Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Unlocking precognitive assumptions


We understand the concept 
Of precognitive learning: 
The hard lessons that we learned 
Before we could evaluate truth or falsehood; 
Those formative beliefs now locked away 
Behind doors long unused and rusted shut. 
Perhaps the time has come 
To pry them open and explore 
Whether or not what lies behind them 
Might be true...

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Waiting for the tide to change


Life can be beautiful, serene, yet often rocky; 
Our hoped-for destinations close, and yet 
Impossible to reach. 
Sometimes it’s best to busy yourself 
Fashioning a raft while you wait 
For the tide to rise again...

Monday, March 29, 2021

So much of what we see is projection...


What do we project onto this leaf? 
Is she brittle, parched and vulnerable; 
Waiting, helpless, for waves of grief 
To wash her from this rocky shore 
And carry her to the dark depths of despair? 
Or can we still admire the delicate tracing 
Of lines upon her golden skin; 
The way she glows with reflected light; 
Her fragile beauty as she awaits 
The breezes that will lift her to new horizons?

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Remembering clarity


I remember — sadly, fondly — 
When I knew everything I knew 
With so much clarity and assurance. 
Life was so much easier then, 
Tied to my firm opinions, knowing 
Not only what was right for me, but also 
What was right for you. 
Now the water’s muddier, 
The boundaries much less clear, 
And I’ve learned that I’ve no right to judge: 
Whatever light I bring into the world 
Is reflected or comes through me; 
Never from me — I’m only meant to share.

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Welcoming light


I watch as even the smallest flowers 
Turn their faces trustingly toward the sun, 
Petals stretched in welcome, 
Drinking in the light with their eager faces. 
Who — or what — is the light in your life?
What is it you await and greet 
With this much hope and joy?

Friday, March 26, 2021

While the sun shines...


Mid-morning, and all nature 
Dozes peacefully in the sun: 
Even the waves are still, as if to listen. 
We, on the other hand, awash in lists 
And plowing through the day’s to-dos, 
Are probably at our busiest. 
While nature’s growing hay, 
We’re busy making it...

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Take yourself outside


Take yourself outside today; 
Give your brain a rest and feed your eyes; 
Let your heart and soul find space to sing.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Alien landscape


It feels like we’ve been aliens, 
Navigating this alien landscape for so long, 
That now we have the chance 
To visit our old life again, 
It no longer looks or feels like home. 
How we are changed, 
And how that will affect our return, 
Will be most interesting to watch...

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Our attempted plans


No matter how desperately we try 
To add structure to our lives, 
To plan and organize our way to safety, 
Things are always falling down and rising up; 
Being hidden or exposed, 
Surprising or discouraging, 
And yet we still insist that there must be 
Some underlying pattern/ some purpose to it all, 
And try to ascertain what that might be...

Monday, March 22, 2021

Harbingers of change


Welcome, tiny harbingers of change! 
We’re grateful for your colorful presence 
In this gray, brown world: 
We’ve been hungering so long 
For color and light...

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Sympathy for the trapped


These last few months, having been separated 
From one another like animals, 
Dangerous or endangered if released 
From behind the largely self-imposed fence, 
Do we not now, at the thought of freedom, 
Cringe — just a tiny bit? 
Have we not learned to sympathize — 
Just a wee bit more — 
With all those who feel trapped 
By their circumstances?

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Hope rises like a bird


When through the still-bare branches 
We begin to catch a glimpse 
Of the green to come, 
Hope rises like a bird, aloft and singing 
With the promise that this long and solitary year 
May finally be coming to an end.

Friday, March 19, 2021

Yet more rivers to cross


Through the weeds of the present, 
Leafless and bare, 
We see a glimpse of a future, 
Flimsy but bright; a reassurance 
There’ll be something to stand on, 
But yet more rivers to cross...

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Let the spirit within awaken


Make time today to step outside and breathe: 
Though the landscape may not yet have changed, 
The scent of Spring is in the air. 
Breathe, and let the spirit within awaken.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Seeking reassurance


Looking up at the night sky, 
Longing for a sign that what’s ahead of us 
Might be less troubling 
Than the year we’ve just been through; 
Wondering what’s been written in the stars...

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Rest and be fed


There will always be those days 
When we envy the birds 
Their ability to get up, up, and away. 
But they, too, must return to earth 
For sustenance: those strong wings (and ours) 
Can only keep those spirits up 
If they —and we —make time to rest and be fed.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Light in the Forest


True: light can make all things beautiful, 
And nature can reclaim the land we waste, 
But at what cost — and how long must it take? 
We need to find a better way 
 To clean up after ourselves...

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Imagine daffodils


On a cold, gray, windy day,
I close my eyes, imagine peace, 
And dream of daffodils...

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Looking back


Looking back over the hills and valleys 
Of the life we were given — or chose — to live,
What is it that stands out for you? 
The losses, or the gains? 
The dark clouds or the light? 
Are you more present here and now, 
Or caught up in the forests of the past?

Friday, March 12, 2021

Hearts leap


As the air begins to fill 
With the scent of blooms, 
Our hearts leap, that inner fire 
Ignited again by the promise of Spring...

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Building bridges


We, the bridge-builders, 
Have a massive task before us. 
Now is the time to gather the tools we need, 
To begin the imperative effort 
To reach out to the other side: 
Our survival depends upon our success.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Deeply rooted


We never realize how complex 
And deeply rooted our assumptions are 
Until they are exposed...

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

A collaborative process


Whatever we set out to create 
May not be what emerges: 
Sometimes — if not always — as writers, 
 We must let our characters guide their story, 
And sometimes — if not always — 
 As artists, and as parents, 
We must set our intentions aside 
And allow our paintings — and our children — 
To follow the path they divine to fruition.

Monday, March 8, 2021

Don’t forget to fly


We who watch so carefully, 
Guarding our possessions, our domains, 
Our reputations; always on alert 
And quick to judge — 
When will we remember that we were born to fly, 
To soar above it all, aloft and free?

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Shining through


As the light from the sun turns the seas to silver, 
So the light that lives in the heart of our souls 
Makes precious metal of all it touches 
When we let it shine through us.

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Vulnerability


Standing, exposed, in winter, bereft of leaves, 
Her branches bare and reaching for the sun, 
The tree is still magnificent, 
Her strength and beauty shining through; 
Her quirky bends appealing... 
Could we but be so brave, and let 
Our inner strength and quirkiness be seen, 
Our own magnificence might be revealed.

Friday, March 5, 2021

Can’t catch a break


Whenever I find myself claiming 
I just can’t catch a break, 
I try to step back and wonder 
If I’m just fishing in the wrong stream... 
Perhaps there’s someplace more conducive 
 To my particular skills...

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Nature’s wisdom


Nature’s wisdom finds its echo 
In the wisdom of our hearts, 
If only we make time to look and listen...

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Savoring the simple


As we slowly make our way 
Back into the world again, let us make time 
To savor all the simple joys 
We might never have noticed 
 Before our year of enforced solitude...

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Colored by experience


What is it that you see? Perhaps a wallflower, 
Standing alone at the edge of the dance, 
Trapped between action and inaction 
By a sense of powerlessness or fear 
Waiting for someone else 
To come along and set her free... 
Or could it be a mother, taking 
A much-deserved, long-needed nap, 
Hoping not to be discovered 
 Until she’s had her rest? 
Perception: always colored by experience...

Monday, March 1, 2021

After the storm


Storms — whether emotional or physical — 
Tend to leave a lot of brokenness exposed. 
Cleaning up the mess that’s left behind 
Can prove exhausting, but it’s essential 
If we hope to find our way back to clarity.