What is beauty?

When I call upon the beautiful, 

what am I summoning?

Not physical symmetry,

not physical perfection,

not that gorgeous look

of the put-together body,

the lovely home,

the splendid garden.

No, all that is fine & wonderful to admire of course,

but beauty,

that true beauty,

that lifts the stars to the sky

& carries the seeds into the ground,

...

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I sit in my chair

cozy under blanket

window open

air floating in

I breathe

I think

Where does happiness come from?

Outside? clearly not,

well sometimes,

but it is fleeting,

this we know.

Inside? this is where

the jewel awakens--

zoom away (not on your computer!)

but in your mind--

to that distant place of origin

where nothing became something,

res...

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Showing up on the blank page

is like showing up for life

Yes! I am here

I exist

this thinking mind

this moving body

fingers holding pen

hand touching paper

and behind all this,

this beating heart

this expansive awareness,

and from all this

tumble words,

words that float

words that fly

from me

to you

dear reader.

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Beautiful beautiful day

unfolding moment by moment

music seeping under doorways

melodies dancing through windows

sunbeams chasing the dust

birds swooping for seed

foot foot foot

solid solid solid

slow slow slow

Beautiful beautiful day

may I feel the quiet under the bustle

may I follow the breath come what may.

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Be like a child

Be curious about everything

See colors

See shapes

with no names attached

Learn how to laugh

Learn how to reach out & touch everything

Be like a child

Cry easily

Laugh easily

Eat with gusto

Sleep with the deepest ease

Take those first faltering steps

into pure joy.

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I look at this planet 

& ask why

so much cruelty & hatred?

Is it in the Earth's DNA?

Not in the soil itself,

but in the humans that walk

on this soil.

Plants are mostly peaceable,

animals are a mixed bag (some ferocious certainly),

but humans,

omg,

our ability to kill and hurt 

knows no end,

our collective capacity for inflicting suffering is enormous,

why...

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This poem was written during the heighth of the covid pandemic, after my husband bravely ventured out to hang with his buddies at a coffee shop & he came home & told me about the outing. 

Okay there are a few good things

that can come from calamity,

although sometimes

(or more likely all the time)

we have to dig really deep

into the dirt piled high,

under the mountains

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I decided one day

to turn into a plant.

It seemed so much simpler

to love carbon dioxide,

to never have to run away, 

to just bloom & fade

without a worry in the world.

So I shed my weary skin

& donned robes of green

&, truly, lived happily ever after.

If you see a plant with leaves shining in soft brilliance,

with a flower of deep red peeking shyly

from behind ...

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When burdens get heavy

& you hear the bird

of freedom calling from the sky,

remember--

flight does not always require

movement--

flight can be still

like a ripple in water,

effortlessly expanding.

Find the center

of the spiral climbing

like a vine in your heart

& stay there for awhile

until your smile returns.

Don't try to lift a heavy boulder

with tire...

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When your mind is full of worry

take a jug

& place it on the table

of your heart.

Fill the jug

with love & compassion 

until the jug is overflowing

& your heart is expanding.

This love & compassion,

this expansion,

will flow to every corner & niche

of your mind,

& continue on like a river

to reach that

for which you worry.

Oh when that river

of love ...

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The people of the world

fold their hands,

the people of the world

close their eyes.

Can we hear

their chants & songs?

Can we feel

the rising & falling

of their breath?

The people of the world

love,

the people of the world

hate.

How do we respond?

Can we see with our inner eye

that open space

between love & hate?

It is an invitation

to the peopl...

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Where does life begin and end,

we ask,

when sorrow descends,

when there is no happy ending,

sometimes not even a happy beginning,

we can't make any sense of it all,

at all,

so we ask again and again,

why?

no answer of course,

or rarely an answer,

so once again,

we ask,

is there a time line?

a beginning and an ending?

or is it a spiral,

an ascending &...

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I see a beautiful soul,

glowing like an ember,

deep inside that tall figure

stumbling down the road of life.

Oh tumble & tumble,

beautiful one,

until you shine bright

with the colors

of your inward light,

be a rock in a barrel,

confused & clanging,

until it is ready

to roll out of the confines

of its sorrows

& join the washed pebbles

of its ocean brethr...

