Bluebird

Bluebird

She was a very pretty young woman

with a young son at home,

makin' do as best she could.

She was just struggling

to find her way and get by.

She'd been through

some pretty hard times

with an ex-husband

who had a bad turn in the army

and came home

refusing to treat her right.

She told me as we sat talking,

“John, I've got to pull myself back up

and get on with my life.

'Get back to my art and my writing.”

Her spirit was a bluebird,

flying high and untamed

in an endless summer sky,

and I could see a powerful magic

in the bright spark of her eyes.

I knew, even if she didn't right then,

that come what may,

she would find a way through.

'Said to her,

“If you believe

the wide screen television,

all you gotta do

is drink the right beer,

get a few tattoo’s,

use the right toothpaste,

and buy the right brand

of pick-up truck.

Do this, they tell you,

and life will be perfect.

Buy lots of stuff

you don't really need

with money you don't really have

and everything will all fall

right into place for you

and you'll be a resounding success.

Now, anyone with half a brain

knows that's all a scam

and a big pile of horseshit.

I took a drink of my coffee

and went on,

“Invest time, instead, in your son

and in your family.

Invest in those whom you love

and who love you back.

Remember, true love begins

only when two share

what is deep in their souls.

Everything before that

is just practice.

Invest time in your own creativity,

in your own art, writing and music.

Invest in the voyage to discover

the world inside yourself,

and in your long journey

out into the world around you.

Invest time in books

and in the great thoughts

of those who came before you.

Trust always the voice

that speaks from your heart.

Remember to laugh

at yourself like Red Skelton.

Let the child that you are deep inside---

The one who plays peek-a-boo

with the work-a-day world,

come out and romp in the green grass

and make splashes

in the puddles when it rains.

Remember to notice the sliver moon

high in the sky at night

and always keep a look out

for beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Invest, your time, my friend,

in people, emotions, ideas and ideals.

As all the years roll on by,

you'll be very much happier for it.”

She went off to think for a bit.

When she returned,

she poured me some more hot coffee,

then she smiled and said,

“Thank you much, John.

I think you've inspired me.

Hold on for a minute

while I find a pen and paper.”

I smiled back and told her,

“I'm just returning the favor.”

Dewey Dirks

Don't Need Much

Don't Need Much

Give me sunshine

and a good rain,

clouds in the sky,

beautiful sunrises

and sunsets

and the moon

and stars to see

in the velvet night.

Give me

a good conversation

with a stranger

every once in awhile,

a few good friends

to chat with

from time to time,

and my family to care for.

I'll be needing my dog

to meet me at the door,

and a cat or two

who like my lap.

I'll need a roof

over my head

that doesn't leak

too much when it rains,

a bit of food

in my belly each night,

and some clothes

for my back.

I'll be needing

and a few good books

to read now and then,

my computer

with a passable

word processor

and a game or two

for my work

and my play.

With these few things

I'll figure

I have a hand

that's pat.

I don't need much

to make my days

happy and content.

Dewey Dirks

Soul Sea

Soul Sea

Every creature

you ever see,

and every creature

you never see

has awareness

and a soul.

All around you

in the air,

filling full

every sea

and deep, deep

into the ground

under your feet

are things alive

each with awareness

and a soul.

The secret, my friends,

is that Mother Earth

is a blue orb

filled completely full of life,

---much more so than most

ever happen to imagine.

Like fish never aware

of the waters they swim

We each

wander Mother Earth

minding our phone bills

or figuring out

how to buy a better car

never realizing

we all live

in a vast Soul Sea.

Dewey Dirks

Soul On Fire

Soul On Fire

(For Elaine)

She could break your heart

with the look in her eye

and just standing near her

could light your soul on fire.

Long, long ago I watched

her motor on through men

like a fast, fast mustang

on a midnight moonshine run.

To this day

I still don't know why

I was special to her

though she tried to tell me

a thousand times over.

To her last breath

the light in her turquoise eyes

was ever a mystery to me.

She lit my eternal flame

out of soggy wet mud

and saved my life more than once.

She was my lover, my best friend,

my reason for waking each day

for half my lifetime.

For these, I owe her

a debt of gratitude

I never can repay.

She never put down her colors

and told all

who might do us any harm,

“Do whatever you like

but don't you

fuck with my family.”

