Conversation With A Codependent

Conversation With A Codependent
by John Trent

I don’t understand!
Such confusion
And I continue to walk
What did she mean?
Her words hurt
I continue to walk
Now I must decide
So exasperated!
And I continue to walk
I just can’t take it!
I’m not going to take it!
I continue to walk
But my kids,
Who will they go with?
And I continue to walk
How will they take it?
Anxiety building
I continue to walk
I hate this existence!
Fear consumes
And I continue to walk
I need a change!
My mind is racing!
I continue to walk
Their too young
Tears build in the corner of my eyes
And I continue to walk
They won’t understand….
Mind slow to calm
I continue to walk
I know what I need to do.....
So torn inside
And I open the door
And say,
“Hey guys, daddy’s back`


This verse is based on my journal writings from about four years ago. Since that time, I have taken control of my life and am very happy. Codependency can manifest itself as substance abuse and/or psychological problems with relationships. With proper professional assistance, one can lead a normal and happy life.

Over the course of the last five years I have learned one very important and simple truth, and that is I am solely responsible for my own happiness. Love is a choice! Thanks for listening to my ramblings, God bless…. John

Watercolors

Watercolor
by John Trent

A watercolor sky
Subtle brush strokes upon this eve’s horizon
Cottony vapors,
Linger,
Holding tight to a deepening blue
Illumined by rays from twilight’s distant reach
While a grove of painted palmettos,
Whisper,
Whisper a lullaby on night’s sultry breath
And welcome the encroaching darkness
As pastel colored dunes slowly fade from view

Meditation

Meditation
by John Trent

Emptiness my desire,
Measured breath the key
With sandalwood ribbons,
Aromatic and free
Heavy my burden,
The toll from my day
I prepare for the journey,
As light fades to grey

Aromas of incense,
Smiling, I exhale
Lids lightly touch,
As blackness avails
My journey begins
A great vastness to explore
Thoughts start to clear
My mind opens the door

There is no beginning
At infinity’s end
The destination sought
Is eternally within
In silent existence
I travel the unseen
Today’s burden lost
Each moment, so serene

“The fragrance of virtue
Rises to the heavens”
With harmony of mind
I recite sutras of wisdom
As the Golden Lotus blooms
My being becomes whole
Forever, I remain
And eternal is my soul

Assorted Haikus

Ladybug

A sultry light breeze
As palmettos gently sway
A ladybug waits


Giants

Slow moving giants
Gracefully drift the heavens
A lone seagull cries


The Flame

The fireplace flickers
Shadows slow dance on the wall
Two lovers entwined


The Turtle

Bright rays of sunshine
Shimmer on the pond’s surface
A turtle finds warmth

Pirouette

Pirouette
by John Trent

She arrives on a whisper,
A warm breath of spring
With stained glass wings,
Of orange and red shades
So elegant, she shimmers,
On golden rays of sun
Upon a clover’s green,
Silently, she lights

She pirouettes on point,
Atop white elfin buds
A fragrant perfume drifts
From the essence of blooms
She drinks its sweet nectar
Then pausing for more
As she awaits the return
Of the warm southerly breeze

Anticipation (Haiku)

Anticipation

by John Trent

Distant late night flash
Delayed rumble in the dark
Tree frog sings for rain

We Are One

We Are One
by John Trent

The tapestry of God’s grand experiment
Woven of the same flesh and blood
Miracles of His righteous evolution
In His image we should be as one

We speak with different tongues
And painted with hues of skin
We each worship uniquely
And construct devotion from within

Our arguments hitherto be concluded
And we doubt each other’s faith
With such fragile human psyches,
Our emotions shall never rest

With learned walls of dissimilarity
The roots of hatred run deep
We watch with righteous indifference
As God’s children fight and bleed

Some spread their message of abhorrence
Some loathe their inconsistent truths
We have ravaged one another for millennia
While the horrors of war rage on

So, who is right or who is wrong
Does it truly make a difference?
In life's end, we must coexist
For in His image, He made us as one.

If Only

If Only
by John Trent

If only, I could……

Soar the highest highs
With arms outstretched,wide open eyes
Feel the rush of ice chilled wind
Where the sky turns black and the air is thin

If only, I could……

Harness its essence
And ride the power of its fiery luminescence
So deep I’d journey into silence and serenity
And dance the cosmos on life’s infinity

If only, I could …

Tribute to the end of the Space Shuttle program and the men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice in the name of space exploration.

