Poetry – The Metamorphosis of Life

Eternal Metals

What are these things?
Yellow and white
They make light glimmer
Bring out the bright
Of what is in sight

There are metals
Of all sorts
But in comparison
To this group
It is no sport

Others don’t have that shine
Others can’t bring the time
That makes the good
Sweet as the finest Wine

A special night
A gift at dinner
A pearl wrapped
In any will be a winner

A painting
Of the finest sort
Is that much greater
When it’s framed
In the precious drawn from ore

Glory of God
The world wants to extol
It’s got to be Silver
Platinum or Gold

From the ancient world
To modern times
These illustrious metals
Bring out the rhymes

The precious coins of
Rome, Egypt and Greece
Empires of Spain
And Great Britain
Not the least
Tell the stories of Love and War
Sometimes peace
All wrapped up in the Golden Fleece

The rapper wears
A rather large one
Round his neck
A sister prays a golden rosary
At a sick man’s
Death bed

Many more uses
You can see
But the most precious
That shines like the sun
Eternally done
Is the one that makes
You and me, we

The precious metal
Pulled, Shaped
And twisting
Going round a finger
Always existing

But the tragedy lies
In that Humans
Do not see
The greatest Gift of all
Is actually free

Love is the thing
We should all be expounding
If we all share the gold
The world would be astounding

As happiness would reign from shore to shore
The precious metals
Hence be a symbol of Love
Like a rose petal
A seed of friendship forevermore

*Written for the IPMI 2010

I came across this poem set to music and it made me cry. It is so beautiful. The way the poet expresses his love on the thoughts of his passing to his wife moves the heart. The Eye with teardrop2 way it is set to choral music by Morten Lauridsen just moves me to tears. It is an incredible and beautiful work of art. I suggest you find it and listen while you read the lyrics.

The title below links to YouTube. The English translation is below the original.

Soneta de la Noche

Cuando yo muera quiero tus manos en mis ojos:
quiero la luz y el trigo de tus manos amadas
pasar una vez más sobre mí su frescura:
sentir la suavidad que cambió mi destino.

Quiero que vivas mientras yo, dormido, te espero,
quiero que tus oídos sigan oyendo el viento,
que huelas el aroma del mar que amamos juntos
y que sigas pisando la arena que pisamos.

Quiero que lo que amo siga vivo
y a ti te amé y canté sobre todas las cosas,
por eso sigue tú floreciendo, florida,

para que alcances todo lo que mi amor te ordena,
para que se pasee mi sombra por tu pelo,
para que así conozcan la razón de mi canto.

Pablo Neruda

TRANSLATION

When I die I want your hands on my eyes:
I want the light and the wheat of your beloved hands
to pass their freshness over me one more time
to feel the smoothness that changed my destiny.

I want you to live while I wait for you, asleep,
I want for your ears to go on hearing the wind,
for you to smell the sea that we loved together
and for you to go on walking the sand where we walked.

I want for what I love to go on living
and as for you I loved you and sang you above everything,
for that, go on flowering, flowery one,

so that you reach all that my love orders for you,
so that my shadow passes through your hair,
so that they know by this the reason for my song.

Translation by Nicholas Lauridsen

Rachel Weeps at Ramah

Over two thousand years ago
A king’s greed shocked a nation
Children murdered
To protect his power and wealth

Herod who are you?
How is it that you still live?
Many men of our day make you,
Their god of worship

In their hearts
No life is safe,
Not in a mother’s womb
As they give up their children
For an alleged better life

The babies are cut into pieces
Body parts sold for experiment
The destruction of life
The population of countries

No war has been more heinous
No crime so disgusting
Herod, Hilter…..Satan
The goal being accomplished
By those chosen for destruction

They buy into the lies
That material goods and career
Bring joy in this life
Pure nonsense
It is the bane of wise men

Later they awaken
To the evil in their hearts
What have I done?
Where are my children?
Why am I alone at the end of my days?

