Flame-red reminder

As the characteristic reds and greens 

Of Christmas slowly fade, 

We’re left to face again 

The subtle grays of winter: 

Of clouds and leafless trees, 

 Of icy streets and melting snow, 

The wisps of fog above the lakes, 

The smoke from stoves and fires 

And the ash they leave behind — 

And there it is again, flame-red reminder 

Of the monumental losses 

Being faced in California; 

The unfathomable magnitude of destruction.

Misconceptions

How is it that some ideas 

Get so embedded that we can’t let go, 

But seem to grow around them; 

Hold them closer to our hearts 

Until we confuse them with our souls? 

Even when they’re foreign to our nature, 

We hang on, clutching them like stones, 

Ready to hurl at the next unbeliever, 

In spite of everything that tells us 

There’s a chance we might possibly be wrong…

Symmetry

I remember, as a child, 

Arranging candles on the mantelpiece, 

And my artist mom coming to correct me,

 Moving two to one side and one to the other, 

Explaining that asymmetry is preferable 

To symmetry — an early version, I suspect,

 Of the rule of thirds I later learned — 

And yet, like many humans,

 I still am drawn to symmetry,

 In landscapes and in faces, 

And wonder if that rule exists 

To ensure that it sets art apart 

As different; a new way of seeing. 

So, though I understand the rule 

And use it to advantage, 

I still find scenes like this quite appealing😉

Losses too huge to process

With time we learn from the sun and moon 

That trouble, pain, and change are like the clouds: 

They may slide in and out again,

 Or they might stay for days, 

But for the most part they will pass 

And the good times come again. 

But how can we begin to process 

Losses of this magnitude, 

When so much has been taken, 

And so little left behind?

Obstacles

I loved the peace of this scene, 

But, thinking the flagpole interfered, 

Attempted to erase it, but the result — 

Once I’d accomplished that — 

Was actually boring. 

It’s easy to forget 

That things that seem like obstacles 

May actually enhance our experience…

Seeking resurrection

Emerging from the shadows into the light, 

The lavender field, newly planted, 

Bares no trace of the plum-colored beauty 

It breathed at harvest time, 

But we know that along with deciduous trees 

That go bare in the winter, 

Those colors will bloom again. 

It’s harder, when looking at fire’s devastation, 

To trust that the beauty we lost 

 Might ever achieve resurrection…

Distractions

Driving forward through life, 

Whatever goals we’ve set, 

Whatever paths we’ve planned to follow, 

There will always be distractions: 

Appealing byways that tempt us 

To explore new possibilities. 

How can we best discern which choice 

Might lead us in a positive,

 Life-affirming new direction, 

And which may just be taking us 

Down a pointless garden path? 

Open mind and heart and then just 

Listen; listen and trust 

That the best way to fulfill your charge 

And realize your potential will be revealed.