Reading the Runes

Today I forget the rules.
Instead I study runes,
Weathered stones give rough key,
Unravel diaphanous sky that’s blue,
White clouds snaking on their course.
 
I have waited all of my life for this.
The weight might be revealing,
Invoking mystery of
Whatever ancient gods remain—
Given elusive threads,
Given brambles of our lives,
Given twinkle of the stars….
 
Bring your soft-hearted stone.
Show the world what is carved upon
Smooth face and crevice….
And I will show you mine—
Pile upon pile the balanced cairn
Marking the pain, the dead, the cares.
 
We’ll celebrate with glass of wine,
Run naked across the lawn,
Dance upon the grass in full moonlight
 Until answer circles from
Standing stones to fire within.

Advent

 As I walked into sanctuary,
Lessons and carols began.
Friends made room on pew;
Choir moved into place,
Processed while singing hymns.

A solitary man sat alone behind in
Higher choir loft, robed in light,
Leaning forward, yet unhurried,
Calm and very still.

His strange eyes stared
Unblinking, straight ahead,
Jaw thrust up, neck taut—
Holding still as though
Anticipating something
About to happen.

Suddenly he stood
As though he heard
Inaudible whisper….
Broke into smile as though
He had great news—
Yet still alone,
Leaning into open space.

Only then did I realize
He was blind….
Waiting there where he needed to be,
Perhaps where he often waited—
Listening for the sound of readiness,
His ears attuned to sense a silent call.

Anticipating with his Wholeness
Slight movement… a holy stirring from
Some sacred place….
Leaning into Advent space,
Gathered into God’s people,
Poised and ready—- waiting….
Then finally moved to joy.

Ears Made Sharp by Wounds of Grief

I walked outside with Spirit,
Headed for the woods,
Walked upon the fallen leaves
Reminding me of grief.
 
Has God blessed you
With a melancholy soul
Touched by sorrow such as mine?
If so,  you walk the silent woods
Hearing heavy dirge divine.
 
Today we  walk a solitary path,
Plain as oboe’s cry and all alone,
Yet sometimes sense a shimmer  in the field….
Another presence no longer breathing,
Still walking on shadowed ground.
 
They bring a sacred calling
That sings and echoes in the  ear,
Pierced sharp by God, attuned to
Spirits walking faded through shadowed  world.
 
Come sing with me resplendent requiem,
A silent chant attended by
Grand music of the Sun….
Bringing light to darkest grief
Accompanied by quiet melody of deeper joy
Traveling from tree to tree,
From blade of grass to every hill,
Each lake and yellow field.

There is an eternal star
Unbent by gravity or grief,
That shines through day and night—
Whatever wounds you carry,
I pray you find a brighter healing….
Strength of faith as pure as scented pine,
Master’s words as real as Earth,
Loving heart with taste of mystic fruit.

In the Blue Sky and the Glow of the Sun

 The tree is not made of gold or silver.
It is not even made of tin or lead.
Instead it’s rooted in circling space,
Expanding branches going in every way—
Outrageous cacophony
Like twigs of black coral still growing,
No longer in the sea
But seated on the hill, standing alone,
Ruling over a deforested land.
 
Gap widens as Sun emerges
Over eastern hills, gold light tumbling,
Beaming into sky so blue
You could sense stars still dancing overhead,
Invisibly shining on their wayward path.
Have they already exploded?  Are we merely
Waiting for the light to end, for doom to come?
Or is God still in the house?
 
New heaven and new earth are on their way,
Though some are too stupid or inhibited to say
The soul is merely a sign, a gift of prophecy
Revealing deeper truth than we can ever see.
The ways of today are already relics of the past.
Whatever we may think God is,
God is beyond, already on the move….
Right under our noses, in the roses,
Hidden under the bark of the tree,
Golden glow of the sun and the surrounding blue.
 

After Thanksgiving Dinner

After Thanksgiving meal,
I stepped on scale to measure weight,
Tingled with an itch
Antihistamine won’t fix.

Red line keeps creeping higher,
Belt a little tighter,
Another margin call,
Warm creep against the skull….

Round Two:  Second Help(ings):
Stumble upon another slice of breast,
Justifying gravy and another glass of wine.
Slammed, heaving with gobbled turkey neck,
Catch my breath but
Bleeding cranberry sauce down my shirt…
Squealing toward another piece of pie,
No pumpkin, this time I’ll try the mince….
My God, I need a nap.

Sigh and sigh so full with blessing.
I need to find my groove again,
Another party, another glass of wine….
Tomorrow I’ll try lockjaw….
Amen.  Burp….

Dark Roads

Only in the passing of many years,
As one watches era of darkness emerge,
Reveal itself in soulful definition….
There comes a loneliness that has no words—
Pervasive silence that grows closer,
Makes introduction to intimacy of sorrow….
 
