in order to contain the day
this day, the only day we have
build it carefully around each breath
each heartbeat each blink of the eye
the respiratory exchange the cadenced pulse
the pupillary response to light
these indicatory of physical life the structured body
the corporeal manifest all for naught
unless we construct with intent
know where we begin and end
always always let both these be
compassion and wisdom
resounds the hue and cry, the clamor of it all
noise and spectacle overwhelm, and now the digital rise
always the way of things, that
distractions pull our scattered attention
a startled creature skittering without direction
but here a place to rest your mind
the refuge of the present moment
see without being a seer
hear without having to listen
feel without owning a body
relax and do not be afraid
the web of vast interconnection holds you
in your letting go find
nothing lost but all gained
(With thanks to Richard M )
a shadow passing over the moon
one cast by radiance from the sun
the shining joy of constant regard
and each orb’s glow is ever seen
as night follows day and back again
what we know is not obscured
sorrow not to be eschewed
treasure it as reminder
remember always remember love
in one vibrating string hear every song you’ve ever heard
a first tune softly hummed before you were born
cryptic whimsy chanted when children play
a deepening dip and soar as love makes its trek through time
dolorous somber tones marking the shock of loss and death
a wavering catch and wail for any lonesome season
the unaccompanied steady beat beat beat
when your heart fills the silent hour
these all forever there-heard or not, it does not matter
in the movement of that singular string, you can sit within each moment
within that stillness that underlies
every shaping sound, each noting measure
and do nothing then but rest
what do we breathe like water
gulp down like air
plunging through catchless sky and seamless waves
tossed without ceasing by riptides and wind
each day each moment brings its own weather
each morning we begin again
learn to ride the hidden currents
learn not to throw ourselves against the clouds
or not, and arrive at night
drenched and bruised by endless falls
the silence of the moon refused my dreams
letting them fall useless back to ground
shattering unheard like junkyard glass, like ramshackle dreams,
like a haggard heart battered by weary patience
so finally I slept, thus unburdened by heavy want
and awoke to step with lighter mien
the day now met as just it was, not as something it should be
what purpose these words, except to me
and even then they seem foolish
of less use than the gravel on the road
those broken grits that cause the unwary to slip
I fall so often and so hard
best heed not anything I write
since ignorance must be my walking stick
and confusion my current path
this body this flesh these bones
heavy with suffering carried
sink deeper into the dirt
wrapped with chains of attachment
let go let go
remember the lightness of a feather
that drifts onto an open hand
the love that lifts the heart to soar
winged like a plumate bird
let go let go
you’ve died you’ve flown
now be at ease relax rest
in the infinite expanse of your spacious mind
when you are lost, so easy to be these days
remember what brings you home
gray clouds recall dark waves of the sea
both echo in the rushing creeks and slower rivers
a handful of dirt is grit from your own bare feet
a smudge from the cheek of a beloved child
dust from a house that makes you feel safe
despair is easy, just too is hope
both practiced habits we daily foster
be kind to yourself thus to others
come back, come back, always return
I have walked this land countless times
the scape ever changing but the view remains
swampy earth that sucked at my childhood feet
become rockier hillsides with steep incline
now as then I am companioned by pain
this most faithful of teachers by my side
one day finally to be needed no more
when I sit upon the groundless ground
and relax into the boundless sky