Monday, August 31, 2020

You are not alone



There are, inevitably, in times like these, 
Days when it’s hard not to feel 
 We’re on the road to nowhere: 
No idea what the end will look like, 
Or how long it will take to get there; 
Our destiny fogged in and driven 
By events and factors beyond our control. 
Take heart, my friends, take courage: 
No matter how it looks and feels, 
You are not alone on this road. 
We are all in this together, and we will survive.

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Preserving the world we share


Each of us sitting on our own little rocks, 
Spouting the wisdom we assume is unique, 
So much alike, yet unaware 
Of the depth of our commonality. 
When, oh when will we realize 
Our task is not to protect ourselves, 
But to preserve and enhance the world we share?

Saturday, August 29, 2020

What are we missing?


Just as we humans build complex structures 
To control and manage our physical environment, 
 Structures that obscure our view of reality, 
We also build complex thought structures 
To control and manage our emotional environment, 
Structures which also obfuscate 
Our perceptions of reality. 
What ideologies and prejudices 
Will we need to peel away 
In order to finally see that which is true?

Friday, August 28, 2020

Hungering for truth



Keats at 25, dying in Rome of tuberculosis, 
Asserts, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” 
But is that truly all we need to know? 
If so, these flowers would be enough 
To sustain us, and while they do give comfort, 
I still hunger for the truth to be more obvious,
And more universally accepted.

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Reach across the aisle



From left to right, and right to left, 
Hands reaching across the aisle of the horizon: 
I keep seeing this vision as the only way 
Our country has a hope of healing; 
To look past those dark clouds that separate us 
To the glory that we share.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The temptation to hoard



Sharing the fruits of my plum tree with the crows 
Is teaching me a lot about timing, and greed. 
They’ve had access to this tree for years, 
 But it’s only my first harvest: 
What right have I 
 To resent their relentless plundering? 
But now the plums are finally ripe, 
 I’ll pick what I can reach, and share with friends. 
With plums, as in life, there’s no need to hoard 
All the bounty for ourselves...

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Containing chaos



Despite our desperate attempts 
To contain the chaos, it spills over — 
A gentle reminder that if its origin 
Is largely external, it’s simply passing through: 
Just wait it out. 
It’s the internal chaos that must concern us: 
The unguarded rush of feelings and responses 
That can knock us off our seats 
If we lose sight of the calm connectedness 
At the center of being.

Monday, August 24, 2020

When, o when?


When will it stop? 
At what point do we break down and confess 
that we can no longer bear to watch the news; 
don't want to hear the latest thing, 
don't want to know what someone said 
or how upset another is 
to learn the latest dis-information. 
True or false? These days they're both alike: 
what’s true to you may well be lies, 
and so might what I'm told and I believe, 
and so I hibernate; sit in my chair, 
play on my phone, and watch my thoughts
spin pointlessly across unseen horizons. 
We're giving what we can, 
spending where we hope it helps, 
and wondering what difference 
any of it makes in times like these 
while penning daily words of hope 
to help other lost souls keep on believing...

Sunday, August 23, 2020

In search of higher nourishment


It may be a stretch in times like these 
To reach for the fruits of mindfulness, 
But the extra effort you expend 
In search of higher nourishment 
Will sweeten life and feed your soul...

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Focus on the light


However fiercely the wind blows, 
Keep reaching for the light. 
The path you take may not be the one you planned, 
But your determined focus will see you through.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Better days to come


At the end of the day, 
At the end of the earth, 
Hope still shines bright, 
 Penetrating the darkness with a promise 
Of better days to come.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

An offering of hope


The darkness that surrounds us in this moment 
Makes a perfect frame for the beauty 
And light which awaits us. 
And into that darkness we introduce 
Our offering of hope: a minuscule reflection 
Of the joy that is to come...

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Look before leaping


Those who are so quick to say 
That where there’s smoke, there’s fire, 
Might need to take a closer look: 
Perhaps it’s only clouds you’re seeing, 
Or a carefully framed or altered photograph 
Designed (as the media so often is) 
To capture your attention, not to inform. 
Understanding, knowing what is true, takes time: 
Be careful not to leap to conclusions.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Live anyway. Love anyway.


These days life may seem a bit 
Like an art project gone bad: 
We create, and life erases; 
We try to make something, redeem what’s left, 
And life erases that, as well, until, 
No matter how hard we stare, 
How close or far away we stand, 
It’s hard to see the beauty of what remains. 
Live anyway. Love anyway. 
 And trust that somehow it will all come together...

