POETRY
BEYOND THE CRUCIBLE
From the limitless, unformed realm of possibility
comes the dream of a Being.
A binary being in a non-binary universe,
its very survival dependent on choice.
its fluid, dancing energy contained,
responding only yes or no to its world,
or else.
The act of choosing rightly rewarded
with protection, comfort, and strength.
The act of choosing wrongly punished
with insecurity, pain, and impotence.
Choices with consequences,
creating identities, beliefs to navigate danger.
Becoming a yes or no thinker,
right or wrong doer,
molded by worry and concern.
The mold removed, the shape persists,
identity solidified, a product.
Yet a fluid dancing core of energy endures,
waiting, seeking to be noticed.
To be welcomed and kindled
by the curiosity and delight of strangers.
Simply felt, embraced, and allowed to move,
it dances freely once again.
Reminded of its origin, before the dream,
within the infinite and almighty,
no longer a product,
liberated from the form,
life begins to flow again,
endlessly becoming,
marveling at each gift,
appreciating the binary crucible.
BROTHERHOOD
Within a sunlit mountain valley we stand together
among the forest of giants
Crowns reaching upward, side branches interweaving,
welcoming the same light.
Waves of air caress us and rock us against one another,
harmonizing our breathing.
Intertwining, our roots penetrate deeply into the earth,
creeping around and through it all,
To seek nourishment from the dead and disintegrated,
while sipping the vital waters.
Offering back to life everything received,
we flourish and are blessed.
Within a sunlit mountain valley we stand together
among the forest of giants
Crowns reaching upward, side branches interweaving,
welcoming the same light.
Waves of air caress us and rock us against one another,
harmonizing our breathing.
Intertwining, our roots penetrate deeply into the earth,
creeping around and through it all,
To seek nourishment from the dead and disintegrated,
while sipping the vital waters.
Offering back to life everything received,
we flourish and are blessed.
BALLERINA
A fallen ballerina lies before me, stiff, with unseeing eyes.
No more workouts to endure.
No more motions to perfect.
A final performance forever unseen.
Yet her present role is played with flawless ease,
Subtle and mysterious, lighter than light,
Leading me to a place where I, too, am suspended,
Observing another dance, the same as the last.
A fallen ballerina lies before me, stiff, with unseeing eyes.
No more workouts to endure.
No more motions to perfect.
A final performance forever unseen.
Yet her present role is played with flawless ease,
Subtle and mysterious, lighter than light,
Leading me to a place where I, too, am suspended,
Observing another dance, the same as the last.
CAMPING
Sitting here
Peacefully observing dusk turn to night,
Delighting in its sounds and smells.
Soft cool breezes blowing westward,
Arched branches of ancient trees
Weaving webs before a dim lit sky.
An owl hoots across the gorge,
Without answer.
The night is so vast, so mysterious.
Each star is incomprehensible.
Sitting here
Peacefully observing dusk turn to night,
Delighting in its sounds and smells.
Soft cool breezes blowing westward,
Arched branches of ancient trees
Weaving webs before a dim lit sky.
An owl hoots across the gorge,
Without answer.
The night is so vast, so mysterious.
Each star is incomprehensible.
COMPANIONSHIP
Something deep inside of me, yearning for release,
Is waiting for a listener, so set your mind on peace.
Suspend all want to judge, evaluate, compare;
Just be here with me now; entrust me in your care.
Observe without intrusions, eliminate distractions.
The truth is all that matters, not standard interactions.
Kindly curiosity, with soft attentiveness,
Allows my search inside to sense what I suppress.
Whatever is revealed, may it be warmly greeted;
Like an honored guest, who never is mistreated.
Help me to let go and trust the inner guide,
Providing full acceptance to what is found inside.
Hold me in your heart, no matter what I feel;
The magic of companionship empowers me to heal.
Something deep inside of me, yearning for release,
Is waiting for a listener, so set your mind on peace.
Suspend all want to judge, evaluate, compare;
Just be here with me now; entrust me in your care.
Observe without intrusions, eliminate distractions.
The truth is all that matters, not standard interactions.
Kindly curiosity, with soft attentiveness,
Allows my search inside to sense what I suppress.
Whatever is revealed, may it be warmly greeted;
Like an honored guest, who never is mistreated.
Help me to let go and trust the inner guide,
Providing full acceptance to what is found inside.
Hold me in your heart, no matter what I feel;
The magic of companionship empowers me to heal.
CONFUSION
A time there is,
a time there was, a time there will be,
When today is yesterday and tomorrow is today.
