Sheila Lowe Burke
Open Your Eyes
Yes, yes, open the curtains
Let the brilliance of the sunlight
Bathe the threshold of our souls
Let us return to the days of our youth
With barefoot sovereignty,
Let us reign supreme amongst the hills
The valleys and the meadows
Dancing with the clouds
Aloft with the birds
Beating the rhythm of life's affirmation
Experiencing serenity adrift upon the breeze
Absolving the severity of closed windows
Closed doors, and closed minds
Chasing the deer that haunt our dreams
Embracing the streams of endless wonder
Filtering through ages and layers of earth
Born of dust and trust and love
To live again, resurrection delight
Whenever souls and minds unite
Yes, yes, open your eyes!
The Wonder of Peace
There is the quiet of awestruck wonder
Of peace and tranquility seldom seen
Less often experienced, serene and true
Wisdom of elders and infants
The first sleeping moments of a newborn child
A mother's adoration and contemplation
Beyond words and measureless worth
The quiet of pleasure transcendental
Flowing as a river
The quiet, the wonder, the peace of knowing
Oneness with infinite love.
A Traveler of Freedom
I close my eyes and I can be
Anywhere, doing anything, in any way
I please
I enjoy the freedom of imagination,
This is bliss.
Hiking to waterfalls
Standing on the precipice of soaring cliffs
Gazing upon the azure waves
Oceans of hues
Reflected in your eyes.
I experience the freedom of winged creatures
Soaring on high, pausing only to attend their offspring
Amongst glistening leaves
Towering trees
Majestic monarchs and alluring music of the night sky.
A day of travel
A night of renewal
The universe awaits, beckoning me
While primordial orbs
Erupt, collide, congeal, create
Endless possibilities, infinite freedom.
Choices
Am I a prisoner of my own choices
A life so carefully constructed
With every affirmation and each
Cascading waterfall of lost opportunities
Moments missed, caught in indecision
Navigating torrential floods without
The light of the moon and the stars
In a cloudy fog of misinformation, means, and assistance.
Am I an architect, a builder of my fate
With towering escarpment upon
Steep, slippery slopes and turrets
Marking the peaks and valleys of my life
Installing and inspecting the circuitry
Of my own circuitous thinking
The mechanics of circular patterns and structure
Enlivening, enlightening, inviting
The tapestry I have woven to adorn
The trappings of my own creation.
Alas, am I a poet, lending voice to the wind,
Invisible except for traces
Etched in time and vague perspectives
Setting in motion ripples and waves, currents and tsunamis
Yes, I am that Voice, I am that Choice, I am that Poem.
Sheila Lowe-Burke: appointed one of 50 Most Memorable Women of North America. Michigan Beat Poet Laureate 2024-2026, Cultural Director, Ambassador of Peace, Official Poet of Government of Birland, Ordained Minister, Honorary Doctorate, 2025 Pushcart Prize nominee. Member: Natl & Intnatl Beat Poet Foundation, 100K Poets For Change, Michigan Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Toured 10 European countries, all of North America.
