Tag: poetry

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Fifty

In all my years upon the Earth
This was the strangest since my birth
The year the ghostly virus struck
When time stood still and things got stuck

A year locked down under the dome
A chance to think, to be at home
A year of sickness and of death
When nature took a gasping breath

The crystal streams, the silent sky
The empty streets, the question why
The heartbeat of a world at rest
A seismic pause, a global test

Although we mourn for what is lost
We must reflect and count the cost
Of what will be our child’s regret
If we ignore the Great Reset

The end of coal, the peak of oil
The time to restore living soil
The promise of a solar dawn
An end to night, a brand-new dawn

A year of distance and of fear
A chance to love all we hold dear
A year of endings and of pain
When all good things must start again

Whatever challenges we face
This is our moment to embrace
A bigger view, a longer range
My fiftieth, the Year of Strange

Wayne Visser © 2020

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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African Flame

You are the first spark that kindles the fire
That nurtures our daring and restless desire
On journeys across the wilderness plain
You light up the way: our African flame

You are the red bloom that graces the tree
That rises from ash, a wonder to see
In nature resplendent, we honour your name
You burn with great beauty: our African flame

You are the fierce blaze that forges the soul
That touches the sky and makes the earth whole
Through hardship and toil, in fortune and fame
You burn with great faith: our African flame

You are the hot coal that glows in the night
That gives us the strength to stand up and fight
Deep passion’s a fire nobody can tame
You burn with great hope: our African flame

You are the warm light that keeps off the cold
That cradles our dreams and stories of old
Together in strength, diverse and the same
You burn with great love: our African flame

You are the enigma that flickers with heat
That dances with drums in sync to the beat
With colours that shine, with stars in your aim
You brighten the world: our African flame

Wayne Visser © 2020

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

This creative collection, now in its 5th edition, brings together Africa poems by Wayne Visser, including the ever popular “I Am An African”, as well as old favourites like “Women of Africa”, “I Know A Place in Africa”, “Prayer for Africa” and “African Dream”. The anthology celebrates the luminous continent and its rainbow people. The updated 5th Edition includes new poems like “Africa Untamed” and “Land of the Sun”. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Behind the Veil

To those who stand outside
Or young ones still aspiring
The mysteries of business
Are tangled myths conspiring

But for those who enter in
The veil is quickly rent
For the secrets of success
Are simply common sense:

Make a lot of friends
And always keep in touch
Try to help with problems
But never pry too much

Get to know the rules
And always show respect
Play hard but even-handed
Give as you hope to get

Set a lot of meetings
And always be on time
Talk less and listen more
But don’t become a mime

Make a lot of money
And always watch your spend
But do not get confused
Between the means and end

Get to know your talent
And always have some fun
Throw in a little passion
And get the good job done

These are the simple truths
And answers many seek
To the enigma that is business
Behind the veiled mystique

So step inside the circle
And very soon you’ll find
The common sense of commerce
Is serving humankind

Wayne Visser © 2003

Book

The Poetry of Business: A CEO’s Quest for Meaning

It was time to leave. A bitter-sweet time. The CEO felt sadness, but also contentment. The business he had conceived and birthed and nurtured was mature enough to stand on its own feet now; to live out its own life. Ironically, the way he saw it, the company was not the legacy he was leaving at all. The real value was in the way in which the business lived and breathed and kept its people engaged and passionate. That was the real gift he had given them. And that was why he was leaving behind his scruffy notebooks in the boardroom cabinet – those dog-eared, tea-stained pages on which, over the years, he had jotted down his ideas. Scrawled untidily were the lessons he had learned along the way: about how to make a business ‘fit for human beings’; about how to survive in commerce and still sleep soundly at night; about how to create a company that served society, instead of the other way around. So many thoughts … Buy the paper book.

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Leap of Faith

You stood at the edge and took a deep breath
A leap of faith towards a future unknown
And with that leap, you died a small death
Like an old skin shed and a new one regrown

There’s no need for fear, a leap’s just a step
Infused with firm resolve and noble intention
It’s striding out with new vigour and pep
On a path full of hope and reinvention

Faith is believing before you can see
Following the trail with no summit in view
Knowing the acorn contains an oak tree
Finding your spirit and keeping it true

You stood at the edge and took that great leap
Now life will conspire to show you the way
And the lessons you learn, the dreams you will reap
Are rewards for the actions you take every day.

Wayne Visser © 2020

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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Spirited Away

One fine day, I’ll let myself be
Spirited away, to a world yet unseen
In the grey, the mist of a dream
Where sprites play and nature nymphs stream
Amidst the spray of waterfalls and green
Forests, a ray of sunshine, a beam
Of light, a stray path in between.

One day soon, I’ll let myself go
To the moon, to the stars that glow
Like the bloom of ideas, the flow
Of a tune of memories that grow
And then swoon, like the winds blow
Across the dun and the swirling snow
Paints a plume on skies I used to know

One dark night, I’ll let myself fly
Out of sight, out of mind, with a sigh
I’ll take flight, let loose every tie
Every plight that weighs and asks why
Every fight won or lost, on a high
Of pure light, I’ll laugh and I’ll cry
With delight, I’ll be spirited away by and by

Wayne Visser © 2020

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.

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Forty-Nine

Another drop in life’s great sea
Another drop that ripples free
Into the ocean, vast yet changed
With tidal currents rearranged
For every drop’s a vital clue
To secrets hidden in the blue
Another drop for forty-nine
Another drop into the brine
Where secrets in the swirl of days
Are whispered drops of crystal ways
While tidal breaths still rise and fall
The ocean moves the life of all
Another drop of destiny
Another drop: that drop is me

Wayne Visser © 2019

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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It Matters

It matters that we live our life
And that we try and fail
But in the end what matters most
Is that we’ve told our tale

It matters that we learn to love
And that we win and lose
But in the end what matters most
Is that we’ve worn our shoes

It matters that we make our mark
And that we stretch and strive
But in the end what matters most
Is that we’ve been alive

Wayne Visser © 2019

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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Acting Now

I’m acting now – for the future
For all the children and their children
For the powerless and the voiceless
Because the time for talking is over
And the time for excuses is over

I’m acting now – for the planet
For all species and their habitats
For the web of life that is fraying
Because the time for excuses is over
And the time for action is now

I’m acting now – for the present
For all leaders and their followers
For the fearful and the hopeless
Because the time for delaying is over
And the time for action is now

Wayne Visser © 2019

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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To Lead

To lead or not to lead?
That is the wrong question
For in our hour of need
It’s what to lead that matters more
The core of values and their strength
The door of possibilities
The planted seeds and fruits they bear
It’s there true leadership resides
For tides are changing quickly now
It’s not the who, it’s where and how

Leaders come and leaders go
But which will show a better way
A brighter day because they led
A lighter tread upon the Earth
The birth of purpose in our lives
And work in which our spirit thrives
Let’s not ignore the children’s voice
The choice is ours, to lag or lead
To make the world more green and fair
In ways that care, that hope and dare

Don’t tell me that you lead, for I
Will never be impressed
It’s how you lead that interests me
And what you strive for without rest
It’s where your dreams are taking us
And who will thrive the best
It’s why you lead that tells me more
Than all the feathers in your nest
To lead is nothing special, for
To serve’s the real test

To lead or not to lead?
The question’s quite absurd
For leadership’s the path that freed
The slaves and we need so much more
From shore to shore, where chains remain
And oceans rise, yet leaders’ lies
Support charades and barricades
That cling to glories of the past
Rise up new leaders who can shape
A future that is built to last

Wayne Visser © 2019

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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The Valley of Doubt

Should you find yourself
In the shadowed valley of doubt
Resist the glib temptation
To climb the first path you encounter
Rather linger in that unlit depth
Where new possibilities are gestating
Like a seed in the dark fecund earth

Should you catch yourself
On the swaying bridge of indecision
Let go the impulsive need
To move back to solid ground safety
Rather straddle that great divide
Where the tension of apparent opposites
May reveal a transcendent third way

Should you lose yourself
In the swirling mists of uncertainty
Fight back the compelling urge
To search blindly for the horizon
Rather be still amidst the chaos
Where seemingly random forces
Are connecting butterflies and typhoons

And as you wait, as you watch and wish
Be ever vigilant, be alert and alive
For when the right path appears
When the third way unveils itself
When synchronicity sparks brightly
You must rise and choose and act
With new hope, bold faith and brave love

Wayne Visser © 2019

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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