When I am old

This one is a question of reflection, and I have matched the picture with a poem I wrote many years ago. This is not my usual way but I do think they fit well together. What do you think? I could write another and we could compare the two approaches. The picture is not one of mine but comes from a great website that shares pictures for use with its members. Let me know if you want their url


When I am old





















When I am old will I be remembered
For who I was
Who they thought I was
Or who I wished I could be

Will my words have had such power
To have made people smile
Or will they not have been
What I always wanted them to be

Will they recall that I loved life dearly
For all that it is,
That I knew it was continuous
And always there to challenge me

Will my words reflect the depth of my heart
The love that I held
For my family and friends
And all the things that touched me

When I am old will they remember I tried
To always be fair
In all that I said and did
And that I let people live life free

Will my words be known to share my thoughts
On life’s vast richness
And it’s many great joys
That allows us all to remain free

Will I go down as one who made an effort
To enrich the lives
Of all those around me
And to live life as it was meant to be

When I am old will I be remembered
For who I was
Who they thought I was
Or who I wished I could be

© Bernard J Rossi

Tap Dancing on the Roof

With winter about to hit here in Australia, and with Canberra about to rug up and turn the heaters on high regardless of the exorbitant charges of the utilities companies, I thought it might be nice to relive the outbreak of summer. Then I think I might move to a warmer climate, at least for the winter.


Tap Dancing on the Roof


The sounds of summer
hit the country out west
with the painted mountains
blue in the background
summer brings with it the beating sun
we crave so much, and yet hide from
as we watch each dance of nature
and listen to its every sound

The steamy heat torches the village
a hundred tin roofs crackle
restless dogs howl
in the middle of the night
we lay on top of sheets
wearing nothing but sweat,
thinking of the beauty
held in every summer sight

The sun rises early
the birds squawk and squeal
and cockatoos screech
as they pull bark from huge trees
that creak and threaten
to send mammoth branches
crashing to the ground
like elephants to their knees

Smaller feathered friends
twitter and tap dance
across a flat tin roof
that has seen better days
waking all who sleep below
to a brand new dawn
surrounded on all sides
by that familiar summer haze

Lawn mowers roar to life
breaking nature’s tranquility
whipper snippers chime in
to sing the chorus
sprinklers and hand held hoses
shower the garden before the heat arrives
and while the ground remains
at least a little porous

Backyard swimming pools
spring to a childish life
in areas left with enough water
to keep them viable
and the cricket commentary
fills the airwaves and the kitchens
as cold drinks of all sorts and strengths
keep us cool and pliable

The heat in the middle of the day
sees an eerie quiet descend
While nature takes a well earned break
hidden from the unrelenting sun
then evening comes
without taking away the light
just turning it pink
until once more the day is done


© Bernard J Rossi

Alone in the crowd

Welcome to my newest poetry genre. In line with wanting to put a lot of variety onto my blog I have ventured into the world of picture poetry and I will be posting one or two of these a week. These are pictures I have taken but if anyone out there wants to send me a photo they would like me to put poetry to I would be thrilled to do that and post it here. You can send photos to me through my website, bernardjrossi.com or email to bernardjrossi@gmail.com.

Now for today's offering, which I have called Alone it the crowd. You can click on the photo to get a larger view (I think!)




Sometimes I feel alone
One of a kind
A different species to everyone else around me
And I am in danger of being engulfed
By early morning mists
While others watch on unconcerned
I remain barely above the water
Hoping to stay dry
At least until it is time to eat
Afraid to put my toe in the water
In case the others see my weakness
My mouth seems to hang down
Resting on my chest
Particularly on my worst days
Yet somehow I remain afloat
Something keeps me just above the surface
Holding me out of harms way
Allowing me to rest until I am ready
Until I can take off once more

I know I can fly
Some days the mist keeps me grounded though
As I wait for another like me
To stand beside me
And make this picture perfect

© Bernard J Rossi

Lost

So far I have not had any comments on the poems chosen for this week but I will continue on with the darker theme a little with this one. Perhaps that is a little indulgent, but this is my blog after all is said and done. Well it is yours as well of course as it it only exists here for your enjoyment...


