Autumn's Hint....

the leaves on the tree are whispering...
squirrels panic, and fireflies disappear.
birds prepare their wings for journey,
i sharpen the axe, the woodpile grows.
the fields mourn with stomachs filled.
the chimney moans with an ache.
brandy waits on the shelf in silence.
mason jars filled with beans.
the air pregnant with chill and woodsmoke,
this body ripe with the taste of love.
unmarked graves wait for headstones,
pumpkins wait for the knife.
eyes turn, waiting for the fall...
autumn's hint, rust on my lips!

poem by Eric Cockrell
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Life Goes On!

behind the well lit window,
the coffee pot churns.
doors open and close,
and hair is combed.
in silent hurry,
the day laid out,
life goes on, life goes on.

things left unsaid,
perhaps a note.
the brush in passing
through the tangled hallway.
the tv news, grey anvil tongue.
eyes squinted, life goes on.

while on a vacant corner,
in an empty house
neath a burned out bulb,
nothing gathers in shadows...
prayers fall on deaf ears.

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Lips To My Heart!

if you press
your lips to my heart,
you will taste the ocean...
the beginning of life,
and eons.

dont let the sound of the waves terrify!
curl into the rhythm and the pound!
forms ever evolving,
in the quest for light!

seaweed, and rolling darkness,
mounting as if some god.
thought opens the hand,
and names the fury,
that stillness best expresses!

drink deeply, my love...
so we are driven!
no limit to the vastness.

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Many Colors

i am a man of many colors,
many thoughts, many feelings;
raw and honest, you get what
you see... i'm not hiding
in a shell.

you'll know me by the parts
of you that you see reflected
in me... by the understanding
bridge between us....
for we are family.

i dont pretend to know
all the answers... but i am
searching, moving forward.
i make mistakes everyday,
and i know i own them!

i'm just a man... but that
in itself is a journey, a quest...

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Refuse!

i refuse
to accept the lie
anymore!

i know, beyond a doubt,
that all people are equal,
regardless of color, gender,

religion, financial status, or
political beliefs!
i refuse to believe

that i am all right,
when someone else
is hungry, homeless, or hurting.

i refuse to believe
that i am not responsible,
for i am most responsible

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Unabashed Want

i wipe a tiny cosmos
..from the corner
..........of your mouth,

and watch you sleeping...

'neath a blanket
....of
......crumbling
......... leaves

...and
.....fresh fallen
.......snow;

the scent of your rich dark earth,
...and the pulsing warmth
.....of you evolving

..at my fingertips...

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Hand-Me-Down!

got my hand-me-down boots,
and my hand-me-down jeans.
my broke down hand-me-down hat,
doing hand-me-down things.

my hand-me-down fire,
and my hand-me-down pot.
take a hand-me-down chair,
i'll share what i've got.

got some hand-me-down thoughts,
a couple of hand-me-down songs.
i've got a hand-me-down heart
that wont leave you alone.

we'll talk about hand-me-down freedom,
and hand-me-down truth....
in this hand-me-down world,
it's just me and you!

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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I Was Not Born To Follow!

i am the match
...for the fire not lit,
......the cup that holds,

..no water!
...the wheel that turns
....while standing still,

the prayer lost in the mail.
..the leaf that clings
.....to the barelimbed tree,

the fallen tree where small things live.
....the one who digs
.......the unmarked graves,

who cleans the stalls by moonlight.
....the last cross
......on that faraway hill,

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Walking the Path

i used to meditate
early in the morning
down on the basement
of the old house
on Bethel Rd
that we rented years ago...
there was a rabbit
that sometimes hopped
through the open basement door
to sit close to me...
and listened as i chanted.
i almost found it then!

years have passed,
times of struggle and loss...
(i almost lost my way)
now i sit here at night
thinking about the precepts,
reading poetry, just thinking....
or not thinking at all!

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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Buddha Within....

Buddha's tears...
on the faces of every
hungry child in the world.
Buddha's emptiness,
in the hearts of every
person who has no home.
Buddha's sorrow,
in the eyes of every
victim of the bombings.
Buddha's silence,
at the roar of every
religious fanatic.
Buddha's compassion,
in the dirt of every
human being fallen.
Buddha's forgiveness,
in the anger of every
person driven by prejudice.
Buddha within,
seeks to evolve!

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poem by Eric Cockrell
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