Baggage Claim

There is so much heart in this poem.

"Some of us worked harder, like your heart back then,

carried your case to Senators and secretaries,

anyone who'd listen, beating doors, spelling it out

until they let you in."

These lines choke me up...there are so many places

to direct this kind of energy, and together we

are doing it over and over and over again.

This whole poem chokes me up, over and over.

"Iran's gone dark, and you have long since vanished from the news.

4 months old then, you'd be 9 now if you'd thrived."

Things are much worse in Iran than what we are going through.

"If your heart fails yet again, and you dream of sanctuary,

any hint of a heart left in this country we once believed we knew,

you will find us next to the free lawyers in baggage claim...

our arms wide open."

Like I said earlier, this chokes me up.  

How can such an incredibly good group of citizens

 be at the mercy of such heartless leaders?

We cannot give up...we must recalibrate and

correct the wrongs being committed in our name.

We must recover from damaged hearts.

We are mighty in numbers and we are accomplishing this, together.

Namaste

 

Maybe Death Isn't Darkness

This is so deeply mystical, I'm not sure any commentary is necessary.

"Maybe death is an energetic tide rising

& rising to meet the sacred breath of the universe."

There is something appealing about 

merging our essence with the universe.

Similar to becoming soil.

"Maybe it is what meets us 

at our deepest depth,

an inteminable silence

illuminating the body from within...

I'd like to think this might be possible while alive.

Namaste

 

The Flourishing To Come

I've thought of this "planting seeds in Minnesota"

many times since reading it; trying to think of ways

I can do the same here in NC.

We can see the seeds growing and thriving can't we?

Personally, I welcome them becoming invasive.

Turning the bare spots in my heart into a lush green.

Supressing weeds of hate, cruelty, and hierarchical systems.

As the time to plant seeds comes closer, or has already

risen in indoor gardens, the metaphor becomes stronger 

and even more beautiful.

"Imagine the beauty if even half these seeds take."

More and more people planting seeds of kindness,

compassion, community, ferocity....filling our

homes, landscapes, streets, alleys, industrial parks,

and business centers, with generous jewelweed, 

with open-handed oranges, with lavish lilies,

 heartwarming hepatica, bountiful blood root 

and benevolent bluets.

Wouldn't that be something?

"Imagine all that goodness reseeding,

spreading like wildflowers.

It would be like a pandemic of plenty,

an epidemic of equality.

a jungle of true justice for all.

Namaste

 

 

Fact Checking

 "How many other stories do I trust every day

not thinking to look them up?"

My husband always double checks everything.

When he applies this to what I share on social media and

points out when it's wrong, it irritates me no end.

Mostly because he's correct which means I

made a mistake in passing along misinformation. 

It's an ego thing. I hate when I make mistakes.

"The world has never been swampier.

The need to check what we're told is great."

Isn't this the truth?  We are being invaded 

by numerous master manipulators. Rearranging

facts to suit their false narratives, gaslighting

and pointing fingers unaware that four of the five 

point back at them.

One in particular comes to mind.  

"Face him.  Raise your arms.  Back away slow.

Don't turn your back is you can help it.

They look more like people than you think."

I love the irony! Who's the gator?

What To Do In The Darkness

"Go slowly."

This is superb advice in almost any circumstance.

I'm finding, at this advanced juncture, that even when

I'm late and hurrying so as not to keep someone waiting,

 this counsel is most helpful.

"Consent to it

But don't wallow in it

(I'm holding myself back from adding punctuation)

Consent to it feels different from accept it, doesn't it?

It adds a sense of agency and openness to discovery of something unknown.

It naturally follows to. . .

"Know it as a place of germination 

and growth"

Personally, this is where patience appears 

and asks to be practiced.

"Remember the light"

May our memory be strong enough

to remind us of light filled moments throughout life.

"Take an outstretched hand 

if you find one"

And if you don't, trust yourself. 

Take care of your precious self.

"Exercise unused senses"

Listening comes to mind,

as does feeling what's happening

inside my body...something I tend to ignore.

Find the path by walking it

Feel your way...by touch

and by instinct.

"Practice trust

Watch for dawn"

From time spent lying awake at night,

I want to add patience to the practice of trust.

And watch for dawn like we're watching for goodness.

They are both dependable; dawn being predictable,

while goodness is random and often a surprise.

Namaste

NOTE: I had another post prepared for today and rejected it.Here is the link if you want to take a look. 

 Be forewarned...I would not consider it uplifting. 

 

And Then To Fly Over It

I'm having to sit with this a bit. . .

it brings to mind Betty Midler singing "From A Distance"*

"To fly over is to over look, not to take in the unnecessary...

or fret about what might lie underneath."

It's one way of seeing things.  Sometimes, overlooking is wise.

Other times, overlooking is dangerous and ill advised.

I think we all know examples of each situation, don't we?

"Which might look like forgiveness.  

Which is, of course, another word for love."

If God exists, which is for each of us to decide, 

I would not want to be him or her regarding forgiveness

in these days of heartless cruelty and abandonment 

of truth, decency and justice for all.

If being God means forgiving everything and

in turn loving all, I'm at a loss to understand

how that is remotely possible under these circumstances.

That being said, it is deeply appealing to consider

being forgiven (and loved) despite the unloving and indecent

things I have done throughout my life...in thought, word and deed.

Which makes this a giant, uncomfortable conundrum.

I can feel my defense team coming out blazing 

with an argument about degrees of harm done to others.

This conundrum is so strong, I may have to find something else to share.

*From a Distance

Song by 

Bette Midler

From a distance, the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance, the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight

From a distance, there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It's the voice of hope
It's the voice of peace
It's the voice of every man

From a distance, we all have enough
And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease
No hungry mouths to feed

From a distance, we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They're the songs of every man

God is watching us. . .From a distance

From a distance, you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance, I just cannot comprehend
What all this fighting's for

From a distance, there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
And it's the hope of hopes
It's the love of loves
It's the heart of every man (every man)

God is watching us. . .From a distance

 

Dark Brightness

Isn't this a beautiful thought; a beautiful activity?

Maybe its just that simple?  

"Turning down the glare becoming a blessing. . ."

Cutting each other some slack...giving the tiny benefit of the doubt.

Seeing past the nonsense to the dignity underneath the bravado.

Chuckling with respect at differences as if only minor inconveniences?

"a caring for a passing stranger to be passed on to someone else,

a blinding light/ [noise] lowered allowing us to see [hear] what really matters.

all of us do, everyone, every one...

May we each turn down the glare and the noise; 

may we see and hear what really matters; 

May we realize and live as if Every. One. Matters.

Namaste