Wandering lost in an urban landscape,
A product of so many wrong turns.
Not sure where I want to head
Or what I will feel when I get there.
Rushing into decisions and directions
That only serve to lead me deeper.
Press on? Or maybe return to where it began?
Lost in a world that should be familiar,
A world where once I was comfortable.
Not wise enough to avoid sinking further
Even as a sense of direction appears
Wondering when will I arrive at my destiny
And when my heart can finally be content


© Bernard J Rossi

One moment in time

Who knows if this one is dark or perhaps a little uplifting. I am keen to hear your thoughts on this one and how you interpret it. I wrote it today so it is hot off the keyboard and might undergo change over the next few weeks but first I would like you to decide what you think.

I remember that moment when I fell in love
I remember you standing there,
Your smile,
Your eyes dancing and full of fun.
I remember that moment in time

This memory, etched into my mind
No matter how far the distance between us,
Your companion,
Or what life has dealt you.
We had that moment in time

I remember that moment as if it were now
The touch of your tenderness
Your perfume
Your breath upon my ear
It was our moment in time

I long to touch this memory again
To experience this unique and wonderful feeling
Your memory
One moment in all of time.
It was just one moment in time

A moment that never leaves my head
Reviving recollections of you
Your beauty
Caressing me with every memory
Wanting one more moment in time

One moment when I look into your eyes,
And every wonderful moment we ever shared
Your life,
Comes flooding back to me.
Touched again by that moment in time

A moment I would die to relive
The moment before you left so suddenly
Your destiny
To leave our lives unfulfilled
Lost to one moment in time

I remember that moment when I fell in love
I remember you standing there,
Your smile,
Your eyes dancing and full of fun.
I still live in that moment in time


© Bernard J Rossi

No Fear of Death

Most of my poems that I have shared so far are positive and uplifting or talk of the beauty that life presents us with everyday. That is the world I like to live in but there is another reality that reaches out to touch us from time to time as well and I have written many darker poems in this hours when things were less than ideal. This one is very old and was written at a time of great difficulty for me. I am not sure if anyone will find it to their liking but for some reason I felt the need to share a few darker poems this. I promise to get back to my usual headspace next week!

He calls for me, the time is nigh
A strange thought this last breath
Will I float or will I fly
Afraid to pass from life to death
No need it would seem to I

Above my loin dropped four
Over all of them I’m freed
Enjoy life now I have gone before
New generations to seed
And I, a spectator forever more

Should it be my place to worry?
Capable? I am sure they are
He calls yet I am in no hurry
Eternal light through a door ajar
Into its healing power should I scurry?

Face my fate and accept the call
Leave behind this world, this Maya
My only fear that I might fall
A reflection warranted prior
Pray for a moment, one chance to stall

Only until I have time to explain
My past was not always dedication
To my caller, though not for my gain
For pleasure now not fear, just trepidation
That I may have earned his great disdain

Afraid of my fate? No I am not
Here in this world at least
Never wanting to experience hot
The uncaring world of the beast
But to live forever where pain cannot


© Bernard J Rossi

Magic

I have called this poem Magic, but it could just as easily be titled 'The Journey'.

In the coming weeks I am going to put up some photos or pictures/paintings and write small verses to them. This is an exercise I have done before and it is not only amazingly enjoyable but it also combines the visual beauty of the pictures with the magic of poetry. I would be happy for any of you poetry fans out there to send me a picture you would like to see put to poems and I'll interpret them as I see them.

In the interim take a short journey with me, it should prove to be magic.

Life used to be about the magic

Life was once about the wonder
We ruled the earth
Nothing could stop us
Our oyster awaited

Life then became about surviving

Life developed into making it
Work ruled our existence
Our freedom usurped
Old age awaited

Life used to be about surviving

Life is now about enjoyment
Magic rules our world
Life is full of wonder
Our dreams await

Life endures because of the magic


© Bernard J Rossi