Light Hole

I only know a little about dark holes...

what I do know keeps me at a distance.

Learning that "not even light is fast enough to escape its pull,"

gives a whole new flavor to things.

"Wouldn't it help to name the wide abyss in the center of your

heart a cauldron of brimming hope?

Reading these words and imagining my heart 

as a cauldron brimming with hope is an enchanting affair.

It makes me want to fling open 

the inner doors and windows

so this hope can permeate every vein, 

every artery. every inch

of inner soil.

"There can be no further collapse.

Only the steady evaporaton of a love so singular 

it ends in a flash, a final sung note

made by the immensity of what it carries."

This is so potent when I think of my life force,

with its steady evaporation...

 I find myself lost for words... 

stunned by amazement.

 

Standing Back

"Human or Frog?"

rrrbit rrrbit rrrbit.

No contest.

 

Limitless

This is like several tee shirts all in one place.

Oak and Ant and Silence are the ones I'm most drawn to.

"When the wind blows, bend easily and trust your roots to hold."

"Small does not mean powerless."

"In the quiet, everything comes clear."

 

You Drew The Line

"the weight of your own worth"

It's astronomical!

"Stand where you are.

Let it be heaven.

"Root down."

My favorite line.

"I can do epic things.

We all know the epic things

we can do and are doing.

We're in this together and

I'm glad you're here.

 

A Kiss

I am swept away with this.

So many delicious and 

delightful words and phrases.

 I love every sentence. 

May it bring you joy.

Thank you for being here.

 

The Most Casual of Moments

"I experienced a sudden impact, a seizure of happiness. It was not

the drowning sort of happiness, rather the floating sort."

"I did not feel that I understood any mystery, . . . rather

that I could be happy and feel blessed within the perplexity."

". . .only a sudden awareness of the citizenry

 of all things within one world. . ."

This is so deeply, quietly, beautiful and potently real.

My breathing slows and settles the rocking molecules

spinning around inside from all the outside "perplexity".

My heartbeat steadies as I let her words sink in.

There is space within the tightness of our time.

"the most casual of moments"

I find myself choked up at the thought of

what a legacy Mary Oliver has left for us.

 

With My Open Heart As Bait

"Could I throw out my line to the ocean of the world,

stand there at the edge, patient and still, and say to life,

anything, anything at all, whatever you give me,

I'll reel it in, I'll take it?"

This is a generous thought about awareness and acceptance, isn't it?

Here's my question. 

Do we have a choice?

Aren't we going to be reeling it in regardless?

What is the alternative?

To drop the pole of life and sit there empty handed and witless?

When I think of what we're reeling in right now,

I'm thinking we're doing a mighty good job of taking it.

For me, the question is, now what? 

 I want to toss it in the bin and throw out my line again.

Reel in something with better taste and higher nourishment.

There's a choice!

That's something I'm happy to catch.

If we're speaking of unspeakable tragedy...

Like the loss of a precious someone we hold dear,

I'm not sure I could throw out my line, 

reel it in, take it. Not willingly.

Not sitting still and patient.

I resist extending that invitation.

Thing is, I can't drop this pole of life.

I can only rely on grace to be there

with me to transfigure a grievous catch.

Much easier to write about than to live through.

 

Untameable

"Such writing can open your eyes and your heart...

reenchant your world...rearrange how you see it. 

 It can return you to yourself."

This is the kind of writing I am on the look out for.

It touches my heart, shifts the way I view something,

gives me chills, forms a lump in my throat...

the gratitude and appreciation I feel for those

who open their hearts and share their souls with us is huge.

"I cannot cause light: the most I can do is

try to put myself in the path of its beam."

Isn't this exactly what all of us are doing?

Cosying up as close to the warmth of the beam

as we can get?  Feeling it comfort us and guide us?

It doesn't need a name.  It doesn't need a building.

It needs us, together, soaking up the light

and bringing it with us wherever we are.

