Poetry

Beloved Kiera is unwell -A Special Edition Blog – Two Poems

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

Note: Kiera is unwell at present having suffered a stroke. She is safe in the loving hands of Anna and Rosanne. Below are two poems by Kiera sent to me by Anna. In the first poem Kiera laments the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll and at the same time pays homage to her late Majesty’s great love of animals. In the second poem, communicated a few days ago to Anna, Kiera bravely faces her own mortality and encourages us to believe that love goes on for ever.

A Tribute to Her Late Majesty

A tribute to our dear late Queen Elizabeth

By Kiera

Our Queen has died

This makes me sad…

If I’d known her

I would have had

Such gentle strokes

For she was kind

Such love from her

I would find

A Royal kiss

She would place

Right upon

My furry face

I think on me

She would dote

Her gentle hand

Would stroke my coat

Of all this

I am sure

She was Queen

Her word was law..

She loved us all

This I know

It’s sad to learn

She had to go..

It’s the end

Of her reign

I’m just a dog

But feel the pain

I need to say

One more thing,

Welcome Charles

Our new King!!

Kiera – A Reflection

“Go free”, I heard

“It’s your choice”

But the sound of your voice

Awakened me….

I had one paw on Rainbow Bridge,

Then two…

But I turned

And looked at you….

Your moistened eyes

And soft goodbyes

So touched my heart

I could not part

Not this night…..

The yonder light

Began to fade

And so I stayed….

Such love and healing

Has left me feeling

Renewed in strength

Until at length

I had no pain

And breathed again.

But love is constant, has no end

Remember this, my dear Friend…

My time will come and when it does

It will be right for both of us.

Over 2000 people have read the story of how Kiera came to England from Romania Click here to read the amazing story.

For other blogs about Kiera search the blog for “Kiera”.

The Cockatiels’ Message from Manly, Sydney, Australia.

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

Please scroll down and read to the end. Thank you.

Cockatiel and the walk to Shelly Beach in Manly, Sydney, Australia.

The message of the Manly Cockatiels – John Bartels

They dive. They shriek. They call.

They are the Corsa cockatiels.

Their call is urgent.

Do the crowds on the Corsa hear them?

The young surfer heading beachward.

People walking dogs.

Young mothers pushing prams. Sharing coffee.

Young men walking quickly as they WhatsApp.

All are surfing the ever-living wave of life.

The call of the cockatiels grows louder – more urgent.

*

He sees his beloved Manly as his ship passes the Heads.

Already he is missing his last walk with her to Shelly Beach.

The waves gently approaching the rocks and then bursting with joy.

He remembers:

How soft she was when he held her.

Her gentle hands.

The intoxicating scent in her hair.

How they spoke of children. How thy spoke of what dog they would get.

How he promised he would come back.

How they tightly embraced.

How they kissed goodbye

How they both cried.

*

The Heads are far behind now. The ship goes on. out to sea. And on and on.

He thinks of her constantly.

He crosses the endless Southern Ocean.

Then its beauty of Cape Town.

Then it’s the Atlantic.

Then its London.

Then finally, Flanders.

*

The call of the cockatiels grows more urgent now.

Diving, shrieking, and calling they swirl around the Corsa Cenotaph.

Their call grows strangely quiet as an elderly woman gently places flowers at the base of the Cenotaph.

Carefully she sprays the flowers with scent. She waits a while. She leaves and slowly walks away. She is going to Shelly Beach.

The cockatiels watch her go and then start again their diving and shrieking.

Their message is clear to all on the Corsa and beyond :

“Never forget”

END

Poet Kiera’s Joy

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

Please scroll down for Kiera’s poem. Thank you.

Photo AW

Kiera’s companion Anna remembers …..

“It is 5 years ago exactly that I went to Many Tears in Llanelli to pick up this beauty! Kiera is my constant and trusty companion and as many of you know. …even sends poems over the ether to me. She is delightful and I have never regretted collecting her. From Romania to the UK…..her story is a huge success!”

Kiera also remembers. Anna sent me this poem by Kiera:

I love to run and dash, enjoy and splash..
Memories so part of me, fading now…..
Like mists which rise and fall
Into a deep nothingness….
And yet
Somewhere deep within
I was once loved……
My mind expands to far off lands
For one brief moment…
I remember. …
But soon returns for I am here…forever near
To the One who breathes love
And cares for me….
An echo from my plight, a shaft of light
It’s always there, deep and asleep
In my doggy soul….

Click here for the amazing story of how Kiera came from Romania to England.

