The Tree that was

 

The great Palm tree 

that stood so 

straight and tall,

no more exists!

They cut it down 

and broke it up

and hauled it all away

 

As if that wasn’t quite 

enough they came back 

another day to hack 

away at it’s strong roots 

whose job it was to 

to nourish and support 

 

No matter now, 

the tree is gone

no need for any roots.

 Hack away and hack some more

It’s not so easy getting roots, 

not as easy as the tree

 

Roots say, “I'm 

connected to this ground 

I’ve intertwined a lot

going deeper than 

you'll ever know 

so you won't be able

to get all of me,

only that which you can see"

 

  ~ 1981 ~

 

 

A Cucumber Plant

 

Today I planted a cucumber seed, 

first time for me you see

This earth is clay and not so soft

I dug and moistened it

There was some space now

for it to grow

 

Another day I looked around,

spotted something breaking 

through the ground 

Looking closer I could see the 

first of two soft wrinkled leaves

cracking through this hardened soil

 

Pushing up and up, 

because they knew they must. 

I know how hard it must have been

to crack this solid earth 

in a strong desire to grow,

and then expose itself

to an unknown place

in an unknown world 

at a very slow pace

 

I marveled and I stared,

related well I did,

Eyes teared up

‘cause something knew

I wasn't different

from these leaves

 As I pierced through 

my hardened shell

because I knew I must, to grow 

and then expose myself

to an unknown place

in my internal world

at a very slow pace

 

 ~ 1982 ~

 

 

Just Be

 

Slow down and look at the butterflies

Slow down and watch the bees

Life wasn't meant to scurry around

And not even look at the trees

 

Take time to BE and not just exist

This is what God says to me

I cannot hear unless I slow down

or it all gets lost in the wind

 

Where am I going and where have I been?

I can chitter and chatter all day

But what of this moment in time that we share?

Can we take time just to Be, you and me?

 

~ 1990 ~

 

 

This Everlasting Mystery

 

Wanting so much

to share what has 

really happened today

Here in the garden 

of my delight

in the earliest of daylight

 

A flower blooms 

beneath my feet 

giving me a special treat.

To look in awe and 

wonderment of what 

I almost didn't see

As I walked 

beneath a tree.

 

If I always fail to look around

when I'm up and off the ground

I'll never ever see 

that everlasting mystery

that's always present 

don't you see...?

and I can capture 

it for free!

 

 ~ 1995 ~

 

 

And Now I Sing

 

I've turned my page and now I'm here

Trying hard to conquer fear

I want to scream, I want to play

but where's my voice, it's gone away

Go find myself so I can shout

and tell the world what I'm about

 

Come now I say, get up today

No, no I can't, I'm too afraid,

Patiently wait for God to come

and show me a way

to get myself up off the ground 

and stop just running round and round

 

Rise up and fly and hear and see

Step out and feel the ocean breeze

and point your eyes up toward the sky

just go and do it...don't ask why

Express yourself out to the world

let all the might in you unfurl

 

I crept and crawled and now I stand

Looking out across this land

My legs are weak, but I am strong

It feels so right, it can't be wrong

I rise and jump and try my wings

I've found my voice and now I sing

 

~ 1999 ~

 

 

Awakening  

 (a 10 minute poem assignment) 

 

Not long ago I was walking through fire

With flames all around me getting higher and higher

My whole body just burned with desire

to rise in the air going higher and higher

Where the wind and the rain would put out the flames

And I could float back to earth feeling peace not afire

 

My dream has come true, I feel not the flames

But a sense of contentment which was always my aim

I can walk, I can run and have fun in the sun

Go here and go there and go anywhere 

I can live in my skin without any despair

Now that I’m free of the flames in my hair

I can climb up high mountains or I can swim low

Now I have confidence wherever I go

 

 ~ September 2002 ~

 

  Silent Message

 

She's awfully pretty

Sitting across from me on the veranda

A warm comfortable evening

Sipping beverages

Her shimmering blue eyes shining at me

Her smile genuine, alive

 

I ramble on using all the words I can think of

About work, travel, school

Her verbal responses, minimal at best.