Monday, August 17, 2020

Wiser choices


That which loudly promises to feed us — 
The obvious and easy solution to our hunger, 
Whether for food, comfort, change or recognition —
May not always prove to be 
The wisest or most nourishing solution. 
Be patient, and do not be afraid 
To delay gratification: 
 The wait may make you stronger, 
And the end result may prove more satisfying.

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Stop. Sit. Breathe.


Stop worrying about what you need to do 
In order to fix this. 
Stop and think, instead: 
Breathe into who you are, 
And how that might contribute 
Both to problem and solution. 
Stop. Sit. Breathe, and breathe again. 
See how the earth continues to turn 
Without you pushing...

Saturday, August 15, 2020

A reciprocity of spirit


Drawing closer to ask a question of the sunflower,
I find she has a question for me, too — 
Or is it just that it’s when I choose to look 
That I will at last be seen? 
Together we engage in mutual curiosity, 
And I, giving attention, feel attention in return: 
A reciprocity of spirit...

Friday, August 14, 2020

Each perspective unique


Here we sit, each of us, 
Looking out from the cave of our bodies 
Into the world we share, 
Each perspective totally unique. 
When will we come to realize 
How much of what we see 
Is colored by who we are 
And where we are in our lives?

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Affection, respect, appreciation


However related or unrelated we may be, 
We are all fed by the same delights — 
Not just food, shelter and clothing, 
But affection, respect, appreciation; 
The feeling we’ve been heard, and we matter. 
Those are gifts we can give back, 
And feed the world around us: 
 Let’s make that our mission for today.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Beauty in sacrifice


What sacrifices we make in service 
 For those whom we love often mark us. 
Those of us who mourn our wounds and scars 
Need nature to remind us 
That they’re what give us character, 
Make us special and unique.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

When life invites

Pay attention!
Look around you! 
Life is calling us, every moment: 
Sometimes inviting gratitude, 
Sometimes inviting change. 
There may be those who resent 
Our willingness to listen and respond, 
Casting clouds across the bright horizon; 
Listen, look, and do not be afraid — 
The dark and the light together 
Give us a better sense of where we’re heading.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Share your unique brilliance!


Each of us has a story to tell, 
A talent to share, a unique perspective on life. 
When will you find — or make — the time 
To express your own remarkable originality?

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Awaiting the rain of love


Today, let us rest, 
And follow the example of the flowers, 
Shedding our busyness and 
Quietly opening ourselves to the rain of love...

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Listen to your dreams


We are the co-creators of our dreams. 
They are not ours alone, so pay attention: 
Listen for the call to act, for the future 
That lies waiting in the mist; 
An invitation to some new unfolding purpose.

Friday, August 7, 2020

There will be a way through


We just have to trust 
That there is a way through. 
Keep walking and know 
There will be light and beauty, 
openness and freedom, 
Waiting for us on the other side.

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Focus on freedom


The flag on the right looms larger here,
But it’s smaller, closer, darker, and
From where I stand, droops backwards.
I am determined to continue
To focus on the larger flag,
However distant it may be:
The way it flows freely in the wind,
The way it sings of aspirations
That once made our country strong.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Find your way to joy


You’ve come so far, and the end is in sight.
Why not be a kid again?
Lie down in the soft grass, touch the earth,
Breathe a sigh of gratitude,
And allow the pull of gravity to roll you home.
Yes, of course, tomorrow will be another day,
With new challenges to face, 
new tasks to accomplish,
But for now — couldn’t you just... be?
Relax, and find your way to joy.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The gift of the sea


The gift of a walk by the sea
Is that it reminds us how small we are,
And how inexorable the tides;
How something that washes up at our feet
Can be swept away an instant later,
Never to return; the relative impermanence 
Of thoughts, experience, and feelings
That shimmer briefly, like light upon the waves...
Be patient, dear ones, it seems to say —
This, too, shall pass. 
Breathe in, breathe out, and breathe again, 
And let the salt air heal your aching heart.

Monday, August 3, 2020

Overarching principles


Even in the midst
Of chaos and confusion
There will be some overarching principle —
Love, kindness, compassion, faith;
Truth, hope, honesty, integrity —
That must guide us safely 
To a wise conclusion.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Toward a more inclusive world

When I am in and you are out,
It’s true, we see each other,
But I feel safe, while you are on alert,
Ready to bolt — and isn’t that always the way?
That those who are “in” feel safe and secure,
While those who are not, do not?
How can we create a more inclusive world,
With fewer ins and outs, and safety for all?

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Focus on the path


When did we become so focused 
On our plans and destinations 
That we lost our childish pleasure
In the journey; in the simple joy
Of running, and the wind on our faces?
Think today of what you might learn
By noticing what’s on your path
Instead of picturing where you want to arrive...