Look ahead. Look behind.
The moment radiates all.
Eyes see, lips speak,
The mind spins its frenetic dance of desire
For elusive heights, secret cravings.
Love sleeps till disturbed by grief.
Souls divided become torn back together,
Bonded together, hope anew.
A time there is,
a time there was, a time there will be,
When today is yesterday and tomorrow is today.
Look ahead. Look behind.
The moment radiates all.
Eyes see, lips speak,
The mind spins its frenetic dance of desire
For elusive heights, secret cravings.
Love sleeps till disturbed by grief.
Souls divided become torn back together,
Bonded together, hope anew.
DOORWAYS
While reading your words I sense a door open behind me.
I turn to look, expecting to see your face,
But all that appears is your hand beckoning me through.
My breathing shallows as my chest tightens.
Do I dare be as bold as you? That door is not for me.
The next moment finds me on the threshold of a void,
Once again preparing to jump, seemingly for the first time.
Holding onto your hand, trusting your support, I leap.
Moments later, faced by the wonders of the deep,
I realize the hand I am clenching is my own.
Swaddled by the waters, I sense I cannot breathe.
Seeking the surface, I push upward until,
Breaking through the surface I celebrate the air
And the familiar sounds and smells of my world.
Droplets falling from my skin and hair serving as reminders
Of the other realm, until your words beckon once again,
And another door appears.
While reading your words I sense a door open behind me.
I turn to look, expecting to see your face,
But all that appears is your hand beckoning me through.
My breathing shallows as my chest tightens.
Do I dare be as bold as you? That door is not for me.
The next moment finds me on the threshold of a void,
Once again preparing to jump, seemingly for the first time.
Holding onto your hand, trusting your support, I leap.
Moments later, faced by the wonders of the deep,
I realize the hand I am clenching is my own.
Swaddled by the waters, I sense I cannot breathe.
Seeking the surface, I push upward until,
Breaking through the surface I celebrate the air
And the familiar sounds and smells of my world.
Droplets falling from my skin and hair serving as reminders
Of the other realm, until your words beckon once again,
And another door appears.
DREAM
“Which hat would you like to try on?”
asks the familiar voice.
Stepping over to the rack, I choose one rounded and tall.
As the hat crowns my head,
my body launches like a rocket.
Fiercely accelerating skyward, my next view is downward.
In view are all the very small things I have left behind.
As my form evaporates into the energy of being,
I awaken and roll onto my other side.
Opening my eyes, I am safety in bed.
But my body feels electrified.
I drift back inward, pursuing the experience
Only to be greeted by a host of ghostly glowing forms,
Cavorting and dancing through a black void.
“Which hat would you like to try on?”
asks the familiar voice.
Stepping over to the rack, I choose one rounded and tall.
As the hat crowns my head,
my body launches like a rocket.
Fiercely accelerating skyward, my next view is downward.
In view are all the very small things I have left behind.
As my form evaporates into the energy of being,
I awaken and roll onto my other side.
Opening my eyes, I am safety in bed.
But my body feels electrified.
I drift back inward, pursuing the experience
Only to be greeted by a host of ghostly glowing forms,
Cavorting and dancing through a black void.
FAITH
I did not expect to attempt this dance.
Not much about it interests me.
Yet life always has a different plan
Than the one I imagine for myself.
So I give myself over to the choreography
And dance the unfamiliar steps again and again,
often feeling unsure, foolish, or inept,
Until one day, the movements flowing with ease,
I realize the dance had been created
Just for me.
I did not expect to attempt this dance.
Not much about it interests me.
Yet life always has a different plan
Than the one I imagine for myself.
So I give myself over to the choreography
And dance the unfamiliar steps again and again,
often feeling unsure, foolish, or inept,
Until one day, the movements flowing with ease,
I realize the dance had been created
Just for me.
FALSE SECURITY
Distances drawn between us are all lies.
Nothing holds us apart except fears,
Those we clutch to keep us safe
From the hurt of being ignored,
From the agony of being rejected,
From the shame of being criticized,
From the loneliness of being abandoned,
From the heartbreak of being ridiculed,
From the terror of being abused,
From the horror of being witness to brutality,
From the despair of being useless,
From the confusion of being tricked.
Imagine what it would be like -
To strip off our burdensome armor,
And reclaim the innocence of children,
Open hearted, fully alive once again.
Distances drawn between us are all lies.
