A Quiet Kind of Violence

The irony here is a sharp blow.

How many times have I said those words,

or thought them?

How many times have I said them to myself?

I cringe when I think of saying them to others...

others going through tragedies 

I could only begin to imagine

and imagine insufficiently.

I appreciate the way these words

put those words in their place.

Reminding me to remember everyone

suffers in different ways.

It also reminds me of what a grief stricken mother

wrote after one of her children took their own life.

"I learned to translate everything people said to me into: 

"I love you and care about what you're going through."

Regardless of how awkward or presumptuous.

I was moved by her generous spirit and kind heartedness, 

by her lack of condemnation toward those

who really didn't know what to say but cared enough

to say something.

It's a worthy reminder for when Lady Judgement

enters the scene, isn't it?

Namaste'

 

Lines Written

How did I miss this beauty by M.O.?

"knowing as we must, how the vivacity of what was

is married to the vitality of what will be?

What a bequiling way to describe the descent into winter.

It reminds me to bow my head in gratitude and respect

to all the fading flowers and fallen leaves; 

to honor with my attention, however fleeting it might be.

"So let us go on, cheerfully enough. . .

though the sun be swinging east,

and the ponds be cold and black, 

and the sweets of the year be doomed.

I think of these lines as I encounter the 

brown and drooping skeletons

in my mini meadow...

remember with delight how

gorgeous they were a short time ago.

Then I take a minute to recognize what

these dull and drooping skeletons provide...

seed-holders, wind-catchers...there is dignity

in their quiet release, their slow crumble.

Look deeper, it seems to whisper.

Beneath their remnants, insects overwinter, 

fungi weave their intricate maze, 

and the soil absorbs their petals.

It was a fruitful minute, giving me

a wider field of vision and a deeper

understanding of what lies beneath.

Namaste'

 

Love What You Love

"when you stop trying to be something other,

when you settle here on this morning;"

and drink your tea or coffee, listen to the rain,

watch the sun reappear, relish the new day.

You are living your "one, precious life."

"you treat yourself as a treasure, nestle inside 

your own wintering bones--whole body opening, opening.

I sincerely hope you know how to treat yourself as treasure.

What a gift to cherish yourself ... not one single rejected component.

Recognize the divine creature living within your skin.

She matters greatly.

Treat her with utmost dignity.

Namaste' 

 

Trying To Transform

"You build from the ground up."

There is a paradox here and I love it.

Building from the ground up?

To me, the ground we are living on is 

one of the most powerful entities on Earth, if not the universe.

The soil that has absorbed centuries of harm,
the waters that have carried away what we could not bear,
the forests that have stood as quiet witnesses to our forgetting.

It matters greatly in the matter of

"people living in dignity and hope".

It matters in "transforming a brutalized society."

To contemplate that transforming our society

from the ground up means starting with

the ground we're living on, fits perfectly 

into my idea of what is necessary.

Millions of us understand that healing our earth is not separate 

from healing ourselves or our society. It is the same work.

Healing our Earth is a matter of utmost urgency for ALL of us

to be able to live in dignity and hope.

May we contiue the work of transformation—rooted, gently, determined.

May we see it in our minds eye so we can create it in physical reality.

The ground is our guide. Let it show us the way.

It matters.

We matter.

Namaste'

 

December Comes

"patiently waiting to be held before we move on"

It makes me smile that May thinks this might be the case.

Truth told, I would not have thought of that had she not mentioned it.

Nor would I have considered...

"all the selves I've been this year standing beside each other";

until now.

I might want to start paying more attention to my more pleasant selves.

The grumpy ones seem to hog the show.

"Let the tough moments teach you, not define you."

This idea bears strong and frequent consideration.

May your day be filled with goodness.

Namaste'

 

Trans As In Beyond

"Trans as in beyond, reaching for the possible."

This is what I love about words...

they can shift the meaning in a few short strokes.

This was a personal example of how hearing things

can lay down interpretations subconsciously and why

 being aware of how I'm being influenced by them invites contemplation.

I avoid using the word "God" because, for me, it does not adequately

describe the Force of Goodness alive and present in the world.

It's a trigger word that carries unnecessary divisions and misinterpretations.

It's interesting.  I just realized the word "trans" is following a similar path.

A bell sounds inside that announces conflict ahead.  

My first instinct is to take cover by skirting around it.

Today I am taking a different path and using words to navigate the discord.

It's why my attention was captured when I read; 

"trans as in beyond, as in reaching for the possible."

