Passions

Passions.             

Long in years,            
        when passions pout -
Old's seen change,   
     heard hymn and shout -
Wondering still,
           what life's about -
Fire in the belly,         
        long turned to gout -
Thin's in,                 
      so we shun the stout -
The long haired poet,           
               termed a lout -
His poetic wish,                 
              to shout it out -
Wisdom through thought,     
              to live without -
We are the lesser,          
           left yet in doubt -
Deep in years,       
   time when passions pout-

Ronald C.Downie.   

Golden And Great

Golden And Great

What bridges the living with the spirit world,
Was answered today in a highly visible form.
Majestically over our Schuylkill River Valley
On strong feathered wings which tightly tethers 
Rising drafts - up, up, up, - spiraling to sightless heights,

A noble Golden Eagle winged over us today .
Sir Eagle has a range too far and so vast,
Soaring, gliding, effortlessly on golden wings
Brushing Heaven's gate . So sharp its eyes which 
Views all the lands and all inhabitants found there .

For eons what are the tales, the hallowed stories ?
The songs of the aboriginal native sung to tribal drums ?
The unified dance around tribal fires sending embers aloft ?
The quest for tail feathers to adorn a magnificent head dress ?

As a badge of honor, a scepter, the feather's connected to the Gods
Granting the possessor any wish he desired from the great beyond .
Passing over unknown to all of us, a mere speck in the high sky,
An Eagle touches many people without their knowledge, as would,
A thought, an idea, a premonition, an erie feeling, seeking escape .

A Great Golden Eagle, as does an undetected spirit, moves across
The high sky stealthily to the unobservant looking only ahead .
Dancing over the ground in a graceful ballet the great bird's shadow 
Silently announces its presence in the sky above as a spirit may do .

Timeless, the grandeur of this magnificent bird elevated by worship,
Which blurs the line dividing that of the living world from the spirit .

Ronald C . Downie 

 


 
  

Haiku 58

Haiku 58

Who owns public space 
Bought through earlier taxes ?
Must be tax payers.

Are you keeper of :
Family records, hopes, dreams, luck -
Rock pillars set deep ?

Snow, snow go away,
Come again some other day -
In leaf, tree problems.

Garbage in, same out,
Be not misled by chatter -
Seek your own answers.

Captain your own ship,
Decide which waters you'll sail -
Eyes, ears, charts your guide.

I'm not one percent !
I'm a ninety nine'er man !
Way, way down real deep !

Ronald C. Downie

Hogwash

Hogwash

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesman, and philosophers, and divines." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson spoke not only for his era but also for all times sake. Just like rigid, hard rock which shatters into pieces when struck with a hammer, the rigid consistency of a zealot shatters into illogical segments when confronted with reality. A life worth living is lived in the middle away from the harsh sheen of pure white and equally away from the bleak somber of jet black. It has always been through the art of compromise that brings thinkers from the their extremes at the edges into the middle ground, that fertile area where fresh ideas are grown.

The vast chasm, opening ever wider and deeper between rich and poor, is a prescription for failure.
We certainly need jobs here in America but, as importantly, we need an increasing middle class population with incomes sufficient to allow them to purchase the goods and services produced here. Jobs remain a function of a demand society so if you cut workers income to the bone they purchase less. Inversely, when the rich have less of a surplus they need not scrimp to just exist. 

Hogwash, it's hogwash in my mind that asking those who fed at the trough of obscene profits for decades to pay a few percentage points toward a recovery program which could save our nation as we have known it. More hogwash is the claim that these enriched few if asked to pay their fair share would starve the system by not creating new jobs. Ask them, how many jobs did they eliminate in the last decade which created their obscene wealth ?

It is the greater percentage of our population who is going to suffer if deep cuts are made so the rich and super rich can whaler in the sticky mud of greed. Old, mostly men, clinging onto a worn out creed that wealth is somehow a right of passage similar to a cast system as found in India, make up our Congress. Their time has passed and they must be sent home.

The "Pledge"of no revenue increase is one of a foolish consistency adored by little statesman. 

Amen !

Ronald C. Downie

First Blizzard Of The Season

First Blizzard Of The Season

Relish the first blizzard of the season
Watch for swirls of yellow and brown ;
Autumn early seems the real reason 
All the lawns are covered in the town.

