The 2021 Word On The Lake Writers’ Festival is dedicated to our ‘Techie’ of many years…
Ronn Boeur
Year after year, Ronn kept the festival running, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be -always a challenge. He loved his hats! His big heart and a sense of humour made him a joy to work with. He was a writer too, Shelley his wife selected some of his poems to share with you.
Ronn died August 5th 2020
We miss him so much. Thank you Ronn for sharing yourself with us for so long and so unstintingly.
Pacifist’s Prayer
Peace is but a thought away in any situation;
This holds true for you and me, or nation fighting nation.
The thought should not be how to win with maximum destruction,
But rather one of letting go, respecting your position.
For you are me and I am you, there can be no division;
We both need love and joy and hope, not fear and persecution.
And weapons make the whole game worse, fueling hates and passions;
We’ve seen too many bloody wars – when will we learn our lessons?
For age-old hurts are best forgot, we need a higher vision;
And swords and guns and smarter bombs cannot lead us to heaven.
So, let there be some sense in me and in each war-like nation
to stop this useless waste of life, leave something for our children.
And finally, when we ‘see the light’ /choose love, respect, creation –
Oh, what a great day that will be –
Begin the celebration!
Choose to Fly
When everything is going well, the road seems smooth and straight …
Beware the hidden pothole! Beware the twist of fate!
For nothing lasts forever; everything’s in flux.
Count your blessings while they last … Life burns like candle wax.
All too fast the days slip by … never to return
as choices made (and not made) teach what we must learn.
For we’re addicted to our comforts, we like to ‘play it safe’;
we settle into apathy, prefer the easy path …
We seldom make decisions to step out of our groove
(and if we knew what lay ahead, we’d rarely ever move!)
When we get too complacent, we’ll find the road is blocked.
But each apparent crisis serves to bring us back on track.
For each roadblock is a challenge to keep us moving on:
Something wants to open; something else is gone.
With each new morning’s sunrise a clear new page unfolds:
— Welcome it with open eyes — see what this day holds.
Choose to be excited, choose to take control;
Choose to be a winner – set yourself a goal:
to make decisions boldly,
to let old patterns die,
to open to your soul’s desire
and teach yourself to fly!
Heaven
Who has seen a waterfall
or glimpsed the spawning salmon,
or lain amidst a field of wheat
and has not been to heaven?
Who has felt a summer’s breeze
or watched the flight of raven,
or touched a single blade of grass
and has not been to heaven?
Well, I have seen your beauty
and felt the love you’ve given:
You touched my hand, you touched my heart
and I have been to heaven!