This post is unexpectedly providing a vivid example of the power of words...

how words can be used to:

 wreak havoc as well as assuage contention;

 invite curiosity and lead to avoiding complicated differences;

 expand understanding and increase alienation; 

 intensify conflict as well as take a step toward resolution.

As someone once said, "use your words wisely".

I would add, HEAR your words wisely.

Investigate those that cause you to turn toward them

and those that generate a turning away.

It matters.

We're in this together. I'm grateful you are here.

Namaste'

 

Same

Isn't this spot on?

"Maybe instead it needs us to reach those who feel alone

in their messy homes or difficult relationships or unresolved issues."

I resonate with all of the above.  I love my home but it does stay messy.

No matter how many times I tidy up.  

I won't let my life be about how neat my house was.

That's the rebel in me.

(Yet, I cringe in embarrassment at the thought 

of someone "dropping in". So rude.)

"To impress less and connect more."

Yes.  

Yes.  

Yes.

Let's do more of that!

Less judgment, especially of ourselves, and each other,

and more "same, same, same.

Namaste'

 

You Can Keep

Every line of this poem moves me with resoluteness.

Be. Who. You. Are. 

Be as our Earth is.

"I want skin intimate with the wind, the sun, the rain."

My most favorite line:

"Veins that flow like rivers to my ocean of a heart."

This is now embroidered unto my skin, into my heart.

I want to feel it deeply for the rest of my days and beyond.

I want it etched into my bones like the words on the stones at NewGrange.

I want my ashes to carry it on the wind to the ocean.

"I want bones trained to carry."

To carry gratitude, joy, and quiet rebellion.

To carry sorrow and heartbreak with tender devotion.

To carry each jarring incident as if a hidden treasure

 to be uncovered with curiosity and respect

To carry celebration of the seemingly insignificant,

and the majesty in the mundane.

"veins that flow like rivers to the ocean of my heart."

(I'm telling you; I love this line.)

Namaste'

 

May You Never Forget

"You kept going."

 This is one of those thoughts

that needs to be automatic,

most especially when you are in the midst

of hard, and overwhelmed, and afraid,

and alone and feeling invisible.

We need to have it at the ready...

as a loving reminder.

It matters.

You matter.

Namaste'

 

Gingko

 I've always been impressed by Gingko trees.

I was not aware of their longevity nor 

their ability to endure "drought, disease, pollution, pests."

One of the most beautiful sights I've seen

is a Gingko tree with a golden circle of light

around its base from its gorgeous fallen leaves.

"a golden fluttering, a radiant trembling on even the darkest streets."

"As if we are here to burn bright, to shine, to offer the world

every scrap of beauty we can."

Things are uncertain and distressing these days.

I am beyond grateful the natural world has

some ability to survive the lack of proper care

as it  still manages to provide us with 

a consistent offering of beauty and comfort.

 Namaste'

The Chosen

"Choose us all, please, choose us all."

And heal the divides within us, would be my additional request.

Can I even imagine everyone living in harmony?

Yes, yes I can; even as my heart breaks 

for how far away it seems to be moving these days.

How to carry such disasterous circumstances 

in our small humanness? 

That is the challenge of a lifetime.

To continue to believe in goodness

in the face of crushing evidence to the contrary...

I'm holding on.  I won't let go.

We're in this together.

Our goodness matters.

Namaste'

 

Once We Realize

"the nature of our existence is beyond thought and emotions"?

I'm having to sit with this.  I've not considered 

"the nature of my existence" from this angle, or any angle, really. 

Upon reflection, I rather like the idea. 

Being more than my thoughts and emotions appeals to me

because they can be quite troublesome and reductive.

"that it is incredibly vast and interconnected

with all other beings"?

Ok, yes, this sounds lovely up to a point...

however, there are definitely some "beings" I am not

in the least interested in being "interconnected" with.

I believe that's my thoughts and emotions...my small-self talking?

I'd like to think I possess some unseen and unknown pieces

that live on into infinity in ways I cannot begin to understand.

I accept the fact there is way more to existence than what I can contemplate.

I accept the fact that I don't have all the answers.

It's reassuring to consider powers beyond my comprehension

transmuting rotten things into goodness somewhere in this universe.

And to be a part of it in some infinitesimal way.

Something worth considering with deep, deep gratitude

on this Thanksgiving day, 2025.

Namaste'

 

Hum Hum

"It never leaves nor does it follow, but like the owl's hoot,

is heard in the stillness of the dark heart yearning."

It seems to me, sadness is something we seldom want to talk about,

 yet, there's no doubt we carry it with us.

These days, its making itself loud and clear in my heart

even as I stretch mightily to keep it from sapping 

all the oxygen in the landscape. .