     It is a time when :

Damp mist steams up from the river,
Foot steps leave their prints in the dew. 
Morning sun gets red and redder,
Vast flocks fly all birds but a few.

Thin herringbone clouds stripe the sky,
Heading south geese V in a flock,
Crows land and depart with a cry.
Farmers watch weather like a clock.

Goldenrods garnish the meadows
Stately corn tans tall on the stalk,
In home gardens wilt the tomatoes,
Deep breaths smoke great puffs as we walk.

Pumpkin orange rough petal's fashion,
Straight up, smoke stretches chimneys tall.
Witch and goblin excite a child's passion.
Snowing down - leaves announce - Fall !

        Ronald C . Downie 
  

Haiku 57

Haiku 57

Jack Frost wakes from sleep,
Sets sights on drifting down south -
Colors disappear.

Gathering huge flocks,
Birds know all about winter -
Seasons rule their year.

Fall back - spring ahead -
An hour lost - an hour found - my !
Do you really care ?

Just like a pumpkin,
I'm withering on the vine -
Carve me or kick me.

War Lords were slum lords,
Their wrath trashed human beings -
Slum lords trash also.

Capture and hold streets,
Clean them, then maintain that look -
Cleanliness, God's plan. 

Ronald C. Downie

Haiku 56

Haiku 56

Plutocratic oath, 
I have money, so I rule -
Wealth worshiped as God.

Before you give up,
Stop, regroup, evaluate -
You'll want to go on.

Want's wail loudly heard :
Food, shelter, health, peace of mind -
Key is a good job.

Before the dawn, wake
As light seeks daily release -
Day's birth will not wait.

Into each day's light, 
Wants/desires, nudge needs -
A wise outcome rules.

Oligarchy's rule,
Tramp quite hard on loud voices -
Crush opposition.

Ronald C. Downie

Haiku 55

Haiku 55

Mute majority,
Gathers, joins voices, shouts out -
Truth wins out, always.

Fifty senators,
Tone deaf, ignoring the facts -
Kiss rings of the rich.

Hear Buddy Roemer,
Republican who speaks truth -
His party mutes him.

Sticks and stones break,
Break more than bones, future's hope -
Leave the past behind.

Education swells,
Within chests and minds, Earth's needs -
Our dreams unfettered.

Feelings, join together
People needing common cause -
Need, ask; but have, give.

Ronald C. Downie

Minutemen Awaken

Minutemen Awaken
  
Utopian thoughts engorge my mental loins
As sly money changers craft worshiped will
Debasing strongmen into eunuchs, who do still
Think honor stems from high ideals, not coins.

Power swells smirking men happily fondling coin,
Who crypt in keyless shackles those of a lessor vein. 
They give Earth their fullest shift, with hope to gain
With honor life's reward, for offspring of their loin.

Power of a banker's nod brings foreplay to its max
As rush of playing GOD forges Temples in their mind. 
For eons man has thrust above the slyest of his kind;
Coin their allegiance, cherished dreams swing the ax.

I'm not willing to silence the fife nor quell the drum,
Both sounds our heart strings play to deep, so deep,
In the minds of America. You are not allowed sleep,
Fall in, shoulder your will. Now see - Freedom Won ! 
  
Ronald C . Downie
 

We Must Escape

   We Must Escape  

Genesis 1 . . . We must escape
The bondage slog of daily gyre
To free Wisdom's intrepid wings
From Hades' fire . . . Revelations 22 .

Three hundred long dark years went by 
Assemble, vote,"U'ah, we got scripture !"
Talk about miracles, then they manipulate
The Gospels in praise of Heaven's rapture .

Those monkish scribes of walled in thoughts
Lay to the demands of their zealot priests;
Archangels fly, "Come in" calls out Noah,
Christ walks on water, holds Passover Feasts.

Two thousand years pass, the plot thickens :
Priests, monks, pastors, cathedrals, spires,
Holliday choirs, candles, especially crosses,
Madrigals, Holly Hymns, all feed Man's desires.

"Why are we here ?" and "Who are we ?"
Unanswered still. Who will please intercede 
On our behalf before the Lord, just because
We are lowly and unfit to plead our own need.

