poem | Wayne Visser

April 27, 2019April 27, 2019

Giving Up

I’m giving up –
Not on life, but on those actions that threaten life
Not on living, but on those habits that distract from living
Not on loving, but on those fears that get in the way of loving

I’m giving up
Food that forges a chain of suffering and death
Clothes that weave a garment of exploitation and shame
Fuels that are harbingers of cancer and climate catastrophe

I’m giving up –
Not on people, but on the poor choices that people make
Not on freedom, but on the complacency that cripples freedom
Not on hope, but on the sense of impotence that kills all hope

I’m giving up
Words that break down rather than build up others
Work that lacks a greater purpose of improving society
Products that leave a trail of misery and waste in their wake

I’m giving up –
For the good of myself and those who have less than I do
For the good of the planet and those who share its blue-green bounty
For the good of the children and those who will inherent what we leave behind

I’m giving up
All these things and more –
In my best and brightest and bravest moments –
For good

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.

March 10, 2019March 10, 2019

Your Mission

Your mission
In this short, sacred life
Is to discover your voice
Your unique identity
Your way of being in the world
Your mission
Is to locate your inner core
Your centre of gravity
Your place
In a universe of diffuse chaos

Your mission
In this raw, random life
Is to discover your gift
Your unique talent
Your way of giving in the world
Your mission
Is to locate your playing-field
Your zone of impact
Your mark
In a universe of constant change

Your mission
In this cruel, crazy life
Is to discover your love
Your unique constellation
Your way of relating in the world
Your mission
Is to locate your web of light
Your pattern of connection
Your heart
In a universe of vast emptiness

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.

March 2, 2019March 3, 2019

Be An Optimist

Be an optimist
Not because the future is bright
But because bright people are working
To make the future better
Be an optimist
Not because the news is good
But because good people are showing
That change is always possible
Be an optimist
Not because the world is fair
But because fair people are fighting
For justice wherever it is needed

When ordinary people do extraordinary things
Let your heart beat a little faster
Knowing that you are ordinary too
When inspiring leaders rise to our biggest challenges
Let your sights be set a little higher
Knowing that you too can inspire
When young voices join in the call to action
Let your efforts go a little further
Knowing that you can always do more

Be an optimist
Not because the night is over
But because we all carry the light of values
And remember the promise of dawn
Be an optimist
Not because victory is certain
But because we have the opportunity
To still make a positive difference
Be an optimist
Not because the earth is a haven
But because we have a growing desire
To be guardians for all life

When the clouds of gloom are gathering
Let your knowledge of the sun and skies above
Be a vision that brings perspective
When the drums of war are beating
Let your refusal to cast others as villains
Be a declaration of our common humanity
When the tides of bigotry are rising
Let your belief that we all have equal worth
Be a boat that will never capsize

Be an optimist
Not because you ignore the facts
But because the wider landscape of facts
Tell a story of remarkable progress
Be an optimist
Not because the glass is half full
But because we always have the chance
To tap a greater source of power
Be an optimist
Not because you are blind and deaf and dumb
But because you see and hear and speak
More clearly what is possible

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.

February 27, 2019February 27, 2019

Patient Dreams

I wish you all the best in life
Through seasons and extremes
But most of all I wish for you
The gift of patient dreams

I hope you’ll travel far and wide
Cross oceans, mountains, streams
But also find within your mind
The land of patient dreams

I trust you’ll be a great success
However hard it seems
To take your time and stone by stone
To build your patient dreams

I know you’ll suffer some defeats
There’ll be ill-fated schemes
And yet you’ll rise and rise again
Recalling patient dreams

I wish you joy and love in life
With rainbows and sunbeams
But most of all, in great and small
I wish you patient dreams

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

February 27, 2019February 27, 2019

Nature’s Embrace

Take me to the forests green
I need to feel their healing balm
To soak in groves of dappled sheen
And wallow in their soothing calm

Take me to the mountains high
I need to stretch and strain and strive
To rise up where the eagles fly
And burst with joy to be alive

Take me to the wilderness
I need the space to be alone
To tap the vein of nature’s bliss
And slip into the mindful zone

