This book entitled The Nature of Life is meant to be a sequel to the book A Beautiful Tragedy. The author J.P. LaRue takes the reader on a journey through all the seasons and moods of Mother Nature, with some added life lessons along the way. The Nature of Life describes the exquisite beauty and stark cruelty that is found in all of nature. The poems in this book portray many of the contrast that are found in life and in nature, along with powerful imagery and deep meaning. This book reflects the author's love of the outdoors. The author J.P. LaRue is blind. This book, The Nature of Life along with his other titles, was written entirely by using Morse code. It is a testament to his creativity and to his appreciation of life and nature that inspired this book.
The Nature of Life
Volume 2By J.P. LaRueAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 J.P. LaRue
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4772-5735-7Chapter One
Alaska Starlight flashes, moonlight splashes,
And the Northern Lights dance across the sky.
An icy wind howls through the trees and the lone wolf cries.
The ivory gleams and the hot springs steam,
As the mosquitoes exact their toll.
The majestic peaks, the icy creeks, and a glimmer of gold.
Beauty Walking through the fallen leaves,
Down the path and through the trees.
With the pale sun on my shoulders, there is a nip in the crisp fall air.
I walk along as the bits of color fall all around me,
Floating softly down.
Torn from their lofty perch,
The leaves in their dying colors gently fall to the earth.
As I continue treading forward,
Wading through the sea of color,
I look around me in awe and wonder.
I pause to gaze upon the beautiful scene,
Taking a mental picture in my mind.
For nature's beauty lasts such a brief time.
Black and White In the light of day and in the dark of night
Stuck somewhere between heaven and hell on an endless flight.
Will I ever land? I cannot tell.
You can stuff your pockets with precious gold or worthless lead,
It doesn't really matter;
You can't take it with you when you are dead.
Wind, water, fire, and ice
Go ahead and jump; you only live twice.
I believe the choices we make here on earth,
May follow us into the next life.
So love while you still can
Try not to get into too much trouble
Try to do what's right,
'Cause most of us only have one life.
My Minnesota I have stood upon the high barren cliffs to watch the sunrise break
Over the most superior of all ten thousand lakes.
This is my Minnesota.
I have walked across the start of the Mississippi river,
Where it is born from the algae-covered rocks.
This is my Minnesota.
I have stood in the deep portage where the voyagers rested
Before pushing on into the boundary waters, to the lands beyond.
This is my Minnesota.
I have hiked and climbed in the stone quarries at Sandstone
And I have swum in the deep iron pits of Cuyuna,
Where the waters are always icy cold.
This is my Minnesota.
I have seen the prairie winds blow through a sea of wild flowers
And buffalo grass stretching to the horizon like an endless green sea.
This is my Minnesota.
I have walked on water and I have lived among the saints,
Such as Paul, Joseph, and Saint Cloud.
This is my Minnesota.
I have walked through a virgin forest untouched by the hand of man
And I have been to the sister cities full of noise and traffic jams.
This is my Minnesota.
I have gazed upon the gooseberry, Taylor, and Minnie haha falls.
I have also slept in the blue earth before the foot of cliff walls.
This is my Minnesota.
I hold these memories close to my heart.
They are part of me, when I travel afar.
This is my Minnesota
Black Sun As dusk turns to night,
As dawn turns to day.
The sunlight streams in, to chase the darkness away.
It splashes against the windowsills,
It pools upon the floor.
It drips down the walls,
To seep through the cracks in the door.
As evening approaches,
Another day is gone.
As the sun slips away,
The shadows grow long.
The darkness creeps in,
Turning day into night.
Like a black fog, it swallows all the light.
As long as the sun chases the moon
Around earth, once a day.
Day and night are here to stay.
Blind Man Close your eyes and open your ears,
Now I want you to tell me what you see.
Can you see the wind rustle through the leaves?
Can you see the birds singing in the trees?
Can you see the warm face of the sun smiling down?
Can you see the fresh cut grass of the lawn?
Can you see the white clouds, as they float past overhead
Casting cool shadows upon the ground?
Calm down; take a deep breath; it will be all right.
The next time life has you stressed out,
Just relax and close your eyes.
The River Into each life a few tears must be shed.
