unknown

 

“life”

there is the known
and the unknown

and the unknown unknown
how to even wrap the mind around that?

with humor and lightness
i try

and begin pondering
what i do not know

the time, the place and cause of my death?

why consciousness exists?

what caused the universe and life to be?

how much I can trust my senses?

how much I can trust my memories?

the realms outside the spectrum of my senses?

why I perceive the world in a dualistic way?

why life unfolds to the mind as a continual string of now-ness?

the reason for the uniqueness of everything -
be it matter or this moment, nothing is ever quite the same?

well, that’s just a wee fraction
of the known unknown …

how does it live within?

Welcome! Welcome to the Great Mystery!

 

if I can catch myself

 

“hello life”

sometimes I get in a rut
thinking of all the things I have to DO

thinking of plans, projects and problems
complicating my beautiful life

if I can catch myself just before entering
the hamster wheel of runaway thoughts

take a breath, soften my eyes, soften my lips
then often my mind too will soften and slow

a space opens -
this is the cue to contemplate

the cause of the universe, orbits of galaxies,
evolution of life, the design of the human body…

faced with marvel
my mind can accept

that it finds itself in a mystery greater
than thoughts can comprehend

and gives me a break …
until the next time

 

wishes

 

“joy in the moment”

wishes
still work
their magic

silently
effortlessly
moving between us

do you feel them
as they reach you?
wherever you are…

may you be happy
may you see beauty
may you live peacefully
may you love and feel loved
may you be safe
may you delight in the weather on your skin
and the ground beneath your feet
may wonder be your companion
may you be present
for your life

 

wings

 

“wings”

does my heart have to harden with fear and pain
when meeting the violent and vile?
the poor, or the wretched?

outcasts of society can be found far and near
whether face to face,
or by mere hearsay

every time i witness darkness
does my mind and have to recoil?

how narrow, ever shrinking
life then becomes, cutting myself off from kin
building the cage of self confinement

who holds the keys to the
responses of my heart and mind?
who has my wings…

 

where are my manners?

 

“hey, you!”

there’s been a party going on
within me, all my life

guests streaming in through my open door,
day and night, bringing friends along

Doubt has come to visit
Fear paid her respects
Joy lingered and
Love left her scarf behind

i have to admit,
i have been a most absentminded host
daydreaming and preoccupied
with visitors past, and those yet to come

that i have rarely noticed
who’s sitting at my table now

well, well, . . . 
where are my manners?

may i bring some fresh libations,
pull up a chair and listen well
for a good heart to heart

 

pathless

 

“pathless”

there is a beauty to this quiet watching
to witness
the formations
of rationalizing,
of avoidance and laziness,

the quick to judge,
self aggrandizing,
eager greed,
and anger at the ready

there is a beauty to this quiet watching
and to no longer look away
to see the state within
rather than only
in “the others”

the problems of this world
start so close to home

sobering
to no longer hide
to enter a pathless land
of mercy
and love

 

hello hands...

 

“side by side”

here you are
both of you, side by side,
working and playing

your daily activities - innumerable
be it pulling on a sock,
washing a teacup, petting the dog

watching you i am awed,
as you skillfully anticipate 
each other’s next move
always in support, never in competition

how curious that an example of
harmony and purposeful togetherness
can be found right at my fingertips…

thank you
hands!

 

i woke up grumpy

 

“dawn clouds”

this morning i woke up grumpy

i knew that something else
was needed to jive with the gifts of life

thankfully a flock of silly thoughts
came to perch - cackling about gratitude

one silly thought said:
“thankfully our feet still reach the ground”

“yeah”, another chimed in, “and aren’t you glad our heart
hasn’t become an improvisational jazz player overnight?”

a third one eagerly offered:
“… or that we didn’t wake up with a boil on our nose”

and they went on and on
trying to outdo each other

to my delight
grumpiness
lifted like morning fog

 

morning ponder on patience

 

“flow and resistance”

with patience
there is space
to slow down
to rest and relax
till ease arrives
in my body

with patience
there is space
to endure
to navigate difficult terrain
until compassion fills
my heart again

with patience
there is space
to be alert
to contemplate more deeply
until clarity emerges
in my mind

with patience
i offer less resistance
to the flowing energy of life

 

seven little words

 

“enter here”

a wise man used to tell me:
“alter your stride and meet a stranger”

at first i though:
what an odd statement
and soon forgot

but he kept repeating
these seven little words:
“alter your stride and meet a stranger”

taking the quote quite literally
i played
with “the ministry of silly walks”

and to my surprise,
in sidestepping the known

a gate opened
and dawn arrived

would i have believed,
upon first hearing these seven little words
that they were the keys to my freedom?

 

celebrate

 

“lighting the way”

celebrate
your life

yes,
celebrate the wondrous
oft forgotten
divine spark
that lives within you

it has been with you throughout
all your follies and growing pains

it does not look upon you
as imperfect

it loves
in vast all enduring stillness

if only you could see yourself
like it sees you

you would laugh
at yourself
and there would be peace on earth