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Beauty
Flowers are the faded stars that fall from silver skies,
Raindrops are the sacred tears that leak from angel eyes.
The wind is but a melody the gods bestow to earth,
The sunrise is an ember that has dropped from heaven’s hearth.
Beauty has a language; if you really want to hear,
The secrets of the universe are whispered in your ear.
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When Lightning Strikes
Inspiration is a bolt of heaven’s dynamite,
And when it strikes it sets my heart ablaze in silver light.
A wildfire starts to grow and courses through my veins,
I need to get this fire out before I burst in flames.
The universe is singing now the words are lightning fast.
I scramble to remember for this music will not last.
For once the song is over I’ll be left with only me,
A quivering remainder of that cosmic energy.
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Heart of Gold
At the bottom of the sea there was a grain of sand,
A tiny and forgotten speck amongst a foreign land.
And when the Storm comes rolling in he will be washed away,
For we all know that only gold is strong enough to stay.
But when the clouds came gathering the Sand began to pray,
“Please God don’t let the ocean’s wrath wash me away today.
I do not fear the bitter sea, its frigid froth and foam,
I know that I am nothing but this place I call it home.”
Around the Sand the Rolling Waves began to laugh and sneer:
“I’ve never seen a grain like you that managed to stay here,
For when the Storm comes rolling in you will be washed away,
For don’t you know that only Gold is worth enough to stay?”
That Sand he knew he wasn’t Gold but he tried anyway,
And when the Storm came crashing in he fought so hard to stay.
Wave after wave lashed out at him and tried to make him drown,
Day after day he steeled his heart and wouldn’t be knocked down.
He had his doubts, he had his fears, he had his sorrows too,
But every night he trusted God that he would make it through.
And every time the bitter sea tried to tear him apart,
His faith grew ever stronger as it fortified his heart.
At last the Storm grew weary and it bowed and spoke to God,
“So many years I’ve churned the waves but this I find it odd.
For every time I blast the sea the sand is washed away,
How is it that this grain of sand is strong enough to stay?”
And God said nothing but He laughed and told the Storm to go,
And to the Sand He smiled and at last He let him know:
“All through your darkest trials I have never left your side,
For from the start I saw you had a heart of gold inside.”
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Shindy Cai resides in upstate New York and works as a professional classical dancer for Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Dear Shindy,
These are beautiful poems. Yes – beauty has a language!
Your story, “Heart of Gold,” captivated me. It is a well crafted parable of courage and hope with a joyful ending. It was just what I needed to read about this morning. Thank you.
Gigi
Shindy, I was struck by your poetic talent and ability to pour out your precious soul. The concept of the universe whispering in the ear when beauty is perceived brings beauty to life and speaks to me as an observer. Equating lightning to nature’s dynamite is the perfect comparison in two words. The effect it has on us can be striking. Personification of the sea waves, storm and sand has an innate power that is amplified with the presence of God and relates directly to our own souls, especially when they are storm-tossed.
The first 2 poems are nice, but Heart Of Gold really captures my imagination. It reads like a poetic allegory to me and I find it easy to relate to the struggles and ultimate triumph of the little grain of Sand. Very enjoyable, thank you.
Shindy, these three all show excellent progression to an ending that is almost, but not quite, a surprise. The technique is clever. Your long-line rhythms are skillful, and development in each poem implies the ending, but makes the reader wait for precise and satisfying words to specify it. The least expected (and I’ll have to say, most striking) conclusion comes in the last line of “When Lightning Strikes.” The image of a “quivering” speaker quiets the thought while leaving a visible “remainder” of inspiration’s energy. The stormy narrative in “Heart of Gold” reminds me of an Anglo-Saxon charm saying, “Never may Ocean work ill to any against God’s will.”
This collection has the power to uplift any downcast individual. The language is simple and flows in a flawless rhythm. On top of the very beautiful Heart of Bold and Beauty, I especially like When Lightening Strikes. How smoothly it reaches to the conclusion: to turn one’s inspirations into works the moment it hits you because it’s like a lightening lasting only for a millisecond. Thanks for the reads, Shindy!
It’s very reassuring to come to the final lines and feel the presence of God blessing us with our hearts of God– after all He put it there! 🙂 Nonetheless, my favorite part was the lightning. What poet hasn’t felt that need to race to a pad of paper and pen to get down the words while they were flowing!
Wow! Thank you so much. It makes me so happy to see people enjoying my poetry.
Beautiful poetry, especially “Heart of Gold.” Reading it gave me goosebumps, motivating me to keep moving forward. Please share more.