poetry | Wayne Visser

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025

Beauty

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder
That’s true, and yet conceals a greater truth:
Beauty flies in blue skies, bigger and bolder
Than the flushes of charm and the flowers of youth

Beauty rings with the call of the wild and free
And whispers in the wood on starlit night
Beauty sings with the hope of the child in me
And shimmers on the lake with a silver light

Beauty throbs with the pulse of a music beat
And smiles with the stroke of an artist’s brush
Beauty moves to the mood of our dancing feet
And sighs with the swoon of a lover’s blush

Beauty may catch our eye, but that’s only a ploy
To make us pause, to see the harmonious whole
Beauty may lift us hight, and that’s always a joy:
To perceive the patterns of heart in sync with soul

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together favourite inspirational poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology takes us on a journey through the peaks and troughs of life, celebrating the indomitable human spirit.. It includes many old favourites like “Poets Must Be” and “Chasing the Blue”, as well as brand new poems like “The Writer” and “Making Ripples”. Sages through the ages wisely say: / Carpe Diem – seize the dawning day / Oh, would that I could assuage that thirst / But the day conspires to seize me first! / With the hurry and scurry / Of home’s frantic flurry / And the hustle and bustle / Of work’s tangled tussle. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025

Dear Me

Dear me, my future self, traveller in time,

Are we still friends, or strangers? Do we still chime
In our ideas and how we see ourselves and the world?
Has our life been a zig-zag, a rising arc unfurled,
Or something even more unexpected, a surprise
That revealed something hidden, a deeper disguise?

Are those I love safe and happy, and do I love them still,
Or have the tides shifted? Were some things beyond my will?
Were there cul-de-sacs, or unfortunate endings?
And what of new beginnings? Did I make a fresh start,
A brave leap into the unknown, and was that smart?

So many questions I have, but I guess you have questions too?

Let me try to imagine what they are, and answer a few:
Yes, I am happy right now, but I think not naïve
I can see opportunities, and despite the risks, I believe.
Maybe not so much in politicians or the news
But in myself and in innovators, the creative muse.

Yes, I am in love, with no regrets about getting married,
And I already know that love takes work. I’ve carried
Enough burdens to be a realist, yet still to hope
For a better future, for we are strong; we will cope.

So no matter who you are – who I am, and what we’ve done –

I want you to know, you are loved by your younger one.

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together philosophical poems by Wayne Visser. In this anthology, he muses on subjects ranging from space, angels and destiny to time, science and meaning in life. According to scientists / The world’s made of string / That buzzes and fuzzes / Or some such strange thing / It’s also a donut / That curls round a hole / With middles and riddles / Just like a fish bowl / And there’s no mistaking / It’s more than 3-D / With twenty or plenty / Dimensions unseen / Still others insist / It’s really a bubble / That’s popping and bopping / Through the lenses of Hubble. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025

Fifty-Four

An unusual year of voting and war
Syria’s new hope and Israel’s death score
A Labour landslide and Trump back for more
(Elon’s a turncoat, and X is his whore)
More storms and wildfires, while glaciers thaw
No new plastic deal, and COPs are a bore
More solar and wind on land and offshore
More calls to rewild: let nature restore
And in my small world, I opened a door
This unusual year I turned fifty-four

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

November 30, 2024November 30, 2024

The Final Test

We’re on a path that twists and turns
Through landscapes ever changing
Sometimes it’s hard, and so we learn
Through patterns rearranging
The trick, it seems, is not to fight
Against the unexpected
Keep moving on towards the light
And don’t become dejected
Easier said than done, I know
Yet that’s the final test:
To fall and rise, to love and grow
While letting go the rest

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

November 30, 2024November 30, 2024

Waves and Cranes

The waves lick and lap, froth and churn
Rising and crashing, every way we turn
The waves are endless, relentless
Rippling when calm, frightening in a tempest
What can we do but learn the tide
Build a strong boat and strap in for the ride

The cranes strut and flap, preen and soar
Rising and gliding, from mountain to shore
The cranes are timeless, full of grace
Stretched out in flight, they’re masters of space
What can we do but learn the sky
Grow our own wings and do our best to fly

Wayne Visser © 2024

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

October 13, 2024October 13, 2024

Into the Deep

It’s dusky dark down here, and it’s colder
Below the blinding surface light of day
It’s endless here and timeless, it’s older
Beneath the frothing churn and swirling fray
This is where I marvel at waxing words
That grow like corals on a rugged reef
Here my winged thoughts can swoop like bright birds
And soar on currents swooning blue and deep

It’s stretched down here and open, it’s tranquil
Unlike the noisy clang of cluttered lands
It’s serenely slow here, and it’s thankful
Not like the stormy seas of grabbing hands
This is where I revel in siren songs
That dart like silver fish, that sway and sweep
Here my spirit searches, it lurks and longs
To plumb the murky mysteries of the deep