 

Extraordinary

"You don't need to do anything."

It's comforting to be reminded of this.

Even as a tiny part of me wants to quibble a bit

as I cannot imagine doing nothing in today's world, can you?

Seems like it would require a host of supporters.

There is an article in Atlantic by Alan Lightman titled

The Ordinary Miracle of Existing which gives exquisite detail 

to how extraordinary it is each of us is here. 

(The link is good for 14 days without a paywall.)

I'm more than delighted to consider myself as

trees, clouds, running water, fllickering of fire,

an arrangement of stars and/or the form of a galaxy.

 

Hibernate

When I ponder how the last 17 years has flown by,

hibernating underground like a cicada sounds alluring.

Then, I think of all I would have missed...some of it gladly, 

but so much, so very much that would have been a tragedy.

It is a reminder of the land of plenty and goodness...

the land of treasured loved ones and friendships,

the land of wonderful books

and special celebrations that I am alive in.

I'm overwhelmed with the joy of being here...

Maybe it takes this long

to understand what an astonishment it is.

If I had a magic wand, I'd give this 

to every 17 year old out there.

Soon enough, I'll get to know what its like

"to intimately be with this ancient breathing pulse,

to settle sweetly into the night,

hugged by the ground"

carried by the sky,

dissolved into the rivers,

able to explore the expanses of outer space,

and the majesty of the mycelial network.

No special equipment needed.

Won't that be something?

 

Within Each One Of Us

How exquisitely rich, insightful and fitting for this time.

And prophetic.  She died in 1992!  

Sadly, it's not a machine.  

It's human beings who live on this earth with us.

Soulless and sad, filled with greed and fear.

Their vibrations rippling throughout our world.

"To overcome another vibration, one must develop the ability to maintain

 a high vibration under pressure and not just seek high-vibration environments."

Author unknown

 

I Know It's Scary

" the real you...

the you you meet in the dark at 2AM"

This is my least favorite "me".

It takes effort to look past the aspects I consider flaws.

She is fearful and mostly focused on failings.

I do not look forward to witnessing her surveys.

I want to run for cover when she shows up.

Yet, she is part of me.  

Instead of dismissing and shutting her out

I hope to listen with curiosity, acceptance and respect,

even when its extremely difficult and 

all I want is to go back to sleep.

Choosing her (or him) is the bravest 

act we can make.

Loving who we find in all our messy glory 

is worth the effort, don't you think?

I'm grateful you are here.

 

ReWilding

I am completely smitten by this poem.

It motivates me to mow less and meadow more.

"I won't be mowing Eden to inches

to feel like I am a god."

"We cannot let [her] die on our watch."

 

Eagle Poem

"And know there is more that you can't see, can't hear;

can't know except in moments steadily growing..."

This comforts me as I witness the surface of things in today's world.

It reminds me to look deeper...to go still and listen carefully.

"We see you, see ourselves and know that we must

take the utmost care and kindness in all things."

So many of us are doing this it is surely making

giant waves in the unseen world.  Growing and 

expanding with steady power and might.

"We are truly blessed because we were born,

and will die soon within a true circle of motion."

Witnessing the motion of the sky above,

and the seasons as they circle around,

it seems right and holy that we are circling as well.

May it be done in beauty.

In beauty.

 

Going Back To Magic

A simple, repetitive refrain.

Associating magic with religion.

Isn't that marvelous?

Especially when religion is

"of rocks, the lake, the water, the sky.

I would add:

the river, the forest, the air,

and many other natural things.

"that's what I believe in."

 

Directions For Saving Your Life

The first one is key in my opinion.

"You are worth saving."

Why is this even up for debate?

May every one of us know this to our bones

and act accordingly. 

Is there a "restless creature pacing inside"

who needs freeing? If so, may these suggestions 

assist in throwing open the doors and windows to let it out.

"give your instinct a voice and your body permission."

Here's trusting you're already practicing this...

getting stronger each day.