Nothing holds us apart except fears,
Those we clutch to keep us safe
From the hurt of being ignored,
From the agony of being rejected,
From the shame of being criticized,
From the loneliness of being abandoned,
From the heartbreak of being ridiculed,
From the terror of being abused,
From the horror of being witness to brutality,
From the despair of being useless,
From the confusion of being tricked.
Imagine what it would be like -
To strip off our burdensome armor,
And reclaim the innocence of children,
Open hearted, fully alive once again.
GROWING DOWN
When I grow down, I want to lie on the grass
And watch the billowing clouds drift overhead,
Showing me once again that life is more about
Admiring a parade of ever changing faces
Than anticipating the next burst of angry weather.
When I grow down, I want to greet every living being
With an open heart, fully expecting them
To peek around their disguise and wink at me,
In celebration of being on the road together.
When I grow down, I want to lie on the grass
And watch the billowing clouds drift overhead,
Showing me once again that life is more about
Admiring a parade of ever changing faces
Than anticipating the next burst of angry weather.
When I grow down, I want to greet every living being
With an open heart, fully expecting them
To peek around their disguise and wink at me,
In celebration of being on the road together.
HUM
The steady hum of machinery pervades my space,
Subtle vibrations constantly interfering with silence,
Masking whispers of the sublime.
Turning the power off brings a welcome stillness
Which lasts for a seemingly long matter of minutes
Until the hum is replaced by thoughts, voices, memories,
And various other discomforts that interfere with silence,
Masking whispers of the sublime.
The steady hum of machinery pervades my space,
Subtle vibrations constantly interfering with silence,
Masking whispers of the sublime.
Turning the power off brings a welcome stillness
Which lasts for a seemingly long matter of minutes
Until the hum is replaced by thoughts, voices, memories,
And various other discomforts that interfere with silence,
Masking whispers of the sublime.
INTERFACE
It is a short walk from my house
To the meeting of rocky coast and sea.
Wave after wave relentlessly crashing against the fluid sands,
Changing the expression of the beach overnight,
The profile of the shoreline over years.
Rocks jut forth their rigid jaws,
Attempting to ignore the battering,
Pretending not to yield, they too transform with time.
Amid the dramatic turmoil between water and land
Life exists in greatest abundance,
Assurance that struggles, too, promote rather than destroy.
Daring me to accept them for what they are
Rather than worry where they may lead.
Hail to the storms which drive heavy seas!
The endless pounding at first competes with my concentration.
As I surrender my power to that of the battle,
I become aware of the inner stillness that begs for a voice,
A voice that can never be drowned out
By the thunderous noise.
I am experiencing the deafening silence
As life at the interface celebrates itself,
Recognizing the boundless potential for transformation,
Confident that the substance of its voice never ends.
It is a short walk from my house
To the meeting of rocky coast and sea.
Wave after wave relentlessly crashing against the fluid sands,
Changing the expression of the beach overnight,
The profile of the shoreline over years.
Rocks jut forth their rigid jaws,
Attempting to ignore the battering,
Pretending not to yield, they too transform with time.
Amid the dramatic turmoil between water and land
Life exists in greatest abundance,
Assurance that struggles, too, promote rather than destroy.
Daring me to accept them for what they are
Rather than worry where they may lead.
Hail to the storms which drive heavy seas!
The endless pounding at first competes with my concentration.
As I surrender my power to that of the battle,
I become aware of the inner stillness that begs for a voice,
A voice that can never be drowned out
By the thunderous noise.
I am experiencing the deafening silence
As life at the interface celebrates itself,
Recognizing the boundless potential for transformation,
Confident that the substance of its voice never ends.
INVITATION
The final notice is your invitation
To open doors previously barred.
By looking aside you will miss the eyes
Reflecting back your own,
Inviting you to embrace the heart
That awaits your step into darkness...
Just one courageous stride
Without the comfort or certainty
Of knowing what may rise up
To meet the tender sole of your foot,
Holding on only to the promise that
You will never be alone again.
The final notice is your invitation
To open doors previously barred.
By looking aside you will miss the eyes
Reflecting back your own,
Inviting you to embrace the heart
That awaits your step into darkness...
Just one courageous stride
Without the comfort or certainty
Of knowing what may rise up
To meet the tender sole of your foot,
Holding on only to the promise that
You will never be alone again.
JUST A BULLET
Speeding 900 feet per second,
The bullet pauses not,
Nor turns to look back
At its pressured birth,
Rudely accelerated
From dark to light
Through a steel tunnel.