Do you walk deserted lanes on moonless nights?
Search in open meadows when
Shadows lengthen on back roads?
Do you witness this remote isle of Earth,
Breathe untimely void where love still occupies the heart?
Then you have learned of wordless prayer and
Know futility of hope when you face dark hours alone.
 
Let me see on this absolute Earth
Recursion of the friends I miss—
Release my sorrow in the cloak of empty hands….
Only sound of footstep is all I ask.
Speak in the frozen silent season,
Give voice to falling stars and swirling clouds,
Now filled with senseless silhouette….

Come to me, walk with me;
Fly as a bird out of bramble bush,
Speak through mist and wind…. permit
Branches of the tree to wave arms–
Swim through the Deep in long, lonely hours.

The Veil Between the Worlds Is Thin

In the early autumn morning,
Mist swirling among the hills
As I walk around the quiet lake,
Water clear and cold, with only a trace of
Thin veil between the worlds where
Visible and invisible embrace.
 
Have you looked deeply upon the world
Not just with two eyes in your head,
But from the inward soul?
Have you walked beyond the ego’s curiosity
To the place where you behold
Beauty wherever you gaze….
The world ablaze, soft eyes
Taking in the flight of a solitary bird,
Herd of deer gazing back at you,
Insects crawling through the grass,
Red bush still blushing brightly
With a fire that warms but never burns the flesh.
 
Wordless knowing begins to surface
As fish rises in the lake and I pause,
Watch, open, absorb, surrender to this
Extraordinary moment of an ordinary day.
Resting inside this sacred time ….
Soul space opens, carried by the loveliness,
Whispered glory moving through the world.
 
I was present when my daughters took first breath,
Held my father in my arms as he took his last….
Each moment blessed with radiance that was luminescent.
So many beings cry out…. the Earth itself groans,
 Yearns to speak, not of religious doctrine,
But to bless with loving presence.
The reality humbles me and yet exalts.
Have you paused and felt the blessing?

The Tension Between Potential and the Finished Work

 Life comes with limited embrace.
Each death leaves me both more and less defined,
Eyes gaze at raw marble of my flesh,
Veins hidden in the living mass, pulsing in
Polished block whose solid contour numbs the mind.
How kind for soul that I can glimpse entwined
Exposure of the sculpted muscle mined,
Confined and simultaneously unconfined
Between potential and the finished work.
 
How smooth the detail of shadowed eyes and face;
How rough the triumph of chiseled bones that break….
Clots that secretly form to seal one’s fate.
I lose myself in contemplation of bare foot,
Five toes to balance walk, push forward,
Tingling nerves that move to spine, to mind
Inclined to see the part but miss the whole.
Abandoned to my fate, I pray for more….
Timed procession’s end I cannot know,
Hesitate to estimate the years and never give up hope.
 

Thanksgiving….

This morning as I rose from bed,
Placed my feet upon the floor,
I thought today was just another day in my life.
But it was not just another day….
Today is the only day that is given to me right now.
 
How can I not be grateful for this unique day,
This wondrous, sacred Present?
Perhaps it is my last day.  If so, it began
As did my very first day of life, as I opened eyes
For the first time, took breath into my lungs,
Cried with surprise from wonder and
Beauty of the colors of the sky….
Watched clouds that are different than ever before,
Sensed love and light reflected within eyes of others,
Heard voices as I reached out with all ten fingers.
 
Each face I now behold has a story
I cannot fully fathom, going back into generations….
Reveals the image of God
Like a well-spring that feeds the inner heart—
So many gifts I cannot count the blessings of my life,
But let the gratefulness overflow into blessing,
Smiling if only for a moment,
Reaching out, touching others,
Passing on both wonder and the blessing.

Pause in Stillness; Learn from the Flow

“Fear not,” he said so many times.
Though underway be dark and strong,
There is not only light behind the veil but
Deep within the inner heart.  Be bold.
 
Pause in stillness at the stream;
Watch the flowing water…. and learn.
Can you hear the cries within the silence?
Light the candle with only flint and sit
Until you see the shadow at the door.
 
There are those who wake in early morning,
Walk barefoot so they can feel the sting,
Trusting nothing but their pain—
Manifest Destiny that makes them feel real….
Can we fill our heart and lungs
With birth and not with death?
 
Far better to trust the invisible voices
Grounded in the loving space,
Attend to inner dreams that speak;
 Know that death is completely safe….
 
Listen to the poets and saints whose tears
Clarify their sight, open hearts full of sorrow
Yet laughing as they speak—-
They know that mist and rainbow
Are essential to each other–
Different forms of praise.

Can you sense the groaning of the world?
Do you hear the hum of suffering from the many poor,
The hungry, those dying for hope….?
Audubon first killed everything he painted—
Uprooting plants and plucking flowers,
Slaughtered creatures so he could draw
Beautiful images on piece of paper.
Are we all condemned to ruin what we love?