Alive

I live
And therefore, I am victorious
Every breath is a triumph
Every step, an accomplishment
For living and breathing and walking
Are acts of defiance
Against dying and resigning and stopping

I am alive
And therefore, I am miraculous
Every emotion is an improbability
Every idea, an implausible feat
For living and feeling and thinking
Are audacious abilities
Against the odds of chance and chaos

I survive
And therefore, I am heroic
Every day is a battle won
Every year, a universe conquered
For surviving and striving and thriving
Are human superpowers
Against oblivion and entropy and meaninglessness

We live
And while we live, others die
Every life is an arc of light
Every death, a shooting star
For living and shining and fading
Are the black fate
Of each glorious being whose life we celebrate

We are alive
And therefore, we are guardians of life
Every heartbeat is a sacred gift
Every experience, a rare treasure
For living and laughing and loving
Are anti-spells
Against dying and darkness and desolation

We survive
And therefore, we are incredible
Every sunrise is another chance
Every moonrise, another bridge
For surviving and rising and connecting
Are acts of courage
That honour creation
And welcome living
And reaffirm life

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Mountain View

A barren place of grass and clay
A vision planted true
From tender care and patient work
Emerged our Mountain View

A paradise of birds and trees
Beneath the skies of blue
With brown thatched roofs and welcome guests
Now stands our Mountain View

A place to rest, a place to heal
To see the world anew
We journey on, yet in our hearts
Springs green our Mountain View

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.

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Nature Knows

When all the world seems upside down
The fool’s on the hill
The king is a clown
When headline news loud-speaks the views
Of puppeteers of fears
And naysayers of the truth
When leaders’ voices are hollow choices
Of dumb-down beats of tweets
And two-fingers to the youth
Take a step back from the black
And white, the stereotype
The media hype, the Trumptown blues
And choose a world of hues
From greens to greys, and reds to browns
The rounds of seasons, synchro-reasons
Of sun and moon, the tune
Of vitality that sprouts and grows
The harmony, the symphony, the flows
That nature knows

When all the roads seem nowhere bound
The signs contradict
The noise has no sound
When every maze just adds to the craze
Of shallow aims in games
And hamster wheels for jobs
When Wall Street belies, in suits and ties
Their ugly creed of greed
And clever ways to rob
Take a deep breath, defy the death
Of hope, the hangman’s rope
The doomsday dope, the victim’s shoes
And choose a forest of clues
Of roots and shoots
From seeds to stems, and buds to leaves
The trees of jungles, the rumbles
Of beast and storm, the dawn
Of light and flight and lucent bows
The illumination, the revelation, the glows
That nature shows

When all that’s lost can scarce be found
The love swept away
The faith nearly drowned
When silent strings, like broken wings
Leave empty spaces in places
Where music once soared
When prophets’ words sound more absurd
Than the Mad Hatter’s patter
And the Jabberwocky’s chord
Take a great leap, take time to reap
What you have sown, from flesh and bone
From mind clone and idea muse
And choose an earthscape of dos
Not don’ts and won’ts
But cans and wills, and better stills
The thrills of striving, life thriving
Through trial and error, through terror
To yellow dreams and scarlet rose
The magnificence, the intelligence, the prose
That nature knows

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Escape

When the clocks
Have all stopped
When you’re stuck
Out of luck
Waiting and weary
For something to happen …

You’ll know that the show
Can go on
With crazy dreams
And incredible schemes
Freshly invented
To shatter the frozen rhyme
Of time

When you’re bored
In a box
When you’re trapped
Tightly wrapped
Wishing and wanting
To make your escape …

You’ll find that the mind
Can burst free
Into dazzling vistas
And remarkable twisters
Newly discovered
To explode the prison case
Of space

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Making Ripples

I am streaming words into the void
A pointless, poignant pulsing of mind
Seeking nothing and finding it
Among mute stars winking

I am broadcasting signals into the noise
A futile, fulfilling flashing of ideas
Lighting caverns and fizzling out
Among deaf bats clicking

I am whispering secrets into the matrix
A confounding, complex coding of heart
Turning keyholes and tumbling locks
Among blind alleys echoing

I am dripping odes into the ocean
A silly, sublime splashing of meaning
Making ripples and merging back
Among thought currents flowing

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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You and Me, Here and Now

What if it’s now?
That fateful moment
When everything turns
Silent, invisible gears shifting
And suddenly, your life, or mine
Changes forever
Sets off on a different trajectory
Enters a steep climb
Or stalls into a precipitous dive

What if this very instant
This magic moment
Is now?