Seeking only
One target,
One direction,
One purpose;
A body in its path
Penetrated without alternative,
Destroyed flesh and bone
Simply reflecting spent energy,
The bullet dying at wakes end,
Never given the right
To be anything but a projectile,
To question,
To choose,
To say no.
Speeding 900 feet per second,
The bullet pauses not,
Nor turns to look back
At its pressured birth,
Rudely accelerated
From dark to light
Through a steel tunnel.
Seeking only
One target,
One direction,
One purpose;
A body in its path
Penetrated without alternative,
Destroyed flesh and bone
Simply reflecting spent energy,
The bullet dying at wakes end,
Never given the right
To be anything but a projectile,
To question,
To choose,
To say no.
LISTENING
I strain to hear the voice of my fallen lover,
Only to be distracted
By the silence of a million souls.
A powerful chorus of knowing energy envelops me
And carries me homeward,
Content with deafness.
I strain to hear the voice of my fallen lover,
Only to be distracted
By the silence of a million souls.
A powerful chorus of knowing energy envelops me
And carries me homeward,
Content with deafness.
LOVE SONG
Such a beautiful melody,
Fingers tenderly plucking strings
With aimless precision,
That pure voice warbling
The love song to your soul.
Suddenly those fingers are caressing
My flesh, playing with my hair,
Dissolving me into the music,
Two lovers,
One song.
Such a beautiful melody,
Fingers tenderly plucking strings
With aimless precision,
That pure voice warbling
The love song to your soul.
Suddenly those fingers are caressing
My flesh, playing with my hair,
Dissolving me into the music,
Two lovers,
One song.
MORTAL PAIN
The knife stood buried in its sheath,
Out of sight.
Clueless of the details of its next mission.
Just moments before
It had been handled and admired
Grasped by the young man to ease his fear,
The sharp tip prepared as always
To cut to the heart,
To deliver a message of anger
screaming for release.
Two seconds are all it would take
To choose a target.
Two seconds more
To accept the challenge,
And only two final seconds
To complete the mission.
Two decades are all it would take
To pay the penalty,
And most of a lifetime
To learn the lesson
Of listening,
Of humility,
Of letting go.
The knife stood buried in its sheath,
Out of sight.
Clueless of the details of its next mission.
Just moments before
It had been handled and admired
Grasped by the young man to ease his fear,
The sharp tip prepared as always
To cut to the heart,
To deliver a message of anger
screaming for release.
Two seconds are all it would take
To choose a target.
Two seconds more
To accept the challenge,
And only two final seconds
To complete the mission.
Two decades are all it would take
To pay the penalty,
And most of a lifetime
To learn the lesson
Of listening,
Of humility,
Of letting go.
NEWBORN SON
Newborn child, so sweet and mild
How do you come our way?
With tears and fears, or hopeful gaze,
You brighten up our day.
Your mother’s might has brought you light,
A shock it has to be,
From inner deep now start to creep
Toward breasts your barely see.
This is the day, we’ll always say,
You blessed us with that face,
All wrinkled there and not much hair,
But eyes that showered grace.
O little one, it will be fun
To watch you sleep away,
For rest we need to take the lead
On your next waking day.
Newborn child, so sweet and mild
How do you come our way?
With tears and fears, or hopeful gaze,
You brighten up our day.
Your mother’s might has brought you light,
A shock it has to be,
From inner deep now start to creep
Toward breasts your barely see.
This is the day, we’ll always say,
You blessed us with that face,
All wrinkled there and not much hair,
But eyes that showered grace.
O little one, it will be fun
To watch you sleep away,
For rest we need to take the lead
On your next waking day.
POWERFUL OPPOSITES
I am not here to defeat anyone.
But to surrender the self that grasps onto fear.
The fear of being seen as simply human,
Both sensitive and durable, yielding yet courageous,
Powerfully vulnerable.
I am not here to judge anyone,
But to welcome opposing extremes,
The extremes that living life exposes,
Positive and negative, everything yet nothing,
Endlessly beginning.
I am not here to merely survive,
But to embrace it all,
All that is one with the Light,
Colorful and colorless, visible yet invisible,
Universally nowhere.
I am not here to defeat anyone.
But to surrender the self that grasps onto fear.
The fear of being seen as simply human,
Both sensitive and durable, yielding yet courageous,
Powerfully vulnerable.
I am not here to judge anyone,
But to welcome opposing extremes,
The extremes that living life exposes,
Positive and negative, everything yet nothing,
Endlessly beginning.
I am not here to merely survive,
But to embrace it all,
All that is one with the Light,
Colorful and colorless, visible yet invisible,
Universally nowhere.
