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