Gratitude

The gentle breeze that blows on a humid day
The cool ocean waves that kiss your feet
The calm moonlit sky with stars arrayed
Whom do I thank for all of these?

Whom do I thank for all the love
From family and friends, strangers too
Or for company that, come hell or highwater
Promises to always stand by you?

Whom do I thank for the many doors
That open for me along paths well laid
Or for character that builds when a few of those
Bang rudely shut right on my face?

Whom do I thank when drops of nectar
Wrapped in words of poetry sublime
Come to give solace to aching hearts
Or sprinkle joy on the seeking mind?

When all is done, all debts repaid
When I meet Him someday, I know not where
I hope I find the right words to say
Thanks for all that He has sent my way

Dandelions

I am floating in a gentle breeze
That moves the sails of Heaven's ships
I am free of cares, my heart is light
And bright is the smile on my lips

The breeze, it blows beneath my wings
My delicate wings of hopes and dreams
It lifts me up to soaring heights
With no effort on my part it seems

I ask not where I am being carried to
For the breeze knows where I am meant to go
I worry not if I fall to the ground
For at that very place, new shoots will grow

As I surrender to His divine grace
That caresses my soul every living day
I think of dancing dandelion seeds
And wonder if they too must feel this way

Odyssey of a Vase

An accidental brusque brush of His hand
(Or was it intentional? I do not know)
Threw me off the perch I was on
On to the hard unforgiving floor
A delicate porcelain vase that I am
I shattered into pieces four

    I am that vase...

Piece by piece, he picked me up
And put me back into a whole
With gentle love and a tender touch
That kindest heart, that noblest soul
If my edges pricked his hands
He never winced, it never showed

I have found peace...

I am back up on my old perch again
He polishes with care twice a day
The fractured veins are barely seen
I look pretty with my shiny glaze
As I am filled with colorful blooms
I gather many an adoring stare

I have found happiness...

He sings these beautiful songs sometimes
With soulful words in a lilting tune
Which help me see the wonder in things
Like the sun reflected in a drop of dew
As my heart races wild with joy
I think, "Where am I? Over the moon?"

I have found beauty...

November rain

On a hot humid day filled with many an irritation
I walk to the window to calm the restless heart
Just then she arrives, the south-west wind
I notice her as she blows the curtains apart

She comes in a huff, fierce rage writ all over
What troubles she had in the distant seas, I do not know
Her tears are stuffed in the grey clouds she carries along
They well up in her eyes sometimes, but she is too proud to let them show

The birds and beasts scamper around and hide
As she lashes out bitterly at the windows and trees
Little children hold on to their mothers in fright,
For she howls in fury at everyone she sees

Then she runs into this mountain, standing tall and stoic
He is unfazed by her temper or her angry stare
"Tell me what troubles you, fair maiden", he calmly says
"I cannot let you pass until you've laid your heart bare"

She resists his overtures at first, for she has only ever seen
Her anger met with fear, hate, or at best, a frown
But not too long under his kind eyes, in his strong arms
She lets out a thunderous wail and completely breaks down

The tears that start to come out hesitatingly in a drizzle
Soon flow with gusto as pouring, drenching rain
The forgiving earth soaks it all in with grace
As she watches the wind finally let go of her pain

The sun comes out to bid farewell to the now gentle breeze
My mind as calm as the skies above, back into the house I walk
I know that my despair will soon disappear because
I am about to shed some tears on the shoulder of my rock

On our wedding anniversary

I want to sing you a love song
Where I tell you how you are my world
But we are two drops of water that have merged
So who is the listener and who is to be heard?

I want to shower you with gifts
And get you everything on your wish list
But we are two drops of water that have merged
So who is the gifter and who unwraps the gifts?

Two people as different as can possibly be
For years, you were you, and I was I
But the two drops of water merged one lucky day
And now, where is "you", and where is "I"?

Avatar

"My dear God", I asked Him one day
"Can you come down to earth from your pedestal
I wish to see you from up close in flesh and blood,
I wish to see you live your life and be held in thrall

"How shall I come to you" asked the dear Lord
"As a loving mother or a sweet child?"
"No", said I, "the mother I trouble with my mischief,
The child sometimes I may get angry at and chide"

"How about as your brother or a friend", he asked
"No", said I again, "not as a lover or spouse either
All these relationships are imperfect and transactional
As much as I give in love, I also expect to be the receiver"

"Please come into my life, dear God, as happiness personified
Show me how to bring to my life the balance that I lack
Be that person in my life I can always look up to with respect,
Be that person I can love without expecting to be loved back"

"This relationship I seek to have with you, it has 
No name nor label, I know not what to call it
But please come into my life this way, dear God
When you think I deserve it"

Connected

Alone on our islands, each of us, we stood
Islands that are great distances apart
We conversed all day but we barely understood
For more connection yearned my lonely heart

One day I decided to brave the raging waters
I took a few steps away from my island called Ego
I was scared I'd drown, but instead I find
The islands are connected just beneath the water's flow

Everyday now I wade through the waters 
I listen to people share their pleasures and pain 
I feel connected to everyone by an invisible thread
I feel a deep love for the world that I cannot explain

As a sit by the peaceful water today, I no longer feel
That I am alone by myself in an empty hole
Instead, I am blissful, I am at peace, knowing 

That I am a beautiful part of an infinite whole

The Hand of God

"The wrath of God is upon us
He punishes us for our sins
Oh the destruction, oh the curse
Of so many deaths" cried the distraught prince

"Sins not of this birth alone
But of all the past lives we've lived"
Said the royal priest with a groan
"How much could the Lord have forgived"

Thus spoke the ants as I swatted
A bunch of them with a rough brush
Of my hand when I spotted
Them on my breakfast in the morning rush

Roots

 A little sapling once asked its mother tree
"The roots that I am growing, what do they mean to me?"

"They seem to tie me down to the same boring place"
"But, my dear, they anchor you in the winds of change"

"They are covered in all things mucky and old"
"That's from where, my dear, they bring nourishment to your soul"

"They are a tangled mess spread all around underground"

"That's how, my dear, they connect you to your brethren around"

"They are so ugly, unlike my pretty leaf and flower"

"Maybe, my dear, but they are a big part of who you are"

"If I cut them loose, I can fly high in the sky"
"Maybe, my dear, but soon you'll wither and die"

What do your roots, traditions and customs mean to you?

Jan 9th, 2023