What if it’s here?
That special place
Where destiny seeds
Dark, patient forces incubating
And suddenly, your future, or mine
Changes forever
Marks a new point of departure
Lays a fresh foundation
Or connects to roots long buried

What if this very location
This pivotal place
Is here?

What if it’s me?
That reluctant hero
Who hears the call
Tepid, timid heart beating
And suddenly, your quest, or mine
Changes forever
Looms larger in the lens of days
Stretches to the curved horizon
Or plumbs the depth of ocean

What if this ordinary soul
This unexpected hero
Is me?

What if it’s you?
That elusive lover
Who fits my edges
Yin and yang forces swirling
And suddenly, your dream, or mine
Changes forever
Refracts through a new prism
Bends to someone else’s bow
Or reaches for another’s star

What if this missing half
This integral lover
Is you?

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Feel

It’s not what you do –
Not the mop on the floor
Or the plaque on your door
Not the pat on your back
Or the plaudits you lack –
It’s how what you do
Makes you feel
How you feel

It’s not what you say –
Not the tone of your voice
Or the words of your choice
Not the wisdom you spout
Or the anger let out –
It’s how what you say
Makes me feel
What I feel

It’s not what you wear –
Not the latest new fashion
Or the colour of passion
Not the shades of the season
Or the fad beyond reason –
It’s how what you wear
Makes you feel
How you feel

It’s not where you go –
Not the oceans you sail
Or the summits you scale
Not the lands that you reach
Or the chasms you breach –
It’s how where you go
Makes you feel
What you feel

It’s not what you think –
Not the bright new ideas
Or the futures you fear
Not the voice in your head
Or the dreams left unsaid –
It’s how what you think
Makes you feel
How you feel

It’s not what you believe –
Not the scripture you read
Or the faith that you lead
Not the god that you name
Or the sins that you shame –
It’s how what you believe
Makes you feel
What you feel

It’s not what you give –
Not the money or time
Or the things left behind
Not the temples of gold
Or the stories you’ve told –
It’s how what you give
Makes us feel
How we feel

It’s not how you love –
Not the roses and cards
Or the prose from the bards
Not the stars and the moon
Or the lyrical tune –
It’s how all your love
Makes me feel
What I feel

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Wasted Days

So many wasted days
I scarcely dare to count them
Turgid, tempestuous days
That muddied life’s pure fountain

So many restless nights
Ticking through each hour
Inane, insomniac nights
When sweet sleep turned to sour

So many futile ways
They stack up like a mountain
Dead-end, diversionary ways
I scarcely dare to count them

So many false bright lights
Each beacon and each tower
Manic, magnificent lights
Ticking down each hour

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Free Falling

Over the edge
At World’s End
And Adventure’s Beginning

Free
Falling
Unfixed and unnerved
With emotions jangled and raw
Past ties tangled
Taught and stretching
Fraught and frightening
Swan-diving into my fear
Cloud-riding

Free
Falling
Towards the promise
The hope
Of a New World
The scope to explore
To learn
To burn the fire of knowing
To feel the tug of growing

Free
Falling
Throwing the rope
That reaches across
Weaving the bridge
That breaches beyond
The restless ruthless tide
Of need amidst plenty
And want that is empty

Free
Falling
Straining to hear
My calling
My bliss
Somewhere in the mist
Over the edge
At World’s End
And Adventure’s Beginning

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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Twinkering

Making changes, swift and small
That seem to matter not at all
Yet send us forth on tangled ways
Into the heart of life’s great maze

Wayne Visser © 2017

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.

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