She could fight as fiercely

as a snow white tiger

and was as intelligent

as the midsummer solstice

is long

She carried with her

a magic as powerful,

as wise, high, and beautiful

as Shengren mountain sides---

one part in the dark shadows,

the other bathed

in vivid sunshine.

She could break your heart

with the look in her eye

and just standing near her

could light your soul on fire.

In the end, for me she did both

because she lit my eternal soul

with a flame brilliant, bright and true

and then one dark winters night

she left me standing alone.

They say every angel

who gets their wings

also becomes a light and a song

to kindly guide those who wander

the green hills, rolling seas

and sandy deserts of Mother Earth.

Tonight, tonight my friends

look high up into the Southern skies

there shines a new star

in the velvet night

whose name

sounds like a wildflower.

Dewey Dirks

Who Built a Civilization

Who Built a Civilization

Our modern mass media,

ruling institutions,

and entertainment industries

try to make you think

it was the men of the military

and men of business

that built our civilization.

Now it's true they played

their part, but it was the guts, gall

sheer bravery, and down to earth

creativity of millions upon millions

of everyday people struggling through

year and years of unspeakable poverty

and terrible hardship that did by far

the lions share of the work.

Their names are countless

and you will not find them

in any history book.

It is upon their backs

that our civilization rests.

Dewey Dirks

Share

Share

We share

Our blue dot

In the sky

With around

nine million

other species

We are just

One small member

Of a very large family

Mother Nature

Is a very busy lady

Life cannot,

Will not

Make every decision

About our biosphere

In the best interests

Of humanity

Our species has grown

A little older

Now it's past time

That we realized

We have a place

In the scheme

Of things

But certainly

Not the only place

Humanity must learn

To share the world

With millions upon millions

Of other creatures

Least we lose our place

And fall behind

Remember, my friends

On planet Earth

Tomorrow

Is going to happen

Whether

We are here or not

Dewey Dirks

Walk a Better Earth and Happiness

Walk a Better Earth

Look for the best

in each person

you meet.

When you talk to them,

speak to that part of them

even if they don't

recognize it in themselves.

It will help those you meet

to discover and strive

for their dreams,

Talking to the best

in those around you

allows you to see

more clearly

the best in yourself.

Seeing the best in yourself

and in those around you

allows you to walk

a better Earth.

Dewey Dirks

Happiness

Some say that you

need to surround yourself

with people who will

make you laugh so hard

you'll forget the bad things in

life and remember the good

and then you'll be happy

My friend, I've got some

news for you---

Take some responsibility

for yourself

You need to learn to laugh

on your own,

learn to see the quiet joy

in everyday things,

and everyday happenings

Don't depend to other people

to make you happy

Instead, first find happiness

and laughter in yourself

and pretty soon

happy people

will want to be with you

Dewey Dirks

Rain

Rain

I love the sound of rain

When it rains I open

my doors and windows

and listen quietly

to the rhythm

of Tao teaching

me and the tree

in my front yard to grow

It sings simply

and so softly

it fills all the

rooms in my mind

and all the spaces

in my heart

Dewey Dirks

The Long Journey

The Long Journey

I have been on a lifelong

spiritual and philosophical journey.

I have talked to scores of people,

read many books, gathering points of view,

and I've seen many things happen

mysterious, wondrous and terrible

each with their lesson to teach me.

Some of the things I've learned

are that within virtually every

difficulty in life, are opportunities hidden,

and that life is far, far kinder and compassionate

than most people ever happen to notice.

I've learned that things have a way

of working out, even when the situation

appears extremely dire.

I've learned that life has given us all

an enormously powerful medicine

in the form of humor,

and that one of its most potent applications

is laughing at ourselves.

I've learned that both Mother Earth

and the Universe around us all, are,

in all probability, alive,

and like tiny cells of a vast, vast living being,

we each are inseparable from that greater life.

I've learned that the long journey of all humanity

to a deeper understanding of the life

that we are a tiny part of, has resulted

in all of our religions, sciences and philosophies.

I've learned that life allows rather than dictates,

and that it is we who judge ourselves

by our own actions, ideas, emotions and attitudes.

I've learned that the Universe

is unfathomably, wise, compassionate, and kind.

She is the advocate of all that lives,

She has no prejudice and holds no grudges.

I've learned that she is so kind, in fact,

that she'll even hang out

with Mormons, Baptists and Catholics on occasion.

This, of course, was kinda hard for me to accept ;)

Dewey Dirks