Now her gaze is steady

Face glowing in a prolonged moment

 

I marvel at the beauty of her eyes

as she waits for my response

Looking up, I pretend a thought

hoping she won't notice

I'm frightened by her question

 

She speaks a forgotten language

I’ve not spoken for eons

Rusty though I am, 

I blurt out my response

“You're awfully pretty”

 

But she cannot hear me

The evening is over 

I’m by myself

I waited too long to reply

 

~ September 2005 ~

 

 

Sara’s Song

The girl I play “castle” 

and dolls with

likes the funny faces I make

When she dresses up 

like a princess 

and puts on a crown

I'm moved more 

then words can express

 

I love every part 

of your dear little heart

From your head to your toes 

and back up to your nose

You certainly are

my special little girl

 

And when we’re apart 

you'll always be treasured 

and near and dear to my heart

 

Grammy  ~ 2007

 

 

I Have What I Want

 

My life yesterday was unconscious

The things I had were not enough

I had not attained what others had

I wanted more for myself

 

My life today is a conscious one

The things I have are enough

I want what I have

and I have what I want 

 

~ 2008 ~

 

 

Dying Ego

 

Ladder slips

crash landing

emergency room

broken back and shoulder

 

Old life ends

new life begins

acceptance, fear

grief, mourning

 

Trusting a different path

awaiting beginnings

greeting the dawn

of the unknown

 

Feeling the power

of the Universe birthing me,

sisters and brothers

animals, fish and birds

 

Together united

connected are we

guided by a magnificent

mighty power

 

Ego is dying

no longer in charge

Spirit is flowing

where ego once was

 

~ May 2009 ~

 

 

This Moment

Not needing to please

No need to impress

Simply to be

Just to be me

 

My friend is the Spirit

I am the Beloved

I long to be with IT

IT comes from above

 

Always remember  

come back to this place

which is present right here 

and puts a smile on my face

 

This moment is all 

that ever really exists

 A comfortable wonderful 

space of delight

 

Mind empties out,

All thoughts take a bow

Leaving me a pure

 joy of existence 

in the presence of Now

 

~ 2009 ~

 

 

Enough

 

Withholding judgments

Not speaking thoughts

Not trying to impress

Not needing to share my story

 

Feeling safe in my being

Knowing within

I am loving and kind

I am happy

 This is enough

 

 ~ 2010 ~

 

 

Sitting in Joy

 

Sunny moments

at the kitchen table

mindfully eating omelet

Being present

feeling content

thankful

Spirit singing

Peace

 

~2010 ~

 

 

Springtime Snow

 

Rhodies in bloom

at Hendrick's Park

beauty surrounding

fog rolling in

under a darkening sky

splash on the windshield

 

Tiny hail dancing in the street

among blooming cherry trees

with snowflakes falling

blown by the wind

on flowers and trees

whether blooming or not

in a brief midwinter snowstorm

on a Spring day in March

 

 ~ 2010 ~

 

 

 Life's Lessons

 

 I can't be funny, but 

I learned how to maintain good health.

I love to dance and I love to sing

I'm happy being able to see

each person's Essence

behind barriers they may put up

caring how others feel

 and what their needs are 

listening without judgement

 when someone speaks

giving from my heart

without any measure

loving from my Soul

and arriving at joy

with contentment, peace 

and tranquility

 

Most important lessons include

ceasing judging and criticizing

detaching from everything

switching problems to challenges

living in the present moments

giving up hopes, dreams,

anticipations and expectations

 

Biggest gifts come from 

people I don’t like much and

accepting what is here Now

Personal suffering ends.

These are the gifts I received 

thus far in this wonderful

School of Life

 

~ Dec. 2010 ~

 

 

Moving Day…."The Shift"

(a metaphorical house / an internal shift)

 

The rooms in my solid house

had a wonderful egoistical flavor

The letters EGO hung over my front door

 

 Just inside was my angry, fighting room 

where lots of destruction and injury took place

Across from it was the judgmental, negative attitude room

which was somewhat smaller, but not by much

 Off to the side in the back was the distant, isolation room

Where most of my time was spent hiding

Upstairs were the perfection, control and fix-it rooms

I liked it up there; I felt lots of power.

 The attic was the most cluttered

I called it my selfish room

Up there was a bunch of emotional unavailability,

rigidity, pretense and intensity of an unconscious nature

 

 Then down in the basement where I rarely went 

two dusty old boxes were stored on the shelf

I'd kept them with me ever since I was young

In fact so long I'd forgotten about them

This day I looked at them more closely

One labeled Vulnerability, the other labeled Trust

Hesitantly peering inside 

I recognized my precious lost friends.