We wish our waters pure, our air clean to breathe,
Sufficient sustenance for all, a good strong society.
We must seek beauty everywhere, do no one harm,
Make Our World better, for us, and for all of thee.

   Ronald C . Downie  

Vines

    Vines

Strong young vines with heaven in mind,
Stretch and grow skyward, wish to find
Sustenance in warming rays of sunshine,
Finds nectar's source, holy sweet, devine.

There's Cameron, Alix, Kendria, Stephen,
Casey, Conner, Evan, Ian, and Lilly : men
And women, boys and girls, babes to adults,
Vines of my linage, heredity's anxious results.

Rooted Earth seeks moisture's measure
Sips are diluted for growing's pleasure.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and all,
Iron, and boron wait on calcium's call.

Young ones grow up so swiftly it seems
They far surpass a grandfather's dreams,
Nourished with good food and proper drink
Strength in muscles, brain matter to think.

Up, up you tangled climbers grow
Wrap and hug entwined you'll go.
Taller the host, higher you'll climb,
Slow and steady, in Nature's time.

They, their beginning, me nearing my end,
Good life awaits them, engaging, a friend.
The Universe is their stage, like -"Glory Be" -
However vines grow they are an honor to me.

   Ronald C . Downie

Gain Mastery

Gain Mastery

When in a crush of many misled men
Our World shutters of horrible deeds,
A counter is born of all strong women
Who bear our children, sow new seeds :
Then, fresh generations gain the wheel,
Trim the sails, set the compass to steer
A vessel toward clear waters. They feel
Gaining mastery is not something to fear :
And then, we of lesser state find comfort 
In understanding life on Earth gains merit
From vitality pent up in genes of the sort
Wishing for a more perfect union to inherit.
Be this the dreams to set aside our misery
Of discontent, to discard woes, gain mastery. 

Ronald C. Downie

The Art Of Listening

The Art Of Listening

When we lean on the cluttered din of this day
Few sounds can escape chatter and its wake.
Sharp piercing sounds seem loud, so far away,
The rest, cloud like, low muffled sounds to make :
Then in conversation which guides this very day,
From clouds back to Earth, beckons our own reply.
Uptempo, finding why's and wherefores, we may
State truths and falsehoods out loud to the sky :
And then, do we really wait for an answer returned 
Or, have we retreated back into the heavens cloudy 
Not hearing the din nor if the responder's concerned,
Which has bearing on living silently or quite loudly ?
Lost is the "Art Of Listening" basic to Earth as sod,
But, grown so close, are we just as "Pees In A Pod"?
  
Ronald C. Downie

Pottstown, A College Town

Pottstown, A College Town

Do you wish to dramatically raise the image of Pottstown without a cost and with very little 
effort ?

Try this as my title suggests. Whenever possible, when you write Pottstown, tag on the phrase - A College Town - as a modifier either before or after you write the name Pottstown.

A College Town, Pottstown, will soon become normal dialog for our residents and the positive image etched on the minds of visitors will soon perk their interests.

I've never seen a college town I didn't enjoy. Energy and vitality found wrapped in a culturally artistic environment properly defines those college towns I've  visited. This too could be said of Pottstown now and even more as the Montgomery County Community College expands to serve a greater student body.

Why not give it a try ? Positive change need not always come from some grand design but change can rise up in the minds of people and, "as a picture is worth a thousand words", it has always been a thought that has changed the World.

Ronald C. Downie

Haiku 54

Haiku 54

What would Jesus do ?
Side with the one percentile ?
What side would you choose ?

Taxes is the blood 
That feeds a nation's heart beat -
Strength in Country's health.

Footsteps loudly heard,
Language of the down trodden -
People power march.

Money clogs ears shut,
As rich feed from silver plates -
Gambles public's purse.

Wake legislators,
Vote them out and send them home -
"Get Money Out" ! Speak Up !

Power to people,
Like Army Ants on the march -
Wall Street stole enough.

Ronald C. Downie

A Universe Within

A Universe Within

Entombed within our mental mass universes
Await life. Sadly their sad stillbirth curses
Man to forego quantum leaps. Each generation
Slowly acquires knowledge in rapt anticipation.

