Stranger

A stranger passes by
Eye contact is made
Hunted, wary
Expecting rejection
Even attack!
Ready to defend
The moment passes, he walks away
Leaving me wondering
Why? How? Who?

I stop
Pause
Eyes closed
The pain of a stranger
Shooting out of eyes
Cutting everyone
Before he can be cut again

I stop
Sending light
Holding the thought
Of this stranger
Close to my heart
As I go about my day

It's "Only" Music?

The world
Empty noise
Jarring, stabbing thoughts
The everyday grind
The way we treat one another
And our beautiful home
Blind consumption
When it closes in
There is always
Music
Telling the truth
Speaking heart's knowledge
Giving words and expression
To what we feel inside
Ringing it out loud
Eyes closed, get lost in it
Mind takes flight
Spirit soars
Sing, scream, dance
Part prayer, part orgasm
And nothing else
Does to us what music does
And isn't that
What keeps us coming back?

Whole

Many wants
But truly
Needs are few
Grasping not
For what comes next
But allowing this moment
To be
Finding joy
In a simple life
Borne of love
Excitement for the new day
What comes naturally
Moving toward what feeds the soul
Accepting good work as part of the journey
Easy appreciation
For small blessings in each day
Whatever the daily walk brings
The peace found
In the integrity of self

A Dance For Two

I watch them
Their daily interactions
A beautiful dance
Abiding
Each, in their own way
Eager to please
Bringing lessons learned
Strengths
And weaknesses
And as the dance of life
Moves them together and apart
Round and round
I watch from a distance
One who sees souls
And I smile
These two are beautiful
Singular and unique
Making the sweetest blend
When they come together
Yes
I watch people
And I am glad to know this pair

Lost and Found

A box
Marked
Lost and Found
Dusty and forgotten
Sits on a shelf

No one else can fix this
You put yourself
On that shelf
And so
You
Are the only one
Who can find you

Your world awaits

Doing and Stopping

Doing nothing feels good
Not the kind of nothing
Where you've left it all undone
And it's still there
Waiting, lurking
Calling you
This is different
It's the gift you give yourself
When you've taken care of it
When you feel good
Because those things
Are a part of your life
And there is joy
Almost a meditative quality
In your actions
And now
This is the kind of nothing
That feels amazing
Because you can sit quietly
And just be
A break, a natural flow
In the doing
And the stopping
That feeds the soul

Whipped Cream

There is a time for hard work
Putting in the effort
In fact
There is no getting around it
And it has it's place
It's good
But sometimes
Life needs
Ice cream
Shared tea and laughter with a friend
A cold beer
Time in the garden
A bike ride by the sea
Whipped cream, on anything
A kiss in the rain
An hour, playing with a child
A game of chess
An afternoon, feet up, watching football
Happy painted summer toes across your loved one's lap

These moments are where life is lived.

Watching

Sitting and writing, I smile
I'm watching him
He's watching her
His facial expressions, his eyes
He follows everything she does
They're in a large group of friends
Animated conversation, laughter
But the others may as well be invisible
He sees only her

Flowing

Water
Flowing
You hear the sound
Shaped by it's surroundings
Yet strong
Life giving
Able to cut through stone
With it's patient, daily path
Relentless movement
All that it touches
Is made better
Leaves beauty in it's wake
We can learn much
From watching the water

Sometimes

Sometimes
You must be completely lost
To be found
You must be without direction
To understand what and where home is
You must be broken
To be made whole
You must be empty
To understand abundance
You must face the questions
Before you find any answers
You must survive chaos
If you ever expect to find
And appreciate

Peace

This is the way of some souls
They cannot take the safe route
There is no why
It simply is.

Silly Poems

Roses are red

Carnations are pink

Men are stupid

So whaddaya think?

Roses are red

They can also be white

Life is a buffet

So take a big bite

Roses are red

And so are my lips

Let’s neither of us speak

No lies and no trips

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Tied up and soul bound

Eyes on what’s true

Roses are red

Thoughts can be clear

Strength in self knowledge

At a price paid quite dear

Roses are red

My coffee is brown

If you take it away

I’ll flatten the town

Roses are red

I love Jack Daniels Black

If I have more than two

The spins will attack

Roses are red

Violets are blue

These poems are stupid

And so, fuck you too

New Day

Choices made
Paths taken
Stumbling, striving
Wanting to fulfill it all
Not knowing who you are
Weighing yourself against others
Against rules and shoulds
Always, you come up short
Nothing works
You give up, no hope
Lost
And in losing yourself,
You are found!
Realization
You are YOU
Unique, singular
Acceptance and love
Embracing all that you are
Confident and happy
Open
Steps and direction sure
No longer caught up in the story
But living in the moment
Eyes open to truth and beauty
The endless gifts of a life
Joy found in the simple

