Neil Meili

Zen Cowboy Poet & Freelance Philosopher

Skip to content

Home
Contact
Neil’s Books
Poems
Kind Words
A Neil a Day Poems

Heat Wave Haiku

Audio Recordings, Environment, Haiku, Nature, Poems about Poetry / tagged Summer / July 28, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

In weather not fit
for man or doggerel
put down pen lift drink

Why Not the Beautiful Words

Audio Recordings, Poems about Poetry / tagged Choice, Language / July 27, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Why don't we use just the beautiful words
Why not cast out a net and bring
back only those that sing

Why would we use the English for butterfly
doesn't that sound like a dairy related event

Why use the German Schmetterling
doesn't that have a schledgehammer ring

Wouldn't Italina farfalla, Spanish mariposa or the Porguguese borboleta be betta

Why not the très French papillon
does it not taste n the tongue to you
like air and nectar and dew

Why don't we save bats for hitting balls
and for insulation for our house
would it not be more fitting
to flit with the fledermaus

Are there not a thousand languages or more
do they not all hold jewels in their core

Why not let the children choose

Are their hearts not our purest tuning forks
are they not ourselves more clear
do they not still resonate with all
they speak and feel and hear

Tuning Forks

Audio Recordings, Poems about Poetry / tagged Creativity, Inspiration / July 26, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

When life and writing have
fallen into earth-filled holes

When bootstraps pulling up
need someone else to pull them

Stafford or Rumi or Noal wait
a reading away from music again

Humming with Neruda or Oliver or Hafiz
mud falls from booths and stars come out

Hands-On Healing

Audio Recordings / tagged Health, Sharing / July 25, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

There's more to medicine than medicine

Our friend Marsha wrote her doctoral thesis
on hands-on healing at hospitals
and healing effects on those administering it

You can't channel that much
love without gold dust lining the pipes

The cancer you cure might be your own

Healing Is

Audio Recordings / tagged Belief, Health, Miracles, resurrection / July 24, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

The waters of Lourdes
The laying on of hands
Crutches on the placebo pile
Three days tinkering in a cave
with a do-it-yourself Lazarus kit
Me and you may be worthy too

Learning From Pain

Audio Recordings, Personal Growth, Relationships / tagged Fear, Learning, Suffering / July 23, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Is pain only
to be understood
in the times between its presence

The schoolyard bully is no help in math

Tears II

Audio Recordings / tagged Cremation, Death, Grief, Loss, Mourning / July 22, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

If you cry
when smoke gets in your eye

Don't try
dumping ashes from an urn
into a wind as twisty-tailed as life

The Man in the Desert Remembers

Audio Recordings / tagged Grief, Letting Go, Repression / July 21, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

The man in the desert remembers
and a tear begins to form

A tear so long unshed
ninety percent of the water is gone

Dragging its chain of crusted drops
it carves a white canyon
down his long leathered face

A cracked tongue between cracked lips
reaches to taste it – Oh so sweet

2 Replies

Tears

Audio Recordings / tagged Emotions, Grief, Suppression / July 20, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

It's not that
big boys and men don't cry

The tear ducts
are just shaped different

And it all runs down inside

Photo of Ruby Falls near Chattanooga, Tennessee

1 Reply

Tibor From Hungary

Audio Recordings, Travel / tagged Resistance, Soccer, Sport / July 19, 2026 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

In Budapest in 2018
we see bullet holes from ‘56
made by Tibor shooting at Russians
or by Russians shooting at him

Tibor escaped the Russian wrath
attended school at Notre Dame
and did his best to teach us soccer

At first we were in awe of his skill
at running full speed with a ball
attached to his feet and leaving
us flat-footed in his wake
until we gave up and just tackled him

World Cup finals today; everyone thinking soccer.

Post navigation

← Older posts

Newer posts →

Search

Neil’s Latest Book Available in Paperback and Large Print Edition though Amazon worldwide

Social

View zencowboypoet’s profile on Facebook
View @meilineil’s profile on Twitter
View neilmeili’s profile on Instagram

Want More Poetry? Sign Up Here.

Sandi Hebley on Red-Winged BlackbirdAugust 3, 2026
This is a good one!
Sandi Hebley on The Man in the Desert RemembersJuly 21, 2026
Wow!
JM on The Man in the Desert RemembersJuly 21, 2026
This one really hit home Thank you
Judy Migel on TearsJuly 20, 2026
Dorsey is right. It is even more beautiful to hear the words in your voice and all the emotion in…
Eda Lishman on Lost at SeaJuly 16, 2026
Oh, Neil: This reflection sure hits the times we are a-living. Each day and night those of us who are…

Audio Recordings
Cattle
Cowboy Poetry
Cows
Environment
Family
Farm
Flight
Haiku
Limerick
Manure
Nature
News
Nostalgia
Personal Growth
Pilots
Poems about Poetry
Ranch Life
Relationships
Remembering
String Too Short To Save
Travel
Uncategorized

Tags

Aboriginal Aging Alcohol Art Art & Artists Autumn Beauty Birds Childhood Communication Connection Covid19 Death Dogs Dreams Faith Family Fear First Nations Friendship Gratitude Grief Healing Hope Horses Humor Loss Love Memory Mother Music Nature Perspective Poetry Prairie Psychology Ranch Life Regret Religion sensuality Solitude Spring War Winter Wisdom

©2015 Neil Meili. All Right Reserved.

Theme Designed By ThemeVan | Powered by WordPress

Loading Comments...

Write a Comment...

Email

Name

Website