To Dream

To Dream

In a dream of warmth, summer came dancing towards me.
Her tender green kisses upon my toes.
Golden rays, a promise to my flesh.
Rhythmic waves whispered in my ear.
Woven cotton swaying in a gentle breeze.
As she draws nearer I lie motionless.
Brown skin bathed in her presence.
Anxiously awaiting her touch, a bead of sweat rolls from my forehead.
A shiver escapes me as I wake, only grey frozen earth.
copyright Nathan McLeod 2015

To the Day

To the Day


In the silent tranquility of the early morn,
looking deeply into heart and mind.

Pain and suffering of past forlorn,
not what I was hoping to find.

From within these thoughts are torn,
twisting and shaping a brand new kind.

To the day fresh feelings born,
onward toward my daily grind.
copyright Nathan McLeod 2015

Homecoming

Homecoming

Oh Israel, you are like a mother estranged,
A homeland to which I will return,
I am near you but broken and weary,
I am coming to you to kneel before my Lord,
Seeking him, asking so that I may receive,
His name answers me, "I am".
All illusion crumbles around me,
Through death on a hill, on a cross,
An east window curtain withdrawn in the morning,
His shining Grace resurrected for me,
Humble Tears wash accepting cheeks revealing my salvation.
copyright Nathan McLeod 2015

The Garden of HaShem

In Gods garden,

We live in the wilderness of the Lords creation.

I gaze upon all that he made for me.

I am awed by the heavens above,

Each pinhole in the night.

Frozen by the silent flight of an owl,

Every hand crafted feather that he created.

Trees singing in the wind,

Muddy soil between my toes,

Of them all, it’s the river that draws me nearest my Lord,

Cleansing waters of my salvation.

copyright Nathan McLeod 2015

Cloaked

Cloaked

As the rain, so to the leaves,

Falling their way to the ground.

A sharp cutting breeze blows today.

I sense you more with each passing day.

I loathe your return with an ache in my bones.

You lurk beyond waters recently abandoned.

Just out of view.

Clouds on the horizon are your cloak dragging ragged.

Long, cold, and lifeless,

My soul will shiver in captivity yearning for re-germination.

 “Please leave in haste without thought of revenge.”

Copyright Nathan McLeod 2015

Flutter

I remember Cannon in D,
Your blond locks shimmering in the lights.
Breathless, my eyes filled with tears,
My chest heavy as if it would never again fill.
Sweaty palms locked together, the law two seats away.
Young fluttering hearts,
I grasp tightly to every second, each slipping like the previous, voiceless past my fathers tie,
A crystal clear illusion framed by youth,
In these moments we imagined futures never to be.
Worlds of make believe untouched by reality.
copyright NathanMcleod 2015

lesson for a cat

Lesson for a cat

A damp drizzle hangs all around,

Winds swirl, leaves scurry across my yard.

Drops fall from my eve patting the ground as they hit,

The bare trees sway in the distance,

Against sorrowful grey skies.

My cat meows.

“It’s cold and wet out there, stay here, my lap is warm.”

She paces, trying to ignore my plea,

I submit, sliding back the door.

Hesitantly, she shakes her paw and steps into the mist,

A drip from above lands on her fur and she reconsiders,

Returning to the din of furnace air rushing through vents.

“I told you.”

We sulk together on the sofa.

Copyright Nathan McLeod 2015

hydro shot

close up eye reflecting the world away,
wet hands gripping slippery skins,
wide panicked gazes.
mid air with flightless wings,
splashed droplets captured, gravity's grip apparent.
fuzzy green and blue backdrops held still in the moment, whisper a siren's song
"come back to me"
an arch and a twist of a hydrodynamic silhouette, prepared for reentry.
"sploosh" the reply.

Copyright:NathanMcLeod 2015

its on

a steady ticktock in my mind marks the tempo.
my body rocking ever so slightly to the rhythm.
weightless to weighted and back again.
shhhhhhhhhhuck it rushes to a stop through guides glinting in the fading sunlight.
unrolled perfection soft upon the surface.
a deep shluurp marked by ringlets of silver.
strip.
a tightness,
a familiar growing vibration,
a shake,
a smile.

Copyright: NathanMcLeod 2015

the river

I could have fished today.
I could have stood, my heart still, waters flowing around me.
millions of caryola colored leaves reflected in deep black pools,
hours of emptiness on deserted stretches of water, burbling over rocks.
heard the king fishers and the ducks, an eagle in the distance,
felt the damp cold through waders and boots and the wind cutting through layers of cotton and nylon.
The tightening of my cheeks against the cold.
witnessed an unseen insect as it struggled for life near the surface, ripples radiating outward, hunger satisfied.
gravel fanned, competitors chased, and territory defended.
hearts won if only for fleeting moments of procreation,
lifeless bodies laying in decay having completed their task.
cleansing crystal clear life rushing toward and away
unending

Copyright: NathanMcLeod 2015