Do It Anyway

Take a look

Uncover it all 

No stone un-turned

Face each truth

Honesty

Not for the faint of heart

Work done in the light

Hard work

Contempt, incoming 

The unflinching look inward

And the resulting action

Causing discomfort

In other lives 

Hiding from themselves  

Do it anyway

 

Little Pussy

Little Pussy
Black and White
Safe in your cocoon
Curled up, happy
Tiny world
Through the pane
You see the moon
Looking out
At all there is
You'd best
Retract those claws
On your cushion
You can't know
All the ways and laws

Real

Do they see all your colors
Or only those that match
Their own vision
Is a person real
If they are only a reflection
Of others thoughts
And if a soul
Finds it's truth
And knows only rejection
If that soul falls
To darkness
Were they ever really here at all?

That's How To Do

View from another perspective
Same songs, new meaning
Colors of the day
Sometimes green
Warmth, energy
But so often red
Passion
And anger, too
Two sides of the same coin
There is no running from either
In the end
Watch it all go by
None of it can rule
Bend, twist, maybe broken
But never done
Isn't the trick just
In finding that sweet spot
Where it's oh, just right
Nobody's been promised tomorrow
Soul's voice says what's right
When it speaks
That's how to do

Sweet Release

I dedicate this poem to all whom I have encountered in any capacity in my life. To any that I have hurt, I am truly sorry. You are all quite beautiful, and I think that I have not been very good at loving you all.  I wish love and peace and only good things to all of you.
_________________________________________________________________________


Seeking the truth of one life
Seeking simplicity, and the real in each day.
Removal of that which is unnecessary.
The peace of a simple life, a truthful walk, and an open heart.

We come to understand
We can each only be what we are
Be about our business each day
Doing the things that need doing
And not spending time and energy on those that don't
Trusting that the good comes in it's own time
And living each moment for what it is
Feeling what it means to be alive for right now

No matter how much we love someone
Regardless of who they are in our lives
We must realize, finally
You can't walk another's walk for them
Can't tell them how to feel, what to do
You can't make everything right for them
You can't pin your happiness to another person
Nor their actions
For in doing so you shackle both of you
There is no sense in trying to interpret
The actions or motivations, the why's of another
Any more than they can do the same of yours
Allow them to simply be, acceptance of the now
Cease the effort to recreate them
Allow love to be what it will be
When our efforts to shape it are at an end
It will take the form and essence that is natural
Sweet and unconditional
Adding unceasing light and warmth to our lives

Lessons learned
Walk forward
Open heart and mind
Sure steps, gratitude for the moment and the day
Love and awe in the souls encountered
But releasing ourselves and them
From any and all expectations
Allowing each to simply BE
And giving the same gift to yourself
And in doing this
Freedom and acceptance
Are for all of us

Trusting in each new day
Living in the moment
Seeking simplicity
Acceptance of the other as they are
No must be's
No shoulds
Traveling light
A simple, firm "no" to that which shackles, harms or complicates

A new day
A life of possibilities
Abundant energy

YES

Be Kind To You

Maybe you don't know
Right now
Exactly where you're going
Free fall is like that
Yes, you're going to have to
Pull that chord eventually
And you'll know the right time
Until then
Enjoy the view, the wind in your face
And the perspective that only
This fuck-all rush brings
Trust yourself
When you do
Everything will come
In good time
Yeah, you didn't know
It would feel like this, did you?
Scary sometimes
You're all over the place
That's okay
Live this moment
And give yourself a break
You're still you
You've got this

Women Are Terrible Creatures

OK, fine.
Women are terrible creatures
There are times we want it all.
When we fall, we fall.
How terrible for a woman to look at a man
See everything about him
Deem it amazing
And want to slide in close
And make happy?
And as for your penis?
Aw, c'mon, we like that little guy
ALMOST as much as you do
He's kinda fun to have around
So, yeah, he can stay
And, yeah it's annoying
This insecurity so many of us have
About our bodies
It's the spirit inside that counts
But baby, when your temple is saggin'
Your spirit be draggin!
It's nice when someone
Makes you feel beautiful
Cures about a million things
So, no we don't sit around
Trying to think of ways
To make men nuts
I guess
Women are just
Terrible creatures

Fear Tactics

You say
None measure up
Not one is good enough
Each situation, every opportunity
Every heart you shun
Your fear and need for control
Making the test
Impassable by all
Always your finger points
Outward
Do you know
If you put aside fear
Hold the rush to judgment
Give the souls around you
A chance
If we build, not tear down
If we encourage, not criticize
Creativity can live and grow
And love has a fighting chance