Tag: poems

Tribute to Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

When giants fall –
True heroes like Mandela
And timeless muses like Angelou –
The whole earth gasps
And shudders as one;
Convulsions reverberate
Deep in our hearts
Wide in our minds
And high in our souls –
As well they should
For no quake is greater
Than when spiritual giants fall

When I fall (or you) –
Whether from a stumble, a leap
Or a gentle ebbing away –
The world will be spared
Any collective tremors or sighs;
A precious few will notice
And smile through their tears
Yet my ordinary life (or yours)
Will be no less extraordinary
For all our numbered days
Leave remarkable impressions
On the soft clay of history

Meanwhile, we rise –
Inspired to tread the causeway
Of giants, be they standing or fallen –
We rise to embrace life
And conjure our dreams
We rise to see further
And take the next vital step
We rise to lift others
And weave the web of hope
We rise to show what’s possible
Yes! Like our resilient Maya
Still, we rise. Surely, we shine

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

Once I was a boy soldier –
Now I’m shooting hoops
I’m not the generation lost
I’m bright and landing scoops

Once I was a girl servant –
Now I’m skipping ropes
I’m not the generation lost
I’m proud and full of hopes

Once I was a phantom child –
Now I’m quite a star
I’m not the generation lost
I’m strong and will go far

Once I was a nut to crack –
Now I’m acorn’s tree
I’m not the generation lost
I’m growing tall and free

Once I was a ghetto kid –
Now I’m a go-getter
I’m not the generation lost
I’m good and getting better

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

I am the crosser of borders
I am the sailor of seas
I am the cargo of smugglers
I am the hunted who flees

I travelled from cradles of violence
I travelled on paths full of grace
I travelled from terrors of nightmares
I travelled to dreams of this place

I echo your pattern of history
I foretell your future to come
I sleep in the cold of your shadow
I crave for the warmth of your sun

I do not come to make trouble
I do not come here to steal
I bring you the gift of my culture
I need but a moment to heal

I am the wilful survivor
I am the ghost of your fears
I am the triumph of spirit
I am the stain of your tears

I journeyed from harbours of safety
I journeyed on oceans unknown
I journeyed from homesteads of loving
I journeyed to new skies unflown

I wish for the same things you wish for
I share the same sadness and griefs
I strive for the life that you strive for
I don’t wish to change your beliefs

I do not come empty handed
I do not come here to take
I bring you the wealth of my talents
I need but a chance to remake

I am the story of ages
I am the angel of new
I am the bringer of changes
I am the migrant – like you

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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 re-connecting
A junction for changing direction

The bus stops and train stations
The airports and traffic lights of our life
Are nodes linking us to our past
And windows peering into our future
They are choice matrixes
And platforms of destiny

At life’s stopping points
We bump into others and smile
(Or curse silently under our breath)
We pause long enough to reflect
To mull on our confusion
And share moments of clarity

So let us not be so impatient to leave
To wish we were somewhere else
Because life’s most unexpected surprises
Happen in the in-between
In the moments of passing touch
And the tangled knots of transition
Between boredom and panic
In the zone of chance
When the landscape is not rushing by

And love (the greatest surprise of all)
Is only to be found where paths cross
And journeys are re-routed
Where our most fixed plans change
And new destinations are contemplated
Love is seldom found at high speed
When we are looking for obvious landmarks
But rather when we are standing still enough
To notice subtle shifts in moods and patterns

Life is lived in the in-between
Amidst strangers who become friends
And friends who become lovers
Amidst lovers who become soul mates
And soul mates who make life worth living

And the places we think of as our endpoints
Are just launch pads for new beginnings
The time we spend waiting for our lives to change
Is the very fulcrum on which our galaxies pivot

Therefore, let us pay attention to the waiting
And be alert in the places of transit
Let us soak up the chaotic ambience of where we are
Rather than pine for the neatly ordered vision
Of where we could or should or want to be

Let us be where we are
Noticing the people and the smells
And the noise of the jumbled waiting
Alert to the feelings and the flow
And the beauty of the to-ing and fro-ing
Content not to be where we think we are going
Nor where we imagine we came from

Let us be happily in the transit of now
Fascinated by the overlapping of our world with others’
Of precious moments shared
Of fleeting smiles and knowing looks
Of orbits crossing that almost certainly mean nothing
And yet might just mean everything

Let us acknowledge all the forgettable faces
That emerge from the fog and melt back into oblivion
The warmth offered by random strangers
That leave us certain of nothing
Except that nothing is certain
And knowing no one
(Not even ourselves)
And yet knowing many so intimately
Through these fleeting connections

Life is lived in the in-between
Between moving and minding
Between loving and doubting
Between you and me
In transit
Life is lived
In the in-between

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

Say we’ll climb to the summit together
Say we’ll cherish the view
Say we’ll believe in each other together
Forever in faith, say “I do!”

