Unforgiving Realm

Into the surge of an unforgiving realm, we sail towards a goal

Upon an ocean so strange, surreal atop waves so icy cold

On a whaler named Bejeweled, we pray no harm comes our way
As we pass between the narrows, lining the coast of St. John's Bay

Our captain laid course, by the shimmering stars, so many to even confront
While the sails are filled by the billowing winds from a late October front

The tasks engrossing our mind is to catch the majestic whale
For the price of oil is worth the risk, as we ride to the sounds of the gale

Glittering above resides the Northern Lights giving our ship a ghostly hue
In our trek for the behemoths awaiting their fate, having no earthly clue

On the fifth morning out, cries are heard from the lookout, "their she blows"
Whaleboats readied with oars, harpoons, sailors cast off, in the wake of an angry flow

Rowing as never before we race to catch the beast, to match his rhythmic movements
In the blink of an eye blood spurts high, from the sharpness of the blades, all in a matter of moments

As I sit with my shipmates and view this ponderous monster, upon the cresting swells
I hear the slowness in his breath, see the glossy eyes turn upwards, as if in a magical spell

Soon he dies, remorse sets in, to the quietness from the lull
Then the hard work slowly begins, to fill our empty hulls

Written by Roland R. Ruiz
August 23, 2008

Fractured Dreams

Dedicated: Rachel Kohn

In-between the fractured dreams
Lie all the hopeless schemes
Of the unruly desires created by
The fall of so many extremes

In the silence of the dark
They awake me to what I've done
From the very ones who tried with tears
To give me all their love

This underscores a broken life
Leaving me unable to control my wayward soul
From insane ideas forged by youthful thoughts
From one so brazen and cold

As I approach the sunset of life
An expression of emptiness I feel
For the promises I could not keep
For the failures I've kept sealed

While the stillness of the night
Wakes me to the blindness of the day
I seek forgiveness from the errors
Committed by the judgment of my ways

So I'll ask with sadden heart
In the one who feels my pain
To heal the hurt, clean the heart
Of the sins which still remain

For when I reach the end
Of the long winding road we've shared
I want to be able to softly touch
Caressing the ones who cared

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
August 10, 2008

Life's Embrace

Romance is like a chameleon
Can be displayed in many ways

Concealing itself so well
Hard to tell, when love has come to stay

For love is like a fleeting dart
As it hurls through life's embrace

It knows when a target is found
Will commence to slow its pace

Once the sharpness of the point
Cuts into one's heart

The cry for pains of loneliness
Begins to slowly fall apart

Thinking you shall walk alone
On a road without a care

Think not of empty thoughts
A soul mate will come to share

So beware of the hurling dart
As it flies through the air

It's meant to end one's lonely soul
As it seeks a set to pair

Written by Roland R. Ruiz
August 13, 2008

Point of No Return

From the values of life, we all try so hard to learn
There comes to us along the trail, a point of no return

A place of calm unknown by us, which helps to light the way
Along the dusty tracks of time, towards what we must pay

Between the fallen years, lies the destiny of our past
On a road predestined for us to choose or pass

For in the very fiber of our being, obstacles shall we face
Like playing tantalizing games, driving us to disgrace

Known as luck, karma, premonition, names which I recall
But all in all just a slight of hand, to make us take a fall

For faith is the hunter which steers the ship we share
Through the darkness of the fog we'll sail from despair

This helps to steady our course, on a sea of wispy murk
Bringing the release once feared leading to a cautious lurk

Not all will hear the foghorn, which sounds to show the way
But for those who do rest assured, that life will come to stay

For once we've reached the point, where time knows no end
Then we'll know the true serenity, from the loss of total sin

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
August 6, 2008

Last Stairway

Have you ever been truly alone?
Without a love to share your home
Not even a reason to justify
The loneliness in one's life

There lies inside dreams
Buried deep within the night
Collections of thoughts from long ago
Which brings so much delight?

With only a tinge of tangled sadness
To complete this cycle of strife
Memories roll back to me
Like waves upon a sea

But overall cannot complain
In my travels towards the light
Which luck did grant my youthful soul?
When on that busy byway we merged

Converging on an ocean of oblivion
Our hearts did touch, we smiled
Opening a channel of love
Which led to a beautiful child?