It’s safe down here and secure, it’s calming
Beyond the clamouring and cloying crowds
It’s sacred ground here, and it’s embalming
Laying the past to rest in healing shrouds
This is where my shapeshifting shadow rears
Up like a mythic kraken from its sleep
Here my psyche faces its furtive fears
And swims with silent sharks that stalk the deep

It’s curiously quiet here, and stranger
Than ordered life on the surface above
It’s different here, and not without danger
Yet all the risks are in service of love
This is where I worship the gods of art
And witness sculptures dance and paintings speak
Here my love affairs bud from eye to heart
As sultry seduction stirs in the deep

It’s much wilder down here, it’s more freeing
For the mind can explore farther reaches
It’s more creative here, there’s more dreaming
And I hear what inspiration teaches
This simulacrum of birth and death
Is an incubator where insights leap
Where I learn to value my every breath
Each time I dive to the infinite deep

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

October 13, 2024October 13, 2024

Scroll On

If you’re screen scrolling for a fix
Or a daily dose of doom, scroll on
If you’re meme surfing for your kicks
Or spoiling for a fight, troll on

Go frolic to your heart’s content
In frothing waves that lap and leap
And only when you’re fully spent
Dive down with me into the deep

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024

Unwaveringly Uncertain

In a world that craves certainty
Be unwaveringly uncertain
For nothing is so dangerous
As a person who is certain
Of their own rightness
The world is constantly changing
And uncertainty is the pathway
To knowledge and wisdom

In a world that revels in cacophony
Be resolutely silent
For nothing is so self-defeating
As someone who shouts louder
To be heard above the noise
The world is endlessly babbling
And silence is the secret
To saying more with less

In a world that vies for attention
Be steadfastly focused
For nothing is so futile
As a person who craves affirmation
From fickle strangers
The world is doggedly distracting
And focus is the superpower
For creating real impact

In a world that sows division
Be consciously connected
For nothing is so destructive
As someone who plants seeds of discontent
In fields of insecurity
The world is dazzlingly diverse
And connecting is the fine art
Of leading with love

In a world that favours action
Be deeply reflective
For nothing is so counterproductive
As a person who acts impulsively
Without weighing consequences
The world is forever shifting
And reflection is the discipline
Of studying emerging patterns

In a world that wants simple answers
Be conspicuously complex
For nothing is so misleading
As someone who promises quick fixes
To life’s hard problems
The world is strangely entangled
And complexity is the cipher
To decode life’s meaning

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024

Take Me To Your Leader

Take me to your leader –
No, not him, for he acts on a whim
Not him, for he cares not for you
Or me, do you not see?
He cares only for himself:
His plans and his power
His fans and his tower
Is he really your pick?
Take me to your leader –
But not him, surely not him

Take me to your leader –
No, not her, for she’s known to defer
Not her, for she speaks not for me
Or you, is it not true?
She speaks only for herself:
Her pawns and her pleasure
Her scorns and her treasure
Is she really your choice?
Take me to your leader –
But not her, surely not her

Take me to your leaders –
No, not them, for they will never bend
Not them, for they act not
On our behalf, are you having a laugh?
They act only for themselves:
Their game and their betting
Their fame and their getting
Are they really who you choose?
Take me to your leaders –
But not them, surely, not them

Take me to your leader –
Yes, she who cares and he who dares
Yes, she who serves and he who deserves
Our loyal pact, is that not a fact?
For they are wise who help others rise:
With hands used for lifting
Through sands ever shifting
Will you rise with the tide?
Take me to your leader –
Yes them, surely them

Take me to your leader –
Ah yes, now I see, who else could it be?
I see now, the leader is you
For you are one of us
Who cares for us and understands:
Our fears and our flying
Our tears and our trying
Ah yes, you have my support
Take me, as our leader –
And I will gladly follow

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

This unique collection brings together poems for positive action by poet and writer, Wayne Visser, providing inspiration for all those who a striving to change the world for the better. The anthology includes perennial favourites such as Be An Optimist, A Place to Thrive, Think on Business, To Lead, Giving Up, It’s Time, A Swirling Story, Because I Care, and, of course, Change the World (Parts 1 and 2), as well as more recent poems like A Butterfly Appeared, The Great Outdoors, and Letter to Earth. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Book of Magic

When we are young, we dream of magical worlds
Of fairies and wizards making mischief and casting spells
Then we grow older, and the story of life unfurls
And we give up on the promise of witches and wishing wells

For we discover that ordinary life tells a different tale
Of incredible feats and secrets hidden in plain sight
We discover that magic is alive and the quest for the grail
Is about fighting our own dragons and pursuing the light

Every day, we hold the Book of Magic in our hands
Our thoughts and words are powerful spells we cast
Every year, we discover fatastical new lands
And learn to see deeper and make the magic last.