For the wildfires

We humans need beauty to soothe our hearts 

When the world’s going up in flames. 

I’m aching today for all those affected 

By the wildfires raging at home and abroad.

Bridge of Flowers

How brilliant is this,

 To take an abandoned bridge, 

Fill it with dirt, 

And plant a glorious array of flowers 

For people to enjoy? 

Thank you to the gardeners 

Of Shelburne Falls, Mass!

Creativity

I suspect the key ingredients 

In the practice of creativity 

 Must be confidence and courage: 

The confidence to believe 

That your particular vision has value, 

And the courage to step outside the box, 

To question underlying assumptions 

 And resist the voices that call for conformity.

Brave explorers

I am in awe of the brave explorers 

Who carved a path between the mountains, 

Trusting that their labors 

Might someday bring them 

To a significantly better life; 

 A land of milk and honey.

Morning observations

Waking to such beauty, 

Emanating from a central point 

That actually doesn’t coincide 

With the placement of the sun, 

We can observe and conclude 

That influence and power 

Need not be congruent, 

And there is beauty in bending 

And reflecting the source 

Into forms unique to the times.

At the end of the tunnel

Somehow, as we continue to glide 

Down what seems to be an endless tunnel, 

We have to trust 

That with time we will emerge 

Once again into the light…

Farewell to New England

Evening dusts the city 

With her golden light 

As we bid a fond farewell 

 To our east coast friends 

And hope to meet again 

In kinder times.