Astonishment

Some days I find it astonishing 

That nature continues to thrive 

Despite all that’s going wrong in the world.

Confirmation bias

Somehow I don’t believe 

That a train would arrive in this location 

With any kind of speed that might endanger 

Any person standing nearby. 

So it seems the sign is there to add to the illusion 

Of truth. 

It may be wiser to confirm 

What you’re seeing with your eyes 

Than to assume that what you’re told is actually true.

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.