24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
For those afraid of heights
Don’t you know that you are never promoted to the bottom floor.
Don’t you want more
Breath in deep and jump with all of your might
Don’t you know that you will never have more than the things for which you reach
Don’t you know you must go up to forgo defeat.
Night after night
she wanders awake,
she loves the black skies
the stars seem to wait.
She may need her rest
but she wakes up then,
the night is her friend,
she wants to hide then.
Insomniac she’s called
when they see the worse,
but she doesn’t care,
for they won’t think more
She’ll never change;
no matter what,
it’s their belief
but it’s not all true.
She loves the night
it understands,
they love the dark,
they are best friends.
In silence held
The gentle breath of dusk
Quieting souls that
Take care to gaze into the night.
Day’s business drifts away
Worries untethered by sweet cool air
And soft lavender skies
And deep breaths.
This is the nourishment if the soul:
To quiet oneself deliberately
In contemplation of all that is
Pure and whole and good and lovely
While the body rests
And breathes the scents of night.
A word of thanks to mom.
I thank my mother for all her nurture and hard work,
the love and effort she invested in me.
she invested in me.
The loving care etc etc
but thanks is not praise.
In Praise of Mom.
Praise is admiration whether it helps me or not,
and Mom deserves a ton of that,
World champion almost blind lady
who did so well at home and work
that people forgot she was blind.
she shood people out of her kitchen
because they got in her way,
and was never embarrassed to ask for help
to read a recipe or thread a needle.
most of all she could handle my father,
when the darkness came over him
and he could not get unstuck from the negative,
face to face whe would scold and bully and challenge him
to be his best
and so her voice is still in my head
20 years after her death,
praising me for my best qualities
and challenging me to be my best.
In Praise of Mom.
You’re amazing!
I know I don’t tell you that often,
if at all, but really, you are!
I don’t do you justice, and I’m sorry.
I tire you out
and not let you rest,
but you just keep going,
and keep me going.
I don’t tend to you on time,
and sometimes I forget to feed you.
But you just wait patiently
for the next meal
and rarely complain.
I don’t give you enough credit,
but you’re strong
in that own unique way.
You’re complex,
and that makes you beautiful.
Every now and again
you impress me.
Thank you, body,
For taking such good care of me.
In the middle of the night
When worries keep my eyes open
Or filled to the brim with tears,
You were there to put my fears to bed.
When a student is crying
Or being especially difficult
And I am a loss for words
You give me just the right thing to say.
Even when I mess up or
Have harsh words for those around me
You remind me that your grace is enough.
Words can’t fully express
The gratitude in my heart
As you keep on “making a way outta no way.”
So thank you, Lord, for blessing me
Each and every day.
I guess there are times that you want to begin
again
and you can’t get past the end
again
Not sure how to stop this trend.
Noble globe
green shiny droopling
tending yellow
harboring succulent tangy pulp
my tongue sings thee,
Hawaii
In Praise of Yang
I’m sitting in eighty-degree shade under cottonwoods in a line where moisture from the roof of a longhouse once gave them their start. Tribal Camp Lane looks a lot different than back then.
Lapping wave are now just an interlude to jet skis, motor boats and lots of alcohol. Pot bellies, laughter and kids figuring out the latest water devices and a few of us swimming.
When I sit back and take it all in, I see ospreys floating above nirvana. A promised land that’s just down I-95 and no one wants more.
A catch of the eye
A smile sweetly shared
Many words spoken
Two hearts ensnared
A touch of a hand
Fingers intwined
Hearts quickly beating
Walk side by side
Turns in to face
slight hesitation
Lips gently touch
Vibrant sensation
The world fades away
Even as the lips part
They walk away full
Though theyve each lost their heart