A SINGLE TEAR
Dedicated to our son, Cam (1978 – 2018)
A single tear rains down upon the desert
A single tear – the mountain face so high.
A single tear co-mingling with an ocean
Across a span as endless as the sky.
If ages past were but a single moment
If single tears were not constrained by time
Those single tears would be a raging torrent
The sound of which would move a calm sublime.
“God sees the little sparrow fall” is written.
“It meets His tender view” has graced the pen.
How precious that the God of all creation
Would also turn His gaze upon the wren.
Jim Davis (2018)
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FINEST STRANDS OF SILK
The finest strands of silk cannot declare,
The warmth and colour of your slumber’s hair.
Nor darkness hide the waves that rise and fall:
The gentle roll of hills and valleys call.
And lusters of soft sands caress the sea…
The restless ever restless sea.
Jim Davis 2023
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THE OLD COOKIE JAR
I sense a cookie jar gathering dust, consigned to a high pantry pew.
Once full of treats and enticing thoughts and a prominent kitchen view.
Sometimes mine and at other times yours but the contents were never
store made.
Just flour and sugar, some ginger and spice, all lovingly handled and
laid.
The heat of our oven, the aroma so sweet; filling the place of our living.
Commingled senses, a jangle of passions: an exchange of taking and
giving.
Never too many, never too few, some eaten warm from the baking.
And others with tea, or secretly stolen, but rarely – if ever – alone.
Always shared wonder, always so yummy; oh my, how those years have
all flown.
Now the pantry has boxes, and plastic-wrapped products, and a cookie
jar – empty and waiting.
JimDavis (2019)
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CHESS AND LIFE
I play chess with far less skill
than consummate skill, so I be.
Unschooled, self-taught, no books
No Grand Master, for sure, that’s me.
But I know why I play, and it’s not for the thrill of the kill.
The planning, the chasing, the grand overtaking…until
The word is declared, and its time to tally the score.
Is that all chess is: like a knife one drops on the floor?
Captains of industry rise
And just as surely they fall, this be true.
Great kings, some queens, odd pawns move great forces, not I.
Is it chess that they ply? Is it eye for an eye, then goodbye?
More planning and chasing and grand subjugating…until
The take is tallied, then “Tally ho!” off for more.
Is that all life is: endless trips to a bottomless store?
My friend comes over to play.
He takes time to talk, every day.
Game on, some laughs, a yawn,
Words of wisdom for me.
Is it chess I’m learning?
True purpose and yearning… now be still.
Lift eyes to the hills; the Word is the heart of all love.
And that’s all life is: our chance to love others and find One who loves via dove.
Jim Davis (2020)
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Jim Davis Creative Arts: Paintings, Poetry, and Conversations. Click Menu for website pages options. 