Barriers to entry

There are days 

 When we can see hope in the distance, 

But the barriers to entry, though subtle, 

Appear, for now at least, insurmountable. 

So what is the appropriate response? 

Are we to be patient, and trust the way will open? 

Or do we actively resist restraint and push through? 

How can we discern which choice 

Will best serve ourselves and the future?

A land divided

We are a land divided, despite all efforts: 

Divided, not just by mountains and rivers, 

But by divisions and assumptions, 

Thoughtlessness and cruelty — yet still, 

Our forefathers had it right; E pluribus unum: 

Out of many, one.

 In diversity we will find our strength — 

The strength we need to coexist 

And solve the challenges facing us. 

But we need to be willing to open our hearts 

And listen to both the wounds 

 And the wisdom of the other.

Accidental discoveries

I found these curious sculptures 

 While pursuing an alternate route 

 From the library to the grocery store. 

It’s amazing, where creativity—

 And accidental meanderings— 

Can take us!

Encouraging good behavior

It’s summer now, 

And the dry grasses at the edge of the pasture 

Are alive with color; so inviting!

 I extend my evening walk almost twice as far, 

Lured by their beauty 

 Into doing something healthy: 

Mother Nature, like mothers everywhere, 

Encouraging good behavior 

 With special treats...

A brighter future

The invitation is always there; 

The path is always waiting for you to walk it; 

To choose to move forward into the light, 

The brighter future that awaits you.

Let justice roll

Let justice roll down like waters, 

And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, 

The prophet wrote, 

 And still the echo of his words 

Rings in the ears of those of us 

 Who long for a more compassionate world…

A cloudy imitation

Today the clouds are trying to build 

A lighthouse of their own, 

Letting their whitened moisture rise 

And piling, fluff on fluff, in imitation, 

As if to say, “We, too, wish to be a beacon,” 

Though, in truth, their tower’s an illusion; 

Their only outcome, the rain and storm 

That inevitably arise 

When we take on too much or try too hard 

To be other than ourselves…