Michael David Coffey

Green fields, as far as the eye
can resolve
Pure pasture of rejoicing on
this heaven sent occasion
Joyous dancing in revival
Celts celebrate at this new hope
An island, Ireland, reuniting
in adversity, diversity
Courage and new hope
abound, poet and politician
in discourse
A young people with a
future, celebration
Their cultural rebirth in
a Celtish land
of green gods and goddesses
Dance, sing, live and love
Ireland poised to be
a nation once again
among the green fields
of an ancient island
civilization

Into the shadows of my mind
Among the desolate rockscapes
Meandering through the desert
Hot sands burning my feet
Unflinching I wander
To the far distant horizon
In search of what?
It doesn't matter
Discovery is the purpose
To learn, to savor, to delight
In life, love and the feel
of hot sands on my feet
Cool winds in my face
Raindrops splashing on my
naked shoulders
To listen and hear the song
of the desert night
Music to die for
To remember all my past
and reach for new purpose
Here in the dark shadows
of my mind
Learning again the meaning
of life itself
In the dawning hours of a
deep blue desert light
Awakening at last to delight
in the pleasures of a
spiritual awareness, healing,
connecting to the tree of life
Out of the somber shadows
of a deep, dark past
Finally, into the new day
Shadows behind me

Identity, living a life
of purpose
Imbued with God's wisdom,
following his design
Irish Catholic, Indian, Jew,
Gypsy, Armenian, Mennonite
Following the path of
righteousness, faith,
civilization
Target of the unscrupulous,
the artful, the deceitful
The heathen hordes, barbarism,
Paganism
Human greed, human insanity,
Depravity
Generations of hate,
destruction, cruelty,
black art
Mindless brutality, man
against man, woman
against woman
The price of spirituality,
following a good life
So often persecution, mindless
stupidity, even genocide
Black versus white
Generation after generation,
from the beginning to end
The ultimate price of purity and the
simple truth of God
Genocide

Lenin and Sony
in apparent cohabitation
Among the pavilions
of the former Socialist republics
Grandiose palaces to
bygone dreams of glory
A union of nations in
forced marriage, diversity
Gone now the exhibitions of
Achievement
In Physics, Chemistry and
Biology
Rocket science, Vostok
on its launching ramp
Now a fun fair side show
Glorious golden maidens
of the Ukraine, Byelorussia
and thirteen more
Looking on at brash signs
Sony, Panasonic and
more
Pavilions of culture, now
warehouses of electronic
gadgetry
Culture to Commerce
And Lenin
With his back to all this
commercial trash
Disgusted
In Disdainful disregard
Awaiting the next Cultural Revolution

How perfect is your picture
Of loveliness, divinely pure
Pink passion among the
soft sheets, delight
Your fragrance, in the still night,
Intoxicating
Consuming passion, pink
perfection, our love
How I long for you this day,
for the night again
When we meet in closeness
once more
To discover our needs, our
excitement, again
Pink passion among
those soft sheets
My Sweet Rose

In celestial grounds,
  surrounded by lakes and fountains
Fine arches and temples to
  ancient gods and goddesses
I meditate on life's gifts and
  Diversity
Here among the misty morning
  Shadows
Under the rich copper foliage
  of an ancient tree of life
I watch its swaying seductively
  metallic branches
Gentle movements of mist clouds
  on a sultry green lake
Mellow sunlight trickling through
  the arches and trees
Casting intricate gray shadows
  in sheltered profusion
Creating a magical dreamworld
  of nature and wonderment

Here in this mystical safe place,
  neither heaven nor earth
In deep thought and reflection
I am able to see my life
  and marvel at its
  complexity and meaning
The stark beauty of existence
Connecting to the natural world
In spiritual continuity with
  Heaven
I can rejoice in the simplest
  of things
The quality of light, water
  and growing things
The sweet, fresh smell of
  the earth and leaves
The whispering magic of
  water, moving through the air
Birdsong and quiet voices
  of lovers
Visions, sounds and smells of
  life in celebration
A festival of being
In a world of profound
  complexity and vitality