Take me to the beaches gold
I need to feel the sun’s warm rays
To dive into the oceans cold
And drift on lunar tidal sways

Take me to the valleys cool
I need to rest within their shade
To cast ideas into a pool
And watch them ripple ‘til they fade

Take me to the desert sand
I need to clear my cluttered mind
To see the beauty in the bland
And treasure secrets that I find

Take me to the alpine snow
I need to breathe its pristine chill
To thaw my soul while embers glow
And feel the pure adrenal thrill

Take me into nature’s arms
I need to feel her love embrace
To shelter from life’s daily harms
And gaze upon her wizened face

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

December 20, 2018December 20, 2018

Forty Eight

That time of year has come again
To mark the page with ink and pen
To mark the turn of mortal wheel
To down the lights and play the reel

The story flickers, scene to scene
My path of life upon the screen
Some faces shine while others fade
Some chase the sun, some hide in shade

There’s love and action in the plot
Some lines recalled and some forgot
There’s drama too, some glitz and gloss
Starbursts of joy and caves of loss

Some parts seem tailor-made to bore
Routines repeated as before
But then there’s magic breaking through
From dust of old, the glint of new

The tale meanders, unforeseen
From bushveld beige to desert green
Through cities grey to bays of blue
Each place a world of shifting hue

I cannot read the runes of dreams
This march of days, this swirl of means
I simply throw the bones of fate
And close the loop at forty eight.

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.

December 16, 2018

Crook O’Lune

A cabin nestled by the trees
A trickling stream, a rustling breeze
A cosy home, a drifting tune
Our sanctuary, our Crook O’Lune

A river flowing through the dale
An arching bridge, a snaking trail
A cloudy sky, a peeping moon
Our place of peace, our Crook O’Lune

A woodland in the hills of green
A change of pace, a tranquil scene
A fair display of nature’s boon
Our calm retreat, our Crook O’Lune

A couple on the path of love
A field below, vast skies above
A season turns, unveils a rune
Our mystery, our Crook O’Lune.

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

December 16, 2018

Graduation

You’ve mastered your mind
One summit’s behind
More peaks like ahead
More dreams to be fed
Now lead from the heart
You’ve just made a start
And we’ll be by your side
Always bursting with pride.

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

December 16, 2018April 8, 2022

A Dream to Be Painted

It is time to pause, to breathe, to savour
As the wheel of life spins in your favour
It’s a moment to rest, to gather, to reflect
To look back, to look forward and to accept

This is your season of fruits, of growing
After long years of ploughing and sowing
It’s a change in the rhythm, the motion
A new moon waxing to the sway of the ocean

It’s a time of rebirth, of conceiving
From a lifetime of giving, now receiving
It’s a fresh white canvass, a future untainted
New palette and brushes, a dream to be painted.

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

November 21, 2018December 5, 2023

Change the World

Let’s change the world, let’s shift it
Let’s shake and remake it
Let’s rearrange the pieces
The patterns in the maze
The reason for our days
In ways that make it better
In shades that make it brighter
That make the burden lighter
Because it’s shared, because we dared
To dream and then to sweat it
To make our mark and not regret it
Let’s plant a seed and humbly say:
I changed the world today!

Let’s change the world, let’s lift it
Let’s take it and awake it
Let’s challenge every leader
The citadels of power
The prisoners in the tower
The hour of need’s upon us
It’s time to raise our voices
To stand up for our choices
Because it’s right, because we fight
For all that’s just and fair
For a planet we can share
Let’s join the cause and boldly say:
We’ll change the world today!

Let’s change the world, let’s love it
Let’s hold it and unfold it
Let’s redesign the future
The fate of earth and sky
The existential why
Let’s fly to where there’s hope
To where the world is greener
Where air and water’s cleaner
Because it’s smart to make a start
To fix what we have broken
Our children’s wish unspoken
Let’s be the ones who rise and say:
We changed the world today!

Book

Change the World: Poems for Positive Action

This unique collection brings together poems for positive action by poet and writer, Wayne Visser, providing inspiration and motivation for all those who are 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.