Their bodies are a shell
No more attraction in this world
No love to fill that empty space
Herod filled their earth

They saw the many praying
Upon death of the innocents
Weeping for their sins,
Praying for their conversion
To turn away and
Join the world building lives

Rachel is weeping
At Ramah,
At the Unites States of America
At the European Union
At the United Nations
For their children are no more

©Miguel Perez-Santalla

On News of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva being taken into custody

26mar2008-o-presidente-do-brasil-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva Lula* sung to the Kinks Lola

I drank at a bar in old Sao Paolo
Where I drank cachaça mixed with lime and soda
Es-oh-d-aye soda
They walked up to me and asked me what chance
If they used my name and to found a new party and I said Lula
El-U-el-aye Lula la-la-la-la Lula

Well we formed the group the worker’s party
And then I ran for president in 1989
They shouted Lula la-la-la-la Lula

Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why Brazil loved me as a young man
Shouting Lula la-la-la-la Lula la-la-la-la Lula

Well we worked some more and drank many nights
Under electric candlelight
They picked me up and told to me
You’re going to do what we ask, you will see

Well I’m not the world’s brightest guy
But when I looked in their eyes they greased my palm and said Lula
La-la-la-la Lula la-la-la-la Lula
Lula la-la-la-la Lula la-la-la-la Lula

I pushed away
and walked to the door
Gliding across the floor
I smiled with my teeth
Then I looked at them and them at me

Well that wasn’t the way that it would stay
We won two elections using my name Lula
La-la-la-la Lula
Money will buy toys and make my mind swirl
It’s a mixed up muddled money laundering world for Lula
La-la-la-la Lula

Well I left the presidential office years before
And I’d never ever thought they’d find out more
But I’m Lula smiling and waving my hand
And they said dear boy you’re going in the can

Well I’m not the world’s most intelligent man
And when they greased my palm I should have ran
La-la-la-la Lula la-la-la-la Lula
Lula la-la-la-la Lula la-la-la-la Lula

©William Michael Smith

There’s no snow*

The weather outside’s delightful
No reason to be frightful
No matter where we go,
There’s no snow, there’s no snow, There’s no snow

It was raining but now is stopping
We will all go outside hopping
Christmas lights are all aglow
There’s no snow, There’s no snow, There’s no snow

When we finally kiss goodnight
We’ll thank God that there isn’t a storm
I will pray that you hold me tight
Even if in the car we’ll be warm

And the party is slowing dying
And our family is still good-bye’ng
As long as you love me so
I’m grateful….there’s no snow, no snow, no snow

*An Original NJ Parody for 2015 Christmas

A Soul Apart – In Loving Memory of Karina Acosta

This poem was written on the news of the death of the young and beautiful Karina Acosta a few years ago. She gave birth to her son in New York City and unfortunately for this world had contracted an infection while in the hospital and died a few shorts day later. She was a professional in the precious metals industry and was working at Mitsui Precious Metals at the time. She was a member of the IPMI and her name is never forgotten. I wish I had a picture of her to include with this to share with the readers. I hope for the readers that somehow the poem imparts the force of presence that was this young woman’s smile and personality.

I knew her,
Too few years
Yet my heart
Is filled with tears

News of her passing
Shall take its toll
On those she touched
With her beautiful soul

Always smiling
A beautiful face
She brought happiness
To any place

From Metro Mexico
She did come
To New York City
She brought the sun

At Peñoles and Mitsui
She was hired
Her gracious presence
Raised them higher

The precious metals
Were her care
They now lose their luster
Without her there

A family’s love
Is left behind
Also left,
Hundreds of friendships
Which she did mine

Before she went
She left a present
Alonso, a beautiful son
Her loving intent

A word,
That comes to mind
In thinking of her
Is love divine

Her loving grace
She gave to fill our hearts
Where it hurts,
Bring it in to mend
The tearing part

