Two poems

Images flicker and fade
Not enough awe or simplicity
To tempt me
To wonder about it in words
That feel like stones
In my mouth
Or muddy ash
It is all I can do to spit them out
Without giving them voice
And the images
Breeze gently away into
Oblivion ‘s mundane memory


After the battle
Mundane patterns
Ordinary routines
Return
Hiding more subtle struggles
And wondering
Where life goes
Dull
Battle sharpens the senses
Strips away the unnecessary
Now to sharpen ordinary life
With passion and hope
Ah! This in between is preparation

Grace and Gratitude

Where does one begin
At a breaking point
Falling apart
Life thrown a curve ball
A vessel dashed to pieces
Revealing a deep vulnerable core of humanity
That wrestles with the deepest questions
In chaos and creation
And by Hope or Faith
Or Grace
Is let go
Life energy spilling out
Into creation
Elements and gritty ground
Between Earth and the Universe
Filling soul with new light
Brilliant with impatience to live
Subtle and welcoming as a warm breeze
Or Spring rain on your face
All this that a heart might burst
In simplest gratitude
Awestruck beauty
A heart’s humble honor
Whose hard urgency
Hurls one along new paths
Opening the way to love spirit’s
Own thankful heart

Cherry Blossom Breezes

The wind
Sent all the cherry blossom petals
Fluttering
On swirling breezes
Showers of white and pink laughter
Dance of springtime
Falling as the wind moves away
Creating petal pink snow
On the green spring grass
With that shock
Spring comes and goes

Tears

Tears
Some scorn them
Or don’t understand them
They seem as a sign of weakness
Or that one might not be as strong as they could be
To be suppressed or controlled
Or they are used for manipulation
In that use it is dishonest
Tears to be trusted should be honest tears
We were given tears for physical expression
To express pain and hurt
Even deep happiness and joy
Tears let the heart speak
Tears also help move the emotions as energy
To pour them out of the body
Cleansing the body
Helping the healing process
Tears are strength
Tears are honesty
Tears help gather strength
Tears allow for falling apart
To let go and show vulnerability
The break open the deepest part of you
Tears make room for new things
Tears tire the body so it can rest
Tears can empty the spirit and allow it peace

Drawing out the silences of my life

Drawing out the silences of my life
Giving voice to things I am too scared to say
Bring them into the light
Giving them words and feeling
That are now just raw glimmers
Ideas on the ether barely having shape or substance
To do this I have to begin with what I have
What my heart really wants to talk about
Then the silence will begin to come forward
So what do I trust my heart with today
What small fear can I name
The fear of not saying want needs to be said
The fear of hurting others
The fear of another person out of respect
Something that lays heavy on my heart
And yet is very hard to speak
But call me to a deeper dedication
To try
To communicate honestly with people
To trust them with my hurts
Even when they have hurt me
Drawing out the silences
Is trying to find truth and forgiveness
Trying to say the hard truths that are so hard to say