In the finality of total commitment
We'll hold each other hands
As we seek the final horizon
In our search for the promise land

Together we'll pray for grace
To penetrate our souls
With the hope of remaining a set
In the infinity created by love

Crossing the last stairway
We'll cherish what we have known
Together we shall walk
Into the enchantment of total bliss

As we enter the end of our rainbow
Where we'll live forevermore

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
July 18, 2008

God's Domain

I the God of my domain
I have come to free your pain
All that I do ask of you
Is to feel my love

This is what I'll grant to you
Come and take my willing hand
No more sorrow will come your way
For my Son has paid

Here I am Lord, set me free Lord
I accept the gift you grant so graciously
I am yours Lord, just forgive me
Clean the sin which lies within my heart

Now you'll live in paradise
In my golden home above
Filled with Angels and the stars
To guide your way

No more tears will fall your way
Only love will come to stay
This I promise for one and all
Who'll accept my love

I am your Lord, understand Lord
Your Son paid the ransom for all our sins
By your Son Lord, who gave his life Lord
In return we'll receive eternal grace

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
July 28, 2008

Broken Yesterdays

If only we could go back in time, and change our yesterdays
What bliss we would again enjoy, as we kiss the storms away

If only we could transposed what was lost beyond the shadows of the dark
Our dreams would match the rainbows painted so vividly, within one's heart

There the beauty of the fantasies gathered, would dance upon the wind
Bringing a special feeling reeling, within the dizziness of our spin

A reminder of what was shared in our hunt for a forgotten path
Engraving a link to wayward memories buried deep inside the past

But time does not stand still my dear, and neither do the storms
As age begins to turn the tides, new thoughts begins to form

Establishing a totally different outlook in the attitudes of life
This brings a disconcerting viewpoint, of what once we knew as strife

In our search for a new horizon, to forget the painful fears
We'll seek a new beginning without the taunts, which caused the tears

So until the broken yesterdays, has released our fleeting faults
We'll remain as distance lovers, lost forever in our thoughts

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
July 11, 2008

Fading Soldiers

IN MEMORY;
General Douglas MacArthur's farewell speech to Congress
April 19, 1951
"old soldiers never die; they just fade away"

There is a gallant creed existing
Which grow smaller by the day?
They're the soldiers, men and women
Who gave so much our way?

In the service of their country
From lands so foreign and strange
They did what was needed
To save us from tyranny

No matter what the cost
No matter what the lost
In the many battlefields inflicted
Far across the raging seas

The sacrifice they made
Has often been forgotten
What we now enjoy today
Comes from the valor of their deeds

For all these brazen soldiers
Who displayed such bravery?
Remember them for what they gave
As they are laid to eternal rest

They paid dearly in their struggle
For the liberty we now possess
So take a small amount of time
In a prayer for what they did

Remember them with peace and love
As they take their final breath
I'm honored to pay them homage
For the gallantry they displayed

May God bless these aging warriors?
They will never be forgotten
For they gave their very best
For old soldiers never die

They just simply fade away

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
July 8, 2008

The Gift

I'm here to convey the memories from a long forgotten past
To share a gift which was given and lost from the kindness of a man

Arriving within the spirals in the pattern of my thoughts
Like the twilight bending a rainbow, which enlightens the luster of the breaking sun

Such wisdom he imparted to the children he loved so much
He tried to carve these sentiments to those who felt the strain

A man few remembered, for when he died no one wept
He left a void so empty, unfilled in the loneliness of his life

From the dreams lies his substance in the fantasies of my sleep
It all comes back in the remembrance of what he tried to give

As I approach the shadows in the autumn of my years
The words that I recall I now begin to feel

In the solace of the morning time, peace awakes my heart
A reminder of what was lost and now is found again

So I'll take to my grave all he did impart, in the wisdom he displayed
The epitaph which he left behind, will endear this precious gift

He may have died alone without tears to bid farewell
But he will be remembered for I have become a better man

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
July 1, 2008

Distant Drummer

Dedicated: Those who hear the music..........

