spontaneous moments (poem it out)

My to-do list could plausibly read

“build backyard pyramid”

I am that out of control,

as I attempt order and control

all the while furiously declaring

“Spontaneity will be mine!”

There is what I want to do …

what I need to do …

and what you inspire in me …

 

 

Today I will toss the mail onto the towering pile,

walk over a floor more hairy than the dog,

sift through a mound of laundry to retrieve

our two swimsuits.

There is no list expansive enough to contain

the joy of watching your Kool-Aid orange crocs

dance across the pavement,

the diving board soar,

cool water splash,

and the bloom of your smile

floating in all that turquoise freedom. 

 

It has been an amazing month.  Thank you Liz Lamoreux for the inspiration and The August Break for the excuse to indulge myself completely.  

the words we need (poem-it-out)

 

What you need to hear

is that you are so very wanted.

and have always been

wanted.

You have forgotten

arms were eager to receive you.

Hope followed by loss followed by

cotton dresses

cupcakes

dandelion crowns

a single silver charm

inscribed with the date

of you,

welcomed.

Even though those arms

uncircled and hands let go -

New hands

tiny starfish hands,

sticky with rice and sweat and juice of summer hands,

reached out across oceans and plains and oxen plowed fields

to find you

to pull you deeper in.

What you need to remember -

slip into your pocket to find on a day

of idle hands -

is the promise of a future

sea of hands rising up,

a universe of blessings waving at you

ready to greet you,

squeezing your hand in recognition

as if to say:

“We have waited a long time for you …

We are so very happy to have you

here, finally

among us.” 

(poem inspired by prompt in Poem-It-Out new course listed! images inspired by life.)

 

 

tiny smiles (august break)

 

Some days are just hard and even though I try to align with the positive, the muck still splatters on the hem of my emotions.

On these days, the very best thing I can do is keep moving forward.  Pick  up the brush, the pen or pencil, grab the journal, write a letter, put on some music ... 

" If you look for anything in this world, find things that draw you into the greater Love ..."  (Wah! Ma Chant/Kali)

A new practice that is sustaining me is writing Poem Notes (Liz Lamoreux).  Snatches of words, phrases that may eventually become something else or rest whole, as they are.  

i confess, i do wonder
why god seemingly refuses to meet me?
stormy days of the soul and grocery shopping
i live a monologue

and so i wander downstairs to find this pen and pose this question
just as Moose shuffles his shaggy self
over to greet me.  

Yes, some days start off dark, but then bursts of sunlight - love in motion - come in through an unexpected letter, an unanticipated gift,

and tiny smiles sent by a distant, but dear friend. (thank you Jeannie ... once again, you remind me that love is buoyant and durable.)

It is that simple, that hard.  Wipe my eyes, shake off the funk, perceive life with the eyes of my heart and then, yes ... 

All of you - yes, I'm talking to YOU too! - thank you, thank you, thank you.  You lift me up even when you have no idea that is what you are doing.  xoxo

poeming (august break)

Discomforting

the juxtaposition of this $5 plastic basket of figs

bundled in a canvas tote

nestled securely within the passenger's seat of my car

and the man standing firmly upon the narrow sliver of roadway island

on this 93 degree August day

a cardboard placard held towards me while

his gaze discreetly avoids

the sun and my shame. 

poem and photograph inspired by Poem It Out with Liz Lamoreux 

("We will face the blank page and say, “Bring it” and write the words that are ready to burst out of us. We will stop everything to Poem It Out." - Exactly!)

dream traveler (August Break)

 

Who do you become

when the streetlight switches on

and the sun slips below the screen of wheat and corn?

Does Jade Rabbit’s smile

beaming across the night sky

ignite your dragon’s blood?

Do you join the mermaids

swimming upon white percale

or do you grab your sword,

a ninja clamoring over

cedar shingle roof tops?

You abandon yourself to a sleep

deep and dark,

on journeys I cannot follow -

When the monsters come

as they always do,

whose hand do you reach for?

Whose eyes do you seek for confirmation

you are you,

safe and whole?

In what language do you hear the words

Mommy’s here … you’re alright …

(written for Poem It Out  with Liz Lamoreux - a juicy course and we're only on day three! There's still time to join if you want to come play with me! This month I am also participating in the third annual August Break.  Info is here if you want to join in on the fun.)