And the same goes for 
"taking what you need, not what scraps you think you deserve."

If this creeps in from time to time, it must be

flushed immediately because its a harmful lie.

We are mighty...we are roaring.

 

How To Do Absolutely Nothing

I confess, this would be a challenge for me...

No walking shoes? Lordy! Would barefoot shoes be acceptable?

And there's this...who's Barbara Kingsolver (I love her)

to tell us how to do nothing?  I can sit in my living room and do that.

I suspect you have your own methods?

She does make a point, though...

"Don't take your rechargeables" for example,

I find myself reaching for mine way too often.

I like to be connected to other humans.  

At the same time, enjoying my own company

is an activity I'd like to hone. 

Emphasis on enjoying.

My take away from this is,

can I step away from justifying myself?

Can I be complete and comfortable as is?

 

What Do You Bring To The Table?

This quote struck me hard in a good way.

It was a while back that a couple men and I 

were discussing what would happen if we 

bought an island somewhere...or went off the grid.

They began discussing what each of them

"brought to the table".

Medical expertise, technical expertise,

mechanical know how, carpentry skills...those sorts of things.

Sitting there listening I felt myself shrink

from lack of anything significant to bring to the table.

Reading this shifted that entire tableau around

and I am grateful.

"I am the damn table."

PS: Could not find a human name to provide attribution.

 

Happiness

"How far away is your happiness?"

How close?

These are rich questions to ask ourself.

It might be good to add our own to the list.

How many meals prepared by you or others?

How many seeds planted, bushes pruned, trees grown?

How many walks along the river and through the forest?

How many friends discovered? 

How many trips taken?

How many books read and/or written?

How many hugs given and received?

"How much thread in the enormous 

sewing machine of the present moment?"

My favorite line.

Think how small those stitches are...

but what magic they can create...

what fine garments they produce...

to wrap around yourself and your dear ones.

 

 

It's Ok If You Crave

I love the gentle pace of this piece.

"expand into the world and then contract:

this is the way of everything soft: ..."

I can feel the rhythm of the ocean 

and match my breathing to the ebbing and flowing.

Sending goodness your way.

 

You'll Become Rain

"And nature says no matter how you love,

you will return back 

to this holy sacred thing.

One day, you'll become rain."

What a delight to have such an abundance of rain,

with more to come.

A beautiful way to end this dry spell

as we enter the last weekend of May.

I bow my head to all those returning as rain as we

commemorate Memorial Day.

 

The Things I Know

"Even a dead tree casts a shadow...leaves fall...branches break...

bark peels off slowly...trunk cracks...rain seeps in through the cracks...

trunk falls...moss covers it...[creatures} live safely inside..

I would say that the trunk decays providing food,

habitat, and atmosphere for countless creatures to thrive...

slowly dissolving into the earth where new trees and plants

are born and live because of its remains.

"So that nothing is wasted in nature or in love."

The trick for me is to translate 

even the hardest happenings into the language of love.

Even when it feels impossible...

love is never weak...it is the strongest power we have.

 

Lost

"Stand Still. The Forest knows where you are.

You must let it find you."

Everyone who loves the forest knows this in their bones.

A wordless connection happens.

"The forest breathes.  Listen. It answers,

'I have made this place around you. 

If you leave, you may come back again, 

saying Here.'"

This is why it is heart breaking when

forests are removed.  

Stand still...is the strongest message I hear.

Letting the forest find me...knowing I am not lost...

I am Here, with the trees and bushes 

and creatures of the forest.  

It's subtle and powerful.

On a recent trip in and out of Asheville, I had a window seat.  

Watching out the window on my return

I was dazzled by the vista of nothing but trees

below me.  As far as I could see appeared to 

be unbroken forest.  It was so breathtaking,

I felt like crying from the wonder of it. 

"If you leave, you may come back again, 

saying Here."

I'm so grateful to be here.

 

Walking In The Woods

We had a maple go down nearby recently 

while it was winter bare.