I hear a distant drummer in the beat of a somber tune
Which came in the lyrics of life, since birth it's played a song

Across a wooden bridge, came a gift given to me
Arriving when I least expected, from one so high above

It shares a spot so deep inside the rapture of my being
As if it's been a part of me, only now I begin to feel

For I've tasted the sweet desires existing within my dreams
Which resides within a vibrant rainbow, along the waters edge

As I age towards the unknown, there's so much I want to impart
In the imagery which reverts to me, in my remaining days

So I'll share what comes my way, to those who hear the music
Hoping my words brings peace of mind, in the message I wish to convey

To those who are blessed in hearing
The melody vibrating within one's heart

I pray that you will feel the joy
Which has grown deeply between my soul

I'll continue to relay my thoughts to you
Pleading you will do the same

In our travels to find a wooden bridge
And the sounds of a distant drummer

Seeking the one who gave to us, the glory of his love
Along with the gift we share, which brings the saving grace

We'll march to the cadence of a happy tune
Inside his royal palace, forever and evermore

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
June 21, 2008

Unimaginable

Beyond the cosmos of the known galaxies
In the universe we call home

Lies the miracle by the hands of God
In the gift he gives to all

We feel this in every breath we take
From the treasure we call life

We see this in every vista
As the sun moves across the sky

From the glorious splendor of his love
He grants to each of us

Only foreshadows what's in store
To those who truly believe

In the world he created
By his everlasting love

Bought by the death of his begotten son
So our hearts could be cleansed of sin

Thus bestowing the miracle of salvation
Which awaits his flock, beyond the waning stars?

Where the heavenly Father and the Son
Will rule upon their throne

To reign the unimaginable, forever
In a palace we pray will be our home

Is all we can ask for, all we can imagine?
Surrounded by his glory, in his kingdom forevermore

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
March 28, 2008

The Spiral

Within the shadow of the years
Looms the memories of all my fears

Which come in the dreams I have each night?
Leaving me unable to resist the futile attempts to slight

As I fall into the circle of unrelenting love
I hope of finding a way to convey an impression of

The many battles inflected, in the indifference of a cause
Culminating in what was won and lost, in a whirlwind of applause

So in the fantasies we have shared, we'll adjust for separate ways
Which will lead to a new horizon as we leave our yesterdays?

In this parting thought, I will entrust before I go
I ask for your forgiveness for the feelings I could not show

And if you have within you a moment to reflect
Remember all we totaled in the time we did connect

For this shall live beyond us in the blood line we did create
Our daughters will always love us, no matter what the fate

As we come to an end of a spiral, we'll say our final goodbyes
Turning towards a new beginning, in the windmill of our minds

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
June 1, 2008

Wings of Dove

There is a canyon of no regret, which exists within ourselves

It takes affect when problems occur, between our drifting shell

Thus creating a vacuum of despair, which dwells inside our hearts?
Which comes in wayward thoughts, when we think its time to part

Tasting the memories of that first kiss, in a match from heaven above
Is worth the effort to sort this out, to save our fading love

Often time is what we need to soothe our painful hurts
Bringing a type of healing, to erase the lasting marks

So please help me find the pieces, we’ve lost along the way
To rebound to the way it used to be, in the remaining days

For we have known the feelings of unrelenting love
It awaits for us to find again, between the wings of doves

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
May 23, 2008

Mortal Fears

Can a river of deception be a prelude to a dream?
As we sleep with eyes wide open, hoping it's not a scheme

Wishing to catch a glimmer, from the brilliance of your eyes
I lean to kiss your moisten lips, as the moon begins to rise

In the twilight of the dew, lies sweet memories I hold for you
Which becalms a restless heart, of a stranger I once knew?

We've shared so much together, in the volume of our years
I feel as if our love has grown, beyond our mortal fears

For in the time God grants to us, I'll make this solemn oath
To cherish each second given, for the thoughts you hold so close

So take my hand, hold me tight, and never look behind
For the destiny of the new eternity, is there for us to find

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
May 14, 2008

Gathering Storms

Can the sultry taste of a passionate kiss be measured within our dreams?
Could the lasting memories, of years past, slip between the seams?

Will the gathering storms, heard so clear, be just a passing lark
Is it the wish of what once was felt, that drives us further apart

I fear that all we've come to know, will soon be an afterthought
While the richness of all we dwelled upon becomes a fleeting haunt

I want so much for love, to be caressed into our hearts
To feel refreshed, with only thoughts to never think to part

So in the desires I'll share with you, I'll do what must be done
In seeking the passion which has been lost, between the setting sun?

