well done

Glad I got to this, Jude. While I don't share the same belief that we are getting worse, I admire your effort to change a few. Your poetry is inspiring and reaches many. Your still, small voice is multiplied like seeds upon the soil, spore upon the sea.

Keep up the good work.

Ron

wonderfully written. moving sentiments

"So I will offer my hand in friendship
This coming year I will
Spread what good is within me "

This is sound and wise advice for all. Let it be so throughout this hurting world. Thank you for this gift, Jude. Happy New Year to you with love and peace,

Regis

Gorgeous. What a warm feeling I got from this poem. The message is strong and the inspiration is outstanding. In a lot of ways you are describing a lot of people living here in NYC too. Hits close to home.

~Hugs~
Karen

I am warm already,Thank you Robert.
Beautiful ,beautiful, poetry.

You capture the time and days of this planet well within your verses.

you always warm the chill Robert, but I would say you set a big fire with this fine piece

a poet's poem, the seeming incurable ills of the world are daunting
to what we think real aspirations ought to be & inevitably force us
to these melancholic reflections saludos

What more can one do? Great message within.

A very thoughtful observation surrounding our times. A very happy new year, Robert!

D

And I hope many join hands with you, Jude - this very chilling world truly needs all the help it can get right now.

A hand that offers is also a hand prepared to receive so it can offer again, endlessly. This magnificent poem shares that touch of hope which has indeed the power to thaw the chill, if only hands will dare to reach for the warmth of offering and receiving only to offer again, thus combining dreams. Thank you for extending this faith in such a warm way.
Love&Light*
Alexandra*

Stark reality. In yer face type write, but very subtle and gentle. With the message -most powerful- Most powerful indeed.
The needs of the many? Tragic, vile and down right wrong wrong wrong...

Beautiful, pensive piece, Jude. Thanks for the breath of fresh inspiration.
Peace,
Carolyn

it begins with one hand extended, one voice unafraid that it might be swallowed up in darkness. and then there is another. and another. I believe there is much truth in your observation that dreams are beginning to combine. though I, too, am distressed by poverty and the selfishness of our times, but my heart is warmed by the thought of you reaching your hand out from your jetty and the others of us eager to embrace the "possible fruits within the vine" doing our part as well. A real blessing to read this day after the excess, Jude. Be well and always strong in spirit, Dawn

Dear Ace,

"A smile wrapped in kindness
or a hug that gives brief warmth
may be all one desperate soul needs
to keep the 'Candle of Hope' burning."
©2005 Joseph* ~ OneLight*®

May your Quest be Blest!!!

Love & Light,
Joseph

You already warmed this old chilly heart just by sharing your written words....thank you!!

Love Tinka

You would not just warm it up, you would heat it to a boil! ;-) Yes sometimes it can be very discouraging to view the world as it is, and then we continue on, knowing it will change :-)

"As usual, Jude, you point to the darkness but then light a candle." Thank you, Nordette... just what I was thinking. In the mines, they used canaries to detect the presence or absence of oxygen; here we are, suffocating through greenhouse gases and the atrophy, perhaps, of our own Christmas excesses... and your acute eye is on the canary which you sing back to life and give the kiss of life to! :)) And how cinematic is that - standing out on that promontory with your black hair and great coat billowing - like The Matrix (just need the Bono shades...) sensing and feeding the burgeoning fruit as yet concealed within the luscious vine? You point the way too, it seems, to the confluence of liquid spiritual entities which will perhaps create a Neo-Flood situation, the spiritual seas within which the New Birth will take place and upon which the New Order will sail. And Sage is spot on too... The Ouroboros is your "mark", init? What you've got tattooed on your shoulder... or somewhere!? Hmmmm... that's got rid of the chill, anyhow. Spring is already in the air, I think... Krokus Kate xx

Your ending said it all Jude, just think if everyone felt that way what changes could be made...

Carole...love and peace

This is the best way to approach what overwhelms us, to divide it into smaller chunks and do what we can do. If we would look at our communities this way and each determine to do what we can do, even if we'd simply determine to raise our children (those of us who have children) to be socially conscious and care for fellow humans, respect all life and the earth, then we would have done something to make the world better instead of worse. If we'd each say that we will be part of the solution and not part of the problem, then we'd have a better chance at lasting. As usual, Jude, you point to the darkness but then light a candle. Very nice. ~~Nordette

this speaks volumes of the intensity of love within your heart and the great sense of friendship you share with your fellow earth neighbors. all the best Jude.

Felix

I realized this past year that frustration for what I can't change is fruitless. All we can do is change what we can...making the corner of the world we live in a little better for having been here. This is a tremendous write Jude...a great reminder of what we all have a responsibility to do...and the rhyme and rhythm is great as well. Blessings, Michelle

I agree with Sherry's comment. Wonderful inspiring write. I like how this poem ends.

Sandie May Angel a.k.a. Sandie Angel

And yet I ask myself, why have I been chosen to live in such times? What is it that I am here to do that can make a difference? We can look out from that jetty and see only darkness or we can look out from that jetty and see from a different perspective, ways that we can subtly change the world. Holding on to the negative will only genereate more negativity. The ray of hope, that you conclude this poem with, is what we all need to aspire to if we want our world to become a better place. In times when things are going well, it is difficult for us to make our mark, but with the way things are today, it is relatively simple. Excellent poem and Happy New Year to you.
Take care,
Sherry

This is so great and so deeply touching my feelings. There is one thing causing problems to this world: greed and lack of putting thoughts together and integrating humanity to produce a new breed to lead this world.

Signs of the Ouroboros, the ancient snake symbol biting its own tail in The Wheel of Time, The Alchemy Wheel, a symbol of infinity and renewal. The ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal. This poem is The Eternal Return.

Sage

This is all we can hope to do, RJ. Each in his/her own sphere of influence-however large or small-be a light and "spread the good".
The harvest will come in its own time. It takes years from the planting. Seems that as a species we have an inclination to learn the hard way, but then a good frost produces a good wine. Fine write. Best wishes for the New Year...Lin

Outstanding, I agree! I admire your mind and spirit, Robert. Thank you so very much for being who you are. I feel like a better person for having read your words. God Bless you!

Carmen :-)

Outstanding Jude! I notice lately you have begun to rhyme. You do it so well it can be easily missed, and that's a compliment;-) This poem is a road map all could follow. Your points are well made and they seem most probable.I love that hand offered to warm the chill. That is a great guide for us all.Also love the fruit within the vine line!Kudo's!



Love,

Eileen