The Needs of the Many
"Do not grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few ..."
"... or the one."
"You are, and always shall be my friend. Live long and prosper."
The Beginning of the End
In the great maw of space, where the dead now belong
Lies the wreck of a world premature in its fall
It's wrapped up in the stories that turned into song
From the people who answered the great siren's call
The faces of lost ones stand out in our minds
In the great maw of space, where the dead now belong
With the ashes spread out, blending all different kinds
And the people left mourning all strive to be strong
We have traveled to right what we know are our wrongs
And have lost so much more in what we left behind
In the great maw of space, where the dead now belong
We are hoping redemption is what we will find
The remains of a species lost out in vast night
We now call to the dead with our sharp, keening song
But - even here in our journey, we're lost to our plight
In the great maw of space, where the dead now belong
(c) 2018 Miriam Ruff
Awash (a kyrielle)
I wonder what I'll do alone
My world has turned away from me
I feel like I'm a senseless drone
In times of grief our hearts bleed tears
Where have you gone that I can't come
A place that I can't even see
Inside, a stirring like a hum
In times of grief our hearts bleed tears
Ashamed I am my eyes are dry
I can't release my deepest fears
In solitude I wonder why
In times of grief our hearts bleed tears
Please tell me how I find my way
Release the sorrow inside me
The darkest moments seize the day
In times of grief our hearts bleed tears
(c) 2018 Miriam Ruff
Love Defined but not Explained
A connection beyond rational thought between two beings (human and/or animal), either physical or emotional.
Connections
I didn't know that I was looking
My heart found you without me
An instant warmth and connection
A rose's full blush
Please be mine
I'm yours
Always
Persistence
Within the wind there blows a seed of life
It looks for fertile soil to set down
Though nature's forces always bring it strife
It first skirts out the edges of a town
A ploy to find the safest place to land
It looks for fertile soil to set down
With one quick puff it heads off to a strand
Of purple flowers nestled 'round a hill
A ploy to find the safest place to land
Yet - the air is never quiet, never still
The seed shoots o'er its target, hitting rock
Not purple flowers nestled 'round a hill
The hardened surface seems to be a block
To where the seed must go to take its root
New life shot o'er its target, hitting rock
Yet 'tween the crack in rocks there sprouts a shoot
And with the wind there grows a seed of life
It's gone to where the seed must take its root
Though nature's forces always bring it strife
(c) 2018 Miriam Ruff
A terzanelle for today's contemplation, with certain liberties taken with the form.
Fire-Lords
There be dragons out here beyond the hills
Some as old as time but with us still
Giant wings, outstretched, do beat the air
Moving whole, great herds from here to there
Taking flight as if by force of will
Flames shoot out from each large, wide nostril
Roaring fire that stretches beyond the rills
While the creatures retreat to their safe lairs
There be dragons
Once the keening begins, it can oft be shrill
With the ruffling of dragons' shaking frills
It's a sound that would cause anyone to be scared
No one moves any closer, as if they would dare
Learning how to maneuver around them takes skill
There be dragons
(c) 2017 Miriam Ruff
The Path Now Broken
Drowned in silence, accusations slide
Thwarted hopes and futures now belied
Tell me what I feel and I'll say naught
Through screaming shame and anger it has brought
None can see the dark I feel inside
Once my life seemed bright and open wide
Since attacked I've tossed each night and cried
I will not feel safe until he's caught
Drowned in silence
Asking me to tell has made me lie
I can't find the strength deep down inside
Into stigma I have truly bought
But look at all the turmoil it has wrought
Tell me when will end this hellish ride
Drowned in silence
(c) 2017 Miriam Ruff
[Inspired by the third season of "Broadchurch".]
The Wandering Heart
The metal that surrounds us is so thin
It's all we hope that it will shield us well
The winds of space have stories left to tell
We must ride out if they are to begin
The gravity we've left is absent in
This cold, dark space where fears we can't quite quell
What mysteries will wrap us like a shell
We move to greet them like they were our kin
A hundred years from now it all will change
Such travel will become quite commonplace
The metal shells we'll live in won't seem strange
The frozen air we'll bring will give us range
And in the darkness we'll carve out our space
Our life of wandering we won't exchange
(c) 2017 Miriam Ruff