For in order to keep the river of life flowing,
It must first be fed.
The river of life has many tributaries,
Some are great,
And some are small.
We are all bound to the river.
For the river of life, flows through us all.
Sometimes the water can appear muddy.
Due to storms, confusion and pain.
Other times the water is crystal clear,
Serene,
And very tame.
Your path along the river can be rocky at times.
Your path can be impassable at times.
Forcing you to detour,
Sometimes years out of the way.
Or your path may be plain and straight,
Cut from a bank of soft sand and smooth clay.
There are many things carried along by the river of life.
Flotsam, treasure and trash.
Dreams for the future, and shattered memories of the past.
There are many bridges that span over the river of life.
Some are of iron, some are of wood, and others are of stone.
But the only bridges that truly matter,
Are those of flesh and bone.
Bones Rain, sleet, and cold
They're all seeping into my tired old bones.
I am still young
And I try to do what I can.
But it's just so hard
Being trapped a prisoner in the body of an old man.
I am so tired of this shit
I am so tired of this life.
I am sick and tired of these old bones
Being in charge of my life.
Bounty I stood in the bright sunshine,
With the warm rays upon my shoulders.
The black turned earth, smelling heavy and sweet in my nostrils.
The sky was blue and perfect,
And the air was wine.
It was one of those spring days,
That made you happy to be alive.
Laid out before me,
Amongst the dark green leafy rows,
Were thousands upon thousands of dark red gems,
In the early morning dew,
They sparkled and shone like hidden rubies.
Like tiny hearts,
They hung heavy and low.
Kissing the warm, dark earth.
Cold Outside It is cold outside today.
The wood smoke hangs low in the air,
And the skies have turned gray.
I look out my window, searching for any signs of life.
But nothing has moved for three days and three nights.
The ducks and the geese have long since flown south,
Seeking warmer places, such as Louisiana and the Gulf.
It's too cold for the rabbits and the squirrels, both black and gray.
Even the little chickadees aren't around.
Nor any of the pesky blue Jays.
I sit back; put another log on the fire,
And let the day slip away
For it is cold outside today.
Day Dream I find myself day dreaming ...
Lately, that seems all I do.
I think about fishing or hunting,
About what I would be doing today.
I think about walking in the woods and tapping the maple trees.
It's that time of year ...
Or I might think about walking out onto the snow less ice,
And trying for some crappies.
Then I catch myself,
And I get sad.
'Cause it's only a day dream ...
Dew Grass As I walk through the dew-covered grass.
I ponder the future and try to forget my past.
My thoughts, my ideas, and my memories
All elude me like a daydream.
I walk along, my feet making imprints,
As my sodden shoes slosh and squish.
To shuffle your feet through the morning dew.
To feel the wetness upon your pant legs.
The smell of fresh morning air and the way the grass clippings
Collect on the tops of your shoes.
It pleases me to walk through the morning dew.
For this is my time, and these are my wet shoes.
Diamonds The warm wind whispers down the valley and through the trees,
Bringing the cries of birds and the buzz of bees.
The meadows are green and the fields of wild flowers are in bloom,
Like an explosion of color,
Carpeting the world in sweet delicate perfume.
The hot sun hangs low in the afternoon sky,
Like a pendulum suspended from the heavens by the threads of time.
The clouds drift by overhead.
Like ghost ships of mist, sailing slowing across a sky blue sea.
As time wears on and the daylight starts to fade,
The shadows turn purple in deepening shade.
As evening gives way to night,
The first stars start to appear, pale and bright.
Like a million diamonds flung across a black velvet sky.
Have you ever seen something so beautiful?
You could not look; you had to avert your eyes.
Dog Days A hot hazy sun burns in the noon day sky.
The passing cars kick up clouds of dust,
Smothering the weeds and caking the leaves of the roadside trees.
The oppressive dead air is as still as a freshly dug grave.
And the hungry grasshoppers buzz and whine,
Sounding like hundreds of high voltage power lines.
The thirsty willows droop and swoon,
The surfaces of the lakes turn green
As the clouds of algae bloom.
Summer tries to hold on with a hot, sticky grasp.
Summer is almost over and the dog days are here at last.
