Deep Blessing

Borders of my life
Go far beyond horizon,
So know that whatever words
I find or choose to shape this poem
Cannot plumb the depths of who I am—
Width of years, clarity of tranquil peace or
intensity of storms I’ve faced.

You must read between the lines—
Come so close you breathe my breath,
Learn to view as though you see
Through my eyes this love, this source,
The world entire as One…
That infinite yet finite place where you and I
Desire union with the Whole.

I cannot love God except that I love you,
Trust your heart though I know you not—
This conscious act of primal faith a communion
More precious than any bread and wine.
I have lost whatever control I never had,
So though I tremble as I stumble through the words,
What matters are my warm tears—
Which I now share with you as prayer is shared with God.

Approach so close you hear my silent song,
Traveling through the world
Though I cannot walk, but only fly
As solitary hawk whose vision sees but partial view,
Cannot land or touch the Earth but only soar.
Did I say I see? How so, when I am blind?
Do you sense significance in what I cannot say?
My God, I pray you do this day.

For you, for me to glimpse the entire plan—
To encounter if only once the veil that hides
Whatever willful Light illuminates this constant evolution
Is Deep Blessing yet cannot be held within the human mind.
What shall we call this gift of benediction?
Though we know we daily live in sorrow, die alone,
We live in hope we briefly see behind the veil.
This is no sport, no game but life itself
Filled with futility to faintly grasp its meaning.

We are companions— you and I sharing
Spirit that draws us into itself— forward,
Closer to the inner core, autonomous,
invisible yet strangely real,
Daring us to be alive— Here at Home
I know that you and I are Souls who breathe,
Where Deepest Blessing is to say
“Always, it is okay.” for love
Seems forever all there is.

Cherish This Ecstasy!

Today stretched out an extra hour

Yet darkness came too soon.

I prayed; I hurt; I prayed again

When white swan appeared in flight.

What sign is this? What omen pierces me awake?

 

I thought of Meister Eckhart—“The greater the nudity,

The greater the union,” he preached to women.

The church waited until his death,

Then clubbed, burned and slaughtered

Those whose wings had lifted them in flight.

 

Late at night, I hoped my dreams

Would bring a greater light— always looking for a sign,

Passion pouring in and in and in until

Bed and room enlarged to find some deeper union

Miles within where darkness flies upon its wings.

 

I am never alone, that much I know.

But there are those times I ask—

“Am I also loved?” I cannot help but wonder.

In darkness, do I find only emptiness within the void?

In blindness, have I faith enough to see angelic wings?

 

In every email I send— a quote from Dostoyevsky,

“All is an Ocean. All flows and connects so powerfully

that if, in this life, you manage to become more gracious

by even a drop, it is better for every bird, child and animal

your life touches than you will ever know….”

 

Start praying to birds in an ecstasy!

Cherish this ecstasy, however senseless it may seem to people.”

Each day I search upon the lake for swans or geese or ducks,

Their heads bowing as do Buddhist monks in gratitude.

In times of desolation, I thank the world for love transpierced.

 

I offer thanks to birds and to you, dear reader,

For I trust you also long to see white wings take flight,

Search for signs in day or night, fly upon late hour,

Compelled by need or desire for ecstasy.

What greater holy icon can we claim or hope to find?

Even a single moment in a lifetime may suffice.