Dear Karina
You left us too fast
But you’ve touched us all
A true blessing

That will never pass

Heaven’s Right

Heaven’s Right

Gazing at the ocean

A rhythm of sounds

Waves crash without caution

Miracles abound

–

Creatures in the water

Birds cruising in the air

Man uses its contraptions

To get near there

–

Like the gift of flight

Given to the gulls

Men are given thought

As wind to lift our souls

–

If we sometimes fail

To use it to take flight

Let’s not blame our maker

He has given us our might

–

Instead look to the heavens

Listening for what is right

Its awe filling presence will fill us

With His merciful love each night

©Miguel Perez-Santalla

Darkness in the Land

There is darkness in this land
An evil pressing
A powerful man
his title empowers him as he were grand

his words and smiles
Like a magic spell
Promising gifts
he knows them well

A few see through
his false compassion
Peddling lies
Proved by his actions

The enemy is at our gate
The door he has opened
To destroy and condemn us
To a dismal fate

Brutality he does not stop
Evil at our door
The ambassador pays
Heartbeat ended with a sudden pop

he also helps to kill within
Unborn children sold
For body parts
As if they were mere calf skin

Refusing to stop, he exacerbates
This horrible trade
Promising to punish
All who refuse to participate

his time is coming to end
As the head of this promised land
The damage that is done
Malignant and planned

To correct what has been done
The truth needs to be revealed
Or else the cancer
Will spread
Never to be healed
© Miguel Perez-Santalla

*Note the “he” was purposely not capitalized out of a complete disdain for this person.

Farewell to Summer for Jon Patterson

Below is the adaptation of the song Big John for our summer intern at Heraeus, Jon Patterson, who is going back to Fordham University and will not be able to stay on full time at our company.

Big Jon (Patterson)

Ev’ry mornin’ in the city you could see him arrive

He stood six foot six and weighed two twenty five

Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip

And everybody knew, ya didn’t give no lip to Big Jon

(Big Jon, Big Jon)

Big Bad Jon

(Big Jon)

We all knew where Jon called home

He just came into town and stayed all alone

He didn’t say much, he was kinda quiet and shy

And if you spoke at all, he just said, “Hi”, Big Jon

Somebody said he came from Mastic Beach

Where he got in a fight over a Long Island Queen

And a crashin’ blow from his huge right hand

Sent a Farmingdale fellow to the Promised Land, Big Jon

(Big Jon, Big Jon)

Big Bad Jon

(Big Jon)

Then came the day he was workin’ on time

When the market collapsed and all started cryin’

Employees were prayin’ and hearts beat fast

And everybody thought the precious metals market breathed its last, ‘cept Jon

Through the dust and the smoke of this market shell

Walked a giant of a man that everyone knew well

Put his fingers to the keyboard, without a groan

And like a giant Oak tree, he just stood there alone, Big Jon

(Big Jon, Big Jon)

Big Bad Jon

(Big Jon)

And with all of his strength he typed a ton

Then a trader yelled out, “There’s a light up above”

And all the team scrambled from a P&L grave

Only one man thank for he was brave, Big Jon

With chairs and computers, the traders stood ground

With his help they turned things around

And then the summer days ended, it was that time

Everybody knew it was the end of full time, for Big Jon

(Big Jon, Big Jon)

Big Bad Jon

(Big Jon)

Now they all still work in that trading pit

Missing his silence where he was quick to sit

These few words are written just to say

Heraeus will miss him every day, big, big man, Big Jon

(Big Jon, Big Jon)

Big Bad Jon

(Big Jon)

Big Bad Jon

Constant Longing

Early morning sun
A welcome guest
Too short when it comes
A light-fest

Rising become easy
Like a lover’s kiss
She wakes me
I rise for this

The joy it brings
It warms the heart
Smiles abound
Great way to start

Days filled with laughter
And wonderment
Life enriching
Life’s compliment

Slowly
She begins to fade
Less time for me
I grow afraid

Darkness comes
No rising light
Taking over
The coming plight

Dreams of her
Will keep me going
Her every word
Bright and showing

Be the light
For others to see
Chase the black
Out to sea

Peace and love
Triumph always
Battle charge
Opens pathways

A swift return
This I pray for
A hope that’s full
A dream I care for

Rising sun
Come back to me
I miss you so
Don’t let me bleed

Your light fills
Every essence
Without you
Life lacks presence

Opening eyes
I see your rising
All is right
Blinding and uncompromising

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