Stumbling

Like a race horse
set in ‘the gate,’
I awaited the
sound of the bell.

There it was—
off I went
but, I was not
in a race.

I was so sure footed…
my hooves
kicking up the ground
beneath me.

I was beyond
a trot…
a gallop…
it was almost as if I were
free-floating—
a pace
so fast

I began to
notice I was ‘missing’
everything…

rushing here—
trying to get this done
or the next task
accomplished.

By the end of the day
I stumbled—

Yes, so unnaturally
I lay broken—
enough to ‘feel’
the very fibers in
my being crying out
rest…
rest…
rest…

I gathered myself ‘enough’
to recognize the
stumbling in
my mind

the sounds, the noises, the
distractions—all the
vain lures wearing down,
perplexing my soul.

So hard I stumbled in my
mind until a silent
moment ‘engulfed’ the
toxicity of endless
superficial longings.

A tender swoosh of wind
ruffled my mane
and I could ‘see’ again
the road before me.

Upside Down

That is exactly
what you have done…

Will ‘anything’ ever be
right side up again?
This I doubt!

You pushed me ‘down’
into the soil…
replanted my B-ing—

In the darkness…
like a ‘weed’
I began to stretch,
trusting only
what you give me.

You said, “Trust me.”
I let go of my ideas
and found myself breaking
through the crust of
the earth.

Bathed in your sun…
Nourished by the rains…
Frozen by winter’s blast…
Reborn in the chaos of
Spring’s re-creation…

I grow—freely…
simply ‘within’ the gift of your
handiwork.

A weed—indeed.
Spreading across
a wild, daunting
scape of land
stretching for endless miles

seen only by those
whose hearts
lie open.

Those willing to
walk a path without
the need for accolades,
recognition, prestige—

Those saying,
“I need less and less and less—
nothing more.”

The garden filled
with plenty—
Why tarry in a
false field of
bouquets that
do not last.

The Veil

It’s gone—
it’s been torn in two.

Stop trying to mend
or stitch it back together.

Don’t attempt
to suspend it.

Down, down…its been removed.
Look, look at your naked self.
Remove the veil—
it can be ‘seen’ through anyway.

The only one not ‘seeing’
is YOU…

You see in others
the you that you pretend you’re not.

The veil’s gone—
see your shadows…
try making friends.

You may even start holding hands.

Confession

I’ve disappointed many
persons in my lifetime…
I’m certain I’ll
disappoint a few more.

NOT by conscious choice—
certainly not
…in fact, my entire being
has held the weight of
the voices letting me know
or not know by silencing
themselves from my world.

For those moments
I ask forgiveness—it was
all I had left.

Beaten—not by anyone else
BUT by me…I cried
and the Source of Life
pulled me to a place where
ONLY “we” were together.

Without words
I was held—
realizing “I” was allowing
the disappointments to erase
my goodness.

Is this a confession?
Hell, yes…
I vanished downward AND
found me—
found the me who is, was, and
always will BE—a creation
that moves, breathes and in my
lack of perfection, I
know NOW how to rise.

I don’t want what has
been to go away—
Still, I do not wish
to be seeped in it.

Like a burning flame—
The fire in my heart…
warm and tender.

I’ll share my embers from
time to time.
But, right now—
Yes, in this moment…
I sit ‘ALONE’—
Yet, NOT by myself, but
in this impregnable warmth.

Purpose

In a quiet room
she sits beside
her mother—
the last breath
shatters the silence
and she holds the
hand that once
held hers.

A man touches a
soft cloth to
his Beloved’s forehead.
Sixty-six years of
wedded bliss…
his wrinkled chin
touches her cheek.
He remembers their first
“I do” and cannot
imagine being anywhere
else in this moment.

A child
crippled from birth—
the parents take turns
and often work together
caring for their
‘seedling.’
The young one lets out
an utterance that no one
understands.
Still, the couple
embraces for they ‘hear’
the words.

Purpose…
You ask your purpose in life?
So many ‘seek’ to make
their mark…
To write their stories on the
pages of History…
To leave their works in
prestigious galleries…
To build their bank accounts
while never learning to breathe.

Find your purpose…
search your heart.
May you discover
it has ONLY been to Love.

(Dedicated to Mikey 1917-2005)