
And other things absurd
Oh sing to us some stories
Whatever they might be
Of unicorns and dragons
And, dolphins in the sea.
- Richard Douse
There is no noble savage
Only man. . .only woman
Living between earth and sky
Breathing the shared wind
Drinking from the common source.
- Richard Douse
Oh, child, you look about with newborn eyes
So filled with wonder, trusting me for care,
Too soon you'll see this world is neither fair
Nor just, and there are those you must despise;
Begin to guard yourself against their lies,
For you must learn to know and fear that bear
Who lures the naive child into its lair,
Unless its "differentness" you recognize.
And so we teach them day by day, so sure
Are we of our own hates and fears. What loss
Can be when children lose divinity?
And so each one of us will take what's pure
Of heart and in the common mire toss
Our future and create our legacy.
- Richard Douse
It's nice today
Lying outside on this bed of leaves and grass
Cradled head on one bent arm
Just thinking
Where has the time gone?
It's been so many years!
You said you were not leaving
Not to ever feel alone, and
Never should I worry
You were
Simply
Going home.
The air's so still
There's not a breath of wind
Almost.
Sometimes you see it coming from quite a ways away
A bending of the grasses
A swirling of the leaves
A breath of wind at play
Not yet a dust-devil,
Dust-Elf
Perhaps.
The swirl is coming closer now
And now it's here
Gentle breeze
Messing my hair
Caressing my cheek
Forcing me to smile.
Was that you, Mom?
- Richard Douse
Perhaps you think I miss you
Ha! I’ve got other things to do,
Than spend my life bemoaning
That once you loved me true
Do you think I still miss you?
Like, what is there to miss?
Your eyes? Your smile? Your voice?
The sweetness of your kiss?
Hey! I’m doing just right fine!
I don’t need you anymore!
You cut me off, you shut me up,
You left! You closed the door!
Oh sure . . . perhaps you’ll visit
From time to time its true,
So here’s a list . . . a few things
To bring back if you do:
You might return the blue sky
You took that awful day,
And maybe teach the birds
To sing again someway
You might just bring some cables
For a heart that needs a jump,
Then maybe do some surgery
On a throat that has a lump
You might return the sparkle
To the rivers, lakes, and streams,
But these suggestions are . . . just wishes,
And only in my dreams.
- Richard Douse
When lion rules where sacred rumen are
And common man is tested by the fire
Of those who force a burden to the pyre,
A guiding spirit came from Pubandar;
A light for man to follow as the Star
Once led another people free. The ire
Of lion tamed became all heart's desire
Now wakened by the notes from God's sitar.
He led them as would children to the sea
In khadi cloth and barefoot for their salt,
And who would know this leader was the dove
Whose love for man would someday set them free?
No lion's fang nor cruel claw could halt,
Satyagraha, the force of truth and love.
- Richard Douse
Please let me journey
Cross the canyons
To your mind;
And, if I may
Please let me stay
Awhile.
Everyone needs love to take
This crazy world in stride,
Yet mountains and the canyons hold
The timid to one side.
Let's not make mountains
Larger than they are,
Canyons, not too wide to cross;
Life seems harder now
Having known true love
Its warmth. . .its loss.
- Richard Douse
from
the 14th
Floor
of The Old Seaman's Hotel
From where I sit
They look to me
As ants, moving
On an anthill sea
They're not, you know
They're people too
With lives complex
As me, and you
But not the way
They look from here
Through clouded eye,
Misty, filled with tear
I hate them all
I love them too
Yet, who needs them?
Not me! Do you?
I watch them now
I have for days
Doing human things
In ant-like ways
I see them
They don't see me
I do need them
They don't need me.
-Richard Douse
It rained last night,
Huge wet drops
Streaming down
Upon the earth;
The understanding sky
Shared its coolness
With the warm,
So none could tell;
We share,
This earth and I,
A certain comradeship,
I think.
- Richard Douse
Remember me?
The barefoot kid. . .
Who ran along the beach with you?
Played 'make believe' the way kids do?
Who took you to the park each day?
First held your hand at the matinee?
Remember me?
The little boy. . .
Who fought for you to save your rose?
Who let you fix his bloody nose?
Who with you grew up through the years,
Sharing secrets, sharing tears?
Remember me?
I hope you do!
You see, I still
Remember you. . .
- Richard Douse
He was a Yankee soldier
And his face looked to the sky
A boy, now man grown older
He was a Yankee soldier
No enemy was bolder
Unafraid to fight and die
He was a Yankee soldier
And his face looked to the sky.
- Richard Douse
Have you seen dark clouds come rolling
On a mid-September day,
Heard the rumblings from their bellies,
Knew that rain was on the way?
Have you felt the splash of coolness
Cross your face and in your hair
Cause within you faintest stirring
Of primordial feelings there?
Have you ever stood in terror
As the lightening split the sky,
And in thunder that did follow,
Pray to God you wouldn't die?
