Wednesday, May 31, 2023

There will be watchers


There will always be watchers, 
Ready to assess the wisdom of your choices.
 It’s good to listen for other possibilities, 
But in the end the wisdom 
 Of the informed heart must prevail.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Peace in the forest


Our souls are fed by the leafy greenness 
Of the forest: such a blessing! 
Let your eyes and hearts feast on the scent 
Of cedars, ferns and moss, 
And may the susurrance of the water 
Bring you peace.

Monday, May 29, 2023

Proximity


As the calla lilies bloom 
Beneath the holly tree, 
Inevitably a gift appears; proximity 
With others, different than ourselves, 
Can often work that way. 
It helps, this being open 
To what the other offers: 
Together we might arrive 
At something new; something totally delightful.

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Beach roses


And now they come, the beach roses, 
Bright harbingers of the summer to come, 
Gathering in thick, messy hedges everywhere 
To share their bold pink promises
 Of the warmth to come: like us, 
Each one unique, yet viewed in multiplicity 
 They’re really all the same:
 Rooted in the same earth, 
Craving the same water and light,
 Evolving slowly toward the next phase 
Of their existence; 
 The fruit that will inevitably emerge.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Mutual support


Take a walk in the forest 
And notice, just beneath or beside your feet, 
How the dying stump offers nurture 
And protection to the tiny flowers 
Just beginning to bloom, 
And they in turn draw attention 
To the mossy beauty of her fur.
 When will we learn to see our own lives 
As offerings, in support of one another?

Friday, May 26, 2023

Together we rock


Today I just want to say 
I’m grateful for all the partnerships 
I’ve experienced over the years; 
The friends who’ve nurtured and supported me 
And helped me to a fuller understanding 
Of both my gifts and responsibilities: 
Together we’ve accomplished more 
Than I might ever have dreamed of 
Or been able to bring to fruition on my own. 
Together we rock!

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Idealized notions


It might be time to set aside 
Your idealized notions of home and family;
 To appreciate what you do have 
While working toward a brighter future 
Instead of always wishing for more 
And bemoaning present limitations.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Open hearts and days


In each path there rests 
 An invitation to explore 
Which you may choose to accept or reject, 
Depending on your mood 
And how much time you can invest. 
Does not that mean that keeping 
Our hearts and our days open, 
We might find more opportunities 
 To learn, discover, and grow?

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

The long view


Yes, it’s good to take the long view, 
As a way of reducing worries 
About temporary setbacks, 
But if we’re too busy looking ahead to the future 
Or back at the past with regrets or in mourning, 
We might find ourselves 
 Tripping unexpectedly over the present. 
Breathe, stay grounded, and enjoy 
The inimitable scent of Now.

Monday, May 22, 2023

New buds emerging from the dark


Some days, it feels 
Like you’re the only one awake 
While others, sleeping, fail to sense 
The way the world is changing; 
That the darkness is expanding in ways 
That no one else can see, 
And you are powerless to stop 
The ominous and grasping 
 Metamorphosis that looms…
Luckily, there are other days
When we lean in and detect
The new buds just emerging into life.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Blessing of the gardeners


Blessings on all those 
 Who work to create 
 Oases of peace and beauty 
For the rest of us: 
 We are eternally grateful.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Stop pushing


Sometimes, in our efforts to generate 
Energy and enthusiasm to fuel our work, 
Those efforts actually block the light 
That’s meant to be flowing through.
 Step away for a bit; stand back, breathe, 
Allow a little time to pass 
 Unburdened by your striving 
And allow the light to pour through once more.

Friday, May 19, 2023

Blessing in the falling


We celebrate the blooming, 
But can we not appreciate 
The falling of the blooms as well, 
The way the delicate petals bless 
All those they touch with color, 
And then enrich the earth, 
Even as the branches left behind 
Grow heavier with fruit 
 That cannot begin to ripen 
Til the blossoms fall away?
 In truth, each phase — 
 The blooming and the fall, 
The ripening and the pluck, 
The emptiness and the waiting; 
The chill of absence and the itch of budding — 
Each contributes, and has value 
In the ever turning cycle of creativity.

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Wobbly beginnings


It’s so easy to forget 
That when we’re just beginners 
Our legs will always be a little shaky. 
But that initial sense of incompetence 
 Should never stop us 
 From trying something new. 
When will we learn to view 
 Our own first wobbly steps 
With the same gentle affection 
 This fawn awakens?

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Artist’s block


This morning, 
 Humbled by a friend’s work of art,
 I am swimming in a sea of uncertainty; 
Paddling desperately, getting nowhere, 
And questioning — despite a stream of successes 
And the admiring words of another — 
Whether I will ever paint with such assurance; 
Such confidence, depth and power. 
It’s amazing what three bad weeks in my studio 
Does to my confidence levels. 
 I’m trying to remind myself 
It’s always dark before new dawnings…

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Empathic response


I’ve so enjoyed watching the new fawns 
Dance across our lawn, and yet — 
The hard part is watching the yearling, 
Who’s spent the last year with the mama 
Who now chases her angrily away 
Whenever she comes close.
 I know it’s just projection, 
But still I feel the echoes of rejection— 
Both my own and those my children faced; 
An inevitable part of growing up, 
And yet so painful. 
We can’t help but delight in all the new, 
But still we ache for all that’s left behind…

Monday, May 15, 2023

Between or around?