Are we moulded in his image by a God, personal ? 
Centuries are strewn of carnage from temporal 
Piety, which fouled holy battlefields, claimed Devine
Right, demonstrating the horrid worst in mankind .

Awash in perpetual prayer pious true believers,
Self proclaimed, shroud wrapped, these soul receivers
Expect almighty benediction. Man's evolved creation
To ultimate extinction our lot. Demand salvation

During our lifetime by launching heart based
Missiles into the brain unhindered, not interfaced
With two thousand years awaiting Heaven or Hell.
Within you is a wonderful Universe - treat it well .

        Ronald C. Downie  

Dorothy Arlene Kulp

Dorothy Arlene Kulp

A pretty young lady born of Chicken Hill
Found her young man, John. What a thrill !
The Second World War ruled those days,
The Whole Earth in disarray in many ways.

Their four boys came one after, one another :
Randy, Jeff, Tim, and Gregory. Each brother,
An individual, seeking their very own identity.
Men of years now, with stories spun a plenty.

Grandma Hall, Florence, was fond to say about
Dorothy, never having any bad words to spout
In conversations when she talked about anyone.
Dot did not know how to speak ill, even in fun.

The second of nine girls, plus a boy, born a Hall;
Dorothy knew child care early, was always on call.
Her older sister died in adolescence leaving Dot
Always the oldest, the tallest in a camera shot.

She, the widow of a navy man, a Pacific Veteran
Who experienced the most horrible acts of man.
John and Dorothy traveled the fine crafts scene, 
He, known fondly as The Ring Man, Dot his queen.

A visit to a covered bridge was one of their missions
Drawn out of craftsmanship and true artistic visions.
Dorothy loved finishing puzzles and playing at cards;
Enjoyed her Chester County home's flowering yards.

Now her passing, the matriarch of a family is gone,
Leaving behind her boys and their's, reaching long
Back into the strengths of the Kulp's and the Hall's
To continue their own paths, build their own walls.

In fond memory of Dorothy Arlene Hall Kulp .
From :
Sister Connie and Ron Downie

To See Vast Waters And Grasses

To See Vast Waters And Grasses

To see vast oceans pillow a red balled western
Sun at close of dying day, hearts our thoughts.
Ship anchorages dot our jagged shores while seas
Are pleasured by watered life old as age itself.

Great green seas, endless to the human eye, watch 
Waves of high tasseled grasses strong wind blown
Gathering in antiquity's rhythms of Earth's songs.
Feared of fire, though necessary, life force cycles.

We close each day a little wiser, dumber ?
How do we unravel the crimes of ignorance ?
Is death final or only a prelude of really living ?
Do questions come too easy, answers not easy ?

Never standing still time steps to a silent drummer,
Wearing down muscle and sinew, thought and will,
As a grind stone mashes kernels into eatable flour
To sustain life which lasts until it ultimately ceases.

Ronald C. Downie

Song Tune

Song Tune

The song,
The song of life,
The song of life is played in the key of time.

Seconds tick minutes into hours for days to find,
As weeks couple, bearing months, that years combine
Into passing decades etched forever on the mind.
Friends, in chorus, help harmonize the melody Devine;

But,
But the tune,
The tune is ours,
The tune is ours alone,
But the tune is ours, ours, all alone to find.

Ronald C. Downie

This poem I cherish as my signature poem.

Prose / Poetry

Prose / Poetry

Comparing the Information Age Industry with Steve Jobs' Apple is like comparing writing Prose with writing Poetry.
Prose is writing words in their best order; Poetry is writing the best words in their best order.
To know the difference is the difference. To appreciate there is a difference is paramount. 

Ronald C. Downie

Haiku 53

Haiku 53

Our, "Mighty Casey",
Paid mega millions to hit -
Strikes out, then strikes out !

When sucking sound heard,
Best players look to jump ship -
Phillies tread water.

Philadelphia,
Tale of average or worse -
Fans remain loyal.

To keep hope alive,
We live in a World of dreams -
Ignoring the facts.

When starts basketball ?
I'm afraid of the answer -
Disappointment looms !

There is life beyond
Sports which we all must accept -
Winning addictive.

