Peter W. Chaltas
(Canada)
The Travellers
Each one of us
is a traveller
and often a wastrel,
with a soul like
a feather in the wind.
Winds toss it
mercilessly hard, and cold,
in furious storms without meaning,
into thankless death.
Lead our souls like a feather in the wind,
as a naïve lamb,
led by a loving hand.
It is such a long way to go,
over the waters.
Thalassa, Thalassa,
the wind blows,
and we travel far
from the gentle start
in the morning.
We all have a choice to make
as we go.
“You have come down
now visible,
Infinite and Eternal One,
to conceal yourself,
as the manifest force of nature,
and to allow evil to have free reign,
and to exist in this world,
only to raise us high
and to test us to reveal,
through your blowing
and changing winds,
the traits of leadership
that you have given us,
and placed quietly within.
In your eternal will,
you wait patiently
to spring out
and fulfill. » ** **Kabbalistic Prayer
One
Sister, brother,
Be my friend.
We’re not strangers,
But gaze at each
Other,
Mirrored, and
Different ends,
Of the same One.
One and the Same
We start poetry,
Prose, and life with “I”,
When we can start
Inclusively with “we”,
And some start Only with “she”
Some profess vehemently,
We are alone,
and
We are free,
But the story is not yet
Unravelled;
Not yet done.
In time
We return
And we see,
We are connected as the One.
Return with Joy
There is a time to turn Inward
To tend to the self and one’s own,
To pray and meditate,
In one’s own temple,
To the Creator.
There is a time to turn outward,
in all directions and spread food,
Physical and spiritual,
Goodwill and peace.
When we act outwardly,
What we act on or towards
Will bear fruit.
When we act in goodwill and peace,
We allow ourselves to turn inward
Once again with joy.
When we do so,
We do what the creator has done.
As at the separating of the waters,
At the time of creation, was and is.
Cast your bread upon the waters.
Inward and outward in all directions,
is the way.
We can return inward,
To prayer and meditation daily,
And outward to commune with each other,
To spread wholesome, fruitful seeds
Of good acts daily,
rather than reactive anger,
Hatred, selfishness, and greed,
That yield only a single, sterile,
Bitter crop.
Inward and outward,
In all directions,
In goodwill and peace
is the way of all creation,
and the creator’s mechanism
In the workings of all.
It is the way of the breath we take
That sustains our bodies,
The way of the workings of our heart,
The routine of our daily life,
The act of speaking, and of writing a book,
Of physical conception, and birth,
The workings of the cosmos, and nature,
Or of the ever sustaining
Blossoming, breath and mercy,
Of the Creator Oneself.
Oneself’s being is Love,
And we can return to it with Joy.
Rest
I was tired.
You gave me rest .
I was desolate,
consumed by void,
Until I heard,
A silent sacred voice,
Spilling,
So very clearly,
A sparkling flow.
Peace relieve me.
Grief let me go,
To learn
To live with less.
Give me more
Of that stark and simple sight,
And that courage,
To
Openly confess,
That all is One.
Smoke and Ashes in Corsica
Trails of overwhelming beauty;
Winding trails from Ajaccio to Bastia
of trees and stones,
with rushing steams.
Outstretched skies,
and nestled towns,
of scattered homes
are suspended on hillsides.
The raw beauty of nature
unfolds itself in a green, gold,
layered tapestry.
Dusk falls as the sun fades,
and the golden light of illuminated windows
decorates the hills with familial warmth.
The train continues to snake its way
through the countryside..
In the evening we stand alone,
under starry skies by sandy
and parchment seaweed
tangled shores.
The waves and the cool breeze
meet the silence so gently,
they seem mundane.
Moonlight illuminates the moment
purely and faithfully,
in shades of blue and grey,
while the stars swirl in an arch
above us, across the sky.
At midnight in musty quarters by the sea,
I prepare myself immersed in prayer, thanks,
and imperfect repetition,
as the purifying water flows. .
In bed, leafing through
the thick hand cut pages of Daniel’s book
I see the corner of the page,
a single page,
start to split and peel back from itself into two.
A message is unfolding.
*See*
Then a burst,
and a small cloud of smoke
is in the room,
in the air above our heads
as if something has just broken,
or exploded in mid air.
The tiny black ashes gently fall
downwards toward us,
and then disappear before they touch us.
The page corner
seals itself into one, once more,
and It is done.
We are astounded and wonder,
what it is we have
just seen.
I think to myself:
The vessel has cracked and burst.
The Immigrant Travels Many Journeys
She was raised by grandparents.
Then Fate made her an orphan.
She grew to become
a hard working, self sufficient,
quiet and independent woman;
Loving, patient, generous,
She tended her sheep lovingly,
cultivated her gardens meticulously…
A kind, caring, and gentle spirit.