We tend to forget 
That when we are between 
A rock and a hard place, 
It’s not just about the limitations. 
It may simply mean the path between 
Is more narrowly defined, enforcing focus — 
Or, in certain circumstances, it might mean 
You’ll need to circumvent the problem 
By stepping outside the boundaries 
Precisely because they’re fixed 
And you — if you only realized — are not…

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Mothering Day


Today’s a day to celebrate 
All the men and women 
 Who’ve nurtured us through the years: 
Our teachers and our mentors; 
Those who’ve pushed us, those who’ve held us 
And those who’ve healed us; 
Those who’ve guided, 
 And those who’ve followed behind us,
 Cleaning up our messes.
 Perhaps we should rename it Mothering Day!

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Ghosting


When the ducks see me coming 
 Down the path beside their stream, 
They turn their backs 
 And paddle into the shadows — 
Which is what we all tend to do 
When approached by someone 
 We no longer feel we can trust: 
We tend, not to confront, but to hide: 
A ghosting that’s been triggered, 
Not by boredom, but betrayal…

Friday, May 12, 2023

Questions/Assumptions


There’s a kind of new wine/old skins
 (Or is it old wine/new skins?) 
Thing happening here: what does it mean 
To put a new handle on an old door? 
Is it a mark of respect and appreciation 
 For these appealing layers of old paint, 
Or simply laziness?
 A determination to protect what’s inside 
By masking it with an aging exterior — 
But doesn’t the handle give it away?
 The world is full of questions,
 But until we know the answers,
 Our assumptions will always say more about us 
Than they say about what’s true.

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Slow down


When in a rush, we miss so much!
 Slow down, and drink 
 The beauty that surrounds us.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

A firmer foundation


There may be moments when you learn 
That what you thought was safe and solid 
In fact has no foundation; just illusion. 
And then the choice is this: 
To leave things as they are, or rip them out, 
Risking a temporary instability, 
And replace what was just appearances 
With something stable, concrete, and true. 
Trust me: the transition is unnerving, 
But the end result will surely be worth 
The temporary chaos…

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Daily reparations


Though we may at root be one, 
Wherever two or more are gathered, 
There will inevitably be divisions: 
To remain in relationship will always necessitate
 The building and the maintenance of bridges; 
A conscious and shared determination 
To fix whatever’s broken 
 Before the rot can spread 
To the point where all connection 
From one side to another is lost. 
Rebuilding is ever so much harder 
Than the effort required to effect 
Those daily repairs.

Monday, May 8, 2023

Bending with the wind


The winds of change blow constantly, 
And so we bend, but dig in deep: 
Staying rooted in what’s strong and true, 
We’ll forever hold our ground.

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Stop your squawking!


We humans are such geese sometimes — 
Squawking at each other over nothing, 
Claiming territorial rights 
When really we don’t have a leg to stand on… 
Why can’t we all just get along?

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Surmounting challenges with grace


This ancient tree is such a lovely testament 
To growth and determination: 
May we all prove as graceful 
In our efforts to surmount 
Barriers and challenges 
In pursuit of progress and survival.

Friday, May 5, 2023

The weight of the world


There may be days when your arms ache 
From your efforts to carry the weight of the world. 
Try to remember: you can’t save —
 Or even please — everyone, 
And it’s okay — even wise — 
To take a break and share the load.

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Welcoming the new


The sun is always setting, 
Night after night after night, 
And still, each morning, without fail,
 It rises again to enlighten the world. 
Why then, are we so disturbed 
When things come to an end? 
Has not all nature taught us to trust 
That something new is always being born? 
Feel free to grieve and mourn, 
 But be prepared to welcome 
 The wonder that’s preparing to emerge.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

For all who don’t blend in


To see a tree like this — 
So many branches 
 Reaching out, like nerves, at every level —
 In a forest where the fashion 
 Is containment, only branching at the sky, 
Makes me ache for all that effort, unrewarded: 
All the failure and dead ends; 
The inability to fit in; 
The obvious otherness, that stands out sharply 
 In the midst of all that sylvan conformity… 
And so I lift a prayer 
 On behalf of all those prickly souls 
Whose uniqueness doesn’t blend 
 With their surroundings.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Just resting


We humans are so easily discouraged: 
One bad painting — or two, or three — 
And I question: perhaps I’m not really an artist? 
Time to go outside — and in the yard I find 
The tree I’d thought was dead 
Is covering itself in blossoms 
After a two year hiatus. 
Breathe deep, and trust: 
 What’s meant to be may take its time, 
But it’s still there; just resting, gaining strength.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Don’t flagellate; congratulate


While most would claim 
Edison’s greatest gift to us 
Was the light bulb, 
I’d like to suggest that of equal or greater value 
Was his recorded attitude toward failure: 
That each failed filament offered 
 Yet another useful bit of knowledge. 
So let’s not flagellate ourselves 
When something doesn’t work 
But congratulate ourselves for eliminating 
 Yet another option, and narrowing yet again 
The definition of the problem and its solution.