Journey to Ixtlan

The poem “Fades to North” was prompted by the poem’s title.


Fades to North

The ebb of seasons is foretold
by the calendar on the wall
the time of West has unfurled
bleeding light from the sun

a wheel turning upon the globe
all are lost to be found
fade to North in response
still we walk upon the earth

exacting change once again
the expected that’s a shock
for the ones with memories
lulled to nod in summer’s glow

the gentle coming of the cold
pushed aside the warmth’s control
no longer master of the earth
as the sovereign is replaced

sustain the hope as light declines
the spell will tarry by the tilt
of the earth in the cosmos
imparting chill to travelers

fade to pale in the dark
awake to dimness then move to dusk
the span beckons with this vibe
now to linger as seasons turn.

© 2018. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved. 20181117.

“The Contest” was inspired by the “Sex in the City” quote, “there’s a battle between what we know and what we feel”.


The Contest

There is a battle I’ll reveal
between two sides that want the same
happiness sought to fulfill
the breadth of life in expanse

there’s a brawl between soldiers
one below and one above
contending for the common ground
exacting ruin with each stroke

weaponized by good intent
the conflict wracks internal space
disrupting breath that I desire
choosing paths beyond the now

each engaged in my employ
taking turns to steer the course
if only they would pull as one
provoking calm instead of strife

drawing blood with each stroke
first the reason, then ardor
I’ll never know which is best
a thousand scratches on my soul

the same master requests both
to make peace instead of war
pull together against a world
that cares little for this contest

between the head and the heart
there’s a battle every day
happiness should be the goal
if the contest was not a duel.

© 2017. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved. 20171017.

The poem “I Struggle” is about the distractions I put in my life. The outlets mentioned do have value, but they do not go the root cause of my dissatisfaction with life.


I Struggle

I struggle for no reason,
none that you can see.
Is this the only measure
of a mind against itself?

What do I really seek
beyond the goal of fleeing pain?
Where am I comfortable
and what will lead me there?

Treasures piled high collect the dust,
testaments to false interests then pursued.
No trophies are found at the end
of mad fool's quest for the gold.

To find like people spurs my soul
to heights unfound in the rest of life.
Their company is muted by
the temporary nature of this contact.

Artistic efforts evoke my passion,
displaying the breadth of my loves.
The many drops fall from my sky,
how many reach the ones beyond?

These are answers hollow when
the bigger question is dissatisfied
by glitter of distractions found
instead of the answers there.

I struggle because there is more
to what I could do and explore.
Until I shift from these baubles
I'll always suffer in my mind.

© 2016, Sean Green. All Rights Reserved, 20160514.

The call to know oneself, the beauty and madness, leads to many paths. Some people fully embrace the challenge. Others medicate or thrust outward the unwanted parts of themselves. Others seek to merely exit. The answer lies at the beginning, along with the acknowledgment that you are both terribly alone and living life in an incredibly shared reality. The poem “Seeking Control” is about the struggle, mistepped pitfalls, and grounding reality, of understanding oneself.


Seeking Control
Poem for Day 115 – 20150425

To understand oneself,
the switches and buttons,
tripwires and levers,
is a mixed blessing of knowing
in a world most mysterious.

See your reaction as internal,
a thousand million triggers,
combining in the moment now,
reaching out to an unready world
asking only for your sanity.

What to do when clouds of madness gather,
explosions felt by personal individual,
echoing in hallways self only travels,
the tripwire summons holy terrors,
the switch produces crushing sadness?

Those parts of self are so ugly,
some recourse must be made,
push them out to the outer world,
put the masks on persons other,
and blind yourself to the internal.

Numb the nerves, calm the chaos,
put the world in its place.
Chemicals are the needed salve,
but beware of the crushing hand,
reality exits where fantasy stands.

To depart becomes the fondest wish,
remove the self from the world,
exit stage left, or right, or any,
each is a path of self betrayal,
shortcut to a worldly desertion.

Know life is echoed to each other
mutually mirrored in similarity,
each experience unique in itself,
but life shared is enough,
to see yourself in other's actions.

Others are struggling, resisting fate,
not knowing that the phantoms
are creations of a mind run wild.
Seek the connection, unwanted at first,
to see a commonality of life perverse.

To understand oneself,
the good, bad, and ugly,
to see it in others, invariably unconscious,
is to have the mixed blessing of knowing
hope in the form of common action.

© 2015. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved

I like cloudy days. I prefer demure colors in clothing. I also indulge in black and white treatments of my color photos. The former may speak to mental struggles. The latter is an interesting study in seeing other aspects of a picture. Hopefully I live life somewhere in between. The poem “My World of Black and White” is about my relationship with the bi-polar tones, and those things that lay in the middle.


My World of Black and White
Poem for Day 070 – 20150311

I like seeing the world
in black and white.
This is how I like to view
the expanse of humanity.

Don't believe I see only two sides,
absence and presence of something.
Life is too diverse you see
for such a diametric view.

Colors dazzle me too much,
distract us from life in between.
People argue about the shade
when lava and ruby are still red.

The gray tones suit my mood.
Some would say I am too dark.
Instead I like to fully see life
not being blinded by the hues.

I focus on what's really there,
not the surface colors
Contrast makes a difference when
the world begins to blend.

Important things come to life,
shape and function promoted,
as the important pushes forth
and the lesser retreats back.

So stand out my friend.
Be distinct in difference
when you express yourself
in my world of black and white

© 2015. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved