reverie painting by frank o'meara

This is in another more gentle time
as if any time has ever been gentle
thank you dear sir for capturing me
when I was but a young lass pensive
you died in 1888 at aged thirty five
you painted me you did not know that
years later I would see myself there
when I was a young woman look again
is it the young woman or the ghosts
many ghosts in this painting imprinted
how fascinated I wonder if you are still
painting me did you show me that picture
of that lake with bodies falling in deep
only this lake was the evil of the bomb
the evil of blackness that called them
It is me in your painting I know for sure

Where are they

Where are they now the ones who lived here
Are they sleeping as the bible says so or
Are they on the next life time reincarnated
I think of them and wonder if I am the only
one who knows so many of them but no I think
the monk may know more only he chants for them
thru the bardo he prays for them not to get stuck
in the shadow of the valley of death the tunnel
the one that I entered once and knew in the light
it would not be this body I would be in not at all
hard to imagine eh another existence in spirit world

3.37am

Me the computer and the world
back and forth thru time weaving strand of memory inside and not near to post traumatic stress disorder syndrome whatever is the word for shell shock...too much knowledge and your head would go way with you into some light bubble,wish I was alseep now where the dreams could live comfortable and I would not have to sit here and painfully spell

Black Bear Encounter

I still see the light of the hair
black and glistening iridescent
so close I could have touched
Neil spoke out and said "Sheila
that is a wild bear" and I heard
the snort and watch in slow motion
the nearest paw extend and claws
appear it was an awesome sight
no fear involved the bear sat
Buddha like on the fallen tree
I glanced in the small bright eyes
but not for longer than a nano second
the beauty of this bear's quietness
closeness was breath taking awe
I said go back to the rainforest
man will kill you bear said deeply
come and look what they destroy
that encounter that lasted hours
that was my medicine for the fight
the reason I stood up for trees
that bear came to visit me a
number of times bringing strength
and introspection an encounter
with the wild in all things
When I was arrested on July 9th
1993 the bear came again
this time swimming under the bridge
the camera man caught the scene
brought it into a Victoria court
and I am sentenced to six months
in jail for defending the forest
oh my wild natural black fur being
you gave me such a gift back then
please never leave my side now
introspection and strength .