The seeds had been found in an earthen jar, Buried for saving, centuries ago. Even the wearing of time could not mar The vineyards that would eventually grow. From this ancient grape a new production Brought back to the world the sweetest nectar, Recalling an old epic seduction Of Odysseus’s long adventure. Legend even tells of lion hearted Royalty praising the drink’s great value. From Earth, the recipe never parted As stories of it glory only grew. It is the reason for this aria That we will sing for Commandaria.
Not only the changing of the seasons Are buried during the Earth’s rotation Numerous times again around the sun. The tide will also take our creation, And cover it with the beach’s fine sand To compress it into a hardened stone. History will take this forgotten land To turn it to a place where plants have grown. It will take a man with a fine-haired brush And the patience of the centuries lost To push away the silence of time’s hush, Reminding us of a past that we tossed. The mosaic that once laid on the floor, We can now admire like once before.
We used to be so sure what would happen The next hour, tomorrow, or the next day, But now the routine that has always been May not always come as it always may. I’ve learned from the events of the recent past That I need to keep a flexible mind, For reliability will not last; I’ll have to forge a new path through the grind. I’ll focus on happiness as my goal, Making the most of the situation. I won’t be able to plug ev’ry hole, And will need to lower expectations. We will make it through the epidemic To return to the days of the picnic.
I know that the day has only begun, But the clouds that have gathered, spitting rain, Indicates that what we’ve planned is now done. The puddles that have collected will stain The drowned pavement with life’s expectations And we will have to huddle within doors, Complaining about these tribulations. But do not think of this change as a chore; Instead, look to what it has to offer. The day’s deeds can wait for another time. Go and open the neglected coffer, And remember what you once found sublime. It impairs your ability to play, But don’t let the weather ruin your day.
We can’t avoid the arriving decline As we become another great in time. We thought our history would be divine, And we would always be within our prime, But life only provides a certain height From which our ambition will deliver. From that summit we face our greatest plight, Knowing from that point we’re left to quiver. For our prowess, we can never maintain, And the only direction is back down. We will look back at our spot with much pain, Knowing that this is the end of our renown. It is time to turn away from this fight, Leaving Nero to smolder at his sight.
As the rains continue to keep pouring, We cannot help, but watch the river rise. The clouds do not wish to go exploring As it settles, covering up the skies. The edges of puddles kiss each other, Showing us that they have collective might. They eventually merge with their brother As they climb the hill to a greater height. The birds find their roost on the top branches, Avoiding the gurgling rush below; They do not care how the trickle drenches The hungry storm’s ever increasing flow. The time given to us is running short, And from this land, we will have to abort.
Mary never married; she’s and old maid, Wasting her life creating a career. She did not require a man to get paid, And was in charge of where her life would steer. No woman has ever lived a worse fate Than one who did not raise a family. This living will never go out of date Than a husband to supply the money While she stays at home to tidy up the place. She will never know the joy of children Because she decided on the rat race, Instead of the role of common women. Please make sure to shed a tear for Mary Tolling life away in a library.
Start the year under the cover of snow, Giving us the pretense of innocence. We really have no place we need to go, So let the storm outside rage more intense. From the safety of my frosted window I’ll watch the growing accumulation. It is my favorite afternoon show, Better than the lies on television. I love to listen to the cold wind blow As I take another sip of coffee. Winter has yet become my greatest foe, But wait until April, and we will see. I believe I have given my reason Of why I enjoy this change of season.
You have walked into the land of the fey, And now you are subjected to their laws. All the creatures look like they want to play, Petting you gently with their enormous paws, But beware of their secret intentions. You are another beast among the trees Who responds well to gratification, And soon you will do things for them just to please. The forest needs a human touch to thrive, And those foolish enough to cross that breech Will forfeit what’s left of their simple lives To suggestive whispers of fey speech. You are not the greatest of creatures And only valued for pretty features.
2021 was another rollercoaster of a year, and though Covid continued to make life difficult, things loosened up enough to allow me the opportunity to travel a little more this year than the previous one. It is always fun for me to look back at the posts from the previous, and it shows me how great the last year has been. I hope you feel the same way as you take a trip back through the year of 2021.
This is the perfect post to start off this list for the year 2021 considering how difficult a year 2020 was. Based on how little we learning this year and how it feels like we are in the same place this year where we were last year, it might be an important poem to start the 2022 year. This post is also one of three poems that appear on this list which is the most that has ever appeared on any of the end of the year lists I have ever created.
