poem | Wayne Visser

December 5, 2021December 5, 2021

A Place to Thrive

Is the world a better place
Because we lived and loved and learned?
What will our children have to face
Because of what we built and burned?

Are people better than before
Because we gave them dignity?
What happened to the sick and poor
While we were living strong and free?

Is the world a fairer place
Because we fought for equal rights?
Who lost for us to win our race
Or did we open up new heights?

Is nature thriving great and small
Because we walked upon the earth?
Did oceans rise and species fall
With every breath we took since birth?

Is the world a dying place
Because our enterprises grew?
Did we destroy our living space
Or did we seed the world anew?

Each day we get to use our voice
To raise the tide or let it ebb
Each day we face a simple choice
To nurture life or fray its web

Let’s let the world be better still
For every moment we’re alive
Because we choose to use our will
To make our earth a place to thrive.

Wayne Visser © 2021

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together favourite inspirational poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology takes us on a journey through the peaks and troughs of life, celebrating the indomitable human spirit.. It includes many old favourites like “Poets Must Be” and “Chasing the Blue”, as well as brand new poems like “The Writer” and “Making Ripples”. Sages through the ages wisely say: / Carpe Diem – seize the dawning day / Oh, would that I could assuage that thirst / But the day conspires to seize me first! / With the hurry and scurry / Of home’s frantic flurry / And the hustle and bustle / Of work’s tangled tussle. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

December 5, 2021December 5, 2021

New Day

Sunset bleeds in crimson sky
Black night brings respite, rest and reflection
Purple dawn promises new day

Wayne Visser © 2021

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021

Thriving

Our life is so much more than a duty or a chore
Of merely getting by without a why or what for
The law of tooth and claw, the struggle to exist
To rally and resist against life’s slow decay
The way of entropy, of living just to see
Another day, to stay, to endure and survive
No, life is meant to thrive

In nature all things grow, from seed to tree, we know
The cycle of living through giving, of reap and sow
The flow, things come and go, the cycles of grooming
From sprouting to blooming, of stretching for the light
The bright palette of hope, the diverse ways to cope
To cherish and flourish, bursting forth and alive
For nature means to thrive

Society lives too, a melting pot we brew
From cultures and crises, with spices for flavour
And kindness to savour, ideas for conceiving
And goals for achieving that stretch us and bind us
That find us, together in all kinds of weather
Wanting what’s fair, to care, longing to love and strive
For society to thrive

The markets live and breathe in complex webs we weave
The synapses of trade have made the things we need
Each deed a chance to lead, while tech is getting smart
Yet still, it needs a heart, a compass as a guide
To tide us through the storm and find a better norm
A breakthrough to renew, an innovation drive
Yes, markets too can thrive

All life is meant to rise, to reach up to the skies
To move beyond the edge, to fledge with hopeful cries
Life tries until it flies, it shakes and spreads its wings
And trills each note it sings, while given time and space
The race of life is run, full powered by the sun
On land, in seas, like bees’ sweet nectar from the hive
All life is made to thrive.

Wayne Visser © 2021

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

August 1, 2021August 1, 2021

Magic Feather

I’m giving you this feather
To remind you of the endless sky
That even when you feel earthbound
You still have glorious wings to fly

I know life’s not all sunshine
And you won’t escape the aching pain
But like water off a mallard’s back
You too can shrug off driving rain

There’s power in this feather
To remind you of your magic flights
That even when you crash your landings
You still can rise to brilliant heights

I know love’s not all roses
And not all tales have a happy end
But like water from the sacred springs
You too can purify and mend

So hold onto this feather
To remind you that your future’s bright
That even when your feet are muddy
Your spirit’s always light

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

July 31, 2021April 24, 2022

Keys to the Maze

Upon the path of life’s great maze
Surprises lurk around each bend
There may be dragons, spells or gold
And battles fought before the end

And on this journey to the heart
Of life’s great mysteries
You’ll have to unlock secret doors
That need some special keys

The first key is IDENTITY –
The quest to know your mind
It helps you bypass cul-de-sacs
And treasure what you find

The second key is CONFIDENCE –
The will to stretch and strive
It takes you where you want to go
And keeps your hopes alive

The third’s RESPONSIBILITY –
Your footprint on the earth
It means you take care where you tread
And know what life is worth

The fourth key is the shape of LOVE –
With enigmatic flame of red
It burns the heart; it warms the cold
And lights the way ahead

The fifth key is life’s MEANING –
The pattern in the maze
It finds a way to join the dots
With destiny’s bright blaze

I wish you happy twists and turns
On easy trails and steep
Whatever choices that you make
These keys are yours to keep

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together philosophical poems by Wayne Visser. In this anthology, he muses on subjects ranging from space, angels and destiny to time, science and meaning in life. According to scientists / The world’s made of string / That buzzes and fuzzes / Or some such strange thing / It’s also a donut / That curls round a hole / With middles and riddles / Just like a fish bowl / And there’s no mistaking / It’s more than 3-D / With twenty or plenty / Dimensions unseen / Still others insist / It’s really a bubble / That’s popping and bopping / Through the lenses of Hubble. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

July 13, 2021October 7, 2021

Think On Business

THINK ON BUSINESS

You may think on business and despair
See it’s ugly face of greed laid bare
How it chokes the seas and fouls the air
And the workers’ lot is never fair

