8 May 2004 7:57 am
The Cycle
Leaves fall, a skeleton of limbs extends,
Yet with the warmth of springtime new buds grow.
The rhythms of the grizzly bear's heart slow,
Yet as the daylight grows, his slumber ends.
The petals of the rose the snow suspends,
Yet flowers return from the seeds below.
The earth is frozen by the hoary snow,
Yet desolate soils the spring rain amends.
Pestilence, war, famine, death daily ride;
Hooves spark the holocaust that lights the way
To Armageddon: Void. Nihil. Empty.
Light. Genesis. Spring. And a baby cried;
Then mankind toddles to begin its day
And strides to a halcyon melody.
Fenner, New York
1990
This sonnet, one of two that I have written, was very much inspired by the Transcendentalism philosophy that I was studying in school at the time. The influence of the Transcendentalists is reflected in terms of theme and natural imagery as well as the language.
