Joyce's Bird Poems

  23 April 2021 Ode to Play, Fun, Curiosity, and C reativity It’ s exciting and intriguing to view our amazing world, As a place to focus on creativity, curiosity, play and fun, Knowing c uriosity is having fun discovering what is possible, While play enables creativity to see how things could be done. This playfulness may seem selfish in our troubled world Which has vast and complex needs for help a nd care, There’s a desperate urgency for practical effort and action Not just wasting time having fun and creating hot air. However, play and fun can only enrich our efforts to heal O ur troubled world which we struggle to understand If we emphasise curiosity about what the needs really are And creativity to figure out the best way to truly give a hand. It is thus time to take the mantra: play, fun, curiosity, creativity to heart And put our energy into exploring and absorbing the wonders around Instead of wanting for more and mor

  9 April 2021 God’s Game of Life God was in a mischievous mood when she made our world Creating an amazing place to have fun, play, learn, and create Marvellous inventions, and to explore and experience many things, Knowing that the world need not endure, and that death is our inevitable fate. S omehow as the excitement of our adventures grew, we lost the plot And became fearful and greedy, wanting only more and more, And left behind many of the simpler joys and excitement s of life: The joy s of exploring, learning, and creating simple things, as life became a chore. For if we focus from day to day on how to live long, while keep ing safe, And how not do anything risky or different because we fear loss and pain, We begin to merely exist in self-made prison s of comfort and safety As life become s a burden to endure as we mindlessly let it wane. And what of those who still somehow remember our gifts Of play, fun, curiosity, and creativity th

  2 April 2021 Warp and W eft of L ife When we think of the fabric of life, ( if we think of the nature of life at all ) We may well see unhappiness and hard work as its base , With the warp made from virtuous hardship s of pain and toil, Woven together by a weft of fear and strife that keeps us separate from grace . Instead of this pained and embattled picture of entangled confusion, Perhaps we can refocus on what makes life full of splendor , And see a warp of fun and play, with a weft of curiosity and creativity Forming a fabric that truly celebrates life’s mysteries and wonder. H ow does knowing that the foundation of our lives is play and fun, Enriched and held together by creativity and curiosity, full of joy Change how we feel our connections to everything that exists From the smallest particle, through the earth itself, to every girl and boy? Curiosity, enhanced by play and fun, forms questions, and leads us As we try to see and

  26 March 2021 The Illusion of Life What if the concept of life itself is but an illusion And there is absolutely no difference between being dead and alive? Then everything on earth - soil, rocks, trees, and people are all equal, And we a re all part of nature, full of fun and joy: together we thrive. Imagine a beginning rising from a magnificent energy Driven to create by its overwhelming sense of play and fun, That slowly evolve d into a complex world full of marvels All inter-meshed in the joy s of curiosity, creativity, and just being one. One creature, mankind, moved outside this beautiful, creative dance, And beg an to greedily demand more and more at any cost , And started to believe that people are all separate, independent individual s Powered by ‘ life’ which must be prolonged or tragically lost. W hen our species decided it was superior to everything on earth And there was no longer any need to respect the balance of life,

  We are wondrous beings, with unique gifts and abilities. We are capable of love and deep compassion, an appreciation of beauty, the creation of great art, music, and poetry. We are aware of our history, of how we came to be here. We have studied the world around us, and been awed by what we have discovered. We can imagine the future and choose how to respond. We find meaning in our lives, a sense of justice, and an inner wisdom. There is much to celebrate about us. The question is: Can we celebrate all that we have become, while accepting that we are here only for a brief flash of cosmic time? A friend reminds me of the so-called century plant that flowers once in 20 or so years. When it does finally bloom, we marvel at the ten-foot long stalk, holding high a magnificent array of yellow-flowered branches. The spectacle is made all the more awesome by the knowing that it flowers but once; then dies, its purpose complete. Can we celebrate ourselves in a similar light? Another blosso

5 March 2021 Fear What is fear, and how does it dominate my life Stopping me from truly connecting with my world, So that I live hidden deep within myself Instead of flying free as a flag unfurled? Is my first thought when making plans Is it safe, will I get hurt, or perhaps die? How often do I just stop and huddle in fear Making excuses why it is dangerous even to try? Why do I fear to reach out to someone with a creative plan Which which might well make a mess and fail, We might have fun and get to know each other better Even if we don’t necessarily live to tell the tale. So what is the purpose of living in our complex, interconnected world As we each strive to make our own corner safe and secure, Keeping out rejection, endings, death – and all other risks So we can rest safely closeted, with everything tidy and pure? I would like to learn to look these fears in the face So I can clearly see them as the b arriers they are Between the

  1 9 February 2021 The Rush of Time February is nearing its end , and autumn is arriving. Summer and t he past two months have flown by in a blink. Why in the world is time continually flying faster and faster And making the months disappear before we can even think? T ime is just a series of endings, and beginnings From waking, through activities, sometimes full of fun. But somehow in the rush of time , when we go to bed each night , We lie awake and wonder what we really have done. Often our first thought s when we think of time racing past, Are t hat we want, need, and must have more and more. T rapped by our overwhelming fears that there is never enough time , We focus on what we don’t have, and forget all that we adore . Perhaps we first remember the bits that have hurt: Disagreements, separation, sickness, and death, And look at the world with all its troubles and confusion, And wonder why we ever bother taking a breath. An