White Owl Flies

"maybe death isn't darkness, after all, but so much light

wrapping itself around us--"

Such a tender thought...may be it so.

Or may it be an indigenous grandmother, dressed all in white

with a cape to wrap around your shoulders showing the way.

"let ourselves be carried, 

as through the translucence of mica,

to the river this is with the least dapple or shadow..."

It makes me happy to think of the river as a resting place for infinity.

I'm also good with becoming soil for growing and nourishing 

beautiful and bountiful organisms.

Namaste

 

How The Light Comes

Worthy of being read over and over and over again.

Each line worthy of contemplation.

"That it loves searching out what is hidden, what is lost,

what is forgotten, or in peril, or in pain."

This knocks the air out of me. It gives voice to my longing. 

Proving how true the next line is.

"That is has a fondness for the body, for finding its way toward flesh,

for tracing the edges of form, for shining forth through 

the eye, the hand, the heart."

I would add--and the belly.

"That it works its way into the deepest dark that enfolds you,

though it may seem long ages in coming or arrive in a 

shape you did not foresee."

I recall and ponder those moments when light arrived

in shapes I did not foresee and marvel in wonder.

When did light arrive in a shape you did not foresee?

This piece does not need my commentary...

it is a stand-alone symphony, a tuning fork to comfort and console.

Namaste

 

I Hope This Email

I hope you enjoy this litany of daily delights

we all can enjoy as we move through our time in this dimension.

"I hope your heart softens instead of hardens.

 I hope you come to believe this life is a gift, not a burden— 

and that you, too, are a gift, not a burden."

Dare I say, it takes courage and concentration to

keep your mind focused on this line of thinking

when things feel heavy and uncertain.

"And if [this email] doesn't [find you well]—

I hope it sits with you there,

gently, and refuses to let you go unseen."

We are not alone.

We're in this together.

Namaste

 

Be Your Own Love

"It's time to stop giving yourself away

and turn inward toward that burning hearth."

Visualizing this until I actually feel it is a worthwhile action.

Interesting that it took me from my chest to my belly

before circling toward my heart(h).

Nice play on words, wouldn’t you say?

It takes a minute for my heart to soften…

it’s heavily defended…

"Remember again that the truth can only

exist between you and your higher self,

she whom you met on the mountaintop in your mind."

Picture me recalling a moment this happened to me.

(There’s a book about it.)

It felt like a visitation. To think of it as my higher self

is a powerful reconstruction of a memory.

Christmas can be about presents and presence.

What if we become a present to ourselves?

What if we recognize each one of us is born holy

and worthy of celebration?

What if we recognize each one of us

can change the world for the better?

 

Pity The Nation. Praise the Nation

My version.

Praise the nation whose people stand up.

Who aren't misled by false shepherds,

Praise the nation whose people reject lies

and sages keep speaking for truth and justice,

and airwaves are exorcised from hauntings.

Praise the nation whose people raise their voices,

give no acclaim to conquerors 

and renounce any bully as hero

who aims to rule the world

by force and by torture.

Praise the nation whose people welcome the newcomer,

make room, share power and refuse exclusion.

Praise the nation whose people guard and protect

clean water, pure air and healthy soil

and use their coins to keep them unpolluted.

Praise the nation with mindful people

who notice who is missing and step in to help.

Praise the nation whose people guard their rights 

and freedom with fierce determination 

where veterans are honored and cared for.

My country, cheers of thee, sweet land of liberty.

We're wresting you back from the brink.

We're in this together.

Namaste

 

 

How Light

It's been a long time since I've lived in the North,

yet I remember well the

"weight as to sag roofs, down power lines and snap tree limbs."

My empathy to those of you currently living under snow.

"The moments of our life are like that--light traveling."

This line gives me shivers.  And I LOVE:

"light bending is refraction, light bouncing is reflection.

 A one-of-a-kind, fragile, beautiful, momentary snowflake

 as a metaphor for my life feels like a fitting contemplation

as we move from darkness toward light...from winter toward spring.

This weaving of water and light through these beautiful words

gives me a thrill.  Our river of goodness may be

flowing in the dark these days but it is still carrying light...

and the light is us.  

I started to say the light is coming

but then I realize the light is here.

We're in this together.

And it is astonishing.

Namaste'

 

Baby Steps

Isn't it interesting how we minimize our achievements?

"Like the ability to fumble and stand, fumble and stand 

doesn't take grit and courage?"

I just now realize, I use the phrase "baby steps" to

slow myself down. To pay added attention to what comes next. 

I've never associated it with "collecting a bouquet of bruises

and carrying them like medals, rising again, again, again." 

I think of all the baby steps contained in the ripening years.

The bruises involved in the physical adjustments of goldening.

The grit and courage it takes to absorb the stumbles...and keep going.

From now on, I will remember this "wish for reckless determination,

laughter in miscalculation, the humility to forgo perfection;" 

and whisper thanks to L.E. Bowman for the offering of these words.

We are in this together and the tides are turning.

I'm glad you're here.

Namaste'