How is that possible? Love the parts of us We hide in the dark Hoping others do not notice?
Love our shadows? How is that possible? It would require Attention Loving, compassionate Attention To the pieces of us Which we wish to deny.
Love our shadows? Illuminate those corners Where our wounds Recline Deep within Hidden away in shame How is that possible?
Love our shadows? What does that ask of us? To let go of our ego And allow humility To take the reigns To fully embrace our humanity With all its foibles and weaknesses.
Love our shadows? To extend a hand of friendship With understanding, Sincere love And compassion To that vulnerable person Cowering in the corner Of our inmost being Fearing exposure And admonishment How is that possible?
To love our shadows In truth Would be to more wholly Love ourselves Thereby freeing us To love others Just as they are Allowing compassion and love To be our driving force Releasing our Our shields Of ego, judgement and control
Love our shadows? Yes, it is possible One step One peek One glance One hand reaching out One beam of illumination At a time With faith In our Loving Creator to be a presence alongside our tremulous selves to bring the love and shine the light.
There is wisdom To be found In the quiet Of the forest The shadow Of the beech leaf Imposes itself upon the maple A dark ovoid shape With a peak hole Through which Shines a beam of light
The image Swishes With staccato grace Across the five-pointed leaf Leaving no trace Of where it has touched Like an eclipse It blocks the sun As it gives way To the gentle breeze
Maple leaf Living high above the earth Do you feel the shadow? Does the coolness Of its shade Relieve you Or cause you despair? Are you as content And accepting As you appear Attached as you are By your stem Clinging to the twig Joined to the branch Growing out from the trunk Touching the earth And digging deeply With steadfast roots Penetrating down To reach the same water That trickles by In the creek beside the tree
Do you feel the branch Swing down Under the weight Of the female cowbird?
Can you sense The movement Of the tiny legs Of the bright-eyed insect Wisping across your surface?
Do you worry Or simply accept Your veins will Bring you nourishment So you might carry on Shading, protecting, sustaining Restoring the air Which we breathe Removing the toxins And supplying oxygen For as long as Your life allows?
And, at summer’s end, Do you mourn As your green color Morphs To yellow, or orange Or red Setting off A breathtaking display Of foliage Then releasing your grasp You fall to the earth Or do you accept your death In order that you might give life In a different manner?
Might we call him an elder Certainly With all the signs of age His voice was not strong His words – retrieved Sometimes with effort His pauses Some would call “deadly” To begin in such a way Gave his opponent the apparent upper hand.
In our United States of America We do not treasure Nor even sometimes Respect Our elders Do not value their wisdom Nor appreciate their thoughtfulness We have jumped To the next topic As the elderly Are still pulling From their vast wealth Of knowledge, experience And wisdom In order to give a thoughtful response To the question We have now abandoned
We succumb To the false image Of power and authority Bombastic bullies Who speak forcefully With certitude And immediacy Are heard Are listened to And, unfortunately, Often believed Without discernment As they spew Pseudo impassioned rhetoric Made up of convenient Mistruths Lies.
We, in America Are at risk Of jumping aboard This balderdash of Sounds bites And fabrications Spoken with practiced vehemence.
We are in danger Of falling for The Hollywood Scene Instead of True vision With a solid foundation. We must listen well With respect And intelligent discernment And above all, concern for This country Which we are so blessed to inhabit.
Calico Pennant There you sit Perched upon A swaying blade of grass An ordinary day For you
Your beauty though Is light years beyond Ordinary. Your wings Like the finest Tiffany lampshade Fragile, transparent You flap them freely As they are buffeted in the wind Why don’t they vanish Like bubbles blown On a warm summer’s day?
You do not wear your heart On your sleeve But on your abdomen instead A whole string of hearts
Are you, my friend An ancient messenger of Love and beauty? Your ancestors Go back Over 300 million years Surviving all manner Of calamity What stories What wisdom Has been passed down From your elders? From where comes your strength? Your appearance so delicate Your beauty resplendent They belie your fortitude While here you rest Humbly Munching insects.
