Sunday, February 1, 2009



Yesterday I wandered through someone else's garden,

which now belongs to mostly everyone who stops by

to say hello to the little old ladies who guard it.

It felt so good to be in a walled garden in the sun!

The camellias are wearing poorly, lots of nips in them

from the cold winds we've been having, even within a walled garden.

The Japanese magnolias' catkins are bursting.

They'll be blossoming & booming in just a minute or two...

I have been working much more than I usually do,

being of a naturally rather, ahhhh, ambling sort of nature,

who prizes lolling about & thinking of interesting subjects,

nothing too technical or measured, thanks,

but this last month has put my resources to the test...

Patience, for one, & getting past inertia into action,

I've had pressing issues concerning my mom,

& lots of them.

But all the while a voice kept saying

Get out your acrylics!

GET. OUT. YOUR. ACRYLICS.

So, when I finally did follow my own advice,

I found a very special ring & other keepsake jewelry

I had given up on over five years ago.

It drove me crazy for awhile back then,

looking everywhere & wondering

what had happened,

speculating on how they disappeared.

Finally, I had decided that someone

must have needed them more than I did,

& let the worries go away out into the Universe.

Now I know I hid them from myself, evidently,

& revealed them to myself years later,

at a time when this ol' girl

is much more seasoned with irony.

So I have decided the paint that harbored that treasure

must be lucky, & thus I am re-beginning a painting phase.

Now that I've announced it, so must it be.

Capturing light for myself

preserving it for everybody

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

New Era


I always like to think something good's on its way...
Today I watched the Presidential Inauguration
All those thousands & thousands of hopeful smiles
the rejoicing
the so ready semi-fumbled promise
the poet's dream of a reality of expanding light
the old minister's quaint & funny prayer
& I felt my heart swell
It did swell with appreciation
as my eyelashes grew crisp with salt
& I knew myself again
as part of my country
whatever that entails
part of a good intention
sometimes managed badly
as all human effort must be
even the best
which this could yet still be
the best we could hope for
for now

Monday, December 22, 2008


Enjoying the Christmas tree,
& the convivial suppertime together,
I noticed in the fire
a salamander,
calmly burning,
& keeping an eye on us.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Aspirations

At my son's place for Thanksgiving
Backwards in time
Relaxing
All sense of display

Now we're Home

The new Christmas tree is bare
waiting in its appointed corner
for its moments of glory

all lit up w/no place to go

We sit around, still stuffed
& content, for awhile,
thanks to the energies of other beings
sacrificed to our human needs
until the next wave of celebrating
presents itself

Hey, isn't there always something
to look up to?

Saturday, November 15, 2008


Well, during this waning moon,


I have established a composting system


of garbage cans & a worm farm....


Like Paul Muad-Dibh,


I am breathlessly


still waiting for worms, though.


I 'm de-clutterring again so that


I can enjoy the holidays.


It has been hard for me to break my cable news addiction.


I'm still working on that, struggling to remain


equanimous


lol


the way my meditation teacher told me


equanimous


equanimous


Came across this op-ed today:


http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/


It's, at the very least, literate & gentle,


& says much more than it says.


So, I'll move along now, myself,


to the garden plans & optimistic propagation


of sassanqua camellias


& other things,


work that is actually fun.


Reminded me of Todd Rundgren, somehow:


 




Hey, why not?


Have a great Saturday!

Monday, October 27, 2008



Scary times

build us stronger

strengthen the heart

addle the mind

something inside says

Try Again

Turn the focusing collar

right, left

Line it up

&

Let it Flow

Deja Voodoo - Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Who's Courting Your Reptilian Brain?


Please forgive me for getting political again

I suppose elections, even for class president

have always fundamentally appealed to the reptilian brain base

the simplest, reflex-based system

that never dreams

only lives to survive

at any cost

the little fight or flight button

that ramps up the adrenal glands

the most basic part of the brain

that lies beneath

the higher-thinking neocortex

that makes us human.

Certainly the Mad Men of the 50's understood this human trait,

& their adventures with it helped to create Today.

By now we're so acclimated to it

we might not even notice while it's working us.....

I just wanted to send this thought out there:

PLEASE carefully evaluate the claims

& strategies popping up all over the place.

Consider the source.

Consider what it's appealing to....

FEAR

or

HOPE

?


It's up to us to understand ourselves
&
make the difference.