Second Sight

They say
- you know "they" -
They say,
"grandma can see again."

But I am in mind of
a different
second sight

The new vision of
what's around
what's in
what's happening

tingling presence
cool caress

That vision that
kalidoscope-like
clicks into being

never to see the same again

when I travel in a new place
or in a new understanding,
like when I got the calculus


when I feel the unexpected
tremble
just as I fall in love

or feel the hollow tremble again
at the abyss' edge
when my true love dies


or when I whiff anew
the sweet pungence of
a puppy's breath

or despair the cavern
as my heart breaks into
what must be death


when I hear the orchid smile
or sing the rainbow
and then sit still for awhile


The refreshment of
that new vision

born of
emptiness

engenders
hope

comes with bubbles of
excitement

never to be the same again

Adrift Alone at Home with God

Bonding on a sail day
with the child
long denied

Storming,
no anchor,
not a port in sight

Running
with the wind
we bond in delight

No tacking
we come about
Returning to waters past
and come about again

Duck!
Here comes the boom.

Shades of Grey

Spent the day learning
the Afro Christian church
spawned tolerance and commitment to unity
in the United Church
of Christ.

The years of invisibility
are being brought forth
stories being told
histories being written

Invisibility is turning to grey
not quite lost
not fully here

I can't wait for the full
blackness to re-emerge

In Irons

The wind dies

and I am still.

Time alone at last

no place to go...

no one to see



Here - now - Presence

Spirit warming

holding steadfast



Now and here

as Presence pales

core beliefs bring hope



Old soul knows

chill, sun, salt, and drink

all will pass away.


Gentle breath arises and

slowly carries me home

Passion

Yearning
breaks into
a cold sweat

somewhere between desire and fear

Scars and Ashes 30 August 2009

Old hurts sealed

by retelling

Scored into

permanent scars

painful sores

wholly ours



Ashes blow in the wind

disperse

Stick in the throat,

tickle, sting, sear

Anthracite coals

of final fire

cloud second sight



Never, never does past pain

resolve into nothingness



Our scars are always with us

Our ashes soil the now

Heart Starts Away

The lonely heart

A beating sighing part

of the body human



A part of dying

A little each day

The heart starts

the soul decay



Without its daily

ration the heart

dies first, taking

soul away

Poetry Prof 5 July 2008

Water melon melon water

Watermelon, melon, water

Water melon-melon water


the dotty Chinese fellow
with bad hair dye
oughta found a more pleasing
ditty to ask that
his students follow


"Now you write, your task"
Was he teasing?
"A poem is for the ear" -- aye

What a pity
he was just another
professor who drinks
too much
then dies

Indolence

The stiff silence
gives structure
to such an easy
very present
day

reading in leisure
phone rings
orgainzing on computer
dog dings

a friend is here for coffee
we laugh
you see
easy conversation

friends unwell in hospital
and there is nothing
I can do about it

daily chores
slip into my reverie
and slip away with
the soapsuds

a new book
an omelette cooked
sweet cream
and tea

dinner with a friend
easy laughter
good conversation
lovely that hour or two

a concert date
with a friend from choir
I drink coffee
and then retire

Flow

In the spirit I move
easily through
time
space
drama
work

My being is being
heart is alive
mind is focused
body rhythms fine

Why is flow so exhilerating?
so ephemeral?
so slow to come
and fast to go?

In the groove, productive,
in synch
wanting more time to soar

High on life
easy days
I see clearly
it's but a phase

Plop!
Back to the mire
of conflict and grief
wanting to acquire
that endless relief

Oh I so long to know
how to intend
the path to flow