"You return always, when alone and distraction abated,

to the tender humming..."

I'm loving the humming.  

While I enjoy hearing about each person's "song";

my singing voice does not thrill me in the least.

Humming?  I can do humming.  Humming makes me happy.

"Hum Hum"

Namaste'

 

Her Rhythm

"learning to listen to this rhythm that is all her own"

Are you learning how to do this?

 I think, I am, yet, it doesn't come automatically.

My immediate tendency is seeking out something to do with myself

rather than listening to any rhythms.  There's always plenty to do.

"to let the low notes be low, the high notes be high--to greet 

each thing as treasure no matter how clever the disguise."

This is a recently learned lesson that shifts the perspective when things go "wrong".

Instead of fussing and complaining, I look for ways discomfort can help instead of hinder.

"...to not go too soon to not stay too long."

This is where the listening is key...

taking cues from inside rather than relying on others.

I tend to look for permission from someone else,

rather than giving it to myself.

How many times have I ruefully realized later

that I should have listened to my inner voice earlier?

May we all stay in harmony with our own rhythm.

Namaste'

 

Sometimes Grief

 I love how Rosemerrry finds the words to describe what I encounter.

How many times have I noticed the various things she describes...

..."fallen logs decompose, wood rots, decays.  Bark peels.

Brambles scramble", while I'm walking in the woods.

How messy it all really is. But its not chaotic is it?

There's a purpose within the apparent disorder.

Grape vine tnngling and mangling nearby branches,

stands of poison ivy making navigating trails treacherous.

It's a humble jumble of amazing scope for life beyond us humans.

Not designed for Architectual Digest.

"All belongs.  All belongs."

Even so, I have to resist the wish to tidy it up a bit.

I must stretch in order to let everything belong, just as it is...  

accept the insect bites and unkempt forest floor...

Even celebrate the clutter and disarray.

"the more it stretches, the more it rots, the more it grows."

A wondrous cycle of life and death turning round and round.

And doing so with or without us haughty humans.

Namaste'

You

Let's think long and hard on this beautiful reality.

Whenever we feel "less than" or "off" in any way,

keep this at our fingertips as a reminder.

Let it sink down deep into our bones and sinew.

Every cell in our body needs to carry this molecule.

I cherish the idea of "that star-bright web of you".

I carry you with me.

We're in this together.

Namaste'

 

No One Owns The Water

I always wonder how humans managed to cause so much

pain and destruction in our world. 

I wanted to ask, what would our world be like if the indigenous 

way of life would have become the dominant one across society?

I realized that required some investigation.  Here is the result:

"Indigenous peoples were not universally nonviolent —  but many had highly advanced systems of peacemaking, conflict resolution, and ethical restraints on violence that often exceeded those of colonial societies."  

The problem, as I see it, stems back to the fact that:

"Large-scale, destructive war became far more common only after: the introduction of European weapons,

massive population disruptions, resource displacement, forced removals, and colonial pressure that destabilized traditional systems."

So I come back to my original question. Which has long haunted me.

And my question is this:  Is there any way we can 

heal the vast mistakes of the past and return our societies

to ones with "highly advanced systems of peacemaking,

conflict resolution, and ethical restraints on violence?"

Isn't that worth looking into?

Isn't that the ultimate intention of democracy? 

Isn't that what true equality is all about?

Cooperation rather than domination?

I'd say we're working on it.  Yes, we still have a long, long way to go,

but many, many of us are working on it.

We're in this together and we can make it happen.

Namaste'

A Butterfly

"Come hell or high water, I am flying today."

We all have this tenacity whether we recognize it or not.

It's helpful to pay attention to when we're feeling it 

and what we're feeling it about.

What is it that gives us this strength?

In some cases, its simply survival, isn't it?

Although survival is seldom simple, if you ask me.

"Strength does not grow from easy living."

Our strength is certaingly growing stronger these days as we bear witness

to what is happening to our brothers and sisters across the globe,

and responding in the best way we each know how to stop the needless suffering.

"...it's not the absence of fragility,

but rather the ability to prepare yourself for the journey."

Can anyone adequately prepare themself for the journey?

Perhaps that means coaching ourself to take whatever comes, 

relying on the grace and resilience of the universe to see us through?

And, to find every shred of joy, happiness and love we can along the way?

May it be so.

Namaste'

 

 

They Say The Heart Is

Of course, we all know this. 

We are using it now.

Loving ourselves more.

Loving each other more.

Loving our country and our universe more.

It's why we must keep on...

no matter the cost, no matter the heartache.

We must continue to open our hearts ever wider.

It's "the most powerful thing we will ever do."

