ON SILENT TREES

On silent trees, on hanging breeze,
On sun's shaped moments sharing these
A river's rush cools dappled leaves
Cast in a myriad dancing forms
Across the clouded azure bed
That nestles soft above my head
And holds no hint of summer's storms
Or how dark winter's wrath performs,
But keeps in silence peace instead :

Yet though the air is still
And crickets sing,
My thoughts turn back, and worse hours spring to mind -

And contemplation turns to fire each sting
And whips my savaged soul to cringe then shift its fling
From such bleakness with a shrug,
'Tis too terrible -

I find myself again, and mind the time,
And settle down to hear life's brief rhyme and ring.

Sept. 00