Embracing them both right here on this spot

they flooded my Being and grabbed at my thoughts

 

 The way I'd been living began to crumble

I immediately felt my house swaying then rumbling

I held on to my boxes and ran out just in time

to see my once rugged strong house 

fall flat to the ground

 

***

 

 “Excuse me Ma’am, I need your help

My world's crumbling around me

I’m downright scared...no terrified,

You see my once strong sturdy house 

has suddenly crumbled; fell flat to the ground.

It was built for a lifetime, lived in it for ages.”

Please let me come in I’ve nowhere to go

Your house is not as big or as strong,

but it’s still standing and mine is all gone

 

Why, your windows are crooked 

and your floors are so old,

yet I feel warmth freely flowing, 

which feels so inviting.

I’d never felt warmth in my house like this

You love it here don’t you, I can sense that you do

 

“Yes”, she said with a smile on her lips

“Come I will show you around if you wish.” 

 Here in this room I call sweet disposition.

people gather, hug and share recognition

Over there is my nurturance and intimacy room

In it we share empathy, forgiveness 

and often do soul work 

Then this room here is called acceptance

where we feel belonging,

 closeness and lots of affection

 

 Out there is the room I like to call play

where we do fun things, with humor and spontaneity

Far out in that corner, the creativity room

In there is self-expression, challenge and discovery

 Upstairs we have the security room

where support, understanding and compassion abounds

 

And over here is the autonomy room

where we make choices and speak out our mind

 “Let us go to the attic, nothing’s up there right now,

so you can put down your boxes if you’d like,

It's your room now, open them whenever you want”

 “No, no I’m afraid. When I opened them last time

my whole house collapsed!”

 

 She said, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish

I think you will find this house quite a treat.”

After she finished showing me ‘round

I looked at my new room and settled right down

 

Nothing happened as I opened my boxes

I put them near me on a small shelf

How did I get to such a wonderfully safe place?

I asked this of my once terrified self

then knew immediately this was my real home

 

When I remembered my house that collapsed

I realized I had fear like a scared little cat

But then I trusted, knocked on a strange door,

became vulnerable as never before

 Begging for help I was surprised and let in

 

Lucky am I to have found so much courage

or I'd never have made it to this beautiful home

 I'd still be afraid of this and of that

But grateful am I to have lost my old house,

because now I feel safe

 to further explore 

what's here in this place

which has become my new Home

 

 ~  2011 ~

 

 

Amazing Lilacs

 

I saw your beauty,

loved your fragrance,

wanted you to grace my home.

Your many blooms gave me pleasure

with beautiful color and tiny petals

providing me a pleasant sight

 

I ripped you from your graceful place,

no thought of you my sweetest blooms

your death did not compute with me

until I got you home

 

Now I must apologize

for ending your sacred life

the one you had on your parent bush

taking in the sun and rain, 

swaying softly in the breeze

waving and nodding to all your friends

 

Now you only have two sisters

with whom you’ll slowly die

with only water to nourish you

in your last few days

 

I apologize for my carelessness

I feel the pain of what I've done

in an unconscious act 

within a brief moment when

I saw your beauty and took it

for my own selfish pleasure,

I'm truly very sorry

 

 ~ 2011 ~

 

 

Now

 

In a backyard 

with trees…lots of trees

and chirping birds,

a dog barks between 

guitar playing and singing

 

Through a gentle breeze

sun warms an upturned face

as leaves create shadows

on closed eyelids

A very distant train whistle 

signals the presence of NOW

 

~ 2011 ~

 

 

Life’s Cycle

 

Autumn brings new delights

for my senses to take in,

thoroughly connected,

blending into the 

cycle of life and death

 

Fresh crisp air,

gentle breezes,

trees surrounding me

as their “children” leaves

come loose from “mother” tree

that gave them life last spring.

 

Buds they once were,

unfolding into new life,

gradually growing

from light to deep green,

taking in the sunlight,

giving us oxygen to breathe

 Fading now in Fall,

dying to what they once were,

sailing earthbound

like a gentle rain

in full crimson colors

of red, gold and orange,

to their final resting place

for return to Mother earth

 

 I listen to the rustle,

my life turning crimson,

fading into my Fall

My beauty shines

as my love and deeds

pour forth for others

less fortunate,

while I await my final

fall and return 

to Mother earth

 

  ~ 2012 ~

 

 

Love

 

Empty of food, 

my belly sends signals 

empty of thoughts, 

peace enters the space

welcoming the Now

 

Twilight slowly descends 

while birds call out 

their last good night trills

and the gentle breath of God

flows over my prone body

 

