Late One Night

Late One Night
By: R.A. Slater
11/21/12

I was wandering late one night

Pondering the meaning of life

By the light of a pale moon

When I was interrupted by a curious sight

Ghost riders in the sky leaving their trails of fire

As slow moving meteorites

They alighted in my path and approached

'Tell me young lady, what country are we in?' The pale rider in front asked

'Why, it's America!' I answered in stammer

The riders in the back broke into chorus

Singing 'Song of the South' off key

'We're looking for Georgia,' the leader did say

'You're close,' I stammered again and pointed south 'it's about a three hour drive that way!'

'I guess that fiddler gave us good directions after all!' The leader said with a sigh

With a tip of his hat, he thanked me and gave me a wink

Then as one they turned their fiery steeds 

And galloped away, still singing in their off kilter way

I stood there amazed and watched them go

As odd as it was, the sight as they again lit up the shy

Really was something beautiful  

With my path again clear I continued on my walk

No more answers than when I started

But my heart beat lighter

Their song lingering in the air

Long after their trails had faded

Is This Paradise

Is This Paradise?
by: R.A. Slater
11/22/12

Is this paradise?
With the morning crush invading my sleep
The smog infested dream breakers
That harrow me on my way?
Far from it and no one can deny
The drive to make a dollar
Bowing and scraping to another
Watching for another to fall
Securing our place for tomorrow
To pay the bills and keep up with the Jones'
Is no one's paradise

Rather to stay up too late
Writing of humanities silliness
Spinning webs of lives and dreams
Causing wars and bringing down kingdoms
Breaking hearts and putting them back together
To sleep the sleep of the satisfied
Arising late to watch the last fog
Wisp away in the morning breeze
Sipping from the coffee cup new vigor
Fresh resolve to solve
All the loose threads from the night before

Chains on my Legs

Chains on my Legs
by: R.A. Slater
11/20/12

Pictures and papers laying about
Scattered petals of a dying flower
Memories and broken dreams
Chains about my legs
No order at all
A life of chaos
One day at a time
Sorting it all out
Bringing order to past and present
So I can let it all go
To embrace the future
And fly with the eagles
Released from my chains

The NeverEnding Saga

The NeverEnding Saga
By: R.A. Slater
11/19/2012

The Wheel spins ever on
Taking its characters from one country to the next
One Way or another
Spinning a tale too large to take in
Capturing its visitors with prophecy and intrigue
Description of splendid palaces and humble villages
Men and women of Power
Villains masquerading as heroes
Heroes found among villagers, wolves, and savages
Love entanglements and hatreds running deep
From one Age into the next
He held us captive even beyond his death
The NeverEnding Saga ends this January
Much to our anticipated dismay

Walk in Beauty

Walk In Beauty
by: R.A. Slater
10/04/2012

I walk in beauty like the light
His enshrouding glory
A halo of love that can be seen
Through smiles in darkness
And outstretched arms
Hands that heal the broken
The beauty of lives being changed
Cities renewed and transformed
Hearts being mended and made whole
A far reaching beauty
Shining for all to see
To light the Way for many

Heaven's Streets

Heaven's Streets
by: R.A. Slater
10/13/2012

Can you see these tears
That flow so freely
Stemming from your absence in my life?
I cannot stop them
You left so quickly
Without so much as a goodbye
And left me without your presence
Left me with unmet dreams
Plans unfulfilled
Even though I know
We shall meet once again
And dance on heaven's streets
The tears rain down
At the longing to see you again
Just one last dinner
One last cup of coffee
To exchange those words of comfort
To say "I love you!" one last time
But this is denied me
Even in my dreams
So I cling to that hope
Of heaven's golden streets
When once again we meet
What joy that will be!

Blood Like Water

Blood Like Water
by: R.A. Slater
10/12/2012

Life flows through my fingers
Blood like water
As salty tears mingle in
Seeping away faster than the tide
And I am powerless to stop it
My greatest fear, my greatest desire
I may never know

The Darkside of the Moon

The Darkside of the Moon
by: R.A. Slater
10/12/2012

The pain ebbs away
Like the darkside of the moon
But questions remain

And The Bride Danced

And The Bride Danced
by: R.A. Slater


The hero of our story
Stood ready at the altar
Dressed in all of his finery
The jubilant trumpets flared
Their silver peal resounding
The doors swung open
And the bride did enter
Dancing on her way to meet him
Her joy was that complete
Gossamer ribbons of silk
Streamed from her hair and wrists
Fluttering in the breeze she created
Light bouncing off the gems adorning her
Touching all who saw her
As a colorful butterfly flitting from flower to flower
Light and gentle, peaceful and alive
Grace personified
For the battle was over
And the day had been won

Small Gesture?

