Monday, February 18

Poetry

oh sweet fragile life
broken into pieces

pretzel crumbs
eye lashes
mosaic tiles
crossword boxes
water drops
a fallen ceramic plate

holding in these two hands
the moment
the pieces

blinking, sharing in the brokenness
smiling with the life that is within
a wick still lit,

golden eye warmth, friend laughter
idle reminiscing chatter
against the house a ladder
i sit on, safely

the vim of this virago
mountain west wind, a desert storm
a tumultous tide-- a river current ride
tree trunk humility and aware
smiling, moment by moment recieiving
imbibing, being imbued
embraced, startled and inevitable renewed

wind rushing past rocks and twig strand pieces
storm carrying sand grain pieces
tide turning water and ocean bit pieces
tree trunk breaking pieces, losing branch pieces

oh sweet fragile life
up in the wind, around in the tide
rooted and yet able to break, to fall
to grow anew
to know wholeness, brokenness and the chasm

eyes of compassion
hands of patience, gentleness, awareness
the pieces
forever
soft, sharp, breaking, falling, living pieces

Saturday, February 9

Response Poetry

CALLING all
lovers of life
lemme tell you

RAW COLD STRIFE
so aching, stretching, seething
despondently looking for hope in LIFE

clinging to candle flame flirty security
grain, rice, mother's sound advice
sweet, sound sleep, safe

oh- lovers of life
do you know STRIFE

bending, pretending, unENDING

begging,

starving hope

staggering abused fools no where to go but a closet, long tshirts, hiding, crying, wilting

WAILING
silently RAILING against this pain,

painful SILENCE splits hearts, belief-- pushing hope further and an ending rope closer

ohhhhh
chants, cheers
don't even mask fears
or dry corner sobbed tears
forming oceans - salty, stormy
all these yawning, yearning, helling-silent yelling years

swaying seasons, swaying tides
rocking like the baby in
the cradle
crying to sleep
again another fight in the night
blood bruises, bruises blood
and hope drowns in the flood

oh no, oh no, oh no

close the window, pull the sheet
over me, first get out of this stronghold
here, there,
yes, there you go
breathe in

struggles surface and swallowing is so hard
and audible

here, looking into these eyes, cry, feel (safe), feel anything but pain, feel

feel my
puh-pulse
yes-- lend your ear
to
my chest
breathing
still

calling

still

you, yes, YOU, hold
still

open your fragile hand
holding
SO intensely to breath, beauty

in this moment we envision a clenched hand holding power, holding what we know to be oppression, pain, wrongful harm

holding-clenching power
and ..... ! watch out!
pow! pow!
pop rocks and
fire work shocks
exploding power
blood showers
like rain on london monday noondays
equator jungle tuesdays

oh soaking my soul
watering parched for hope soil
unslaked, unsatiated believing, beautiful souls

rains and tears and oceans and floods
covering sand formed from the excellent explosion of power
scattered and splattered by blood showers and seaweed flowers

oh ocean, i see candles floating
bobbing with hope -- in this new tide, new moment
trees, women, breathing
relief-- ah, REVOLUTION
for power has
pow! pow! explosioned
out of the hurtful hand of the holder

and

ah!

into glimmering, bloody, hard, beautiful, creative, smiling, beating pieces
now which sit, shake, settle into the

husssshhhddd voice
black, blue, yellow, red squinting bruises
shaky voices, minds
veil
ordained women
used, abused, misconstrued, confused, refused

and NOW.

SHE STANDS. SHE FEELS. SHE SEES. SHE SPEAKS. SHE SCREAMS. SHE OPENS THE DOOR. SHE UNLOCKS HER WORLD, HER CAPACITY.

TO COME ALIVE. TO BE.

woman STRONG
woman TRUE
woman BEAUTIFUL

leader, teacher, lover, mother, any, all, more, fine and fire
courage cultivator
loving lover, sister, friend

SHE is.... Mother Eart
feminina
more
life giver
able
dreaming and living these dreams
Wangari in Kenya
Ebadi in Iran
Riverbend in Iraq, Jordan
Addams in Chicago
Chan Khong in Vietnam
Wells in Memphis

YOU

overcoming, challenging, changing, STANDing, BEING energy

buzzing justice, peace and liberation, this moment and EVERY moment
because WOMEN

know
feel
taste
hear
swallow
injustice, hate, oppression, violence, abuse, inequality
now.
broken, bruised, splintered
fragile, faking, fighting, fearing

WE SAY -- NO MORE NO MAS NO MORE
bruises
betrayal
breaking-beating-belitting
brokenness
WE SAY --

justice. love. care. respect. health. safety. security. pride. liberty. peace.
NOW.

hold it, feel it, know it, taste it, hear it, swallow it.

ALL.
hold on to your heart beat
the way a wick holds onto a flame
the way a lover holds a lover
the way a blue sky holds a sun

inhaling, (ah)..... exhaling (ah)

coming ALIVE, rising to LIFE
awaken the deep spirit
oh sweet, bitter soul
from the dust of shame
the dark corner of seclusion

RISE! RISE! RISE!
with the sun
meet the road for peace, turning at the bend of justice, walking under the sky of equality-- taking nothing less than

LOVE, RESPECT, REVERENCE, DIGNITY, INTEGRITY

holding onto that heart beat
the candle flame, blue sun sky, lovers embrace,
again-- the heart beat

no longer starving belief
for after the explosion, after the ocean
after the feeling, hiding, feeling, rising, walking .....

Lovers of Life
United Around Strife
beating drums
chanting cheers
tasting tears
reversing fate of the years

to come
let us all learn from

bloody wretched raw
ravagings
rebellions
revolutions, salty oceans
sparkling in our eyes

yes! we shall organize and defy

until peace until justice until liberty until love

endures, enables, empowers, exists

and explodes power out of clenched fists
[and (embraces the fading folded, limp hand) still]
and from the clenched fist, explodes Gygees greed and every gold steed
forsaking putrid power ... giving the REST
what they demand and NEED

UNTIL
this's fulfill'd

i SHALL CALL
you sweet, sorrowful, strong

lovers of life
to tell the tale of

painful
crying, SCREAMING

silenced

strife.

Sunday, February 3

Meditations/1

Reflecting, introspecting, connecting, being.

"smiling is very important"

"present moment wonderful moment"

"we are more than our sorrow"

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts"

"Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful"

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers"

"It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing and being peace that we can make peace."

all quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh