Of Friendship

To light upon a reflection

of a dear friend's sordid past,

And hold for them an image

of a slightly brighter cast.

~ cb 2010 ~

My Friend

Who am I,

I want to see,

To smile and say,

"Oh, this is me!"

~cb 2010 ~

Thank you for visiting. I have learned that along our personal journey it is important to reflect and to share; to find others with similar experiences and feelings. In this way we recognize that we are not alone and, perhaps, journey awhile together. 

Here you will find a collage of my past and current writings, art and photography; some created as far back as 40 years ago. I certainly welcome your comments and perspectives. ~ Clay

I come to find,
Displaced my heart,
In union lost,
In this I'm not,
I'm still,
I pray,
I turn within,
I breathe,
I know,
Herein
Is Him.

~cb

Fall's Sunrise

Crisp fall twilight morning air

cold against the night,

Beam the dawn's wide waking rays

and fan across the sky,

Fade into the sunrise

the shadows' grasp melts away,

And blest we are this morning,

And blest we on this day. ~ cb

Daylight Savings Time

Ah, the early morning quiet 

of the clock turned back. 

The silent slip of low hanging clouds 

misting down their souls 

into shallow pools 

reflecting the stillness 

in the dawn. 

Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres

Pour out our hearts upon on the shore,

In this, the shallow's wave, the pool,

And there on bended knee I see,

The tides of our reflection be.

Sand sifts soft through gentle tide,

Calm beaks gently on the shore,

White sail bobs on emerald sea,

Horizon's line, our destiny. 

And light, in darkened night, the cloud

In this the twilight morning sun

Down low to rise upon the sea

That we might wake and thus may be.

And so, a lesser walk herein,

With gentle sigh our bliss,

For you, the waves break onto shore,

For you, the sand, 

the sea, 

a kiss.

cb

Displace My Heart

Displaced my heart,

I come to find,

In union lost,

In this I'm not,

I'm still,

I pray,

I turn within,

I breathe,

I know,

In me,

Is Him.

~ cb ~

Night Folds

Light the page the moon glow

illuminates the folds,

All the mountain creases

All the valleys old,

Each crease its valley story,

Each mountain yet to climb, 

Bends and tuck lay hidden,

In fold's unwritten rhyme.

~ cb 2011 ~

Arborist's Prayer

Morning thick the heat lights

dusty in our sweat,

Pitchforks tine the mulch

and spread

this blanket wet.

Quenching root

the stand we save,

With all our efforts made,

And gratefully the favor,

Is now repaid in shade.

~ cb 2011~

Morning Stirrings

This gesture stirring

silently within my heart,

I want to share it

with you,

Touch you with it,

Softly,

Gently,

A wisp,

A slight breath,

Whispered close

to warm your soul,

To awaken you,

And stir you

from your

slumber.

~ cb 2011 ~

Sister Prayer

Dear Father, Mother, God, Our dear sister is calling for You,
and calling in her angels, and the universe. Please cradle her in Your
loving arms, and hold her during this sacred time when her humanness
may try the depths of her faith in You. We encircle Her and open
our hearts to channel Your loving embrace; lifting her to the light
and out of any shadow that may prevent her from seeing Your infinite
wisdom and pure and everlasting love. Thank you God for the blessings
You bestow upon her and the many joys and blessings You send
through her to her loving family and friends. Thank you for granting
her the grace and the wisdom to sit in peace today, to hear Your
loving word and feel Your gentle hand. For this we are thankful and
gratefully pray. ~ Amen.

~ cb ~

Our Between

Let go your heart not
For the person you wish me to be
Nor the person I dream to become,

Let go your heart not
For the hope that I have the strength
to mend and hold it safely,
I can barely mend or hold my own,

Let go your heart not for anyone,
Cradle it tenderly and sit in peace,
Let it quiet your mind,
And feel your heart answers beat softly,
They are yours, alone.

But alone you will never be
If we can hold onto our between.

~ cb ~

Quiet Moment

Quiet, oh please still my mind,
Quiet, join and bring the stillness,
Quiet, let me find peace in you,
In me,
Quiet

~ cb ~

Heart Shared

...my heart
shared
with one
too many
or not
cracked open
too wide
or not
too deeply
or not
too freely
or not
perhaps not
shared
my heart...

July 23, 2011

I am grateful for this,
A peaceful morning moment,
in my secret garden,
Eyes relaxed,
Listening as the fountain
spills out its life story
across the glassy surface,
Splashed in a thousand lines,
Rippling for the koi
to act out in their flowing dance
beneath the surface,
And under the reflections
of this waking day

Journey

I surrender to my journey

My way no lesser path

A greater truth I find within

Of God, there is no wrath.

cb - 2011

Sunset

Calvin C. Boykin, Jr - 3/1/24 - 10/23/08


Sun sets a dimming view

for a gaze across the sea,

Nonetheless to ponder

Life's ebb and flow to be,

And I, a different journey

my ebb and flow at sea,

And ebb the dimming sunset

and ebb the tide for me.

- ccb III, 2010 -

A Prayer of Affirmation

Dear God, through your wisdom and loving guidance

I see myself turning inward and finding peace within myself

as I draw upon all the knowledge and gifts you have given me,

to help me navigate through the challenges I face today.

I see myself calm and focused and moving with grace and poise

and the confidence you have blessed me with.

I see myself pausing along the way in gratitude for all the love

and compassion in my heart that flows through me and touches

all who are with me and around me.

I see myself whole and perfect, full of abundance and prosperity,

just as you have made me for this world.

And I am grateful for Your gentle guiding hand in my life.

Thank you, God.

Amen.

~ cb 2011 ~

A Writer's Prayer

Dear Father, Mother, God, as you unfold this day please help me to remember that another line is written and another page turned with every thought and feeling that crosses my mind or surges through me. Please help me to remember that I have the ability to capture them in the moment and set them free to flow across the page in my own unique way, expressing the many gifts you have given me to share. And that you have given me the courage to do so. For these things I am grateful. And so it is. Amen.

The Dream

“Step carefully,” the boy cried 

to the old man at the edge

“There’s a current slow and deep,

it runs under the shallow ledge!”

Floating by, a leaf  

To be plucked into his dream

By the old man now standing there

and staring by the stream

Gazing down, his reflection

all but reflected back,

All the years of plenty

and all the year of lack

Silently he sat, 

his eyes closed

in the dream

and plucked the leaf

from the water

as he slept now by the stream

The leaf became his clipper

It was now the night to sail

To beyond the shores of plenty

out through the raging gale

Now captain of his ship,

he commanded, "boys, sail ahead!"

A young lad took the tiller

and into the dark they sped

The horizon line their destiny

as they rose upon the swell

Imagination their guiding star,

and deeper to sleep he fell

But the small boy reached in 

and plucked him from the stream 

and walked him to the path,

away now from his dream

Together through the wood
the boy took him to the spring,

They sat there by the water

And reflected on the dream. 

Gazing down, his reflection

all but reflected back,

All the years of plenty

and all the year of lack

The horizon was his destiny

He had ridden upon the swell

Imagination his guiding star,

His dreams he could not quell

So the captain stood

and commanded, 

"boy, it’s time to sail ahead!!!"

And the young lad took the tiller

and into the light they sped

~ cb 07/09/11 ~

Butterfly

The beauty of a butterfly is also in its flight,

but more so in its cocoon 

transforming through the night.

~ cb 2010 ~

Empty Page

Curse this empty page

on to which I stare

deep into the lines

Not written there

The thought

I thought

so many times

This feeling lingers

without rhyme

Scratched

across this line

a phrase

It comes from

nowhere

No passion raised

It's not what I

intended to see

a line not cursed

nor blessing be.

