THE CALL OF NATURE

Sometimes we need to rest a while, when we have lost our way
To find ourselves enthralled within a deep sun-sweetened day
Draw a curtain on our barren days, a cavern look to find
So on a journey we can go, grist for life's soul mill to grind

To forests ferny floors we go, a healing stream flows by
Releasing the silt of days and years, touching the well-spring of life
Be innocent of guile, have an unclouded brow, "mea culpa" be willing to say
Find peace that the world nor gives, nor the world can take away

The western sun gleams rich and red, the fields wear a scarlet gown
Lone travelers we are, traversing, a quiet road, a quiet church, a quiet town
Enjoy life's little moments, kneel deep within our souls
Listen long, do you hear what I see? A mountain, an icicle, a candles glow

All these places are my own, a season of mellow fruitfulness
In the eagerness of hope, a note of joy, a nourishing and abiding consciousness
Breathe in when the wind is high and strong, embrace the wildest of weather
Step out beneath the driving rain, get drenched in its splendour and wonder

Nature with its pencil, draws and designs, the hills, the plains and isles
The woods, the glens, the cliffs, the fens, trees slender tops against the sky
A cow, a barn, the wheat, the hay, each bush, scrub, sprig, bud and bee
A crag, a peak, a lake, a creek, a snowflake in its grand filigree

There is a hushed beauty that endures, when in natures embrace we rest
A certain self mastery from within us, a hint or two of zest
So we set our hearts in motion, let our faith arise, its spring!
Listen long for a song of the earth, we may just hear the angels sing.

Robyn Toh
29th May 2008


Pic : A view of my Grandmothers mountain and bluff in Brooloo, Queensland. In the foreground, a lemon tree. Pic taken by Gregory Lim 2004

THE SAILOR

A sailor on life's journey, a pilgrim on the seas
A wild ocean lies before me, now and then a touch of breeze
Boist'rous waves push here and there, hiding rocks on treacherous shoal
There are no words left for me to speak, unknown waves before me roll

The tide rises, the tide falls, fearful breakers roar
My life of idle words, and vain, I'm shaken to the core
My arm of flesh has failed me, black shadows stain my soul
All my crowns lie in the dust, my anchor will not hold

I feel like a ship without a sail, a buoy without a bearing
Calamities of heart and mind, my burdens are a pressing
My heart grows sick at havoc wrought, hunted like a deer
Suspended in the frigid air, nameless dread and fear

Then one fine day I said to myself, stop this tomfoolery
There is One who can pilot me over, life's tempestuous seas
Chart and compass comes from Him, He makes a steady keel
The Rock of Ages from before time, to the waves He says "Be Still!"

And so returns the sailor to the shore, my soul is vexed no more
So picturesque this starry night, my heart begins to soar
For in God's ocean portrait grand, till time and times are done
He is and always will remain, The Way, The Truth, The One

Robyn Toh
29th May 2008


Pic : Admiral Cove Marina, Malacca 2007. Taken by Robyn.

VIVA!

Are you buckling under strain, are you mothballed by fear
Are you stuck in your past, and can't seem to think clear

Do the days seem too long, are you lonely beyond telling?
Do you think that you are a sorry excuse for living

Are you a prisoner and puppet, to your emotional strings
Do you feel pushed around and can't stretch your wings

Is the remoteness just awful, the stillness intense
Bad breaks happen to you, and yes, it does not make sense

Do not mourn what you've lost, and what you cannot find
Do not brood in the gloom, cut the fetters from your mind

Change is part of the struggle with the coward inside
Its time to bring an end to this time that you've cried

You've had your time on the edge, now its time to come home
A joint venture with yourself, a coming into your own

Leave your battered past behind you, talk no more of ill
Look at the beauty of the sun, as it illuminates the window sill

Reorient your thinking, enlarging your soul
Strangely but surely new life will take hold

A life that is more, abundant and free
Have your eye on the woods that lie beyond the trees

Grow yourself a new tale, of a deep abiding love
And do not hesitate to call on dear God up above

Stay deliberately grateful, count your blessings one by one
Look far and wide like a weather-cock, shining in the sun

Set a high value on yourself, your raison d 'etre to be
You have still your life expanse, enjoy your sweet company

You'll find again life's fascination, it will help you to be strong
The glistening of the morning dew, a distant bird in song

Learn of every butterfly its strength, as it flits overhead
Learn even from red rose, growing in the flower bed

Tis harvest time throughout, peace descends upon the land
VIVA! We stand. A new season is at hand!

Robyn Toh
30th May 2008


Pic : Carcosa Seri Negara taken by Robyn, 2007; A lovely place to spend time with yourself.