Johnny Cash (Quatrain)

Johnny Cash
by John Trent

Johnny Cash,  'The Man In Black'
He walked the line on ol' railroad track
A distinctive voice, so low and bold
With a country twang, he rocked and rolled

The Beatles (Haiku)

The Beatles

by John Trent

The Liverpool four
Ride 'A Yellow Submarine'
Currents of notes flow

Sky Dancer

Sky Dancer
by John Trent

Tethered freedom on a heavenly sky
With cries of gulls over crashing waves
Unswerving and steady, a salt laced breeze
Growing, ever slight, with each moment’s pass

No clouds above for the eyes to see
A flight of pelican skim the rolling glass
Drafting the current of ever changing air
Searching the swell for the afternoon’s catch

With purples and greens, she soars ever higher
Her feathered tail contrasted by blue
Writhing and drifting on each surging breeze
She blissfully tip-toes over oat covered dunes

Green touches heaven on the distant horizon
A lone white sail rides Poseidon’s touch
Slowly drifting, she grows into view
And unhurriedly returns to her harbor home

So beautiful, she waives and continues to dance
Climbing and falling, wafting side to side
The tether slackens on the subsiding breeze
And on evening's calm, her dance must soon end

Nature Haikus

Drizzle

A brilliant grey sky
Falling droplets gently soak
Translucent beads rest

The Chorus

A feathered chorale
An ensemble of beauty
Notes drift the crisp air

Changes

Limb bathes in sunlight
Caterpillar eats a leaf
Butterfly emerges

Banana Tree

A large veined green leaf
Silver droplets roll earthward
The storm slow to pass

Sunbeams

Late spring's rising sun

Hazy rays streaming through trees
Grey moss casts shadows

House of Cards

House of Cards
by John Trent

Perilous are these lost days
Humanity’s fabric worn
It lay gravely and unsteadied
On a fragile house of cards

Yet, we wait to fight
While our grand façade crumbles
And these ancient walls breached!
The bells of freedom are slow to fade

A poison runs deep,
Within an ocean of apathy
No remorse, no feeling!
Safely we exist and hide from ourselves

Yet, this enemy smiles
Awaiting compassion’s ruin
“For all cards are marked,
And all fates will collide!”

Slow Heat

Slow Heat
by John Trent

Slow,
Each step
Smoldering asphalt
With wavering heat
Under a humid Georgia sun

A sporadic song
From a unseen wren
Yet, the silence,
Of heat,
Overtakes each step

Slow,
And deliberate,
Heavy and oppressive
The smell of tar
Permeates the air

In the distance
Hanging,
A sleeping grey oak
A moment’s respite
From the scorching sun

And another,
Slow step
In front of the next
The slow heat
From a southern summer day

Whose Reality Is It Anyway? (commentary)

Whose Reality Is It Anyway?

by John Trent

Good morning to all,

It’s a beautiful, cool morning.  Golden rays reach up through the trees to touch the bluest of blue skies.  A peace has descended upon my spirit as I listen to nature’s holy symphony.  It is my reality, but sometimes our realities are significantly more challenging.

Of the many religions and philosophies I have studied, I have found more similarities than differences between the four largest religions; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.   As I face and address my own daily challenges of life, I was reminded of Buddha’s Five Remembrances. 

Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “When you deny the reality of life, you appreciate it less.  Meditate on the Buddha's Five Remembrances and rediscover the magic of life just as it is.

·         I am of the nature to grow old.  There is no way to escape growing old.

·         I am of the nature to have ill health.  There is no way to escape ill health.

·         I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

·         All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.

·         There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.”

As we learn to focus on accepting our reality, we are moved to appreciate the mystery of life and the mystery of God.  In John 3:20, he wrote, “But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."  In essence, the more we accept our reality, the more opportunity you have to strengthen your relationship with our creator.

In closing, our respective realities are defined by its owner.  We are unique, so we have unique thoughts and feelings.  We can allow others to burden us with theirs or influence our own if we choose.  So, if we wish to develop a personal relationship with God and achieve happiness, we must learn to ignore life’s static and see truth in front of us.

May God bless each of you and have a wonderful day, John