Money

by John Butterfield

Six times today

I was urged to buy

a big issue...

Twice today

I was asked for change by a beggar

enamel mug to collect coins

Once today I used

online banking

transferring a big sum

at the press of a key

Was it real

to use a magic keystroke

to share or hoard

without human contact

without having to look into someone's eyes...

When is money most real

the small coins in the mug

or the digits on the screen

in red or green

for more and more

money is detached from human reality

moved about by plastic cards and pins

The man said

you cannot love God and money.....

I know I cannot see God

but money has become invisible too

an invisible expression of power

Obsession

by John Butterfield

the unattainable

the impossible

creates an attractive illusion

which against common sense

and better judgement

invades the inner self

to create confusion

by distorting the perception

of reality.

The little “if”

is elevated

to an improbable certainty

and results in projection

of a most dangerous kind.

fortunately recognition

is the first step

on a path to recovery

Saved by Compost

by John Butterfield

a crate built of wooden slats

frames the detritus of the kitchen

and lets it sit the winter through, turning brown,

organically regenerating:carrot tops and beans

once I was disturbed and full of angst

roaring waves:  inner storm bound raged

and intuition and emotion clouded over

and I was hopelessly adrift and lost

I found new life and was reborn

when I committed to the compost heap

to rot with cabbage stalks and rotten apples

those destructive demons that raged within

Composting takes time

as enzymes break down

and smell so sweet that

organic matter of all sorts

compost now is a source of nurture

a source to bring food to living things

coming from the dead and destroyed

but it has to die before it can rot and be purified