sky

if you catch a fragrance of the unseen,
you will not be able to be contained ~

you will be out in empty sky.

any beauty the world has, any desire,
will be easily yours.

as you live deeper in the heart,
the mirror gets cleaner and clearer.

when that happens,
you have no anxieties about losing anyone
or anything. you break the spells
that human difficulties cause.

                  ~ rumi
                          of course

descent

the earth stands upon columns 
supported by water
found in the mountains
sustained by the air
enclosed within the storm
that god holds in his arms.
               ~rabbi jose ben halafta
                           

i stepped off of the 6th rung..
just turned around from on high
and
stepped
right
off....
the ladder ~
as if i could walk on thin aire..
as if thin aire would hold me..
as if i was made of cotton candy...
none of the above are true.


if you're holding on to something,
it's hard to let go ~

leopard lady

she stands on the corner of 5th street and vine *
in her furry spotted boots & leopard poncho,
fluffy, animal gloves..long wild scarf..
a print hat celebrates her head!
the colour tones of her ensemble
are magnificent with her rich, dark skin..

she trembles ..
something like a parkinson's tremor ~
the parcel she holds shakes in her hands..

she is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
as she peeks into each car that stops at the sign.
there is a wee smile on her lips.
she is an animal of happiness ~
waiting at a crosswalk..

the cars ahead of me do not give her
the opportunity to cross the street..
when i reach the corner, our eyes meet.
i open up my palm in a gesture of after you..
she smiles broadly..a fine leonine smile & says aloud:
why thank you ever so much!

she sets out timidly in front of me..
quivering and quaking ... carefully placing her paws ..
step...by...step....by...step...by...step...
she takes her time..
i enjoy watching her slow, cat shimmy..

she steps up to the sidewalk...
when i drive away i see that she has turned around..
ready to cross the same street she has just traversed -

purrrr, baby, purrrrr!

(*streets have been changed to protect her innocence...)

anthem

The birds they sang at the break of day
"Start again", I heard them say
Don't dwell on what has passed away
Or what is yet to be

Ah, the wars they will be fought again
The holy dove, she will be caught again
Bought and sold and bought again
The dove is never free

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

We asked for signs, the signs were sent
The birth betrayed, the marriage spent
The widowhood of every government
Signs for all to see

I can run no more with that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned, they've summoned up a thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

You add up the parts, you won't have the sum
You strike up the march, there is no drum
Every heart, every heart to love will come
But like a refugee

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in

                          ~leonard cohen

epiphany eve

i denuded a friend’s christmas tree this afternoon

& the definition of epiphany..to reveal.. was revealed!

the plump norwegian spruce sat demurely in her own quintessence.

stripped of anything artificial and dizzying..

she, for i sense she is a she ..was beaming in her nakedness ~

relieved of the baubles, beads and balls 

that made her the holiday spectacle..

she sighed ..the ah! of emptiness! emaho!

i, too, am somehow relieved on this eve of insight..

it happens every 6th of january..

offering a sweet step forward yet a sweet step back..

forward into the adventure of a new year..lucky 13..

back ..away.. from the frenzy that got us here..

there is an aire of surprise on the buff round tree..

she suddenly appears as she is, was and will always be..

beheld in the mirror of her own self..

a true-ness, a simplicity.. shining dark green and moist..

she is a light on the day of lights..

                                                             ***

my mama used to make fruitcake for the holidays..

she used all of the best dried fruits..and nuts..

fresh coconut and her secret...ready?

apricot nectar ~

the year before my father died,

she made at least a hundred of them..

there is the great fruitcake toss

somewhere in colorado on epiphany ~

no one would ever toss sallie’s away..

                         ~ ever ~

                                                           ***

glory be -

to each of us.. simply adorned...

with a kind heart..our light to lead us..

and nectar!

shine on ~