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
May 12, 2008

Fleeting Glance

Is there a signal, which signifies?
When love has taken flight

Does it come ever so quietly?
Like a thief into the night

Can one feel the pain of the passing darts?
As they rip and tear into a fickle heart

Does the rhythmic flow of an enticing dance
Reflect in the hurtful larks, of a fleeting glance

Will we survive another day, or will our fate go astray
I feel all this and more, as time silently slips away

I've often wondered if love can be made eternal
Or is it a passing phase, centering around a hardened kernel

I fear the love once shared, between embracing souls
Has encased itself into a shadowy void, completely out of control

So I'll take my leave, bid farewell, wishing only the best
Hoping we'll find another's love, to lay this hurt to rest

As we instill our weeping memories deep within our hearts
We'll watch the changing patterns fade into the dark

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
May 1, 2008

Rhythmic Patterns

I hear the sound of raindrops

Pelting against the window pane

As I turn towards the rainy night
from the softness of my bed

They come in rhythmic patterns
To stir the sentiments in me

As I search for the lost nostalgia
Buried deep within my dreams

Of songs which sing sweet melodies
For a long forgotten past

In a mood, so much somber
Then what is exists today

Where time moved very slowly
Across the golden path

I relish, what once I knew
For it shall never be again

From the shadows of my yesterdays
Which engulfs my very soul

I’ve learned it’s a part of me
In accepting what I’ve come to know

So in the destiny, which is now my home
I’ll remember the ideals of a simple time

In the dreams that are yet to follow
On a road I’ve come to know

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
April 17, 2008

Worthy Stanzas

Dedicated: Poetry2Share

To touch the stars with worthy stanzas
Is what every poet thrives to do

I've come to realize this and more
Since joining a poetry site, far across the sea

Every so often stored deep within our dreams
Sparks are ignited by our wondering thoughts

Which turns the vivid shadows, of the darkness
Into a blazing light, that flashes across the sky

Thus causing such joy, to those who care to read
The words of enchantment which calms a enduring heart

To those who write such phrases, I have this to convey
It's a pleasure for me to be able to say

How proud I am to be a member of poetry2share
Which shines so brightly with talented writers

Who touch the stars with each syllable
In the rhymes created, from the substance of their souls

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
April 25, 2008

Forgotten Tragedies

In Memory: Nameless faces & Old Soldiers

Can a soldier be forgiven, for the death which comes his way?
Can the savagery of his nature, be tamed to some degree

Can the horrors one sees in war, be a figment of a dream
Or does it go on enticing one's soul, in the bitterness one displays

Thus creating a shadow of despair, in the hallows of an empty heart
Compounding the memories of forgotten tragedies, one tries so hard to ignore


Even after forty years, the pain remains so clear
I see the faces of the nameless, I recall their tearful gaze

They come in the middle of my night, no pity can I expect
In a fantasy of a cause, I still don't understand

For the souls of those who perished, in a jungle of no regret
Leaves an empty feeling, I would rather soon forget

So my life will continue onwards
Nothing I can do, to exempt the wrongful sins

But pray for God and those nameless faces
To release this pain from me

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
April 08, 2008

Author's Note:
40th Anniversary of the My lai Massacre
3-16-68

Tracks of Time

Along the dusty tracks of time

Lurks the memories of forgotten lore
It comes in the haunts, of my sleepless nights
A reminder of what was lost, within a restless heart

Awakening to the bitterness, which never seems to fade?
Enlightens the loneliness felt, in the desperate flow of despair
So I'll take whatever comes my way
For the mistakes made in the embrace, we call life

The dreads I've come to know, which has been a part of me
Gives me thought of how it shall end, before the final blow
Wishing I could alter time, so I can start anew
But alas this cannot be, so I'll look to another source

I have come to this conclusion, evil does exists
It surrounds our very nature, tempting us in every way
But if one looks between the darkness
There is a brightness, which lights the day

It lies in the man named Jesus, who died upon the cross
He came to save our souls, if only we believe
Just take his heart within yourself, for you'll never be alone
To feel the richness of his grace is the greatest gift of all

Written by: Roland R. Ruiz
April 08, 2008