In grateful silence,

serene within

an unguarded moment

brings a brief flood of tears 

erupting with the recognition 

of God’s presence

infusing my heart with Love 

 

 ~ 2012 ~

 

 

Stillpoint Within

 

 This festival day of

living many levels in chorus

healing more than ever thought

joy, gladness, pain and sorrow

coming in the space of a few moments

 

 Languages of Native peoples, 

Grandmothers and ancient wisdom,

prayers and drums of forgotten cultures

drawing deep memories and emotions

to the surface

 

 Being  with everyone

living this moment now

and that moment next

a blue heron, a flute, a flute player

entering my soul unexpectedly

knowing we are all One

loving together

 

Wind and sky, clouds and birds

participating fully in my being

while a luminous half moon hangs

suspended midway over

detailed designs of 

Douglas fir treetops

against a sapphire blue sky

 

My mind is lost 

in the stillpoint of my soul

where quiet emotions pull

the beauty inside out

wetting my eyes with love

 

~ 2012 ~

 

 

Mountains Speak

 

What can you tell me mountains?

You soothe me, you heal me

What else can you tell me

that I don't already know

since you've been here for 

millions of years and 

I'm here for a tiny spell

 

Mountains dwarf me

trees surround me

animals are a part of me

rivers flow through me

I am vegetation and we

are all called Life

expressing out the beauty 

of our internal Love

 

I sit silently by

hearing the whispers of

all the secrets of the universe

and how we came to be

 

~ 2012 ~

 

 

Identity

 

I am female, 

yet male flows through me

I am strong, yet I am weak

I am courageous, yet I am afraid

I love females, yet I love males

I am patient

I am steadfast

I AM Spirit

 

 ~ 2012 ~

 

 

A Summer Rain

 

Out on my trailer porch,

the smell of forest rain

 gently sifts through my nostrils

while I quietly sit in one 

of my cozy chairs becoming lost 

in the trees in front of me

 

The sound of summer rain

lightly patters on my awning.

This water knows nothing of 

its great significance to life.

 

Feelings of awe and 

respect wash over me.

Water, trees and I are One.

Overcome with joy

at the mystery of it all,

from this Being suddenly erupts

warm water,

flooding my eyes with Love

 

  ~ August 2013 ~

 

 

 Kimmy

 

This blanket I have sewn for you

is woven out of love

the colors of a rainbow

bending over from above

 

 I also added something else 

along with special care 

a piece of gold so hidden

you may not even know is there

 

A mother’s love is oh so strong

once allowed to sing

It's swirling all around you Kim

even when you sleep

 

It’s in everything you ever drink,

and every book you read

When you’re near the ocean

my love is in the breeze

 

When you feel it raining

it's my kisses on your face

claiming your attention

for a very sweet embrace

 

My love is in the sunlight

as you lie upon the sand

giving you the comfort

of a mother's loving hand

 

You came to me my Kimberly

from a million swimming sperms

You won that great big final race

with all its twists and turns

 

 So give yourself a great big hug

and believe it came from me

wrapped in special packaging

and sent to you for freeI

 

Thank you oh so very much

for being in my world

My arms and hands enfold you

as if you were a child

 

You're always in a special place 

just resting in my heart 

I love you like a kitten 

I found lost out in the dark

 

  ~ 2013 ~

 

 

Winter Walk

 

These woods of mine delight me so

especially in the winter snow

The peace and quiet make me feel

that what’s within me is quite real

 

As I walk along my favorite trails

seeing tracks of deer toenails 

makes me know beyond a doubt

that others here take my same route

 

~  2014 ~

 

 

My Truth

 

 I have so much more than some folks

yet not as much as others

What does it matter in the long run

when everything is done?

 

I know the Truth of what I AM

and emptiness abounds

What I have is peace of mind

and clouds of joy around

 

Material things matter least

when compared to what’s inside,

for in there rests a peaceful Love

where only God resides

 

 ~ 2014 ~

 

 

The Rainstorm

 

A torrential downpour

pulls me out to my porch

It gathers speed and noise

Louder and louder, splashing

water on my trailer awning

Life giving water

quenching the thirst

of the great trees

 

Suddenly I am looking

up and into the 

tall Douglas firs

that are my backyard

Their mighty trunks

together standing 

with all their

outstretched branches

 

Torrents of water

on the way to the ground

form an engaging grey mist

hanging in and among

dark trunks and limbs

 

Overwhelmed by the beauty,

tears gushing from unknown

sources wetting my face,

so many tears, but I'm not sad

 

