Light, like love

A patch of sun in the late afternoon 

Ignites my neighbor’s tree, 

And suddenly she’s beautiful — 

But perhaps, like each of us, 

She always was: it’s just that light, 

Like love, brings out all unseen beauty, 

And sets our hearts aflame.

Beneath the skin

My mother always taught me 

Not to judge a book by its cover, 

But in case I didn’t remember, 

The Madrona tree; the way it, like a snake, 

Sheds its skin in the spring — 

Would surely remind me 

That whatever color the skin; 

However apparently smooth 

 The exterior might appear; 

What’s underneath may very well surprise you.

This path

This path we walk is rarely straight or narrow: 

So many obstacles to overcome or skirt around, 

Yet still we persevere, pressing ever forward 

While determined to experience 

 Each step along the way to its fullest.

A great loss

The doors of the church remain dark and closed 

To so many. 

How could something once so full of meaning 

Feel so empty now 

When the world so needs 

That sense of shared communion?

What light?

Each one of us can choose to be a beacon, 

But what light is it we shine?

In stillness

In stillness, the water reflects 

The rosy colors of the sky. 

In stillness, we, too can reflect 

The light from above.

Illumination

Though we can barely see her, 

 We can know she is there 

 By the light she sends streaming 

 Across the water. 

May we too, like the moon, 

Remain less visible and yet 

Allow the light that shines through us 

To illuminate the darkness for others.

Worrying

Worrying becomes a kind of fog, 

Graying out your surroundings and all joy. 

Peering out from behind those tangled thoughts, 

Waiting for the bad news that might come 

Is no way to live — and yet, 

So many of us do. Time to create! 

Make something that restores the color 

Worrying has leached from your life!

The path before you

The path before you is clear; 

The light at its end unmistakable.

 What are you waiting for?

Retired

Do you see it there, hidden in the bushes? 

A boat, like a fish out of water,

 Born to float, but now condemned to stagnate, 

To lie fallow amidst the weeds, 

Slowly sinking into the earth from which 

 It first emerged, hewn by hands 

 That dreamed of future adventures, 

Just as our parents dreamed 

Of what we might accomplish when we’d grown — Dreams now deceased or turned to dust 

As we watch the world we’d hoped to create 

Spin apart, having somehow lost its center…

Divided world

Not every gate through which we pass 

Will be this obvious, 

And many which stand open for us 

Will be firmly closed for others. 

In this divided world, what can we do 

To remove the barriers keeping us apart?

The call to be light

Each day the sun reminds us 

Of our call to be the light; 

To enliven whatever dark clouds may surround us 

With the vibrant luminosity of love.

Resting in hope

Like this great tree, 

Knocked down, but still productive, 

We draw our strength from earth and sky 

And offer up what fruits we’re born to give, 

Resting in the hope we’ve done our best 

Even as the light begins to fade.

Inside each heart

Inside each heart, a garden blooms 

 And a fountain, everflowing, pours; 

A constant Source of love and creativity 

If only we could set aside 

The shoulds, desires, dissatisfactions 

Distracting and diverting us 

 From Being and Becoming.

The illusion of warmth

The day draws to a close, 

And the house is bathed in flames, 

Warmer in appearance than within, 

Like a cold-hearted politician’s 

 Falsely charming demeanor.

Imagined tragedy

At first we thought they were birds, 

Their poor feet trapped in the frozen ice, 

And we ached for their probable demise, 

Even as we marveled 

 At the symmetry of their spacing. 

It was a relief to realize 

These were simply ancient pilings 

From a dock long since destroyed. 

Disturbing, really, to see 

 How deeply we respond 

To imagined horrors seen 

While successfully ignoring

 Real tragedies unseen…

A gentle reminder

After days of gray, the clouds part, 

And we’re reminded 

 Of what we should have remembered all along: 

That, like the spirit that lives within us 

And walks beside us, 

The sun is always shining there, 

No matter how deeply buried behind the clouds.

On a winter’s day

On a day so cold 

The ocean can see its own breath, 

We close off what rooms we can 

And huddle by the stove, 

Waiting for our power to be restored…

Light follows the storm

Always, after the storms, the light; 

A time to sit and reflect 

On what’s been lost and what comes next...

A haunting fog

As temperatures drop and evening falls, 

Wisps of fog steal through the valley, 

Bathing all the scruffy farms 

In haunting mystery.

Don’t get caught

Don’t waste your life, says Rumi, 

With those who don’t see you, 

But what if it’s you that fails to see 

The strengths, the gifts with which you’re born, 

Always comparing, always longing, 

Never comprehending 

 The magnitude of wonder 

 That is yours and yours alone? What then? 

Don’t get trapped by a rising tide 

Of self-recrimination, 

But step away, and step into the light.

Madness

Wind, waves, and high water, 

Threatening our shores, 

Washing over us like anger, 

Hurling logs like fists or threats; 

Tossing fear and exultation 

 Into the mix of the moment…

When will this madness pass?

Coping with change

Just when things seem pretty calm, 

Something new splashes into your life: 

Now what? 

Whether this new arrival is good or bad, 

Full of opportunities or simply an inconvenience, Something has to change to accommodate it. 

How will you adjust? 

How have you reacted in the past to change, 

And what might you do differently this time?

No regrets, just compassion

Those moments come when we look back 

Over what has gone before. 

Try not to feel regret, but rather compassion, 

Both for your own mistakes 

And for those who wronged you. 

The time is now: set aside what’s lost, 

Breathe deep, and turn your face forward: 

This is your chance to build a better future.

What if there’s no fence?

If there’s no wall, 

There’s no need for a window, 

And if there’s no fence, 

 There’s no need for a gate. 

Each barrier we erect 

 To protect our fragile hearts 

Requires us to construct an entrance 

And then spend energy guarding it, 

Controlling who we do and don’t let in. 

Is that really how we want to spend our time?

Everything we see

This is just a reminder 

That everything we see, 

We see from inside ourselves: 

Each vision that we have 

Is partially obscured by what we know 

And what has gone before, 

Like watching a sunset from behind a window: 

However clean the glass, 

 There will be reflections, other times and places 

Mirrored in the glass and coloring 

Everything we see…

The clever fog

How clever of the fog to fall in stripes,

 Igniting with its light the leafless layer 

 Of deciduous trees, then evergreens, 

 And then the mountain’s snowy summit, 

While at the same time weaving all together 

To make a cohesive whole. 

If only we could be as clever, 

Highlighting the value of our differences 

While at the same time intertwining 

 All into a seamless and constructive aggregation…

Seeking solace

A solitary sloop on a sterling sea 

Sends glimmers of hope to an anxious heart: 

Though clouds abound, perhaps calm seas 

 And smooth sailing lie ahead.

When the camera surprises

Beneath his feet 

The Buddha smiles benignly: 

Soon his horns will sprout.

Faith for the year ahead

Asked last night 

 How we thought of the year to come, 

Each person present, myself included, 

Admitted they were frightened: 

Two wars, Putin, the election, women’s rights… 

So many battles being fought and lost; 

No confidence in where the truth might lie… 

And so this morning I will strive for faith: 

Not just belief, but faith. 

Not mindless — thoughtless — optimism, 

But faith: not that all is well, 

But that somehow the arc of the future 

Bends toward justice; 

That, appalled by the dark within, 

We will learn again to love and crave the light.