Small Gesture?
by: R.A. Slater
5/31/2012

It seems such a small thing
Or so it seems
But in today's economy
300 dollars for a car that runs
Really is a small amount
What it represents is so much more
Freedom and independence
Trust and confidence
An 'I love you' without the words
And so much more

Double Standard

Double Standard
by: R.A. Slater
5/24/2012

Have you ever noticed
Something unfair about our lives
That what a guy can do
A lady just cannot
I like not the look
But I love the feel...
...of my hands running over the stubs
...of the wind whistling around my ears
...of my lovers hands as he caresses
...of not being overheated
I love the freedom
...of being able to wash and go
...of not getting long hair caught and pulled
...of not being a slave to fashion
...of being me
Yet I know not what is worse
The looks that I get
Or the looks that dart away
As though I had the plague
It is just hair
It does not define who I am
And will grow back
And be in my way before you know it
I don't know why people feel so threatened
By something I chose for myself
That hurts no one, not even me!

...me...

The Poem in My Pocket

The Poem in My Pocket
by: R.A. Slater
5/24/2012

I wrote a poem down
As is my wont
On the back of a piece paper
In the spare moments at work
When no one would mind
But it just wasn't flowing
The cadence was all off
So I folded it up
All nice and neat
And tucked it into my pocket
With the best of intentions
When I got home
The hustle and bustle of life
Got the best of me
And I forgot all about it
Until the next day at work
Thinking that it may have been good
That I never got to the laundry
Depending on your point of view
So I did what any poet would do
And wrote a poem about it
Which if you're now reading
Then you know that this time
I didn't forget one bit
About the poem in my pocket

Fragile Mourning

Fragile Mourning
by: R.A. Slater
5/20/12

How fragile breaks the Mourning
When the wounding is the freshest
Like glass shattering at the feather's touch
Undoing all the healing that time has wrought
All it takes is just one moment
A smell, a phrase, a familiar object
And it all comes crashing in
The loved ones gone ahead
Having finished their race on this earth
And moved on to heavenly realms
To stand on what is now our sidelines
As we continue to run our race
Sometimes staggering beneath the weight
Though we cannot hear their cheers
They are shouting nonetheless
To keep plodding onward
And fight the good fight
To pick ourselves up
No matter how many times we break
For the race must be finished
That is our victory
And we shall see them again one day

A Child's Dilemma

A Child's Dilemma
by: R.A. Slater
5/17/2012

Save room for dessert
Says my mama
But then tells me
To clean my plate
I want to be a good girl
To make mama happy
But I want a piece of cake
And a scoop of ice cream
And I'm afraid if I eat all this
That I won't have room for dessert

Wednesday Poetry Prompt

Heartbroken

Heartbroken
by: R.A. Slater
5/16/2012

It breaks my heart
That I am so unable to help
An innocent in need
Helpless I look at your picture
There is nothing I can do
Save say a prayer for you
My bank is empty
And you need money
More than empty words
For a cruel fate awaits you

you can find him here

Mindless Drivel

Mindless Drivel
by: R.A. Slater
5/09/2012

You'd think that I could write
With this slow moving conveyor belt
Bringing only a few pieces
Of this grade they call 'lean cow'
But all my tired mind can come up with
Aside from this mindless drivel
Is how badly it wants to go home and rest

Little House on the Mountain

Little House on the Mountain
By:R.A. Slater
5/10/12

The girl put her book down and looked around
How different her life was from the story 
A three bedroom house not made of sod
Perched in a valley on a mountain
Far from any prairie
Happy her family was not
Though their life much easier
Than the days of the pioneers 
But they loved each other just the same 
Through thick and thin
Even when it seemed they didn't even like each other
Still sometimes she wished she could go 
And be a member of that family
Only partly real, for even they were polished for the story
But she knew it for the silliness it was
Picked her book back up and read on
Satisfying herself in the illusion of her imagination

Jagged Edges

Jagged Edges
by: R.A. Slater
5/8/2012

I dropped the ball
It was an accident
But that didn't stop it
From shattering into a million tiny pieces
With jagged edges that caught me unaware
And left me with bloody fingers
When I tried to fix it
So I swept them up into a pile
And meant to shove them in a corner
Until I saw how jagged edges
Threw the light into the room
Instead I put them on a plate
And set them in the window
For all to see
Maybe someday it will be fixed
But for now I'm going to let the light shine

Half Written

Half Written
by: R.A. Slater
5/5/2012

It since in the files
Under the heading of "Drafts"
Only half written
Not one bit polished
I look at it and my mind goes blank
Everything I had has vanished
Work interfered with my pen
And I didn't get it written down
But bills must be paid
Until it decides to return
It will sit
Half formed
Half written

Apple

Apple
by: R.A. Slater
5/4/2012

Hanging on the branch
All seeing its red ripeness
Beyond reach today