you and i

 

at low tide a young girl collects sea creatures on Zanzibar

we have so much in common
you and i

no matter when we were born
where we were born

we live under the same radiant sun
the shapeshifting moon

you and i supported by sacred earth
equally cleansed and refreshed by cool water

while air fills our lungs
no matter what color our feet are

how wonderful that earth,
air, water and fire are colorblind!

the very young still seem to know this
the old, having one foot in the grave
often remember it too…

that there is so much common ground
as we travel on this graced path

called: a human life
connected to the infinite 

 

it happens so quickly

 

"from sweet to sour””

it happens so quickly
the move from sweet to sour

judgement
closing off my bright eyed-senses

replacing all i hold dear
with convulsions of dislike and raging impatience

temporarily
disconnecting me from my chosen values

how good it is to witness this state of affairs within
brought on by decades of conditioning

and no longer hide in shame
or blame “the system” or another

but look closely and tenderly
at these moments of insanity

and
slowly
patiently
return
home

 

what does it take?

 

"bearing witness”

one of the challenging human experiences
is bearing witness
to the pains of humanity

to the waves of ignorance and obsession
in all their varied expressions
that agitate individual and collective alike

we all play our part
answering for ourselves,
for the duration of our human incarnation

what does it take to stay subtle in heart and mind?

to still care when old
holding the course, living by example,
giving grace a chance

 

the gift of the unfathomable

 

"bathed in marvel”

not only at night
are we surrounded by stars

moons above and below
galaxies to the left and right at all times

we find ourselves in a cosmic theater
too vast to comprehend

a beauty in twinkles
and precise orbits

reaching deep into the soul
shaking us loose from the humdrum

with the gift of the unfathomable
drunk on marveling

we tell each other
beautiful stories

 

pondering waves

 

"incoming and outgoing”

becoming aware of my breathing
following the steady in and out
arising, cresting and fading away
breath moving though me like waves

and i wonder and begin to experiment -
can emotions be sensed the same?
continual waves
arising, cresting and fading away

it would seem so

then follows the observation of thoughts
arising, cresting and fading away
a constant flow and flux
moving through 

a liberating,
continuing
in-house
observation

 

current best reasoning

 

“living in the land of “It Would Seem So” what do i know for sure?”

after observing 
on a Saturday night and a Monday morning
when satiated or hungry
in the spring of life and in the winter months
what is beneficial for one and all?

after contemplating and reasoning
continually
when well-rested or tired
what is beneficial for one and all?

what is worthy to be accepted, 
practiced and lived in accordance with?

not because of traditions or personal habits,
not because it was adopted from sages or pundits,
not because it is the view of authority or the view of the masses

but because it agrees with my own current best reasoning
to the benefit of one and all
that is my living path

 

forgiveness

 

“a remedy in life’s medicine cabinet”

imagine, 
holding no grudge, not even a tiny one

imagine,
no longer carrying the weight of resentments

imagine,
having forgiven enemies, loved ones and self

imagine,
having disentangled and tidied up the past
being free to meet this moment unobstructed

imagine,
forgiveness as a remedy in life’s medicine cabinet
always available to heal

imagine,
how it would feel to embody forgiveness 
as a mental habit, an attitude, a way of life

imagine,
forgiveness as an agent of change
that seeks to create and maintain greater love

 

She, who keeps the rhythms

 

“of constancy and change”

on solstice morning my bare feet touch 
the sacred ground of Mother Earth

She, Who Keeps the Rhythms 
of our Wheel of Life

 in faithful
regularity

spinning through space, never
in the same place twice

in harmony with Father Sun,
Moon Child and the Galaxies

what a wondrous paradox to behold seasons
of constancy and change

 

a wonder held tenderly

 

“when i meet death”

when i meet death
will i be trusting?

will i be curious
when the veil is drawn aside

and meet death
with the heart of a child?

can i approach my death
as a wonder held tenderly in the heart?

have i prepared myself?
time will tell

if i will cling and fight
or let go peacefully

for now let me practice making peace,
deepening the wonder, tending the garden of trust

 

abandon myself

 

“now”

wisdom tells me that life is a stream
of slow eddies and fast currents

that the weather within is
always on the move

yet how i observe the show
how i witness, frame and reframe

and tell the story to myself
that can be refined and honed

life can be viewed through many lenses
and i notice how i am still too scared

to fully embrace life in all its messy glory
to hold the sorrows and the joys

the world’s pains and generations of sweet laugher
and surrender to the Great Mystery

if i could travel back in time, i would tell myself
to abandon myself to love

to be still enough, to be open enough, to be vast enough
to hold the note of perpetual surrender

i would tell myself to remember now
and in the now that arrives just now

 

one of us

 

“wholly deserving”

on her beautiful skin i walk
my feet touching the ground

and Earth whispers: i am here . . .
for you

in her cool waters i wash
 and splash - quenching my thirst

again i hear:
i am here for you

and as the wind brushes against my face
the ocean of air echoes:

we are here for you,
we are here for you . . .

the moon, the sun,
the seasons too declare how

wholly deserving they find me
to joke with them

how loved i am!

 

two little birds

 

“open the window wide”

woke with the sound of sparrows
mating outside my open window

in time, soft and playful the young will arrive
and voyage through the web of life

we enter and exit the stage of life the same
after birth - death is guaranteed

sparrow and girl
can’t change the course of the Wheel

so natural 
yet fear makes such a fuss

all part of the game 
the known, unknown, and unfathomable 

so what’s a girl to do?
fill the sails with trust

open the window wide
be with the songs of life

 

stay tuned

with weekly free musings

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