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How much should we feel?

Should we allow ourselves to feel every little pinprick,

or should we wear our metal armor all the day through?

Should we buttress our delicate heart with iron clad panels,

or should we shake it all off & walk in unadorned nakedness into the world?

Well, a bit of both of course--

be brave but not stupid.

Protect yourself, little one,

But open y...

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I carried you in my heart

like a boulder

of pain,

this was not helpful for me or you.

Slowly I climbed to the top of the mountain

step by step

breath by breath--

at the top--

the view was immense--

I freed the boulder--

down our spirits tumbled

rolling & rolling,

when we reached the bottom--

we were reborn.

I carried you in my heart

like a flower

of ...

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First comes the wind,

the trees are dancing,

then comes the rain,

the plants are drinking.

I can feel my breath stirring,

I can feel my skin opening.

Songs of life

fill the clouds racing by,

Songs of life

fill the skies opening wide. 

We are made of dust that rises with the wind,

we are made of water that falls with the rain.

Oh songs of life 

raise me up,

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I think it's wonderful that 

some people are minimalists.

I think it's great that

some people only keep items that give them joy.

If I lived by myself

that would be me--

I assure you my tabletops

would be clear

except for a little vase of flowers,

and there would be lots

of open space.

But, alas, I live with people,

a good number of people,

with lots of thing...

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The moon sleeps,

the sun awakens. 

Sometimes I follow the moon

& drop into a deep sleep,

other times I become ablaze like the sun.

Understand that these are the rhythms of the tides--

the rivers,

the oceans--

that link us

to water & air & ground & fire.

Let them pull you,

don't resist them,

they are your friends,

your healers.

Sleep & rise,

sleep & rise...

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Walk into the deepest valley

of empty space,

how beautiful are the flowers when nothing binds them!

They dance in the wind

to scatter their seeds 

far & wide

until the whole world

is blooming with their fragrance.

Walk into the deepest valley

of nothingness--

no expectations,

no judgments,

no worries--

just watching the garden of life growing, growing, growin...

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Sometimes things swirl

like a swarm of buzzing bees,

sometimes things settle 

like water trickling over stones.

Whatever comes your way,

this day,

remember the days are like seasons unto themselves--

wintry & frozen,

budding & embracing,

wilting & heavy,

free & uplifting--

let them all pass

like the comings & goings

of sun & moon.

Think not--

oh, I will...

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When you get empty,

you get clarity.

Yes, you learn from past experiences,

but they don't clog up the paths to wisdom.

Yes, you get ideas for action from your thoughts,

but you don't ruminate needlessly.

An empty cup waiting to be filled with inspiration--

that is a drink worth savoring.

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Oh friend of beautiful compassion

I see the wisdom in your eyes

soft as the misty dew

sad as the ancient mountains

suffering knocks at your door

& you welcome it with Love

even as your tears fill the streams

that reach the oceans.

Cry not my beautiful friend

solace also is knocking at your door

your path of roses is 

fragrant & free of thorns

walk softly through...

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Sometimes it is better to love from afar,

I love you so much I want to hold you close

& like a fairy godmother

grant your every wish

with the touch of my 

oh so magic wand--

but sometimes it is better to love by saying no,

better to release,

better to nudge the baby bird from the nest

& let the wing spread of my love

catch the wind 

& as I dream of you flying on yo...

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She had nothing but smiles for me,

sweet like honey,

oh what did I ever do to win the lottery of such an overflowing love?

I think of her sweet, sweet smiles & endless kindness

& I don the joy of that smile

& wear it like a garment of gold.

She was happy around me

& I around her

& now that she is gone that happiness expands like a cloud dividing into a million raindrops of ...

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Let the sweet night descend upon you,

let the dark night wrap you in solace,

feel the breath of the wind cool on the body,

feel the softness of the twilight settling into peace.

There are no worries floating in the skies of slumber,

there are no sorrows dancing in the land of dreams,

all is wrapped in joy like a nestled babe,

all is steeped in fragrance like full bloom roses.

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The power of your Love

reached across the miles,

across time,

across all the boundaries I thought existed.

The mountains,

the rivers,

the stars,

the galaxies,

all sang joyfully

to carry your Love to me.

Your Love arrived

on a chariot of fire,

a windstorm of dust--

wild crazy things

with the strength to destroy the old

to open the way for the new--

ti...

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The morning is blue,

mid-day is yellow,

the eve is rust--

the colors of the hours

change garments

with the sun & the moon, descending & rising,

taking their turns--

misty aqua,

blazing gold,

soft amber--

how beautiful is

the touch of the color,

soft on my eyes, 

reaching my soul

with gentle comfort,

I wear the colors on my skin,

I greet them with gra...

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I stand at the mountaintop

raising the quiet hand of surrender.

Fighting is well & good,

stand your ground & all that,

but then, there comes a time--

I curl up like a cat

& let the boulders fall on me

like cotton balls--

there is no one here to battle--

I am a floating cloud

drifting across the plains

of the heart.

Oh how expansive are the views from this place ...

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May blessings shower upon you this day,

like rain finding its way to the dry, eager earth.

May clouds shelter you this day,

soft reminders of how cherished you are.

May doors open for you this day,

as the path becomes clearer & beckoning with joy.

May you slumber with stars at the end of this day,

remembering,

you are Light,

you are Loved,

vastly,

across the galaxi...

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There is more here than we think,

bubbling under the surface of what we see.

We take a box & put things in it & think --

this is this, & that is that,

& I am right,

until one day the clouds drift apart

& a beam of light streams into our mind

& the box is turned upside down

& the confines of our beliefs are broken open

& things can get quite confusing

until we let go o...

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Beautiful beautiful night

wrap me in your embrace,

a day well lived

filled with moments of peace

settles into my mind,

lifts up my heart.

Beautiful beautiful night

the heaviness of the day,

the plodding worries,

vanish into the gentle sway of spirit.

Spirit rises with the night

to carry me to the land of dreams

where things are light & hope-filled,

where poss...

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Beautiful beautiful morning

lift me to the heights of this day 

carry me on a magic carpet

wherever I go,

let my feet be light,

let my thoughts be happy.

Beautiful beautiful morning

carry me on an angel's wing,

let me see the world from afar

so I remember inside each suffering is a joy waiting to be discovered.

Beautiful beautiful morning

let exhilaration rise with...

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Don't get so caught up in the plot that

you forget this is a story.

We know there is a beginning & an end,

we know that for each individual

this all, one day, 

fades away

as they close their eyes,

never to open them again.

That is really all we know 

with certainty,

beyond that, all is theory,

hypothesis, possibility.

So in between the beginning & the end--

b...

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My heart breaks with sorrow,

my heart breaks with joy,

the pieces of my heart are scattered

across the terrain of my soul.

With patient hands I pick them up

& tenderly put my heart back together--

a piece for everyone I love who is gone,

a piece for everyone I love 

who is here.

Blending sorrow & joy,

my heart is whole, 

open to love more fully.

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I pray for balance everywhere,

a bit of rain, not too much, 

a bit of sunshine, not too much,

may we be released from devastation,

may we be released from annihilation,

may all things rejoice with renewed life.

And when there is too much,

too much,

I pray for courage,

I pray for kindness,

I pray for solace,

may all things find deep understanding,

may all things ...

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I'm interested in well-being.

I want to be well.

I want to appreciate every breath of air,

every bite of food,

every drop of water.

I want to laugh at illness,

I want to laugh at fear.

I want to love my body no matter what it looks like,

I want to pat myself on the back for making it through another day,

no matter what I did or didn't do.

I'm interested in healing.

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Although we may not be able to understand all the workings of this universe,

all the sorrowful manifestations that arise in our experience,

at least we can love

each & every thing

that moves into our presence,

each & every thing

that knocks at the door of our perception--

loving all,

meeting all with patience & openness,

&, most importantly,

letting hate melt into for...

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Into the cool night I descend

looking for that inviting slumber,

into the cool night I descend

listening for that quiet door to open,

into my dreams I send the invitation--

peace & happiness please--

come into the clouds of my mind,

blanket my jumping heart with solace & joy,

into the cool night I descend

waiting, waiting for

the rapture of those far away stars.

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