I look above me

The noise is deafening

The awning is stopping 

the water from drenching me

I am my awning

I am protecting me

and I feel loved

 

More water from inside

flowing over my cheeks

Mind wants to know why,

Spirit can’t explain

There are only tears

and feelings of Love

 

Looking back into the

steady haze of the trees

my gaze is held as a

feeling of Oneness enfolds me 

 

I am the chair opposite me 

I am the life giving rain,

the oh, so beautiful trees

There is nothing I am not

I am everything and I am loved

 

 ~ Sept. 2014 ~

 

 

 A Symphony of Raindrops

 

Walking in the forest

in a very light rain,

I come upon one of my

favorite spots.

 

Stopping for a while,

basking in the moment,

something about being here

intrigues me, something 

about the rain maybe

 

But I'm almost home

so I continue on.

Then Spirit calls me back

to sit and discover just

what was so captivating.

I return with my favorite 

chair to sit with my feet up

 

Listening quietly, 

I soon discover I am in the

middle of a symphony;

a symphony of raindrops

 landing on many

flat leaved low bushes

in front of me, behind and 

on each side of me,

creating a stereo effect.

 

Hundreds of droplets

landing with their own

unique sounds;

creating magnificence among

intermittent calls of a bird,

a water frog

and the faint drone

of a distant airplane.

Blessed am I...

 

~ 2016 ~

 

 

Connection Tears

 

Sinking thoroughly

into a vast and

unnamable consciousness

of everything powerfully 

flowing within this body

A sudden blissful 

eruption of ecstasy, 

triggers a flood 

of tears along with 

a soft chuckle of wonderment

 

 ~ 2016 ~ 

 

 

A Prayer to Nature

 

Oh, how I love thee

I’m engrossed in Your beauty

Embraced by Your love

Your voice is my voice

as Your silence engulfs me

ever so gently

 

 I'm touched by Your breezes,

  soothed by Your embrace

  joy erupts from within,

  as tears flow from without

  claiming this body as Yours

 

~ 2017 ~

 

 

 Basic Needs

 

I have everything now

food, water and my health is good

I have a working car, 

warmth and shelter too

What more is there?

Mind is empty with nothing to fear

I have all I need...I’m content

 

Being grateful and thankful

for being so free

Feeling warm, fed, and sheltered

I need only just BE

 

  ~ Sept. 2017 ~

 

 

     Ode to a Tree

 

     Oh Great Tree

    who’s just like me. Hear

     me how I love thee. Why am 

     I so much like you, feeling just like 

    you were me? The strength I see is in your 

    trunk, so hard and very strong, standing in a quiet 

   stillness. Leaves and branches sing their song to those 

who  hear,  sharing  beauty for those who see while giving

great  shelter for birds  and bees. So there you wait ... both  

day and night, through  every storm that comes along. All   

comes   from   deep   within   where  only  roots  exist

 You gather nourishment

  and send it up to every 

  single branch and leaf

 My roots are strong 

 and I'm standing tall

 nourished from deep 

  within, sharing beauty 

  and my song for those 

  who see and those who 

   hear. I offer comfort during 

  storms. I am also waiting here

 

~ 2017 ~

 

 

 Eternal Silence

 

Have you listened to snowflakes 

fall on a quiet wintery day 

or watched silent clouds float by

beneath a quiet moon and stars?

 

Have you noticed in the

 darkness, the stillness of the night 

as the enormous earth spins 

silently around a quiet sun?

 

 ’Tis silent Life that flows within 

and around us we can see

a very quiet beauty

in the silence of the trees 

while swiftly flowing rivers 

empty into to quiet seas

 

You cannot hear apples grow

or peaches ripening

Nor can you hear 

potatoes, beets and carrots 

growing in the ground 

 

You cannot hear a spider,

goldfish, worm or lizard

‘cause they don’t make a sound

 

Our hair and nails grow silently

as do growing bones

while most cuts and bruises 

heal quietly themselves

and our eyes in silent stillness 

can emit a quiet love

 

Life expresses all Her beauty

in a most soundless way

and when we know it’s possible

we can do our part

and BE Life’s quiet stillness 

within our own head and heart

 

~ 2017 ~

 

 

An Afternoon Walk

 

Down the forest path

from where I call home

I pick up a large bird feather

with tan and white stripes

 

Out on to the wet black road,

fir tree needles 

lie scattered where they fell

and creek waters sing

their symphony

 

Cloudy skies,

cool crisp air flowing 

in and out of my lungs

Passing clucking, scratching, 

happy chickens

 

On up the hill,

the joy of walking feet

A black caterpillar with  

a rust colored middle

crossing the road

"No I think, you are taking a big risk. 