Gathering flowers To fill the vase To grace the breakfast table On the deck My eyes catch upon Dainty wildflowers Blossoms smaller than pinky nail Five summer yellow petals Surrounding tuft of yellow I snipped a few To start my bouquet
I spy purple flowers intermingling with yellow Similar in size But sunburst pattern of petals I snatch them And my bouquet grows
Peonies A pièce de résistance I bury my nose In the floral bomb Inhaling the scent of spring Magenta flowers The size of dessert plates Now enhance my floral arrangement to be!
White blossoms Call to me for inclusion They will go well Beside their magenta relatives I gather them in!
Meandering now Back to the kitchen I am diverted in my step By deep pink flowers Growing at property’s edge A bush Of wild roses Flowers galore Populating the green foliage Growing modestly Without aid or attention. I approach the perennial flowering plant Scissors in hand. Dilemma Decisions Discernment In my heart.
Roses In my past Represented Pain, conflict They were exploited Used in attempt to expunge Guilt Abuse Cruelty
But that was then This is now Can I release the memory Accept the thorns And take delight in Nature’s pure gift?
I filled the vase Careful not to grasp too tightly And pierce myself With thorns of yesteryear.
Soothing sounds Caress my spirit Refresh my soul The waters tumbling over the dam Joining the stream below Create a melody of peace The birds, twittering, chirping Tweeting and singing Lend a happy riff
The air, Purified by the trees Humbly standing sentry At lake’s edge And cooled by the waters of the lake Rejuvenates And heals As I sip deeply Imbibing joy
The beauty Of the families of waterfowl Furry balls of brown and rust Clustering around mama On the rocky island Jumping on and off Playfully As mama looks on in amusement With her rust-colored crown Glistening regally In the sun She is called A Common Merganser Truly a misnomer.
The geese family Glides by Seemingly connected Like a train Yet no couplers are visible The downy fur of the offspring Greyish tan in color Announces their youth But how different They are in their regimented movement From their merganser cousins!
The boaters come and go Smiling faces of anticipation Upon arrival A countenance of serenity Upon departure
The fishermen Intent, eager and hopeful As they launch their watercraft Happily sharing Their stories of success And almosts As they reluctantly take their leave Many hours later.
Little Lake Sunapee A treasure beyond measure More healing than Any spa More relaxing than Any pill A place of serenity, joy Happiness and life A natural resource Which we must protect Respect And reflect upon With gratitude!
A world without war A home without strife A gun without ammunition A voice without disdain A message without scorn
Imagine A life without hate A storm without destruction A highway without collisions A field without ticks A rose without thorns
There are moments There are places There are chapters of life When we can thus imagine When our path is smooth Our waters placid
In these times We give thanks Gratitude not guilt We give thanks and absorb the peace we know So as to share To drop our pebble Lend ripples of shalom To the world
Then there are other moments When despite The pain, suffering And destruction Swirling around us We still know peace We hold tightly to that kernel Of light Of hope Of love Which resides Deep within Filling our being This peace in the midst of turmoil Can also be shared Pebbles of compassion Ripples of love Healing salve for our troubled world.
Midnight black feathers Glistening with a sheen of brilliance Pull me into friendship Intimacy of conversations Shared in the dark
Your loyalty and dedication To your offspring Inspire and reassure Testimony to kindness in the world As you hunt unceasingly To feed your young
The intricacy of The checkerboard pattern Of the underside of your tail feathers Adds an Unexpected beauty And complexity
In flight, From below Your brick red breast Claims all the attention But at rest, As you gaze through The lovely deep pool of your right eye Circled in white I wonder Do you see my energy field Like you see earth’s magnetic field? May I imagine You comprehend Your welcome?
Is it you And/or your offspring Who grace this yard With your presence Who make our home your home Year after year?
Nest fidelity Dedicated parenting Unadorned beauty Mr. Robin Your presence stirs love in my heart Giving me hope For our world If we but pause And pay attention!
Crumbs for the Journey 