Ronald C. Downie

Three Treasures

Three Treasures

Break the mold
Burn the prints
Uncork the bottle
Speed the Genie gone .

Not of, but in this World,
Eye sight sharpens
Finds Nature's way
Quietly seeking silence .

Even though Nature does nothing
Nothing is left undone .
Enough becomes enough
Everything in it's own time .

Yin and Yang, the Te,
Into a family of oneness,
The practice of eternal light
Seeing small, listening more .

Keep needs to a minimum,
Wants to all but nil, for
Within each, a Universe exists
Where no storm lasts forever .

Flow as a water course
Which seeks her own level
Softly cutting it's own way
Unequaled in strength .

Surface your sixth sense :
To see, to hear, to smell,
To feel, and to taste are
Just not enough to liberate .

Cherish "three treasures":
"Courage" gained through "mercy",
"Generosity" found in "frugality",
"Leadership" developed from "humility".

Build life one brick at a time .
With a single step each journey begins .
Originating from a single source,
Existence ultimately depends on Love .

Instead of calendar pages
A slash joining four strokes .
Non-being, being, back to non-being
As the bell begins it's final toll .

       Ronald C. Downie
   -After studying The Tao-  
Erica at arriving at 21 years

Haiku 52

Haiku 52

Phillies' balloon bursts,
Fans, who fill stadium, stunned -
Big salaries fail.

Big bats go silent,
Hitting coach loses his job -
Big bats go silent.

All year reserves played,
At years end they sat the bench.
Home run won a game.

On paper Phill's best,
Words never win big ball games -
Players read papers.

Dream team, the Eagles,
World Champs, thought to be Phillies -
Sixers just as bad.

Phill's malnutrition,
Hits lacking, energy down -
Menu, Press Release.

Ronald C. Downie

Pumpkin Delights

Pumpkin Delights

Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights
Switch on Granddaughter's lights.
Something my poems will not do,
Stomach over mind is all but true.

The College scene, an unseen view
Of constant study, is voiced as true.
Nose held to the preverbal grindstone, 
An "all-nighter", song sung back to home.

But, Twinkie's ! Give Pop Pop a break !
Next, you'll claim you can bake a cake,
Or paint, in Oriental mode, graceful trees.
Or, with athletic prowess, defend as bees.

Elevated challenge, Heaven, often heard preached;
As a metaphor, goal obtainable, should be reached.
Gathering yourself for the final year, my Dear,
The journey, not precise, road maps not too clear.

As, "the same stream can't be stepped in twice,"
Life flows as water, ever changing, cruel or nice.
A stream collects from many rivulets and brooks
Gains volume and strength drawn of pools and nooks.

Hardly remembering one's own first baby step,
Though by it, your grand journey's start, kept.
May your desire to always achieve, never cease.
May your journey promote learning, World Peace.

Ronald C. Downie

Written for Granddaughter, Casey Elaine Downie, On her 22nd birthday 10-8-2011

Early Autumn On My Rocker

Early Autumn On My Rocker

Forty this morning, fifty five now,
Anticipating high sixties later on.
Sun as bright as sky is deep blue.
Tree leaves rustling, turning color.

Perfect day to announce early autumn,
With grass deep green, growth slowing.
Flowers yet deeply colored, heads bending
Down, looking for their seeds' winter's bed.

Gathering in large flocks migrating birds
Bunch up, not unlike passengers boarding
Planes and trains or cars pointed due south.
Squirrels hustle gathering up acorns, seeds.

I'm dressed warm enough for the front porch.
There my universe expands before my eyes ;
Young families dropping off their children at
The church day school, early learning is best.

Too many months now my neighbor's absent,
She's at assisted living. Another neighbor's
On a wheelchair but he's active, on the go.
An elderly widow three doors up gets nursing.

Stable for many years my universe is aging 
Quickly before my eyes, I look in the mirror.
Approaching 77 years, autumn been here awhile,
Winter swirls in my thoughts, wondering spring.

I did what I did. Could I have done much more ?
Surely yes, but water over the dam is long gone.
I'm leaving judgement to my offspring and theirs'.
Be kind to my writings, please try to appreciate.

