Jump into the pond
What's on the other side
Are you a time traveler
Going into the past
Or maybe to rush into the future
Take a leap of faith
Exploring the other side
What if there's a fog
Danced over by the mist
Go beyond what you see
Like the pond with a mirror of calmness
On the water so still
Jump into the pond
What's on the other side
Dive into the deep end
Step into the unknown...
Michael VanDyke C@ 2025
Can you ever go home
As of the times before
Seeing that old white door
Can you ever go home
Or is it of never no more
My memories can take me there
It also lets me leave
I see the long driveway
The little house
Just sitting up there
Saying come on in
The mailbox by the highway
As it always was
Would the little dog named Skippy meet me
Maybe our old dog Jeff
I see the old shed
With its paint weathered off the outer walls
A few old cars
Parked here and there
The garden as big as it ever was
The smokehouse off to the corner
These are the good memories I see
I could go home just for these
The family, life
Of old times had
Are but of memories
That I'd never want to see
The memories I can shut down if I please
Our home was a house
Nothing more, nothing less
I hear the yelling, the screams
Now I shut my memories of yesterday
No, I can't go back home
I will divide the memories
Ones to keep
Ones to share
Ones to own
Ones to care
I walk away looking back
The white door getting smaller and smaller
That's my memories being buried deep....
Michael VanDyke C@ 2025
I've seen the battle of evermore
It came from the walls and floor
I kept thinking I don't want to see or hear this anymore
I was fogged I was confused
Days were long of nightmares of home
Staying away was easy, because of the peace I felt
Like a war, do you go to the fight or pull back to safety
To get away from it all
The nightmares of reality
I pushed it down, so far down that it couldn't control me anymore
I've seen things that most adults couldn't handle or want to see
Never talk of it, just push it away or push it deeper into my soul
It was to the point I had to forgive; I had to let go
Release me from hell, my life I wanted back
It's not the blood that bleeds, it's the memories that flow
Do you put them in a barrel to burn, let the ashes blow away
It's better than what I had, no way could I carry that today...
Michael VanDyke @C 2025
As I see the setting sun with its vibrant colors of golden yellows, fire reds and marigold orange,
It brings the day to an end, with darkness to follow, as into the path of yesterday.
The black silhouettes of the trees in the distance, the birds in flight, finding a place to roost for the night.
The calmness of noises, as the night blankets the sky, with the feel of tranquility.
It's time for the earth to rest, gliding it into the path of yesterday.
Michael VanDyke @C 2024
The new season of the earths cycle has arrived
Fall, the cool temps. of the night, chilly days.
The colors of autumn, trees of green, golden yellow, lemon, chocolate brown, watermelon red, brilliant orange.
Trees shedding their leaves, as they glide to the ground, making the earths soil rich in colors.
Blanketing the areas with a natural insulation for the little critters below.
Squirrels gather the leaves for their nests, for the winter comforts coming soon.
Insects burrowing deep with the leaves for their blanket cover.
Clouds drifting over, setting low, loaded with rain, other areas with snow.
The winds blowing the chilly air upon us.
We bundle up with warmer jackets, long pants, boots, maybe gloves too.
It's a beautiful break from the long summer months
The earth does its magic with its cycles it goes through
Enjoy the colors, the changes from summer to fall.
The coolness, to chill the bones.
The football games of your hometowns.
Children laying in the piles of leaves.
The different smells of leaves burning, as the piles vanish from the fires.
Oh, the autumn months bring magic to our eyes, mind and soul..
Michael VanDyke @C 2024
The beautiful drive to the mountain.
Trees of green, tall, so tall they seemed to touch the sky.
The morning was of blue, clouds here and there.
The weather cool and crisp.
As the road took us upward, higher and higher.
The trees were everywhere, to the bottom of us, the sides of the cliffs, the valleys and hollows.
The running of the creek below, its rushing waters, cold as the snow-covered mountain above.
Waterfalls blending into the glazier rocks, as its tumbles to the valley below.
The clouds were getting darker, lower and heavier.
So thick, from the skies, down to the roads.
Thousands of feet above the valley floor.
Nothing to be seen, no trees, no sky. no valleys, no roads.
Stay in place was the safe thing to choose, two, three hours, we didn't know.
Then like magic, the clouds were lifting higher and higher.
It opened up the beauty we were missing.
We could see the treetops, ever so green, so tall.
The mountain peaks, valleys of snow.
The rocks of grey and white laying on the mountain side.
As we walked, we could hear the gathering of the head waters, as they floated to the valley, ice cold from the glaziers above.
We could see the bird's gathering food, for yet another day.
The temperature was cold, this old flannel shirt sure felt good.
As we descended down the mountain from 40* then 50* up to 65*, it was like a heatwave as we headed below.
We didn't get to see it all, because it was the mountain that hid.
Are we glad we took the trip, yes, we are glad we did.
Michael VanDyke 2024 @C....
As the sun was setting behind the tall pines, deer were coming out to graze.
The birds, I think Robins, gathering food for themselves after the months of feeding their young, maybe a treat for themselves.
I see the tall wildflowers of white and purple, the little ones of yellow, blue and white.
The grass was thick, a very dark green,
Gathering moisture from the morning dew of daybreak, hours before.
A breeze came through a few moments ago, to chase the flying bugs away.
The enjoyments I see, I hear
Of natural beauty, that's offered for free.
Two chairs in the yard, side by side
With a fire pit ready to lite.
Making the night air dance with flames of warmth, from the logs within.
I see the fern with its leaves, hiding the shadows of the ground below.
As the sun sits deeper behind the trees.
Let the darkness come with quietness and blanket the sky, trees and plants.
Letting the earth take a rest before the sun rises again.
Michael VanDyke 2024 @C....
