Contents

Back
 

Homepage
 

Jim has been published widely and contributed to a number of anthologies.  He has published four collections of poetry and co-authored one.  He lives in Bedford County, PA and is multicultural; Ojibwe, French and German.
 

I Will Take Until There is Nothing Left to Take
                 

the wind whispers words of death
as the eagle soars through polluted skies

once there were endless days to come
once there were promises of tomorrow

emotions soared like the eagle
today, emotions are past, spirits dashed

there was a time when her beauty was grand
now, she lays silent…wounded and worn

listen…did you hear
Mother Earth has taken her last breath

the few left feel her heartbeat stop
seconds later they join her

man chose this direction
blind and uncaring…GREED kills

the room empty
shutters closed…lights out 

planet earth DEAD

there were many messages
all left unread

impending death ignored
no one left to listen

         The Eagle Circles

The eagle circles on high in the sky
his home.
Riding the winds, looking down upon
man…witnessing the truth.

Eagles' quiet power casts a shadow upon
Earth Mother.
His power can be felt in contemplative
prayer.

He is witness to the carelessness of man;
his sharp eyes register each deed.
On strong wings he travels to Creator
passing all he sees to him.

Alone, between shadow and sun he travels.
He is the guardian of the sky gate.

He remembers once long ago in times past
all the beauty that filled the land.
Now, the signs of man litter the landscape
speaking of heritage lost…not dead.

Wondering all the while, what man will do
next?
He speaks of resurgence, a return to tradition,
a return to caring.

        Strong Enough to Cry

There are happy songs sung by all the birds.
What will become of their laughter?

When blue skies turn to gray, when
mountains are bare and streams silent
will anyone care?

Fluttering wings echo like drum beats
in the sky, sending messages we do
not hear.
We all believe time is infinite and all
will go on forever.

Our behavior shows our ignorance and
lack of understanding.
Poor behavior and greed inspired
destruction is no justification for our treatment of
Mother Earth.

Once all could dance with smiles on their
faces; two-legged and four, flying ones,
crawling ones, swimming ones, standing ones.

The land was beautiful, blessed by the Creator,
held in his loving embrace, shared by all,
renewing, replenishing for the
children of today and tomorrow.

But Mother Earth is in peril.
In the name of progress we destroy and pollute.
Nothing and no one is safe.

Vicious and unyielding in their greed they
inflict pain upon our Earth Mother and all
her creatures.
Once she could breathe so well, now each
breath comes with pain.
Pain from all the loss!

Species extinct, air polluted, streams and
oceans filthy with waste and toxic chemicals.
If only the messages that now go unheard
were listened to.
But they are to busy to care…to show concern.
Will they be strong enough to cry
when Mother Earth dies?
A question asked of a home now DEAD!