I moved to Jordan at the beginning of August, but did not have the chance to explore it much until October. There are many places that I want to visit, but I got a gift card for a night’s stay at the Kempinski Hotel at the Dead Sea, so this was the first place I voyaged off to. It was a great experience, and floating in the salt water really surprised me by how easy it is to do. I am hoping to post many more travelogues from places I visit in Jordan and other close-by countries in the coming year.
I do enjoy sharing the poetry I write while traveling with you, but only a select few people really get into it. This is why I love it when one of my poems pops up on the top ten list for the year. This one was written during a rainy afternoon in March when I was visiting Khao Sok, a reservoir in southern Thailand. I had taken off work to take this trip, and I enjoyed the way the rain forced me to take things easy on a day that I should have been working.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is not about spending more or giving gifts. It is all about sharing time with family and friends. Since I have moved overseas, this holiday has meant something a little different for me, but this year I was able to have an experience that will make it one of my favorite memories of this day of celebration. I was able to head down to Wadi Rum with new members of my school and spend some time with the Bedouins that live there. The meal was not a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but it was the best one I have ever had for a meal that was cooked underground. You seemed to be intrigued by this process as well to make it one of the bigger posts of the year even though I posted it so late.
I did get to travel to a lot of different places in Thailand during the pandemic, and I feel lucky to have had that experience. Out of all of them that I went to see, Koh Lipe will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only was it a beautiful place to relax during my Spring Break right before the country went back to lockdown. It was also my last hurrah while living in Thailand. Though there were many parts of this island paradise that I wrote about, it was this feature that resinated the most with my followers. I hope the information I gave will give those that eventually travel there the hints to enjoy this place as much as I did.
One of the many stops I was supposed to go on my road trip through Thailand last Winter Break was to the reservoir at Khao Sok, but we had to cut that portion of the trip out when the country started to close down. Luckily, the people at the resort let us rebook for a time in March. It create a moment in my life that I will never forget, wild elephants eating breakfast while I was kayaking nearby. This was even more remarkable considering that these elephants rarely come out to be viewed. I was told that because of the recent decline of tourism, they are more willing to come to the shore, and I was happy to be able to share this moment with those who cold not travel there and see it for themselves.
Late in 2020, I received an offer for a new job opportunity in Amman, Jordan, and I spent a lot of my time early this year preparing for the move. Part of that preparation meant signing on to a new email account at my new school as I started to transfer things over. The head of the school sent out an email describing the difference between problems and possibilities to inspire his staff who had been struggling with the pain of online teaching. It was the inspiration for this poem which seemed to connect with other people. It also makes me happy when one of my poems connects with people in this way.
I have written a lot about Black Butte Ranch in central Oregon because I am lucky enough to get to spend a couple of weeks there every summer. It is also a place close to my heart because it is where I got married. The place is a beautiful collection of cabin-like houses underneath the shadow of Black Butte that is off the beaten path of the busy tourist towns and cities of central Oregon. Because of this quiet atmosphere, the wildlife likes to hand out in the forests. Most of the time this is squirrels, deer and coyotes, but I had never seen a herd of elk, so when they came wandering around the house I was staying at, it was reason to pull out the camera and take some pictures. Apparently, other people enjoy seeing these pictures as well because they kept of visiting this post long after its first publication.
One of the nice things about Covid was it forced me to explore Thailand than I would have normally explored it. I spent the whole of the last Winter Break traveling through the southern portion of the country, and the city of Railay was one of my favorite spots. It was a small isolated town that can only be reached by boat where people go rock climbing, kayaking, and lounging on the beach. One of the most prominent features is a cave off of the Princess Beach that people hike up to all the time. My wife and I made this trek one day, and the story of how to get there has now helped a bunch of other people make the same hike.
Board games have become quite the hobby for me during the pandemic. They have been a great way to get together with friends, and continue to be social. The first one I bought to bring me back to this hobby was Everdell, but I had spent a lot of time researching whether this one of Wingspan was the one for me. I ultimately chose to build a woodland village, but I did have a chance to play Wingspan over the summer and compare the two. I have given my thoughts on both games in this post, and which one I thought was the better buy. The post did so well that I have considered doing more board game reviews in the future.
Honorable Mentions
Though there were many posts from the last year that were worthy to see, here is the lists of posts that continue to do well even though the were written in previous years.
John Collings 