Short Verses

1. Feeding Them

The birds are there for the lonely people

Because the lonely people are there for the birds

2. Beloved

In the presence of your beautiful spirit

I feel the wonder and sadness of life

Looking in your eyes

I choke on my own tears and laughter

In the presence of your spirit

I recognize my mortality and my divinity

3. Buried / Alive

They wanted slaves

but they made gods instead.

Buried by falling history,

crushed into diamond

in the heart of the earth;

alive because we spring from love

and are not measured by fear.

Limitless, we create ourselves

the gods we were never supposed to be.

4. Open

Step out from beneath the eaves

into the yard;

I want to see the sky open up before me

Venus parallel to the Moon

and an arc of stars crowning this space,

so mundane and sacred.

5. Blessed

Blessed is the lord

the nameless One,

the force of life from which we sprang

and which we return to

when this journey’s done;

that which we carry within us

as a seed of all possibilities

and kindness and creativity;

we are its children

and its joy is our birthright.

6. The Shepherd

He regards them from a distance,

on a faraway hillside, which is his;

they are a slowly moving mass of grey,

as countable and indistinct as pennies

with no luster, even in the eyes.

He can’t tell one from another,

but he knows everything they do;

he knows approximately how many there are.

The shepherd stands on his hill and regards them

as they graze in the distance on a hill which is also his.

If he needs to find them he will find them,

and he keeps them safe from wolves

and this they know

and they rest in this comfort.

And the shepherd feels something like love for them

they are dear to him

they represent so much.

So he watches them, coddles them,

allows their daily grazing

and from time to time he will select one from among the herd,

take it aside

and slit its throat,

and soon its bones will be thrown out a back door somewhere,

to be picked clean by rat and fly,

and other things that have no memory

7. My Last Dream

Through my pain and suffering

I know one thing:

it will pass.

Even the longest night is cut by light

But we must be brave in the darkness,

so we may welcome the light when it comes.

May the love in your heart never be killed

And if your heart is fearful or sad, so be it:

it will pass.

My sadness is passing slowly,

in waking smiles

and tender dreams.

I know it will pass completely one day,

when I dream my last dream

and see them in the garden with their lanterns.

I will open the door

and welcome the light when it comes.

8. March 5, 2020: Real Life

I know one thing. Joy exists. Out there in the world, and right here inside. Maybe you don’t see it, but it’s there, waiting to be found, cheering you on, saying: Over here! Look my way! Joy wants to get with you. It wants to be your lover, your best friend, your wife, husband, son, daughter, mother, father, cat, dog, goldfish, bacon and eggs, glass of wine, hot bath, cup of coffee, trip to Italy, your favorite books and hobbies, your job and your dreams. Joy wants to be every friend, every stranger, every beautiful sight, smell, taste, sound, touch, every thought, wish and prayer. Joy is on your side. It is with you. It is in you. It is you. Celebrate.

9. Shine For Us

i shine for you, selfish

i pray for you, godless

i pray to me, selfless

it shines for us, endless

a perfect trust, this love

emotionless, eternal

the mother’s mind, oceans

the father’s heart, red fire

and now the field is burning

subliming to the ether

we fly above destruction

we come and go like always

i shine for you, selfish

i pray for you, godless

i pray to me, selfless

it shines for us

10. Of the Spheres

heart is bleeding, smiling

mind is gentle,

will is coming,

body still, and dancing

soul is a lake with a surface like glass

11. Prayer

All is holy,

or nothing is.

Destined for nowhere,

now here is bliss.

May I walk boldly,

and thus be all of this

12. Your Sweater

Your sweater hangs in my closet,

distinct among the brown shirts and leather coats

Red black white patterns, silver buckles,

bright, cozy and small

Something a child might wear at Christmas time

It used to smell of Sundays, warm apples, rain

and memories of youth on the prairie

Now it smells of old smoke,

late nights and silence,

quiet lessons,

regrets

and life going on

It is a treasure

And it will always be yours

13. Water breaks

remorse is frozen grief

drop it,

and it is horror

and then it melts

drop it

14. Good Citizen

If you want to make the world a better place,

this is my advice:

Be 100% authentic

95% of the time,

and save a white lie in reserve

just to be kind.

In other words,

never underestimate the power of a gesture.

And fucking get over yourself.

15. Letter to the Self

you’re not supposed to know - you’re supposed to grow

you have deep pain and regrets and fear

but

you’ve done so well to keep going

you’re learning to learn from your mistakes

your eyes are open to cruelty

and it’s teaching you kindness

you are never alone

we are here

and everywhere

which is all inside you

you are separated from god in the same way

that your cells are separate from your body

but they are not separate, only distinct

that should tell you something

be glorious

love is power

you are safe

god is real if you find it

you are not meek and mild,

but powerful and responsible

calm down, keep moving forward

hope is an illusion

just don’t give up!

16. the devil unknown

(dedicated to Carl Jung, a Great Soul)

how dangerous the fear

the sadness unseen

the shadow grown monstrous,

darker with time,

greater with distance;

a more deadly predator

there has never been

a thing so untrue

it cannot withstand

the gaze of courage;

light of consciousness erodes and is

constantly putting an end to this lie

the alternative is security

in what is known,

the safety of a world

that must not grow

but can be held

in fingers clenched

so tight they never tremble

the thing is always at one’s back,

churning, stalking, changing,

invisible to eyes that must not cry;

a heart might turn

and kill two illusions

with one act of faith

but if will is lacking,

a mind will burn

with slow fire

sure to overtake

engulf and consume,

remaking the world

in a vision of horror

spinning with no axis

eyelids torn away

praying hopeless for a light

to bring blindness

in the gloaming,

until face to face with oblivion

a soul may see that it has left itself no choice

17. Each Alone

with the changing of the weather

memory drifts back

to visions of my mother

I must be seeking counsel

I feel her presence

as silence gives the answer

no more promises

one condition

we bend to plant

we stoop to gather

each alone

and all together

a paradox

a house of cards

seen in a mirror

open eyes

open heart

defy the terror

stand amid

and rise beyond

the churning frigid waters

solid as a rock

light as a feather

18. July 17, 2021: In the Flow

Be real. Be big and weak. Find your strength in your resilience. Bark if you have to. Roar if you must. Bite when necessary. Otherwise, be like water. You are indestructible. Deal with it.

19. Natural

cats are beautifully selfish creatures

whereas bees are equally

as beautiful in their selflessness

ready to die

for love

for something greater than themselves

ready to eat, sleep, nuzzle

ready to be alone

nothing is greater

than their joy

therefore

save the bees

and please

don’t fuck with cats

20. In the Eye

if the mind is a mechanism

it is less like a clock

and more like a weather system

cause and effect

blending

fluid

pressures form

forms disintegrate

at weak points

it boils

freezes

cracks and

repairs itself

at the center

it is quiet

no movement

without stillness;

no clicking chatter

it observes itself

and knows it is a mystery

understand chaos

only with perspective;

up close

there is little to see

random molecules

no specific intent

no corners for a tool

to grab at;

no shiny middle

ground and polished;

sparks

resonance

down through negative

orders of magnitude

at last there is nothing

nothing at all

but then the same

can be said for the clock

21. This is What You Get

your will is your motor

your mind is your light

your heart is your courage

your soul is your power

your body is the interface

with the world

which is yours

April, 2022 - for my friends

we make our lives more joyous

and that light reflects

rebounding through the ether

seeping through the cracks

like a whisper

so the universe hears it

and knows all is not lost

Oct. 2025 - Young and Hopeless

life beats you down

leaving you with doubt

and many scars

you will lose a fight,

a wallet, an argument, a job

you will lose someone

eventually

wounds heal;

the scars come later,

like perspective;

they are what remains

a scab, a scar,

a crust

let it be

don't pick at it

it is good

a divine shield

protecting you

while your awareness swims

inside the capsule,

smiling at its own unreality

now anything can touch you

and nothing can kill you

you are now water

an ocean

you are now indestructible

you will thank me for this advice

later

24 - birdsong

they sing together,

each with its own song

and voice,

heedless

an atonal symphony

the sound is beautiful

and why?

because they sing without fear