Climb on to my feather please,"

 turning her in the 

opposite direction

 

Reversing my own direction,

a dog barks, birds chirp

The creek, which

sounded like a waterfall, 

fades into the distance

leaving sounds of footsteps,

breathing, and a heartbeat 

softly swishing in my ears

 

Tall Douglas firs

stand firm and steady 

Leaves clinging to their 

branches all swinging at once 

A distant airplane drones

as light rain drops fall

on leaves, dancing

to their own tune

 

Oh, a baby deer crossing

back to Mom and sibling

My loving look at first,

changes to a sideways 

glance as I pass close by

Motionless bodies,

gaze in silent stillness

at a human walking

 

Turning up my driveway

gravel crackling under feet,

Up and up the hill I walk

A car stops and a smiling

driver asks if I’d like a ride

Not a chance would I 

pass up this walk with 

Nature as my guide

 

 ~ Fall 2017 ~

 

 

Breath of God

 

An ease in living

how can this be?

Feeling so grateful

being so free

I flow like a river,

float like a cloud

I am merely a feather 

on the breath of God

 

  ~ 2018 ~

 

 

God Singing

 

God sings to me 

in the daylight and

from every single tree

She sings to me 

a song of love

reminding me I’m free

 

God sings to me 

from the flowers

inspiring great delight

She sings to me 

from the hillside

and in the dead of night

 

God sings to me 

from the ocean

and from the 

moon and stars

She sings in 

every rainstorm

She's never very far

 

God sings to me 

when I’m weary

sounding loud and clear

She sings when 

I’m not listening

knowing I am here

 

 ~ 2018 ~

 

 

 Life’s Song

 

The morning breeze is cool

air alive with Life

wind is being wind

as it tinkles little bell

Birds know what to do

They fly and sing and chirp

while all kinds of flowers wave 

in silent beauty

 

Animals know how to be

The cat is doing cat things

Dogs are being dogs

sniffing things mostly

 

 The chickens know to 

cluck and chuckle

a chorus they can be, but

like the velvet rabbit caged

aren’t out and being free

 

The bees know to buzz

The trees know how to be

I know human things

Like sitting drinking tea

recording the secret mystery

of the Life I hear and see

 

 ~ July 2018 ~

 

To a Friend 

 

Drunk with the wine of Spirit

I fall asleep taking you with me

into the other dream.

Enjoying our other stories

in light hearted joy and delight

 

~ 2018 ~

 

 

Voluntary Death

 

Feeling as if I am on

a mountain precipice

while Nature echos all around

Shall I follow an urge and make the jump

and die on my way to the ground?

 

Or shall I stay safely stuffed in my skin

suffering the battles of self?

Spirit calls…step off the cliff… 

the unknown is the best choice

fall into most certain death

 

 Only what’s not me will die, I'm told

But what does that mean I ask

Something about trust I hear in reply

Just have faith IT won't die

 

Risking all fear and taking the leap

right into a chasm unknown

now something is different, extremely odd

‘cause into a void I have flown

 

What is there here? Nothing it seems

No more of a self that was me, 

only a timeless Essence remains 

I've fallen Home and I’m free!

 

~ 2018 ~

 

 

This Life

 

A field of trust and natural joy

in the heart space of this Being

Body moves, mouth speaks,

actions taken, senses sense

within a field of harmony,

oneness and beauty

Peace, love, compassion,

quiet emptiness, not moving

timeless serene ineffable, this Life

 

~ 2018 ~

 

 

 What am I?

 

I am that beautiful 

mysteriously divine, 

eternally infinite, 

timeless, essence 

called Life, 

dwelling within and 

without this body, 

beating a heart, 

breathing lungs,

digesting food 

and animating the 

limbs of that in 

which I exist, as 

unconditional 

Love and Life

 

 ~ 2020~

 

 

Ineffable Life

 

Help me to express You

There's nothing here to see

Who are You really and

why do You love me

 

You are me and I AM You

in this here world of ours

You love me as I AM

I love You as you are

 

You express through blades of grass,

the rose and squirrel too

I am You the spider

We are One we are

 

Tears of joy are flowing

Together we are clouds

There is no here, there is no there

We're always One right here

 

Connected by the Essence

of the Love we truly are

sharing Life eternal

whether here or near or far

 