By now the temperature has risen enough for me
To shuffle out to the front porch, take my place
On the rocking chair I've become so accustomed to.
Not much of a change since yesterday, enjoy today.

Ronald C. Downie

You Grace Your Garden

You Grace Your Garden

You grace your garden with flowers kept
As smiles on a fine face proud with care.
Each lead of day awaits the warm kiss
Of solar rays and clouds that gently tear.

Not- wishful wanting draws sense to pleasure.
Not- hours idle make dreams fit your scheme.
Fabric of the Earth you're woven a women :
Twice mother, two score, a matron supreme.

Give you a lever that's proper in length,
Give you a fulcrum to set firm and strong,
Not only mountains, but Earth will move too,
And flowers, and children, and all souls at song.

Ronald C. Downie

Haiku 51

Haiku 51

Wall Street Barons wilt,
Street protestors march to win -
Public loves winners.

Support protestors,
Needed : citizens' strong voice -
Hush up, "talking heads".

Discontent abounds,
Citizens gather, speak out -
In chorus, demand.

Rich pile cash up high,
How many steaks can one eat ?
Soup kitchens filled up.

Pennsylvania,
Avenue, Washington, DC. -
Waiting for marchers.

Legislators nap
Away their trust and duty -
Send them home to bed !

Ronald C. Downie

A Shaman Speaks

A Shaman Speaks

High up in a mountain top cave sits an old
Man crossed legged, grey bearded, robed.
Embers wisps a sharp herbal fragrance
Up on the breeze fanning the wood fire.
I have come here to seek out Wisdom
From this revered Shaman in his temple.
How else does one get great new ideas
If not from minds of learned old men ?

" Oh, Great Seer, how shall I best live 
My life ? I feel I'm just a lowly life 
Since all around me I sadly see myself
In other people who themselves need help."

   The Shaman speaks :

"Be clean and neat, be orderly,
So little cost, so great a reward.
Satisfy these basic human needs :
Be content, controlled, simple, clean."

"Be honest, especially with yourself,
If truly in your own mind you're a cad,
Tell yourself you are, don't lie about it.
You must lead your own self to freedom."

"Reward comes from effort through work.
Expect none if you don't freely give
Of yourself. If you are lazy, suffer.
A hand up always trumps a hand out."

"Seek strength from external forces.
Always choose your own beliefs wisely.
Question yourself, be ready to change.
Make wonderment your personal temple."

"Gather facts to develop knowledge,
From this Wisdom may suddenly emerge.
Through Wisdom comes original thought
Which has a chance to change our World."

I asked,"Anything else, Great One ?"

"I'm tired, but : seek out beauty,
Need very little and want even less,
Balance desires, promote life's needs,
Heed the message of your inner voice."

I sensed the story of Moses carrying 
The Ten Commandments down from
The mountain. Scripture or Shaman Speak ?
Chose the message to live your own life by.

   Ronald C. Downie    
 
    

What - Never Ending

What - Never Ending 

What blots the sun, bloats the moon ?
What from a seance gains us sense ?
What tricks the heart as if at run ?
What causes short breaths to heave
From a chest that wrenches above
The climaxed tourniquet of flesh ?

At dawn of eternity, life's river spawned 
Of an ionic maelstrom, primal ooze fresh.
Joining cells bound - Jehovah yawns -
"In a twinkling of an eye", green mould, us
Lusting past reason while rutting in acts of 
Desire, will and wisdom woefully wanting.

Ruinous the occult of carnal appetites 
Transcending an entire life bent mainly
On nocturnal pleasures of human flesh.
Forgotten, maybe, is really true pure love,
Since penetrating  passions will never end.

  Ronald C. Downie 

Haiku 50

Haiku 50

Bale out a boat leak,
Polish brass, dust off old books -
What for ? Just because !

Philosophy is,
"The love for wisdom." Get it ?
Facts to knowledge, then.

Dylan Ratigan's,
"Get Money Out", sign up now -
"Mad As Hell", sign up.

Try a Haiku poem
Which treks mental folds nimbly 
Seeking real life truths. 

Understanding tweets -
Limited information,
Compounds ignorance.

Chances are fickle,
Waste now, suffer forever -
"Seize the day" make hay.

Ronald C. Downie