Do You Ever Wonder?

Do You Ever Wonder?

Do you ever wonder 
If maybe
Just maybe
Playing in puddles
Could shift the axis 
Of our world?

Imagine
Splashing your feet
Through a pool of chilly water
Deposited 
Into a depression
In the earth
Or black top
By autumn rains

Watch the water arc up
And tumble down
Beautiful in its transparency
Finer than the finest glass
Silkier than the corn hairs of summer

See the ripples spread
Does your jaw unclench?
Might there be a smile
Sneaking out?

Let your toes
Feel the tickle
Of the leaves
Reds, yellows, oranges
Which have
At summer's end
Come to lie at rest.

Watch their siblings
As they float 
Away from their home 
In the trees
And ride the breeze
On their journey to
 Earth.

Leave the puddle.
Can you catch
A single leaf
On your nose
Or in your hand?
Stay still even
Will one float
Over
And land upon you?

Look up
At the swaying branches
Of newfound color
Sunshine yellow
Against a sky
Painted gunmetal grey.

Splash
Catch
Receive
Gaze upon
Open your heart
To play
Allow joy
To permeate your being
If only for a moment
And feel
Or trust
that
The world has changed
Infinitesimally
Or maybe
Monumentally
for the better.
Alleluia!
Let us Play!

Patricia O'Connor

Beauty in Their Dying

Beauty in Their Dying

The trees

Are our teachers.

They sink roots

Into the earth

And gather nutrients

Giving them strength

To grow.

They send up shoots

To absorb sunshine

And air

To grow branches

And buds

Sprout leaves

And fruit.

They survive

Many seasons of life

Endure and thrive

Despite the changes

They remain

Faithful

And earnest

Pillars of the earth.

New leaves of spring

Neophyte green, tender

Erupt without fear

Or so it seems.

They reach for the warmth

From above

Sway freely

With the wind

And rain

Bringing life to the tree

Life to the world.

In the heat of summer

They cool the earth

Give spaces of rest

For living creatures

And beauty

Such beauty

They offer fruit

For nurturing

And creating life.

Then when the cool nights

Of autumn

Arrive

And the moon overtakes

The sun

In hours visible

The tree understands

The season of new life

Is waning

Time of rest approaches

Does it

Accept or

Merely acquiesce?

The leaves morph

Green fades

Into a coat

Of many colors

There is magnificence

In this

Their dying

Their colors shine out

Creating

Nature’s palette

Celebrating

The seasons of life

With the confetti

Of autumn.

Winter approaches

The leaves are in repose

Upon the earth

 Rest beckons

The world

To pause

Dwell in the silence

Of snow

And know peace

In the long nights

Of winter.

Patricia O’Connor

October 1, 2026

Truth

Truth

How do we find it?
Where do we look?
How might we recognize it?

Do we follow the flicker
Of light
That spark
In the cave
Of untruths?
The ember that creates
In our souls
A skip
An extra beat
An almost smile?

Do we retreat
To our space of stillness
Listen for the quiet
Submerge in the silence
And pay attention
To the whisper
That emerges
From our hearts
And then says,
“All will be well”

Do we surrender ego
Greed
And pride
Readying ourselves
To hear and accept
Truth for
Truth’s sake
Truth for
The salvation
Of our worlds
Big, small
And in between?

Then do we dare
To call upon
Our courage
To see the truth
Speak the truth
And live the truth
As we know it?


Patricia O’Connor
August 3, 2026

If Only

If Only

If only tears
Could wash away
The hate
Could bring back
Life
Bring comfort to
The grieving
Bring kindness to
The forefront
If only tears
Could wash away
The hate

Biddeford, Maine
Please know
Tears flow for you
All over this 
Country
All over this
World
Tears of love
And sadness
And apology

Immigrant community
Please know
We the people
Weep
Our sadness
Comes with 
Our anger
And our love
We 
The people
Weep.
 

Johan Sebastian Guerrero
Do you see
The tears?
Can you feel
Our grief
For life lost
For country ideals
Gone wrong?
We 
The People
Know
You did not deserve
To die
Your family 
Did not deserve
To lose you.

We the
People
Must not cry
In vain
Once again.

We must appeal
To the powerful
Write letters
Make phone calls
Protest injustice
Pray
Strive desperately
To hold onto
Hope
For our country
Our world
 
If only tears
Could wash away
The hate. 

Patricia O’Connor
July 2026

Anticipations

Anticipations

Life so seldom
Unfolds
As we anticipate,
Hope,
Or even fear

When those luscious
Days of 
Early spring,
Arrive
The ones
Where the sun
Caresses your face
And a light breeze 
Passes by
Carrying joy

Look at the tip
Of those skeletal branches
Keep watch,
For a bud will emerge
A tight green shelter
A womb
Of sorts

It will grow
Reaching out
Reaching up
Further and further
Toward the warmth
Of the globe 
Of molten gold

The green vessel
Will change color
Maybe adding a tint of yellow
As life 
Rises like yeast
Within the shelter


Does the bud feel
pain
Does it know
New life 
Is within
Life which needs
To burst into the light
In order
To live
Grow
And unfurl in all its splendor
Adding beauty
To the world

Does its life unfold
As it 
Anticipates,
Hopes, 
Or even fears? 


Patricia O’Connor

Widen the Lens

Widen the Lens

Widen the lens
Pull your gaze
Off the ugly
For even a moment
Refocus

The sadness
The heartless destruction
Of lives
And livelihoods
Of buildings
And homes
Remains in 
The field of vision
But take away
Its all-consuming
Power
Over your heart

See also
The feathered friends
Flying
With abandon
Resting now 
Upon naked
Branches

See also the fringes of ice
Decorating the edges
Of the comforters
Which lay 
Upon the 
River rocks

See also
The tree trunks
Reflected
In the stillness
Of downstream water


See also
The meadow
Beyond the trees
At river’s edge
Dormant now
With carpet
Of marshmallow
White
Protecting its soil

See also
The hint of buds
Erupting on
Winter branches
Looking like raisins
Representing
Hope

Allow your breath 
To be released
Your lungs to expand
Your fears to diminish

And 
See also
Creation 
Steadfast Reminder
That Love
Will overpower hate.

Patricia O’Connor

Find the Ember

Find the Ember

Sadness
Fear 
Confusion
Distrust
Guilt
Shame
Anger
Sadness

All seething
Within
Pressing
From all sides
Threatening
Explosion

The world
On fire
Innocent lives
Destroyed
Collateral damage
Homes
Infrastructure
Years of work
Up in flames

Where is love?
Can we find space
In our troubled hearts
For love?

Can we step away
From the noise
Smoke, lies
And find the peace
We require
To clear our vision
Grieve our losses

Can we step away
And acknowledge
The shame
We may feel
As citizens
Of this country 
and the monumental
Frustration 
Overtaking us
as we feel
Held hostage
By a regimen
of evil, greed
Corruption and the lust
for power 
and adulation

Can we step away
From the noise
To find peace
And love
Deep within
Our souls?

Can we embrace quiet
And listen
For the voice
As persistent
And gentle
As hummingbird wings
The voice
That will guide us
Empower us
And grant us
The courage
To go on living
Defiantly
A life of love
And service
To the people?

Love cannot
Be extinguished
Find the spark
The ember
Deep within 

Feed that light
Fan the flame
Reside in the hope
that
Together
We will
Someday
Overcome 
The darkness.  


Patricia O’Connor
March 1, 2026