~ cb 7/5/11 ~

Cactus Cafe

I am the carvings on the ceiling of the Cactus Cafe

I am the backdrop for all the music

I drink in all the richness of the performance

I warm the the room with my textures

And feel the texture of your soul

I hold this space for you who listen

For you who play and sing here

For the memories created here

I hold this space for you

Here in this cafe

On the ceiling

I reside

For you.

~ cb 2011 ~

Lessons Learned

He stepped deep into a hole,

Deeper and deeper he fell,

Until he hit the bottom,

and found it was a well.

He stood silent in the water

and reflected upon the pool,

to quench his thirst
he cupped his hands,

and drank in the wisdom 
of the fool.

~ cb 2011 ~

The Dipper In the Lake

The new moon darkness set the stage for a night sky clear with a spray of stars, and the first star of the big dipper peeking up over the horizon. Millions, as we gazed across the sky, my brother and I. Time stood still on the lake shore as we sat and watched the ten foot surf rods propped on stakes shoved into the ground. When we cast them as far as we could out to the flats we would count as the lead struck the water. One, two, three and so on. Twenty feet down we guessed. About right, there where they lay lazy. The big blue cats were sometimes ten, fifteen, twenty pounds. They would hang out
there as if waiting to be fed. The yellow cats too, some bigger like the 80 pounder Thomas landed the night I wasn't there. He wanted so badly for me to hook a big one.


I was content to be there letting the night unfold and dropping into almost a trance watching the poles illuminated by our flashlight glowing against the darkness. The twitching at the end of the rods we ignored waiting for a big one to strike and commit itself to the fight, and drag the rod as if to take it down the ten foot drop into the water. A couple of times they did and we had to cast out and snag the rod to save it and land the fish; an act many did not believe unless they had been night fishing.

The faint light from a nearby town glowed on the horizon, but other than that the only light in the sky came from the canopy of stars rotating like the minute hand on huge clock; only choosing to move when you looked away. Occasionally a shooting star cut a white gash across the sky. Once it seemed like we could have reached up and snagged it in our hands. This would break the comfortable silence between us for a moment, but we soon were back into our trance watching the poles twitch.

Snap! Zeeeee! The rod was bending hard and we lunged not to lose both the rod and the fish. Rearing back with a hard tug Thomas set the hook. The first fight was on; the fish for his life and Thomas in a primordial warrior quest to be the victor. There! In us the instant rush of adrenaline followed by the laughter, fight and immediate declaration of size; as if we could judge it to the ounce while it was still twenty feet down. The funny thing was that we sometimes almost did, and ow we did is still a mystery to me.


The landed fish was freed from the hook and slid down the long stringer to the water where we had to watch that the family of raccoons did not wander over and pull the stringer out for an easy meal. The commotion would alert them that this was their chance, either the stringer or the bait sitting a few feet behind us in a plastic bag. Damn, they were brave and persistent at times. After awhile, another strike and fight. Another on the stringer. Later another, then back to quiet and the twitching rods.

We'd catch the changing stars during the lull. The big dipper now rising higher rotating around the north star, and we wondered about the the universe; the "something greater" out there. How many times have I stared at the big dipper and wondered what it was, or where I would be, or what I would be doing the next time I would be gazing wondering about the next time, or reflect on the many last times.

The rods no longer twitched and the action was slow. The small fire we had built was into embers, but enough to knock off the night dampness and to poke into with a twig or two. All was still. Quiet. The lake now like glass reflected the risen big dipper stretching across the water; its handle almost resting on the shoreline in from of us, begging for us to reach out for it, to touch its grand reflection. A sight neither of us had ever witnessed. It gave pause to the night. There was little need for conversation now. And we sat. Only a few reflections, perhaps of Mother and Dad; humorous to shake the melancholy between us. But mostly we sat in silent and watched the dipper in the lake.


~cb 2011~