REALITY
My words can never express
What is real, what happens
As I speak from my heart.
The real lies somewhere
Within the center of the telling,
A potential space
Between opposing emotions
In the midst of contradictory thinking,
Where giving and receiving merge while
The mind empties and the heart fills, Endlessly.
A point where thought defers to wisdom
And nothing has meaning
Except love and gratitude.
My words can never express
What is real, what happens
As I speak from my heart.
The real lies somewhere
Within the center of the telling,
A potential space
Between opposing emotions
In the midst of contradictory thinking,
Where giving and receiving merge while
The mind empties and the heart fills, Endlessly.
A point where thought defers to wisdom
And nothing has meaning
Except love and gratitude.
REVELATION
Explanations and directions
are no longer enough.
Let the cloak of past perceptions
drop away.
A hundred thousand candles
cannot illuminate
the recesses of a heart
shriveled by fear.
Let in the stillness of the moment,
embracing it all.
Revelation will follow
and will guide you Home.
Explanations and directions
are no longer enough.
Let the cloak of past perceptions
drop away.
A hundred thousand candles
cannot illuminate
the recesses of a heart
shriveled by fear.
Let in the stillness of the moment,
embracing it all.
Revelation will follow
and will guide you Home.
ROCKY CREEK
I want you to join me in the creek
Below the ridge where the icy waters
Tumble and swirl along toward the sea.
To feel the cool valley air beneath the redwoods
Where being small connects us with
The expanse of mysterious life around and above.
To lie on a bed of aged moss and sense
The stillness beyond the sounds of
Sliding water tumbling over stones.
To strip away our insulating garments
And challenge each other to collapse into
The dark shallow swirling pool.
To experience initiation and renewal
As the shock of cold water rises headward,
A reminder of what it feels to be alive, now.
I want you to join me in the creek
Below the ridge where the icy waters
Tumble and swirl along toward the sea.
To feel the cool valley air beneath the redwoods
Where being small connects us with
The expanse of mysterious life around and above.
To lie on a bed of aged moss and sense
The stillness beyond the sounds of
Sliding water tumbling over stones.
To strip away our insulating garments
And challenge each other to collapse into
The dark shallow swirling pool.
To experience initiation and renewal
As the shock of cold water rises headward,
A reminder of what it feels to be alive, now.
SHARING
Suffering alone, love unseen.
Meeting darkness, sharing death,
Uncovering joy, together.
Suffering alone, love unseen.
Meeting darkness, sharing death,
Uncovering joy, together.
THE PUZZLE OF DEATH
Like the mystery of approaching footsteps
I try to sense the puzzle of death,
Of life so ruthlessly interrupted,
Of the finality of not being granted
A second chance.
My mind scans for the familiar replies,
Only to conclude there are no answers.
But the questions never cease to surface,
Breaking the peace of the unknowable,
Shifting the attention once again back to me,
The observer who wants to be certain of something.
The act of dying must be an illusion.
Reveal something to me I can understand.
Like the mystery of approaching footsteps
I try to sense the puzzle of death,
Of life so ruthlessly interrupted,
Of the finality of not being granted
A second chance.
My mind scans for the familiar replies,
Only to conclude there are no answers.
But the questions never cease to surface,
Breaking the peace of the unknowable,
Shifting the attention once again back to me,
The observer who wants to be certain of something.
The act of dying must be an illusion.
Reveal something to me I can understand.
WHOSE LIFE
Whose life are you living this moment?
Can you call it your own?
Or does it seem to vaguely resemble
An exercise adopted long ago
To justify your self?
Recordings that seem like the real you.
But who are you, anyway?
Whose life are you living this moment?
Can you call it your own?
Or does it seem to vaguely resemble
An exercise adopted long ago
To justify your self?
Recordings that seem like the real you.
But who are you, anyway?
WITNESS
Stand here now and share from
The space that only you can occupy.
Unconditionally accepting, I can
Marvel at your radiance and beauty,
No matter how you feel,
No matter what you say.
Acknowledging love, embracing humility,
Shades of darkness become variations of brilliance.
Blinded in the ecstasy of this epiphany.
Eyes reopen in a garden long forgotten.
Stand here now and share from
The space that only you can occupy.
Unconditionally accepting, I can
Marvel at your radiance and beauty,
No matter how you feel,
No matter what you say.
Acknowledging love, embracing humility,
Shades of darkness become variations of brilliance.
Blinded in the ecstasy of this epiphany.
Eyes reopen in a garden long forgotten.