The Door that Opens

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment 
There is a door
A door that lovingly opens. 
It whispers "There is more,
Much more."
As choirs from the trees at dawn
Their eternal paeans sing.
. 
John Bartels
Dawn

New York Dawn 18 March 2022 – A Poem

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

Apologies, gratitude and full acknowledgement to William Wordsworth.

Please look at the picture and scroll down to the poem. Thank you.

Thank you to AB for the picture – March 2022
New York Dawn

Earth has not anything to show so fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
New York now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Concrete canyons, theatres, walkways, the avenues lie
Waiting for their throngs, as orange dawn lights the sky;
Never did sun so beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
New York will awake at its own sweet will.
Dear God! the very buildings seem asleep;
And all New York's mighty heart is lying still! 

*************
Almost all based on "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September3, 1802" by William Wordsworth.

Kiera’s Lament – A Prayer for Ukraine

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

This beautiful and moving prayer was given by Kiera to her owner Anna. When you thoughtfully read the prayer you will realise that Kiera is very special as is the relationship between Kiera and Anna. Prayerfully read the prayer and then click here to read Anna’s account of how she and Kiera came together. Their story has received more views than any other post on this blog. Read the story and you will know why. But, read Kiera’s prayer first. Please scroll down.

Kiera

KIERA’S LAMENT

I lie in stillness needing peace
And beg my mind to please release
For thoughts of anguish and of pain
Transfer to me from dear Ukraine.
I feel them, sense them, hear their cries
Winged by clouds across the skies….
And screams from wounds keep me awake
How to deal with this heartbreak?
Blessed Angels hear my plea
(Even though a dog I be)
Wrap Ukraine in wings of love
Ask for forces from above.
I’ll shout, I’ll whine and bark out loud
For this country now so proud….
Till this fight is put to bed
Man nor beast can rest his head
Make haste dear Angels, show you care
Will you hear a doggy ‘s prayer?

Click here for the story of Kiera

Thank you

The Salutation of the Dawn

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

This is a repeat post. I am repeating it because of the number of people who have looked at it. I hope Kalidasa’s poem helps you as it has helped me. John 7 October 2021

No, this is not a recently discovered painting by Turner! It is a photo taken by our friend, artist Professor Estelle Marais. The picture is of sunrise over the harbour in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on 7 June 2020.

Silhouetted against the rising sun is a harbour crane, affectionately described by Estelle as “The Harbour Giraffe walking into the sun this morning”.

Estelle always finds the welcoming dawn encouraging and inspiring.

This wonderful photograph is a powerful reminder of Kalidasa’s greatly loved poem “Look to this Day”:

Scroll down below the picture to read the famous poem:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a4c2f850-a495-47de-bd7a-1bbc35675e1c.jpg
Picture Estelle Marais

Look To This Day

Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendour of achievement
Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well-lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

Thank you Kalidasa and Estelle

Please do this now

Don’t Break My Heart

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

Scroll down to follow the words

Script at the end of post

Play

Don’t Break My Heart

Don't break my heart
Don't let me go
I love you dear
More than you know
You touched my hand
My world stood still
Don't break my heart
I love you so

The Sacred Call of the Sea

/ John Bartels / 2 Comments

NB: There is a picture below the post.

It was the English poet John Keats who wrote:

On the Sea

It keeps eternal whisperings around
Desolate shores ….
….
Oh ye! whose ears are dinned with uproar rude,
Or fed too much with cloying melody—
Sit ye near some old Cavern’s Mouth and brood,
Until ye start, as if the sea nymphs quired!

Keats suggests that if we have had enough of this noisy world, we should go to a quiet place by the sea and sit “near some old Cavern’s mouth and brood”. Suddenly, out of the silence we may be startled to hear choirs of sea nymphs singing.

We are being called to go back to nature and to allow her to gently embrace us in her healing arms.

This sacred call of the sea is exquisitely captured in the beautiful photograph below. Be still. Can you hear the call?

Photpgraph: Mariska Spoormaker

A big thank you to Mariska Spoormaker for permission to use her beautiful photograph. Mariska took the picture on the Sacramento Trail near Port Elizabeth in South Africa.

A Precious Gift God Gives Us Each Day

/ John Bartels / Leave a comment

Each day God gives us 84,400 seconds of life.

What a gift! What a wonderful Giver!

There is no guarantee we will get a refill tomorrow.

Time is passing like the jet in this picture of Big Ben.

Let us be grateful to God and make sure we don’t waste one second.today.

Click here for the same message expressed in timeless poetry: “The Salutation of the Dawn”. It is a poem treasured for generations.It is a poem to be remembered forever. Keep safe.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is john-towner-cakc6u4d95g-unsplash.jpg