How many books?

No matter how many books you read or own, 

They won’t teach you quite as much 

As simply living and interacting 

 With your fellow humans, 

And listening: both to them 

And to the promptings of your heart.

Go with the flow

May compassion and joy 

Flow into our hearts 

Like a glorious waterfall 

 And spill over into all 

Whom our lives touch.

Drinking it in

Like a bee on a flower, 

We buzz through our days 

Savoring those sweet moments 

When everything seems 

To fall into place.

Wildfire Season

I’ve been building little barriers, 

You know, 

Like stones around the foundation of a house, 

In hopes 

That the embers of old arguments 

Won’t drift too close, catch fire, and destroy 

 The carefully constructed conventions 

That make it possible 

For us to live in harmony, 

But you keep adding fuel to the fire.

This butterfly of a moment

Look closer, 

And see what you might find. 

Hold your breath, 

Still your motions, 

And let this butterfly of a moment linger 

Long enough to teach you 

Whatever it is you need to learn today.

For all the lakes and forests

In gratitude 

 For all the quiet lakes 

And forests in our country; 

That they may be protected 

 And survive the depredations 

 Of our thoughtlessness and greed 

And continue to inspire us 

To strive for calm, compassion, 

And peace.

Morning

Morning, 

And a new day dawns.

Colors grow, glow, and fade

Like love, to be born again

With a kind word, a gentle touch,

A thoughtful action,

Bearing light and color

Back to the wounded heart.

The pause that refreshes

Sometimes it’s good to pause, 

Take a deep breath,

 And become attuned to your surroundings; 

Get to feeling grounded and centered again.

Collaboration

Though the rocks seem inhospitable, 

Cold and hard, 

Somehow the plants 

 Seem to grow and thrive around them, 

And together, the firm and the delicate 

Tell a tale of cooperation; 

A marriage of strength and beauty 

That warms the heart and pleases the eye.

Life’s a labyrinth

Life’s a bit of a labyrinth: 

You can see where you’re trying to get to, 

But the path you’re traveling 

 Is not exactly direct. 

Have faith, keep breathing, and trust 

That where you are now 

Is where you’re meant to be.

Sharing the spotlight

Just as different flowers on a single stalk 

May bloom at different times, 

So, too, must humans wait 

Until it is their time to bloom, 

And come to understand the charm 

In serving as a backdrop 

For the others on your stalk, 

While knowing with assurance 

Your opportunity will come.

For all who suffer

For those days when you feel 

Like nothing’s going nowhere 

And no one would miss you 

If you just stepped out into the void 

And disappeared completely, 

Please take a minute and breathe in 

A breath for all who also feel 

Discouraged and depressed, 

Then reach down deep into your heart 

And find whatever spark of joy remains 

And breathe it out: a gift for all who suffer.

Stop and smell the flowers

It’s never a bad idea to stop and smell the flowers, 

Even when the flowers don’t exactly smell, 

Because to take that sniff requires you 

 To take a breath, slow down, 

And then become, however briefly, 

Present to the beauty that nature has to offer.

Taking a chance

What’s life, without a little mystery? 

An invitation to explore, 

An opportunity to try something 

That’s just a little different… 

It’s so easy to assume 

 That the way things always were 

Is the way they’ll always be: 

Why risk a possible fall from normality?

Divisions real or imaginary

And when I saw how the cloud bisected 

Both sky and sea, I found myself 

Feeling the echoes of our divisions; 

The painful split in our unity, 

And wondered: is ours, like this, 

Simply a reflection of the times? 

Or does it — as I fear it may — 

Divide to the depths of being?

Always making choices

I woke to an amazing morning sky 

And now my non-zen mind 

Wants me to choose: Which pic is better? 

Before or after the sun has risen 

And the mountain fades to smoke? 

So worldly, that mind, always dividing 

Into right and wrong, better and best… 

When will I fully comprehend 

The indivisible unity of being?

Bright side

Let us always seek to find 

The rose amid the thorns.

Artful practicality

A museum piece, to be sure;

 A reminder of times gone by, 

When craftsmanship was a value, 

And we spent our time, 

Not staring at our phones, 

But creating; beautifying,

 Blessing practicality with art.

Inspired to be light

As somewhat of a sunset connoisseur,

 I didn’t find this sunset that impressive, 

As the sun was mostly buried in the clouds. 

But then I looked again and saw 

The power of the light: 

 The way that it reached up and through 

 The gray that weighed it down and found 

A way to light the blue that lay behind — 

An inspiration for us all to still be light 

Though we’re weighed down 

By all the darkness that surrounds us.

American Eagle

Seated at the top of the tallest tree,

The eagle’s always on the alert for prey 

And views us useless humans down below 

With little interest, and possibly contempt…

Protection

Who taught you that you need 

To hide your beauty behind a screen; 

That protection will always be more important

Than letting yourself be truly seen?

Cry for help

All nature, 

Reaching out for help, 

And we’re too busy on our phones 

To notice…