OLD MAN WINTER
Hear the old man’s wily whisper echo as he draws near
The thud of frosty footsteps---his visage comes crystal clear
No mystery that jagged breath on the northern gale
The deep guttural gasps can make Beelzebub’s soul turn pale
His long icy digits grasp the hemlocks and glass the lagoon
As he settles in and sprawls out under a gossamer moon
The old man’s mane lies glistening like diadems in the night
As all beings are bade breathless by such an ethereal sight
No creature doubts the power of this oracle of old
The breadth of his mighty shadow ---makes a brave man’s blood run cold
One wave of his fabled fist can topple towering, timberline trees
Seize up rushing rapids and bring the whole world to her knees
He may seem old and weary but all wise souls take heed
Old man winter is still a demon
Who lives by his own creed.
Aye he lives by his own creed.

C. L. Schrage

Homage to the flame haired gypsy . . .

Autumn dances across the plains, her copper tresses brushing against the leaves on the trees as she passes.
She entices all with her beauty wantonly whispering that she will linger
Even as we are awed by the brilliance of her halcyon reflections in the lake
The blackbirds congregate and cry out as they perch mottled amidst the jingling of the golden coins on the poplars
Their anxious cacophony announces that they are not deceived by such a majestic charade
They know too well her familiar calling cards and gather to begin their long trek southward
Although the flame haired temptress beckons them to stay and bask in her warmth
But the winged warriors know that autumn is a beguiling beauty whose temperament can be very fickle, restless and fleeting.
One moment her warm breath and unequaled splendor have conquered the landscape
With the turn of her heel the foreboding winds and driving rain of early winter arrive as a reminder that the old man cannot be far behind
And all that is left of the restless gypsy is the rustle of her crimson petticoats that have left their remnants scattered on the ground as a bittersweet reminder of her once blazing glory and hypnotic dance upon the landscape . . .

Alas now but a smoldering memory in the vermillion haze of the sunset---she has vanished.

                                                        C. L. Schrage

Protein Cocktail Elixir – Secret of Longevity? » Right Juris

Protein Cocktail Elixir – Secret of Longevity? » Right Juris

From Longfellow's Evangeline . . .

NOW had the season returned, when the nights grow colder and longer,
And the retreating sun the sign of the Scorpion enters.
Birds of passage sailed through the leaden air, from the ice-bound,
Desolate northern bays to the shores of tropical islands.
Harvests were gathered in; and wild with the winds of September
Wrestled the trees of the forests, as Jacob of old with the angel.
All the signs foretold a winter long and inclement.
Bees, with prophetic instinct of want, had hoarded their honey
Till the hives overflowed; and the Indian hunters asserted
Cold would the winter be, for thick was the fur of the foxes.
Such was the advent of autumn. Then followed that beautiful season,
Called by the pious Acadian peasants the Summer of All-Saints!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.

Only We Create Our Limits . . .

It's been hot. That sticky heat that screams 100% humidity. Peoples' attitudes are being pushed into a negative flow. Yesterday it seemed that hot and bothered came to a crescendo in the the faces and feelings of the people I encountered.

I heard a woman in church lamenting about the humidity, saw a disgruntled father riding herd over three children and dripping ice cream cones, and heard a group of people having a heavy discussion about all the chaos dragging through the world . . .

Days like these pull you away from being upbeat and feeling connected to your inner muse. It seems like all my creativity and inspiration melted with the humidity and the projects and work I needed them for were just as sticky and oppressive as the heat.

With sundown and the night settling in I detected a definite shift in how I was feeling. The air had noticeably cooled as I sat in a lawn chair in the darkness. The night sounds of the locust were the only music to break the silence.

I peered up into the blackness of the night sky and saw a million stars overhead and suddenly felt very small and amazed at the limitlessness before me. This magnificent display made me also think about the limitlessness of our own possibilities in life in general. How can one sit in the midst of such majesty and feel any limitations?

Do you believe in the limitlessness of your experience as a human being---or do you create limits or boundaries for yourself. There are so many people who have "disabilities" that move through their lives inspired, happy and doing what they want. Their "disabilities" don't confine or define them and they certainly don't hold them back.

People looking on may be held back by what they perceive with their minds as "disabilities" these people are "enduring". I used to teach beginning swimming to teens and special needs children. I remember one day two of the teens were moody and in a snit about something and their immediate refrain was "I can't".
They had set up an attitude in their minds and their behavior that said "I can't" was who they were.

I asked these teens to stay late and to watch the lesson for the special needs children. What those teens learned that day as they watched was that we create our own limits.

The special needs kids had physical and mental disabilities . . .in a broad range but they were excited and did not let anything hold them back from conquering the challenges that the pool held for them. It was clear for these teens that "I can't" was not part of the mindset of the kids they watched that day in the special needs program.

I was reminded of this experience as I thought about a new statue of Helen Keller that was unveiled at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. It is a wonderful depiction of Helen Keller as a girl at the well hand pump. Learning to connect with her environment and herself through touch, despite her "disabilities". Refusing to accept limitations Helen Keller thirved in her life and was a pioneer for all of those who have to overcome "disabilities" throughout the world.

Our mind can be our biggest enemy or our strongest ally. Which is it for you?? Refusing to set ourselves up with limitations is the first step toward limitless possibilities.

How do you let your mind describe you and how you experience yourself in the human condition?

How would you describe yourself? Do you have an openness to possibilities, to a strong belief in yourself . . .?

When you are open to the belief of the limitlessness of your experience as a human you have taken the first step to connect with your strongest ally.

Pick a clear night and sit outside at about midnight and look up into the firmament. Revel in the limitlessness you see before you and take the time to ponder your own possibilities. What possibilities can life hold for you in the future?