Say we’ll wish on the starfish together
Say we’ll camp on the moon
Say we’ll dream in the orchard together
Forever in hope, say “I do!”

Say we’ll fly to the sun together
Say we’ll chase after the blue
Say we’ll puzzle life’s mystery together
Forever in love, say “I do!”

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

The deepest ocean floor of you
The darkest secret door of you
The furthest sandy shore of you
This much do I adore of you

It’s not that you’re all perfect
And it’s not that love is blind
It’s just that you’re so worth it
We fit – in heart and mind

I adore you when you’re happy
And when you’re cold as ice
I adore you when you’re angry
And when you’re hot as spice

It’s not that I’m all-caring
And it’s not that love is sweet
It’s just that I’m declaring
We make something complete

The softest hidden core of you
The sharpest raking claw of you
The passion in the roar of you
I adore all this and more of you

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

Your shooting star lights up my sky
You are my what, my who, my why
Your trail is bright, I watch it flare
You are my world, my love, my dare

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

Worlds may collide –
The sky turn to black
Mountains may crumble
The earth shake beneath your feet
Rivers may dry up
The oceans lash out with tidal waves –
And through it all
I will stand beside you

Others may desert you –
Fair weather friends and fickle family
They may walk away
Turn their backs and harden their hearts
They may change their minds
Break their promises and leave –
But through it all
I will be beside you

Storms may come –
The seasons turn to winter
Rain may fall
The sunshine blotted out to grey
Drought may strike
The soil left parched and cracked –
Yet through it all
I will stay beside you

People may talk –
Wag their poison tongues and frown
They may whisper
Spread their rumours like a plague
They may sow their lies
Tut-tut and shake their disapproving heads –
Still through it all
I will be beside you

We may be apart –
Separated by borders and time zones
Oceans may divide us
Whole continents stand in our way
Walls of belief may rise up
Demarcating your world and mine –
And through it all
I will appear beside you

Sickness may visit –
Weaken your will to rise and shine
Time may grow heavy
Drag down your body and fray your mind
Doubts may linger
Gnawing at our love like a cancer –
But through it all
I will remain beside you

Through all of this and more –
Through shining days and unexpected adventures
Through vivid nights and breath-taking summits
Through blissful moments and beauty discovered
Through passion flights and laughter spilled together –
I will be beside you
Because side by side, for now and always
Is where we belong

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

It’s hard to say ‘I love you’
When words have turned to dust
When searing haze inflames the blaze
And chokes the skies of trust

Yet that’s the very moment –
Despite the silent blight
When all the best is laid to rest –
My love for you burns bright

It’s hard to hug and kiss you
When looks have turned to ice
When every gaze blocks out the rays
Of efforts to be nice

Yet that’s the very moment –
Despite the frosty chill
When mutual faith is like a wraith –
My love enfolds you still

It’s hard to say ‘I’m sorry’
When facing down defeat
When healing ways are like a maze
That’s full of dead-end streets

Yet that’s the very moment –
Despite still feeling sore
When all the pain is spent in vain –
I love you even more

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

She rages against the fading of light,
Making the world less bitter, less dark:
Her moonlit passion shines out in the night.

When shadows are growing to ominous height;
When justice corrodes and leaves acid marks:
She rages against the fading of light.

Each time that she finds a victim in plight,
She looks for a flash of luminous arc:
Her moonlit passion shines out in the night.

When tyrants defend their merciless right;
When gaps still get wider, contrasts more stark:
She rages against the fading of light.

In stormy dark seas where money is might;
Where bankers and landlords feed like a shark:
Her moonlit passion shines out in the night.

Her fire gives me wings, her love gives me flight,
And helps me to face my fears of the dark:
She rages against the fading of light,
Her moonlit passion shines out in the night.

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.