Namaste'

 

All Yours

"What if it is enough, this voice that is all yours."

I want to say, what if we are enough?

"no add ons needed, nothing to take away."

Exactly as we are?

I've spent pretty much my entire life

trying to be better...more...improved.

I'm asking myself why and

how would things be different if

I focused on simply being myself

without any judgment, criticism or apology?

Well, I can think of some instances

where people living out of that mindset

are doing grave harm to humans and our planet.

Decency, dignity and equality 

do not come automatically, do they?

Or do they?

Don't they say that when you learn to 

honor and respect yourself,

you will do the same for others?

What would our world be like then?

What a dream.  

We're in this together...

may we be ourselves in kindness

and may it infect the world causing

a pandemic of goodness 

for which there is no cure.

Namaste'

 

Lick Your Wounds

"I know you feel like sunsets are your story, 

but you still have your heart like morning."

We are gifted with mornings and chances

to begin anew...today is one.

"Leave the dead thing to rot in the dirt."

This does not pertain to loved ones...

they are carried with us forever,

but what is no longer useful for casting love

into the world, needs to be left.

"You still have your heart like water."

Water is our heart.

It pulses and flows and carries.

It stills and disappears underground 

and casts out debris.

"your heart, like a seed, 

split and growing green in the sun."

I love the vision of my heart like a seed...

filled with potential for bountiful goodness

growing forward, now and into the future.

I raise a glass to your heart.

Namaste'

 

You Can Walk Around Pretending

Love, love, love this ode to poetry and the definition

of what it means to be alive, unique and amazing.

Isn't it so true we are all

"holding both a storm and a calm sea inside..."?

and

"thinking of ourselves as more mess than miracle"?

Let's always remember

"we are a living, breathing piece of poetry written to defy all cosmic odds."

Most particularly when everything around us seems

to be determined to drown that out."

Namaste'

 

One Day You Will Understand

I don't know about you, but the world I grew up in

was full of voices telling me where to go

and how to be...good, in particular.

Nice...always.

As I recall, no one was coaching me on being myself.

No one was there to encourage me to feel what I was feeling

even if it was too loud, unpleasant, uncomfortable or 

god forbid, unacceptable to "society".

Not. One. Person.

Murderous rage was strictly forbidden; 

crying uncontrollably frowned upon,

screaming was punished, 

and anything related to sexuality 

was never uttered except to warn against it.

I was well into my ripening 

before that message was delivered.

At that point, I realized, regardless of the past,

now, the "coach" is me.

It was like a volcano erupted.

The lava is still pouring down the slopes.

And I want it to continue until my ripening

turns to remains and then to enriched soil.

May we all continue to "look within for the maps

we were drawing before the world told us where to go."

Namaste'

 

When I Ask You

"Start making something you."

What do you think?  

What would that look like?

Feel like?

Sound like?

Taste like?

What aroma would it have?

It's waiting at the edge of your fingers

or the tip of your tongue.

"We need your art."

Namaste'

 

What To Love When

"If you can bear the stillness of not looking away,

if you step even closer, the contours will begin to lose

their meaning.  The noise of an old story will fade.

New shapes will emerge, like petals after a hard rain."

This seems like a worthwhile suggestion for learning

to look beneath and beyond my assumptions and judgments...

which is my automatic in a world that seems to be 

careening toward me with offerings and demands galore.

I wish I could set aside the thought 

 I might miss something important

if I don't remain highly vigilant at all times.

It's a good excuse for not pausing to really look...

especially at what I want to shield from photographs.

"...your breathing has softened, your heart a door you can open past the jambs."

I can feel my breath soften by reading that sentence.

This world could use more softening, don't you think?

Namaste'

 

The Naropa Bow

Goodness matters.

Decency matters.

Dignity for all who exist matters.

What you feel matters even when it cannot be seen

or measured or counted.

Trust in the river of goodness.

Trust in the goodness of each other.

We all belong...we all matter.

Namaste'

 

Vote For Dancing

From beginning to end, I'm in love with this poem.

"Some stretch of time we agree to inhabit with

complete silence, in solitude, in stillness."

Wouldn't that be something to behold?

..."kneeling in front of the same tree at dawn"...

or any tree anywhere, anytime.

"pardon immigrating geese "...

[and welcome immigrating people]

"tax credits for books purchased by local authors"

and tax credits for books of poetry!  

"For dancing. For rain. In just the way a bridge might vote for connection,

and the sun for a new day. And your hand on my shoulder for steady,

and the sky for welcome,  for air.

Isn't this marvelous?  

With deep thanks to: 

https://www.instagram.com/moudi.sbeity/