Awakening II: The Poetry of Gunnar Våken

Poem: Twists and Turns

Most people are mediocre
With streaks of brilliance
Most people are brilliant
With streaks of mediocrity

I am one of them
And so are you

If life is a road
It's marked by
Twists and turns
The fire you're holding
Will warm you
But also burns

We are part of nature
And nature is part of us
Half the things we worry about
Are really not worth the fuss

Patches of sky are blue
The rest is grey moving clouds
A portion of our lives is happy
Another portion
Is whispered sorrow
Turned loud

As I bounce along the street
With athletic shoe-covered feet
Cars, SUVs and trucks pass my ass
In winter cold and
Summer heat

Creeks pierce the geography
Along with green and yellow
Hills and flats
Also with people in vehicles
People in buildings
People roaming around
In baseball hats

We are given days, many days
Some folks more, some less
Like birds flying south they pass
A fertile garden or
A toxic mess

I am a believer
Not in afterlives or hidden powers
But in the daily choices
Take
In a bewildering world
On paths of
Weeds and flowers

My faith matters little
In the grand scheme of things
But I can, yes I can
Often choose
Between the foul odour or
Pleasant scents
Life brings

~ Gunnar Våken