Life is one big mystery 

we cannot see or touch

But we are That and only That

Can’t be any less than That

 

We are Life in all Her glory

expressing through our forms

not beginning, never ending

no one here knows why

 

You cannot find us in a book

We’re only seen 

by those who look

and know that they are we

 

Being One together with

birds and trees and bees

flowers, leaves, and butterflies

closer than intimacy 

 

~ 2020 ~

 

 

Just Being

 

 Like shifting sands 

of Awareness….

shifting here, shifting there, 

shifting into everywhere 

 

Morning silence, 

empty, calm, no mind,

peaceful, withdrawn 

God is everywhere 

as inner acceptance 

and gratefulness 

 

 Walking, 

raking up fir cones 

in the forest, 

sitting with friends, 

a walk home, 

quiet, eating

 

A silence falls from 

everywhere, another 

shift…just Being

 

~ 2020 ~

 

 

Morning breeze

 

This morning's breeze

floating on and around my bare skin,

vibrant Life surrounding me as Beauty

 and felt within as Love

 

We’re in this forest together,

absorbing You from everywhere

sharing this thing called Life

 

My body walks in, through and with You

knowing You intimately on every level

as I Be with You this morning

 

  ~ 2021 ~

 

 

Where am I?

 

I am here, 

descended into

a quiet emptiness, 

the core of Being,

an innermost niche,

intimate and indefinable,

a kind of merging with 

a primal awareness

that I AM

an intangible Essence, 

of unconditional Love, 

within a physical body,

animating and being seen 

with external eyes,

but not actually physical

I am Home...

 

 ~ 2021 ~

 

 

Why am I Here?

 

I am here 

to free my self 

from the illusion 

of being separate 

from the Universe 

and others,

by experientially

realizing 

I AM One 

with all Life forms

in a cosmic 

energy of Love, 

not actually a part 

of the physical world, 

even though I must 

exist in it for a time

 

~ 2022 ~

 

 

The Journey

 

My life has become

nothing less than

a beautiful inward

adventure, because

Grace led me 

to look into the depths 

of my Soul

 

I explored new places 

I'd never been 

or even knew existed.

Nothing left unturned, 

I discovered internal 

coffee shops, 

many hidden streets, 

climbed rugged mountains 

and walked along 

quiet beaches

 

I met people unlike me, 

learned to love them all

Being in awe of Life itself 

I became

 "transformed by the 

renewing of my mind" 

 

~ 2022 ~

 

 

What Sees?

 

That which is looking 

is the same 

in all of humans

 

Internal eyes 

can see and know 

what is here NOW

 

Now is the 

moment that 

never ends

 

~ 2022 ~

 

 

What Thinks Thoughts?

 

What is this "I" which

thinks up thoughts and

sees with physical eyes?

 

Be only That which

thinks up the thoughts

and watch them all

come and go

 

Keep your attention on

inner "I" only, 'cause 

the mystery's not very far

 

Ignore the

mind, or personal self

which thinks it's controlling

 that "I"

 

You cannot touch IT, 

or hear IT, or see IT

but IT's what 

You eternally are!

 

 ~ 2022 ~

 

 

 Oneness

 

Perceiving the flying, 

heart beating, 

air sac energy

within the bird 

to be the same as the 

heart beating, lung breathing, 

human energy within this body

 

I'm overcome with the joy

 of watching flying feathers

dipping here and there, 

eyes flood with love,

at this miraculous 

experience of Oneness

 

 ~ 2022 ~

 

 

The Mystery

 

Love is what YOU eternally are

even when you don't like yourself

Why you ask,

might this be so?

 

You are made in the image 

of a Holy ineffable Spirit

 Impossible to be other than That

even in a form

 

Mind thinks that what you are

is limbs, a spine and feet.

But you need not believe

everything you think

 

Mind and Spirit can't be known 

in the same allotted space

So make a distance from mind now

and let thoughts go to sleep

When Spirit comes to take their place,

 the benefits you'll reap

 

 The greatest mystery of all

can now reveal ITSelf to you

 Because mind no longer stands between

That mystery and YOU

 

  ~ 2022 ~

 

 

Poems

 

Living in and from an empty space 

where deepest waters flow

no words abide in here

just wordless peace is known

 

How can poems spring from 

such an empty place

producing from the stillness

abundant words for us to taste?

