Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Promise in the light


Those rays of light you see? 
They are a promise: 
That however many clouds darken your sky, 
There will always be light beyond them, 
A light greater and stronger than any cloud, 
Waiting to fill your heart and life 
With hope and opportunity.

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Post-prandial Cleanliness


This hawk seems to have discovered 
That our feeders and the deer 
Attract a lot of small birds, 
So he hangs out in a tree and swoops 
 Across the yard from time to time 
To grab a tasty snack. 
Apparently he likes to wash up after dinner…

Monday, August 29, 2022

Consequences


If you can, look beyond the deer, and count 
The thirteen tiny birds that cluster at his feet, 
And watch them dog his every step, 
Fluttering round his antlers 
 And then dropping to the ground to feast 
On all the tiny bugs released 
By the trampling of his hooves. 
Like the deer, each step we take 
May have unforeseen consequences; 
Every action, some reaction: 
We are all more connected than we know.

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Catwatch


My two cats watch 
As a bird that hit the window 
Takes her time recovering on the deck; 
All their attention focused 
As they wait for her next move. 
We, too, watch, and cheer 
 When she lifts her wings 
And flies away to safety: 
Even so small a creature deserves to live.

Saturday, August 27, 2022

Projections


Whatever I observe in passing 
Is primarily a reflection 
Of where I am at the time of observation. 
How, then, can I presume to know 
Where you are going, 
 Or what lies within 
That highly reflective exterior? 
It might be fun to imagine or assume, 
But best to simply wish you well on your journey.

Friday, August 26, 2022

Sedimentary responses


Our response to those behaviors we observe, 
The ones that often irritate or delight us, 
May well be fueled, 
 Not by the behaviors themselves, 
But by our own internal sediments: 
Layer upon layers of sentiment, 
Masking, mounding over, or protecting us 
From some long-ago landslide experience 
 Of ecstasy or pain.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Cast your light


Each time we allow our inner light to shine, 
The beam it casts wil enlighten 
A far larger space than we might have imagined.
 So do not fear, but cast your light 
Upon the waters that surround us, 
That others might also find their way home.

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Now and then


Just around the corner, 
We can see, peeking out, our destination: 
That place we’re so determined to go; 
That objective we’re determined to achieve, 
Haunting us with its almost-thereness — 
Which is fine, but let us not ignore 
What lies between, what lies here, 
Immediately before us: 
The sun, sparkling on the water; 
The scent of passing evergreens; 
The harsh cries of the gulls…

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Love is all around us


When the heart is full 
We seem to see love 
Everywhere we look…

Monday, August 22, 2022

Fantasia


Cloud fingers reach across the sky 
To warm themselves 
 With the heat of the dying sun.

Sunday, August 21, 2022

What we see


Wherever we look, we have the choice 
To see beauty or destruction; 
To feel, echoing within us, 
The ache of wounds unhealed by time 
Or to wonder at magnificence; 
The unstudied complexity 
 And loveliness of a life well-lived 
Despite all the inevitable 
Depredations and imperfections.

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Inhibition


Too often, as an artist, I imagine there’s a “They;” 
Some high triumvirate somewhere, 
Sitting in judgment, never pleased,
 Critical of all I say and do — 
Echoes, I suspect, of a critical parent, 
Always driving me to seek approval 
Instead of acting from the confidence 
Of unconditioned love.


Friday, August 19, 2022

Complexity of life


Like the clouds in the sky, 
Life has many textures: 
Moments of clarity mix inevitably 
 With times when all seems cloudy and confused; 
Days when all seems lit with color, 
And others when we’re overwhelmed 
With the gray and the dark. 
Just remember: the balance is always shifting, 
Even if the pace of change 
 Seems interminably slow, 
And every moment we’re still here to see it 
Is a gift.

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Dancing the future


We dance together 
In concert with Spirit, 
Each graceful movement
 A reflection of inspiration 
Burning bright among the branches; 
Together framing a path 
For futures yet unknown.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Bridging


Why is it that we’re so willing 
To take the time, ingenuity, and energy 
To build bridges over rushing waters, 
Yet unwilling to invest in bridges 
Between ourselves and other, 
Different-thinking, humans?

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

How best to respond


There will always be folks 
Who ask or expect something from you. 
Your job is to consider, 
Not just what’s easiest or most fun 
 For you to give, 
But what might be best for them — 
Which means opening yourself, 
And listening more broadly for what’s true.

Monday, August 15, 2022

Gossip and exclusion


So much of gossip centers around 
Issues of inclusion and exclusion,
 And who’s in or out often depends 
On who can squawk the loudest: 
Surely the differences between us 
Are neither that great nor that critical.

Sunday, August 14, 2022

Reframing the issues


So much of what we choose to see 
Depends on where we stand 
And if we’re willing to move. 
A few steps to the right or left 
Might totally reframe the issues 
And offer a quite different perspective 
 On the challenges we’re facing.

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Consider the lilies


Consider the lilies: 
They toil not; neither do they spin, 
Yet Solomon in all his glory 
Was not arrayed like one of these…

Friday, August 12, 2022

Leavening the darkness


Over time we learn to trust 
That light and color will always find a way 
To leaven the darkness — 
Even as we learn there is no perfection 
That will not be leavened with imperfection. 
Infinite opportunities to rejoice or complain:
 Which you choose both affects and reflects 
How your day is going.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Celebrating enthusiasm


After so wet a spring, 
Many of our trees are refusing to bear fruit. 
But this one, which was damaged 
 And disrupted two years ago 
When our drain field was replaced, 
Is so excited to bear fruit again 
It seems to pour more sweetness in 
Than the fragile skins can contain, 
Like a child with too much bubble gum, 
Whose bubbles burst, covering her cheeks…

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Grasping the moon


Above the trees,
Cloud fingers gently grasp the moon, 
As if to say, “Don’t fall, dear one, don’t fall; 
This torn and broken world needs your light.”

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Enjoying the Now


With a cat on my lap, I’m choosing not to move, 
So I’m shooting the sunrise over my shoulder — 
And then the fog rolls in, and it’s gone, 
As if to say, “This, too, shall pass,” 
Reminding us emotions, too, and pain, 
And situations, seasons, years — all pass, 
And soon the cat will leave my lap 
To chase a bug or tussle with his sister. 
Enjoy whatever’s now: appreciate 
The warmth of cat, 
The foghorns blaring in the distance, 
The comfort of an old familiar chair,
 A tasty cup of coffee, 
 Cooling in the morning breeze.

Monday, August 8, 2022

On boundaries


Wherever we are, no matter how comfortable, 
It’s natural to be curious 
 About what lies beyond our borders. 
That which protects us has often been set up mBy those who are wiser, more experienced, 
But not always. The ability to discern 
Which boundaries should be surmounted, 
And when, and which are better left in place 
Is an essential component of wisdom…

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Breathe out love


Set it aside, this knowing —
 That somewhere there are soldiers fighting; 
Somewhere there are children starving; 
Somewhere there are wildfires burning, 
So much darkness in the world — 
How can we go on? 
Set it aside, just for a moment, and breathe: 
Breathe in all the pain, the suffering and fear, 
And breathe out what hope and light 
You have to share. 
 Breathe out love: 
 The world is in dire need of love.

Saturday, August 6, 2022

Let there be light


May whatever clouds lie on your horizon 
Be thin enough to let the light shine through.

Friday, August 5, 2022

Linked together


Yes, there is a long road before us, 
But we will not falter on the journey, 
Knowing we are all linked together 
In the silence of our ever-expanding hearts.

Thursday, August 4, 2022

The divine dance


Always seeking 
The threads that unite us 
In the divine dance of creation

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Infinite resourcefulness


The infinite complexity of sea, land, and sky 
Offers a reminder of the infinite nature 
Of our own inner resources. 
Trust. 
 Breathe. 
 You have everything it takes to get through this.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Distracting mirages


It’s possible that what we perceive 
 As zigzags in the path to our destination 
Are just illusions, given definition 
 By the currents of our thoughts 
 And the clouds of our emotions. 
Stay the course with a steady hand, 
Keeping focus on your objective: 
Don’t allow the mirages to distract you.

Monday, August 1, 2022

Wake up!


Wake up, wake up! The August sun 
 Is casting morning shadows on the barn: 
Only a month of summer left, 
And so much must be done before 
Autumnal colors ignite the trees.