Love found her.
He was struck by the quiet girl
with the beautiful and soulful eyes
who worked diligently,
and kept her distance.
They had been born together
and desired to die together .
He had a dream to travel,
and build a new life.
She, with uncommon courage
and faith,
took a long trip
across the ocean
to follow him …
and so the orphan
became an immigrant .
Arriving at the train station alone,
exhausted
and not knowing where to go,
she simply sat on her suitcase
waiting for her *soon to be*,
to arrive.
He found her fortunately at the station
and warmly greeted her
with a kiss .
They were married.
Modestly and earnestly
they began building a new life together.
She worked as a seamstress
among other things.
At night she would buy a fruit
or some little food from the market
and patiently wait for him to arrive
to share a simple meal together.
She gave birth to her first son
and afterwards to her second.
They sometimes argued
but love bound them together
securely, tightly, invisibly.
They laboured diligently;
long hours
in the early years
and established solid roots,
maintaining the spirit of kindness,
empathy, and generosity
towards others,
that nurtured them as well.
They embarked
on their primary labour
of caring, supporting
and helping others,
to arrive in a new life.
One by one, the others arrived,
and their love became an open house,
and a refuge to those making
that same journey for a better life.
What great joy she experienced,
in helping and taking care of others .
She took care of the elderly,
the young,
and of strangers,
and adults.
She loved them with all her heart,
as did they.
Carefully and meticulously
she labored to meet their daily needs .
She truly was a unique,
compassionate soul,
that placed priority on the other’s needs,
and the needs of those
that she met for the very first time .
He died one night suddenly, next to her in his sleep.
It was a crushing blow to her, and her own.
Although she carried on,
Sadness took hold of her
once again.
She toiled diligently, again for years.
Then one year in autumn, she made an end,
and traveled back across the ocean
on a journey of many months,
to see palaces and castles ,
her vineyards, mountains and her seas.
It brought her joy,
and wondrous memory,
that stayed with her to end .
The years passed, her health faltered
but she always remained strong,
in a quiet humble faith,
no matter what the challenge.
She lived to see her sons married
and gained her daughters in love.
One day Sickness heard of her story
and traveled far to meet her.
She never refused a guest,
and so he came to stay .
His trip was the final
great labour and challenge
that she undertook.
Her love for her children, and their love for her
was an unwavering constant throughout her life.
Through her many years of illness
they earnestly endeavored to maintain
the dignity, love, and comfort
that she deserved.
She remained with them
In care and love,
for the duration of her life.
She was surrounded by such great love
through all these times.
Loving angels cared for her diligently
with children .
They sustained her through her illness
and she sustained them.
Late in her life, a grandson came
and caressed her cheek,
as she had done once long ago .
She then faded,
and traveled once again.
She embarked once more
on another journey,
to meet her beloved.
She patiently waited with faith
in soul’s heart,
sitting on her suitcase,
filled with love, and kindness.
She waited with joy
to unlock it,
for those who would come to greet her .
Pray that once again they come quickly
to see a gentle smile,
and loving face,
to quickly welcome her
into an all loving,
encompassing embrace
G_d have mercy,
Bless, and keep the soul of the immigrant,
so that the memory,
may be always in our hearts,
as we journey far
and on our very own.
____________________________________________
BIO
Peter W. Chaltas is an entrepreneurial poet and has been writing poetry since the age of 16 when his father passed away. He was educated at Trinity college at the University of Toronto, and majored in Literature and Philosophy. In his fifties, he became an online twitter poet. His work has since been published in online publications like Paper.li, as well as on his website Pwchaltas.com. Over the years, he has written 14 collections relating to art, poetry, creativity, love, loss, death,and nature. The One, spirituality, the figure of Christ, and the alienation and loneliness of the immigrant, the forgotten outsider, and the survivor are also dominant themes in his work. These poems were meditations and therapy written for himself that, until recently, were unpublished, and shared with only his closest confidants. After many years of consideration, he is now publishing his works, and reciting his poetry in public.
In 2012 he published a limited edition of poetry called « Seeds of Self Fulfilment. Work of Love. »
In 2015 he published « Free Verse in Useless Times »
A self described « Willing servant of The Word and art », some of Peter’s own personal favourite aphorisms are « The eye is a lily on arched stem bending down observing every thing », « One can be more than One, at One time » , as well as Moshe Safdie’s maxim « He who seeks Truth, shall find Beauty ».
Peter is also actively involved in, and blogs on topics such as entrepreneurship, and fashion and has had a long and varied career as an entrepreneur. He has a background in graphics and apparel; been a restauranteur; and a real estate agent, builder, and investor. He is passionate about poetry, photography, and art. In his heart of hearts his essence is that of artist, and poet musing on the truths of the human condition.