We are the light

That which you see, looming over us, 

Is both the future and our past: 

We are the light that can choose to guide 

The weary travelers home again; 

 Out of the shadows and back into 

 A kinder, gentler world 

Whose denizens take care of one another: 

Tend the sick, soothe the suffering, 

Pity the afflicted, bless the dying 

And shield all those 

Who’ve found their way to Joy.

When storm clouds loom

How do you react when the storm clouds loom? 

Do you run for cover, stand by a window, 

Or rush outside, hoping to feel the wind in your hair; Hoping to dance in the rain? 

Because there’s always another storm 

Waiting around the corner, 

And you might want to try something different…

Colorful

We rejoice upon seeing 

A tree with many colors. 

How can we not welcome 

A community of many colors?

Light and shadow

How amazing is it, 

That when light and shadow combine, 

The simplest scene takes on 

Both mystery and beauty. 

When will we learn to appreciate 

 That uniformity doesn’t necessarily imply 

Perfection?

Reliance

Morning, 

And the ferries ply their trade 

Among the islands of the north, 

Carrying children to their schools 

And commuters to their jobs 

While others seek vacations 

Or must travel for medical care. 

And all the travelers rely upon 

A handful of workers 

Who rise early and work overtime, 

That the ferries might run safely, 

And on time.

In black and white

Some scenes just render better In black and white, 

Just like some answers are true or false. 

That said, those shades of gray can add 

A revealing complexity in both photos and decisions: 

Be wary of judgments 

That don’t take them into consideration.

Hard Choices

Conditioned by one of the worst 

Wildfire seasons in our state’s history, 

I assumed this plume of smoke 

Seen from a distant island 

Meant we weren’t done yet, 

Despite the recent rains, 

But no, it’s just our paper mill, 

Which, these days, is a burning issue, 

But that’s a fire of a different sort, 

In which attempts to protect the lives of workers 

 May mean risking their jobs. Hard choices…