poetry | Wayne Visser

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Footnotes

The things we do, the things we say
The hoops we shoot, the games we play
Are beats and riffs within our son
In search of places we belong

The views and detours on the way
Are uncut gems we find in clay
Some stones we polish ‘til they shine
The rest we toss and leave behind

No matter what we build and burn
It’s how we love and what we learn
That writes the story of our days
The rest are footnotes on the page

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Better With You

My life’s been full of ups and downs
With twists and turns to make it through
I could have done it on my own
But frankly, it’s better with you

Along the way, I’ve learned and grown
With tips and tricks to keep it new
I could have made it by myself
But I know, I’m better with you

The way ahead is never straight
With fears and hopes to keep it true
I could have played it solitaire
But always, life’s better with you

Book

Icarus: Favourite Love Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together love poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology traces love’s agony (“Broken Dreams”) and ecstasy (“Galaxies Cart-Wheeling”), from first blush (“Almost Strangers”) to full bloom (“Say ‘I Do!’”), as we fly to love. You’ve given me the gift of golden wings / The endless sphere of blue imaginings / The chance to rise above the silver clouds / The will to cast off untold ghostly shrouds / Don’t fly too high / Don’t rise too fast / Don’t tease the sky / Don’t taunt the past / You’ve given me the hope of warmer days / The blessed kiss of the sun’s fiery rays. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024

The Call of the Wild

I hear the howl of the wolf Mourning From the shadows of the dying forest Listen: Do you hear the wolves howling? I hear the song of the whale Beseeching From the depths of the warming ocean Hush now: Do you hear the whales singing? I hear the cry of the eagle Pleading From the heights of the smoking sky Listen: Do you hear the eagles crying? I hear the trumpet of the elephant Warning From the swathe of the burning grassland Quiet now: Do you hear the elephants trumpeting? I hear the snort of the buffalo Deriding From the breadth of the flooding plain Listen: Do you hear the buffaloes snorting? I hear the saw of the jaguar Echoing From the crags of the eroding mountain Be still: Do you hear the jaguars sawing? I hear cough of the kangaroo Pleading From the flats of the scorching outback Listen: Do you hear the kangaroos coughing? I hear the honk of the geese Berating From the pools of the shrinking wetland Take note: Do you hear the geese honking? I hear the growl of the bear Cursing From the floes of the melting iceberg Listen: Do you hear the bears growling? I hear the squeak of the dolphin Grieving From the tides of the choking shore Breath in: Do you hear the dolphins squeaking? I hear the chatter of the ape Questioning From the treetops of the receding jungle Listen: Do you hear apes chattering? This is the call of the wild Inviting us To take heed and act before it’s too late Even now: Do you hear the wild calling?

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.

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Fairytales

The strange thing about fairytales
Is that they’re mostly true
Their meaning hides behind the veils
And therein lies the clue

Each hero’s fate, each witch’s spell
Each dragon fought and slayed
Reflect within our wishing well
As dreams that flare and fade

For life is full of holy grails
And monsters we must fight
We each must walk enchanted trails
Through darkness to the light

The secret lies not in the quests
Or if we thrive or fail
The wonder’s that we face the tests
And live to tell the tale.

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

April 23, 2024

Let It Begin

I’m thinking it’s not too late, that our fate is not sealed,
That the race of life is far from run; we’re not done,
For we wield the wand of choice, we have a voice,
We can speak for the Earth, and not let her perish,
Take care of her creatures and all that we cherish,
For we’re not ready to give up, or stand idly by
And watch our mother die.

Let it begin, with protecting more, then let’s restore
The land and sea, let’s win back what we’ve lost,
Before the cost becomes too high, because the sky’s
The limit and fortune favours those who try.

I’m dreaming of a new world, of nature unfurled
In swirls of blue and curls of green, in bursts of yellow
And swathes of pink, each time I blink another species
Comes back from the brink, another habitat is restored
To health, and the wealth of ecosystems returns,
Emerging from the gloom of the womb to give birth
To a revitalised Earth.

Let it begin, with the wolves and whales, as we tip the scales
Of trophic cascades, and as our fear fades we realise
That hunter and prey are performing a dance, a rhyme
That gives us a chance to reanimate the world, given time.

I’m learning that nature is resilient, that it’s brilliant
At bouncing back, if only we give it space, the lack
Of bugs and birds, of fish and trees can be reversed
In a burst of recovery, as the great extinction turns
Into a great flourishing, a nourishing of roots and shoots,
As biota and biomes, cycles and food webs are repaired
And their bounty is shared.

Let it begin, with the factories and farms, turning harms
Into new ways of making and growing, of showing
How waste can be nutrients, and soils be alive,
For life coils like a spring, forever poised to thrive.

I’m turning dreams into action, and gaining traction
As solutions take hold and scale, as we dare to be bold
And fail, while tales of our success spreads, like bees
From flower to flower, the power is in our hands,
To clean up the oceans, and heal our lands,
And so I’m choosing to detox, to reseed and rewild,
For the hopes of a child.

Let it begin.