But there’s another story being told
Of a smarter way and leaders bold
Of fresh purpose starting to unfold
And business breaking from the mould

It’s a tale of seeing with new eyes
And of commerce learning to be wise
Where there’s innovation on the rise
And trust beyond what money buys

For when business cares it regenerates
And changes what it risks and rates
It begins to give more than it takes
And reinvents the world it makes

When nature thrives and people grow
Returns for business start to flow
As those who reinvest will know
The future reaps the seeds we sow

You may think on business and take heart
For a better way is ours to chart
We all have our roles, we play our part
But there’s no time to lose, so make a start

Book

The Poetry of Business: A CEO’s Quest for Meaning

It was time to leave. A bitter-sweet time. The CEO felt sadness, but also contentment. The business he had conceived and birthed and nurtured was mature enough to stand on its own feet now; to live out its own life. Ironically, the way he saw it, the company was not the legacy he was leaving at all. The real value was in the way in which the business lived and breathed and kept its people engaged and passionate. That was the real gift he had given them. And that was why he was leaving behind his scruffy notebooks in the boardroom cabinet – those dog-eared, tea-stained pages on which, over the years, he had jotted down his ideas. Scrawled untidily were the lessons he had learned along the way: about how to make a business ‘fit for human beings’; about how to survive in commerce and still sleep soundly at night; about how to create a company that served society, instead of the other way around. So many thoughts … Buy the paper book.

July 3, 2021July 3, 2021

Only Now

There’s only now – this moment of this day
In time’s great ocean, as we swell and sway
Between waves of memories already past
And hopeful dreams like fishnets we cast

The day itself may change to foul or fair
Our only task is to be present there
To ride out the storm and soak up the sun
To manage the fear and relish the fun

There’s only now – this fleeting time and place
In life’s long journey, the truth we must face
Is that though the ground we cover is great
The path that we tread is what we create

The place itself may bring pleasure or pain
Sometimes we will lose, sometimes we will gain
The trick’s to be present through thick and thin
For life’s not a race, there’s nothing to win

There’s only now – this breath in, this breath out
A state of being is what it’s about
To be here right now, to be who we are
To beat like a drum, to shine like a star

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021

All In

We took a risk and rolled the dice
We took the salty with the spice
There was a chance we’d lose or win
We took our chips and went all in

The cards we held were dealt by chance
We played without a second glance
Only to find, amidst the haze
We found a pathway through the maze

Was it just luck or something more
That led us to each other’s door?
Against the odds, or destiny?
I bet on you, you bet on me

We chose for hope and spun the wheel
We chose the wishes to make real
There was a chance we’d sink or swim
We took our love an went all in

Book

Icarus: Favourite Love Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together love poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology traces love’s agony (“Broken Dreams”) and ecstasy (“Galaxies Cart-Wheeling”), from first blush (“Almost Strangers”) to full bloom (“Say ‘I Do!’”), as we fly to love. You’ve given me the gift of golden wings / The endless sphere of blue imaginings / The chance to rise above the silver clouds / The will to cast off untold ghostly shrouds / Don’t fly too high / Don’t rise too fast / Don’t tease the sky / Don’t taunt the past / You’ve given me the hope of warmer days / The blessed kiss of the sun’s fiery rays. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

June 4, 2021June 4, 2021

Through Your Eyes

The world is different through your eyes
The shapes and angles, the colours and spangles
All sparring and jarring, shifting and shimmering
Making up a living mosaic, a patterned portrait
With each give and take, each grip and shake
You make something unique, something wonderful
Which I peek – each time you act or speak –
I see a better, braver world, through your eyes

The world is changing through your choices
The views and voices, the stands that you take
All the paths you make, with byways and bridges
Making up a living map, a sculpted terrain
With more options to give, more chances to live
You make something renewed, something hopeful
Like a potion brewed – each time you choose –
I see a brighter, bolder world, through your choices

The world is growing through your knowing
The curious questions, the fresh discoveries
The bubbling and bursting, sizzling and thirsting
Making up a living book, a library of wisdom
With each word and idea, each step beyond fear
You make something meaningful, something that matters
With an impact that scatters, in each ripple
I see a wider, wiser world, through your knowing

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

May 28, 2021May 28, 2021

Walk the Line

I walk the line
Between the river and the road
The river whispers to slow down
To breathe in the beauty
And see myself reflected
The road is too busy to notice
Too focused on the destination
And how to get there sooner

I walk the line
Between the head and the heart
The head is quick with answers
With boxes to put things in
And labels to explain
The heart is full of questions
With doors of doubt to unlock
And windows of love to open

I walk the line
Between the mountain and the sea
The mountain beckons to climb
To reach for the distant summit
And enjoy the view from the top
The sea urges to cast adrift
To go with the invisible flow
And be content in the moment

I walk the line
Between the body and the soul
The body craves for attention
For pandering to appetites
And obeying the senses
The soul yearns for meaning
For something to believe in
And a destiny to follow

I walk the line
Between the day and the night
The day is a call to action
To building stone by stone
And making my mark
The night is for seeding
For germinating in the dark
And nurturing my dreams

I walk the line
Between living and dying
Living is finding new connections
New ways of seeing the world
And adding something new
Dying is learning to let go
To appreciate more with less
And finding a place to rest