 

They fall from out of nowhere

arranged upon on a page

expressing out from deep within

what they want to say

 

~ 2022 ~

 

 

 self or Self

 

Smaller self is physical

touchable, tangible,

conceptual, and visible

 

Larger Self is non-physical,

untouchable, non-tangible,

non-conceptual and invisible

 

Where is this larger Self? you ask

It is nowhere and everywhere

carried within, expressed without

as Life's Essence or Presence

 

IT is the You as a young child, 

same as the adult You

Stop and notice that natural You 

is always here in the present

moments of Now

 

~ 2022 ~

 

 

Starlight

 

The breath of life 

flows through my nostrils 

while a breeze 

gently kisses this body

sitting outside on my porch.

What is this peace about?

 

Below are sounds of whippoorwills

above a starlit sky

To recognize this touch of God

demands that time stand still

 

A suffering and complaining self

can't ever truly know 

how beautiful they are inside

 while struggling in this life

with all it's aching throes

 

   Only by flying up and out

and hanging to a star

can they look back 

and see their Self 

is the truest light they are

which is not so very different 

from the light of brightest stars

 

 ~ 2023 ~

 

 

Window of the Soul

 

When I meet you here 

in the timelessness of Presence

and look into your eyes

Words are never needed

 

Love becomes our Essence.

But what is it that I see?

It's just your very Soul

which is looking back at me

 

~ 2023 ~

 

 

Essence  

 

Surrender the identity

of who you think you are

You are nothing

and You have nothing.

 

If you think you do

give it all up

and BE what's left...

an exquisite, radiant

Life and Love 

that can only be 

your Essence

 

 ~ 2023 ~

 

 

Life

 

Life takes care of Life 

it's energy will flow,

but only when I listen

will it tell me where to go

 

Surrendering all ideas and thoughts 

and what's going on in mind

and listening to a greater source

a treasure I will find

 

It always comes from deep within

and knows what needs attention

Listen up and let it flow

Because it's not insentient

 

~ 2023 ~ 

 

 

What knows?

 

Self knows. 

 

What self? 

The inner God Self.

Is there another self?

 

There are two selves.

The internal God Self speaks in silence 

the physical self speaks in words

 

How can that be?

 

Our brain is divided 

One part expresses

as the reasoning mind self

the other part expresses

as the intuitive God Self 

 

How so?

 

The physical mind self is logical

The God Self is Love without words

 

So what knows?

 

The One who knows doesn't speak

Listen to the Silence

 

~ 2023 ~

 

 

Love

 

Ultimate reality is an 

all-pervading, uncreated, 

self-luminous, eternal Spirit 

It is the consciousness that 

animates all conscious Beings

It beats the heart and 

It breathes the lungs

Without It there would

be no Life or Love

 

~ 2024 ~

 

 

Presence

 

It's not about having 

the perfect psychology

or the perfect conditions.

Those are always stories or ideas,

illusions of the mind

They aren't your Truth

 

Rather than disappearing 

in mind's illusions and

accompanying feelings,

none of which are true,

come back to what IS

 

Your Truth is the Peace,

and Love of what You are

deep within

This Oneness of Truth,

is here right now

beaming from the heart

in every experience...

of all there is

 

IT is prior to birth,

IT is here in deep sleep

and here after body death

IT is what the energy of Life is made of

IT is the formless intelligent Essence 

of the physical you

beating your heart

breathing your lungs

directing all bodily processes

and sensorial perceptions

 

Anything else you believe is needed, 

anything you think you can't live without

or you can't have, is illusionary

 

The only thing that's true 

is the deepest 

Essence of You...your heart

the Being-ness and Truth of Life,

which is here, here, here, now

freely with no effort,

singing in all that IS

 

IT is singing in this moment,

IT is singing in no place

and singing in every place

 

Here, outside of time,

present in the silence

present in this moment... 

the one that never ends

 

Stay here and listen deeply...

IT will recognize your presence

 

 ~ 2024~

 

 

Where is Love

 

A quiet glance, an unfocused gaze

through a darkened window pane

brought hidden memories of a loving past

my photos reflected in the glass

 

What I then began to feel

was a Love inside, I know was real

It called out from deep within

and I wanted more of  IT

 

I want You God, my sudden cry

Where are you now, please tell me why...

"I'm in everyone" was the quick reply

 

"I can be found in every person

walking around on human feet

or just sitting on a city street

waiting for your meet and greet"

 

Transcendent is the Love you'll meet

beyond the physical and emotional you 

that formless Love Essence deep within, 

is simply recognized in another

 

~ 2024 ~