The parts of it left lying on the road

began leafing out many days after it fell.

There was something hauntingly sad

and remarkable about witnessing this.

How valiant the reach for light

and for life is in all of us. 

This poem reminded me of the maple.

It inspires me to keep reaching for life

and for light regardless of bleak circumstances.

It also reminds me there is life after death...

cuttings could have been taken and grown into new trees.

Perhaps tiny saplings are already growing in spots 

where seeds met the soil underneath?

PS:  I so want to add punctuation to this piece.

I'm not doing so in respect to the poet.

 

I Remember Redwoods

"I don't want a heavenly body but a body of dung and dirt."

In a way, this is the body we all will inherit eventually, isn't it?

The dirt part for certain.  

"Any form the shape of yearn."

I've had to pause every time I read this line.

(At first I "hear" your'n like yours with a heavy accent.)

And then it sinks in...again...and pauses me...again 

in a totally different way.

May our broken hearts be mended 

and their loving parts be made more resilient...

letting us carry the agony and the ecstasy,

the mundane and the marvelous,

and everything in-between with grace and gratitude.

 

 

The Thing Is

Two lines that struck me....

1. "An obesity of Grief."

In pondering my experiences of grief...having it 

weighing me down like my own flesh only more so

would not be how I would describe it.

However, upon reading this, it was notable how well it fits.

2. "Hold life like a face between your palms...say...

I will take you, I will love you, again."

Isn't this a marvelous way to see your life...

every tiny bit of it? 

It sums up everything we are.

No matter how messed up we feel,

to be accepted and loved and taken again.

 

Redefining Success II

I'm dismissing the first verse.

"whisper I love yous to everything that hurts. 

Ask for help. 

Refuse to abandon yourself."

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it?

I find it less so in real time with real need.

We've been so conditioned to take care of ourselves.

Refusing to abandon yourself means asking for help.

 I don't know about you, but that is decidedly difficult to do.

"Not power, but presence."

Can presence overcome power?

I need to sit with this and imagine 

what that would look/feel like.

I'm so proud of the people of Hungary.

Not more more more but

how many miracles?

Isn't it interesting how mundane miracles

can become?  I know I take them for granted

every single day many, many times.

Blank Page?

Can someone return to being a blank slate?

I think adding a new layer to what's been written

might be more realistic.  

 

For The Children

I loved this adage until I thought about it some more.

"Stay together...learn the flowers...go light."

Going light feels wrong for these times...

especially when "staying together" means

ALL of us...no matter our skin color.

White supremacy does not move lightly...

it's heavy footed and cruel...

Yes, learn the flowers. Yes, stay together; and

yes to going light if light means shining it on

dark corners where injustice is occurring 

and people are NOT staying together.

 

Illusion's House

Though not easy to read, this seems especially pertinent

and worthwhile to be reminded of in these times.

" It is the ending of a story that was never true."

I've been doing a lot of pondering on truth these days...

truth about what I'm hearing in the news and social media...

truth in what is written in history books...

truth in what is displayed on monuments.

It's been sobering to realize what I learned

growing up was incomplete and/or distorted.  

I'm concerned about how future generations 

will be told about these times we're living through.

I'd like to believe it is the end of a story that was never true...

and that what endures will be the honest truth 

and not a white-washed version.  

 

Patriot of Place

This had me at the first sentence.

"I pledge allegiance to this river at my feet,

and to the tributaries from which it flows,

one watershed under the sky."

". . .every citizen tree in my republic."

". . .every creature seen or unseen."

". . .the stones...the bones...earth underfoot"

". . .together declare our sovreign residence."

". . .and by water's revolutions find tranquility."

And every one coming after it.

Wouldn't it be marvelous if this were 

the pledge made and lived up to by the entire world?

Why not???

Rivers, trees, creatures, stones, bones,  earth underfoot...

they're showing us the way.

May we listen and follow no matter the cost.