Six Poems by John Drudge

 

Alchemy

 

The alchemy

Of the universe

Sounds stupid

I know

But it’s the truth

Of things

It’s how it all goes down

In dark alleys

And in the bright sun

It’s how everything

Transpires

In one moving mass

Of simultaneity

On the fringes

Of time spun

Another Morning

 

Chasing life

On broken wings of time

Learning through experience

Not knowledge

Connected to the ideals

Of loss and growing

Through the lessons

Of inevitable demise

But stepping into tomorrow

And the promise

Of another burning sun

Leaves me breathless

In the light of morning

And eager to arise

Depths

In the realm of deep love
Where the heart's gentle whispers
Blend with the ethereal hues
Of passion
There exists a sanctuary of emotions
Untamed
A realm beyond the confines
Of reason
Where the tides of ardour surge
And recede
With a rhythm and flutter
In a symphony that reverberates
Vulnerability and strength
Entwined like ivy over everything
Tapestries woven
With the threads of shared experience
Mosaics and memories
Alchemy in seamless unity
An unspoken language
Between stars
Scattered across the night sky
Above stormy seas
Where trust becomes the compass
And we face tempests together
Holding on as we melt
Into solace and strength
And loss
An ever-evolving story
Boundless
Transformative
The infinite capacity
Of the human heart
Expressed
In the softest hues
Upon the universe
For all eternity
To witness

Into the Wind

 

An unknown adventure

Into unknown space

The loosening

Of our riggings

Over time

With slack sails set

Toward the wind

To the tune of change

Cutting

Through white noise

Ecstasy and anguish

To the other side

Of dreams

With the old country gone

And the new one

Deconstructed

Stratified in the grip

Of a new kind

Of eternity

Journey

 

Taking the hand

Of the lady

Of the lake

On a hero’s journey

Of self-discovery

Over battlefields

Of swords and grails

Wielding words

Of broken sorrow

Water goddesses

And hard hewn glory

Along a brand-new path

Of creation

With Merlin’s wisdom

In the stone

And old circles

Spinning into tomorrow

Spirit

 

Dancing on the precipice

Of uncertainty

Unyielding to the weight

Of doubt

An oasis in the desert

Of desolation

Undeterred by tempest might

Whispering tomorrow's promise

To weary hearts

To persevere

To dream and strive

And to hold the ember

Of the human spirit

Tenderly

John Drudge is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology.  He is the author of four books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019), New Days (2020), and Fragments (2021). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.