Eagle Eyes Soaring to the heavens
So majestic, so high.
Circling slowly, on invisible currents of air.
Surveying the world below, with eagle eyes,
From mountain aerie, to lofty perch.
Though blinding sunlight, to the dark of clouds.
The piercing gaze of the eagle eyes sees all.
Over meadows green, and forest old.
Down countless long years, untold.
I once saw the eagle eyes.
As they flew over my head.
Our eyes connected.
And in that brief moment, we could see into each other's souls.
Falling Off The days drag by so slowly.
As I sit in my room staring out the frosted window.
The ice sparkles in the cold winter sun,
As the snow piles upon the rooftops.
The cold winter draws on and on ...
The wind and wood smoke dance in the air,
I sigh, turning away.
It doesn't matter, 'cause I don't care.
I have fallen off the face of the earth.
No one remembers me,
Some people think I have cracked.
They think I have fallen off my rocker,
And to them, I am nothing.
Who cares what others think?
I pay them no heed, I pay them no mind.
There are more important things in life
As I fall off the wagon, to help myself unwind.
Fire and Ice I have been burned by fire and I have been burned by ice.
Both can hurt you, both can make you think twice.
I got too close to the flames,
Losing my eyebrows and my lashes.
My hair also caught alight, in an explosion of fire and light.
I have been burned by extreme cold,
The arctic air attacking my exposed flesh.
As it freezes and bites, turning it numb, turning it white.
Later, the burning pain of a thousand red-hot needles
As I attempt to thaw my frostbite.
Once you have been burned by fire or by ice,
The memory of the pain
Will make you think twice.
Hidden Words Under the roots of the mountain,
Down deep into the basement of time.
There are hidden words written,
Where the light of day never shines.
On the floor of the deepest ocean,
Under the soft silt and cold brine.
Are written hidden messages etched by the hands of time.
Up in the heavens,
Upon an infinite black sky.
Woven into a brilliant blanket of starlight.
The hidden words continue to sparkle for eternity
Until the end of time.
Into the Night Into the night, fireflies dance, like tiny candles
Slowly sailing across the night sky.
The cold stars sparkle and twinkle,
So remote and distant.
The moon hangs low behind the dark trees,
Rising up over the shadowy hills.
The moonlight splashes and pools, reflecting through the branches.
Turning them into a skeleton of pale white bones.
As the darkness closes in,
Swelling the shadows, swallowing up the light.
Secret things lurk in the darkness,
Disappearing into the night.
Leaves The wind sighs ever so gently through the tops of the trees.
An invisible current of air,
A caressing breeze.
The leaves tear loose,
Filling the sky like the falling rain.
Never to perch upon their lofty heights ever again.
They drift down from above,
Like color wheels of snow;
Falling softly to the earth
Where only God would know.
They are pulled from their sockets;
They are ripped from their limbs
The trees are left cold and naked,
To face winter once again.
Lonesome Down the deserted highway, through the nameless towns.
I stumble forward, for I am lost.
Searching for direction, I have to keep moving I cannot stop.
I won't give up.
I refuse to lie down and die.
Even though it's such a painful curse to be alive.
The burden I bear, is mine to carry,
It's mine alone.
I cannot ask others to take a share.
It would not be right; it would not be fair.
I must go by myself.
I must go alone,
Down this lonesome road.
Until I reach my final home.
Lost Soul Lost between dark and light
Between heaven and earth and day and night.
I am a lost soul.
With no home of mine own.
Endlessly wandering through the desert sands.
And through the arctic snows.
Searching for answers,
Searching for the hidden meanings
For my purpose in life.
I have no road map to follow,
And no stars to guide me in the black of night.
All the houses are closed, locked from within.
No vacancy signs and no room at the inn.
I am a lost soul ...
Endlessly wandering all over the globe.
Naked Limbs Naked limbs gowned in silver and white.
Dripping with diamonds and pearls.
So cold and bare like beautiful ladies
Standing alone in the cold sunlight.
Their arms and hands are lifted up to the Heavens as if in prayer.
Forever silent, they stand motionless.
Like statues, so beautiful and so fair.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Nature of Lifeby J.P. LaRue Copyright © 2012 by J.P. LaRue. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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