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Note: The first poem I ever published. He was buried there by the mud bayou, At the bend where the green water curls, With the swing of a spade, A half-whispered prayer, And the tears of a heartbroken girl. The living splashed on through the water and mud Past the ghosts of the moss covered trees. With looks right and left, And hearts filled with fright, They waded past old cypress knees. They feared the cottonmouth, panther, and bear, They'd heard tales of the Indian tribes, But one of their number Cared nothing for peril, Now widow, but short time a bride. They left no trace of the way they came, Nor marks of the way they went, No record behind Of the youth in the ground, Or the reason his life had been spent. Somewhere in bayous where the green water bends Lies a man left behind long ago. Who he was, why he died, Who prayed, and who wept, Are the secrets of the mud bayou. Copyright Donovan Baldwin Published April 1982 in The Archer, now defunct. (Not my fault, I hope.)

If your heart could see beyond my words, If they were to mean more to you than Mere strokes and curves on paper, And, became strokes, and curves On your skin, would your heart Beat ever faster, your breast Rise and fall with hope and Desire, the need to once Be truly loved, be held By more than words, Within loving arms Of one who now Holds love's Pen? • Donovan Baldwin

At first bite it tastes so sweet Tangy tingles on the tongue Hunkering for more delights Tidbits become cravying Bloated on sugar, sickened On torrents of syrupy prose Overwhelming - it’s too much Beloved turn of phrase Is stuck on the bottom of the bowl

Put your words upon a leaf, Print them with a moonbeam, Set the leaf upon the wind, To be read and repeated As song by birds at sunrise, And, I will listen with Other than my ears, Translating the notes Into "I love you's", Becoming a part of me, Never to be forgotten • Donovan Baldwin

The light paints what I wish to see, Morning amber glow washes Everything with a tint of gold, Nature becomes art, Even a modern suburban street Becomes momentarily A painting by Van Gogh, Or perhaps Lautrec. taken instantly by the light, I arrive in other places and times, Miles and centuries away. Suddenly, at the speed of light, I stand there on Parisian streets, And sometimes upon The surface of another world. • Donovan Baldwin

"Where have you buried the poet?" Asked the lady solemn and grave. "Madam, we're sad to tell you, There wasn't that much to save." "Where have you buried the poet, Where does his headstone stand?" "Madam, we're sorry to tell you, He's not buried in holy land" "Where have you buried the poet, Serene valley or pleasant hill?" "Madam, we don't remember him, Since his pen's been so cold and still." "Where have you buried the poet, His bones, where are they interred?" "Madam, all that remained was a box Of his papers with every word." "Where have you buried the poet? I've come far to honor his name." "Madam, we've all forgotten, And there's only ourselves to blame." • Donovan Baldwin • Painting: All Souls’ Day: Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and Franz Skarbina

I have risen from Ashes of my defeat Time and time again, Defying the Fates, And all the evil gods Could muster Against me, For I am me, And I must strive, No matter if I should win or lose, I will rise from The ashes each time For that is MY battle, To rise... Again • Donovan Baldwin

You see what I see When I look At ordinary things, Try to see The beauty that exists In so many common things, For, as poet I look, And, seeing more Than what exists, Create poetry Of words and Memory Which You and I can see. • Donovan Baldwin

(this is about cars after seeing a young fox smashed into the road, it's severed tail blowing down the road) The babies, the children, the animals The plants and the trees All living things Blessed by the creator Destroyed by human beings The creator’s heart is full Of the souls nay sparks Of blessed creatures  Brought to harm Not killed for food But by cars Carnage and destruction Pollution and waste Noise and danger To all innocent beings Killing each one And us -- all together