What you've felt was but a sample
Of the Power and it's worth,
What you've seen was but a union
Of the clouds and Mother Earth.
What you've seen was bare beginnings
Of a new and different form;
In searching for life's meanings,
Watch a river being born.
What may seem as helpless raindrops
Gently falling on the land,
Are the seeds of Life and living
Which, combining, will grow grand.
For even after rain clouds
Pass, and skies are blue,
Moisture still is traveling
Down, to places new.
Into the Mother Earth's body,
Following strata so deep,
Drawn irresistibly lower,
Searching for places to seep.
Marking week's distance in inches,
Needing new places to play,
Help captive in stone-vaulted chambers,
Missing the brightness of day.
Traveling slowly but sure,
A relentless pursuit of its own,
Filling in some unknown chasm,
Pausing, then on through the stone.
Suddenly into the sunshine!
It's prison behind it at last,
Dampness now becomes water,
Days of just seeping are past!
Joining the world of the living,
Trickling over mossy stone,
Cold as the mountain that held it,
But alive, and now on its own!
Gurgling, now splashing and bubbling,
Swirling through granite dell,
Onward, now rushing, now pausing,
Traveling the road it knows well!
Building on meeting it's kin,
Growing where canyons collide,
Singing the song of the living,
Youthful in vigor and stride!
Run river rough over rapids,
Carve your mark deep and true,
Follow the path of the ages
'Till white water gives way to blue.
Nothing can stop you or hold you,
Though a lake may impound or control,
All it could do is delay you,
It never will conquer your Soul.
But - entering into the delta,
That salty smell in the air
May limit your urge to hurry,
Though your destiny's waiting there.
For river, this life is behind you,
All duty, all purpose, done.
And time has now come for rejoining
That great and all-powerful One!
For this is your reason for living,
And your purpose in life was to be,
Home, to the Ocean that made you,
Home, to your God, the Sea.
- Richard Douse
I walked along the ocean's shore
Where my life had its beginning
And paused near a pool where fishes swam,
Long ago, in my first inning . . .
There were no fish, not a living thing
To see, to poke, to play by
And the snow white foam I used to know
Was the color of an ocher sky
I walked along by the edge of the sea
Where the shore birds used to run
Where a younger me could safely play
And delight in the noonday sun
And it occurred to me as I plodded on
Over the ruined sand,
That we once had time to save this place
If each had lent a hand.
- Richard Douse
You never knew, yet it was I
Who through the mists of time did fly,
Yet always just a step away,
A moment or perhaps a day
Away from that most sublime bliss,
And sweet reward, your gentle kiss
You never knew, yet it was I
Who through the mists of time did fly
In pursuit of a love
So true
For I was the highwayman
Riding, riding . . .
You were the maid
So fair
You, were sweet Juliet
Waving, waving . . .
And I was in love
With you
Our countless lives have run a race
In the eternal now of time and space,
And always when time came to die,
I was there, with you . . . prone,
That you would not pass on alone;
That gentle wind . . . that soft sigh,
That, my endless love, was I.
- Richard T. Douse
Like transient guest who does not ask for more
Than host would gladly give, I will not stay
To simply spend the time. This precious day
Has value! Would that I had days galore!
So grant fair wind to wander and explore
That I may sail from sea to quiet bay
Then, satisfied, pass quietly away
Like human tracks along an ocean's shore.
I shall inhabit not unlike a cloud
Whose passing leaves no mark upon the sky
And every dawn shall be for me a birth,
New life to simply live and be quite proud
I did not waste this chance to learn - to try!
'Till death returns me to our gentle earth.
- Richard Douse
I did the laundry
in long-legged races
to the washer
and then back again to wait.
I saw the mailman
leave mail below
and needed milk
but let it go.
The neighbors from across the way
said, "Hi" and "How are you today?"
I sat and heard the day grow still
and night time came as night times will
And then, to bed.
Oh well,
What's left to say?
Perhaps
you couldn't get away.
- Richard Douse
I hate Winter!
Winter's gloomy!
Nose gets runny
Eyes get rheumy;
How I wish that
it were Spring;
Then I could do
most anything!
Spring is here.
What's there to cheer?
Grass is growing
Now needs mowing;
Give me now the
fun of Summer!
Spring is nothing
but a bummer.
Summer's here
As prophesied;
I felt the heat
And could have died!
Enough's enough!
Bring on the Fall!
I don't like
this heat at all!
Fall is here. . .
(Oh, what the hell)
What I want
you know darn well!
Bring on Winter,
Snow, and ice!
A cheery fire
would be nice.
Give me now
more days to wonder!
And, longer nights!
More time for slumber!
I want it all,
as you can see;
If two is better,
Why not three?
I'll have my cake
And, eat it too!
(What the heck)
If you could,
Wouldn't you?
- Richard Douse