By June Perkins and Friends
It has been a long year, and I have so enjoyed a week of rest, to sleep, to read, and enjoy family.
Wishing you all the best for 2024 ! This poem was written a while ago, but I had some fun making it into a slide show.
You can find a version with music and some animation on my instagram.
Inside the quiet space
time will bend
branches over water
tall grasses tumble
meanings for peace
walkers stumble stones
beyond deadlines
dreamers seek
how solitude mends.
(c) June Perkins
“In every age and cycle He hath, through the splendorous light shed by the Manifestations of His wondrous Essence, recreated all things, so that whatsoever reflecteth in the heavens and on the earth the signs of His glory may not be deprived of the outpourings of His mercy, nor despair of the showers of His favors. How all-encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace!”
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
Outpourings in darkness
soul frames longing
lost, lassoing,
looking
twisting twirling
torrential
light.
Thoughts into action
flight away from fancy
focus
flowing
freedom
singing rungs to
heaven.
Ripple rising
through the water
torch like
from torment,
terrifying,
transforming into
tenacious
hope's
leviathan.
(c) Poem by June Perkins
Poem inspired by photograph and Gleaning from Nineteen Months
Link for payment coming soon!
Every now and then photographs of my life that I have never seen before surface.
This one is of my highschool year 10 formal.
Elena, Richard, me, someone else I can’t remember her name, Leif, Caleb are in this row.
I remember my friend Justin said, let’s go as friends, and his Dad drove us both there. He brought me a corsage.
I always thought of him like a brother.
Justin was his name. At first it seems he is not in this picture.
Actually he is behind me.
Justin passed away at nineteen. He drowned at a place called the Gorge.
I heard this news on the radio.
The dress I am wearing looks white, but it is actually lemon.
The heel on my shoes broke dancing that night.
They were happy times, and also challenging times.
Justin was there for me at many special times.
He treated me like a sister.
I have always wanted to write some stories based on highschool experiences, both challenging, and great.
But most of all to honour those friends who were like my brothers and sisters, and didn’t ever judge me for the colour of my skin.
Photographs like this inspire poems.
I will think about a poem for this photo !
June
How are we all going to find peace in this pandemic?
That is a huge question.
Today the Premier of Victoria said there is a long way to go.
We need a vaccine.
We need to deal with finding peace of mind to make it through the day.
What does the world need to find peace from this common foe?
Unity of effort to find the vaccine?
But beyond that discovery will be administration to share it
beyond that administration to share it will be
share it justly to all nations and
all walks of life.
People are panicking.
They want to say the covid19 is not real,
exagerrated, a conspiracy.
Should they take a trip to India
to Italy, to America
and walk another nations nightmare
for a dare.
They want to imagine we will build immunity
that after many deaths it will begin to roll away
and they think that we can shut all the borders and all will
be well … but this virus is tricky .. monstrous… persistent.
And in all the nations where the the death toll rises
and rises
those with a low death toll think they will escape
if they shut it all out.
They want to rescue their own economies.
They want to avoid their own recessions.
And nobody wants to live a life as if it is in a prison.
And strange things are happening, like mask fashion
like connecting people all over the world
to listen to fairytales
And still we wonder if we are not scientists
and medical researchers, what will role will we play
to keep the world going until the vaccine is found?
What will it take?
How will we not break into
hysteria and vain imaginations
that the world can be disconnected to win this fight?
And we must win it!
We must strive.
We cannot see this
become humanity’s demise.
Until then –
I visit photographs to take me
all the places where
I can find peace.
June XXX
Tread lightly
walk in softness
Photographs whilst walking
become source of reflection
inspiration and care on
days when I can’t walk.
Thread lightly
memories only a few days old
This feather nestled in
the surrounds of the park
a moment of grace
saying ‘stop and be with me’
Today my heels are in a sorry state,
covered in antiseptic cream
band aids and slippers
and still I can hardly tread
on ground.
So this what the little mermaid
meant when she said
‘I walk in pain.’
I must be content with scrolling
through the beauty of my last walk in
nature
just down the street.
Move lightly
swim in softness
So near and yet so far.
This soft feather a solace.
Move lightly
become softness.
And mystery is a feather
discovering its poetry.
(c) June Perkins
Ripple Poetry 