pet-sitting a papillon

for Riker

freshly bathed
this little dog moves his blanket
next to my feet
settles down, dreams of running.
I do not know to where.

prison break

three days of sun
a November Northwest treat —
smile released
and laughter escapes, defies
all attempts at being reconfined.

Just one of those years

Why the tears?
Eulogies and burials —
my own cancer —
dwindling bank account —
I shake my head in response.

every time, it is like magic

crisp night
my breath hangs in the air
the sun reflected
against the moon, pregnant
subdued, steady, ancient.

seeing me through days like today

She holds my hand
as the rain slides down the windshield —
it’ll be alright
she says. I believe her
and squeeze gently back.

remembering how to walk away

tension builds
patience evaporates
anger tightens
jaw, body dis-eased
out of sync, I stop.

If only

He smiles, beaming
happy and holding flowers.
I missed the moment —
stare, longingly, now;
he keeps smiling.

A virtual bookmarker #2

Packet #3 to commence NOW.

I missed a day

The bug got me
and so I’ve slept and coughed
sneezed and wheezed.
My breath rattles in my chest.
I give thanks for the rattle.

the words keep repeating in my head

Singular stories
with a shared destiny.
While we breathe, we hope.
A new dawn of American
leadership is at hand.

–
Found tanka from President Obama’s acceptance speech.

For my wife

Let them come, my dear,
and see the truth of our life.
These rings we wear
are not defined by ballots
but by our vows of love.

Yes, We Can

For my Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans brothers and sisters who woke up this morning and checked that the measures across the country reflect a hatred for who we are, reflect prejudice instead of civil rights, let us take hope in the message of President Obama’s speech.

It may take a while, but let us not lose hope that some day this country of ours will stop seeing us as less than and start doing the right thing.

We can get there. Yes we can.

–

“It’s been a long time coming…”

November 5, 2008

Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech — chicagotribune.com.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

President Obama

how long has it been
since I could say these words:
I am proud
to be an American.
Yes, we can.

VOTE

the build up of negative campaigning

I pace, work,
struggle with anger and fear —
jaw clenched
body aching from the effort
to witness and stand here, now.

The Broken Line [Exploring Poetry]

The Broken Line.

I’ve decided to play in Robert Lee Brewster’s Poem A Day prompts for the month of November.

Rather than overwhelm Daily NoteBook with those drafts, I’ve opted to create another blog — The Broken Line  [http://thebrokenline.org]. [It might take a day or two for the URL to work.]

This will also give me a place to post items that aren’t necessary related to mindfulness and creativity as well.

[For my Facebook friends: I'll spare you my daily poetry drafts and will not be importing posts from The Broken Line. I'll continue to import the tankas and all other posts from Daily Notebook, however.]

Letting go on Hallow’s Eve

Pray for my dead —
that they have slipped across
and shed the veil.
Light a candle, murmur
their names into the night.

oh good Lord, my wife brought home a Fry Daddy

sliced thin, deep fried
lightly salted, eaten
hot, sweet
potatoes from heaven.
I reach for one more.

—

I shook my head
when she brought it home
from the thrift store
“It’s new!” She smiled.
What could I say, really?

John O’Donohue’s Beannacht

The Inner Landscape of Beauty | SoundSeen: Beannacht [Speaking of Faith® from American Public Media].

A poem — a blessing — that has stayed with me since I first read it. Finding audio of O’Donohue reading his poem made my day.

The text version may be read here.

Through his eyes, I see with hope

Every time
he speaks, I cry.
Tonight, I saw
him see and understand
and still believe the dream.

As if waking from a dream

lost in thought,
brought forth by red brick
clashed against
the soft sky — lines
boxed within vastness.

Pause

Try pausing right before and right after undertaking a new action, even something simple like putting a key in a lock to open a door. Such pauses take a brief moment, yet they have the effect of decompressing time and centering you.

A life practice from Br. David Steindl-Rast

[courtesy of graefulness.org's 'word' of the day feature]

Suddenly, I see

the curls of the tree
and ravens stark against
the sky, each image
captured and line written
becomes a portrait of my self

Within thy reach

Seek not, my soul, the life of the immortals; but enjoy to the full the resources that are within thy reach.

- Pindar

[courtesy of graefulness.org's 'word' of the day feature]

A reason for hope.

In mocking Sarah Palin

A meanness escapes,
creates what I resist.
My head hinders
my heart. Tonight ignite
a candle for us both.

A Stroke of Insight

We are perfect.
Energy explodes
into a collage
of consciousness, whole -
no boundaries, blended.

—
This is a ‘found tanka’ culled from the amazing TED talk of Jill Taylor, a brain scientist who studied her own stroke as it happened, from the inside out, and whose conclusion from the experience is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Okage sama de

The Urban Monk - To all that has made it possible

Okage sama de.

Translated by Dogo Barry Graham as “thanks to all that has made it possible,” Graham writes about this Japanese phrase and about the concept that “everything for which we are grateful was born of the actions of more beings, animate and inanimate, through space and time, than it would ever be possible to thank.”

One of the comments translates the phrase literally as “because I live in the shadow of others, I can be.”

Okage sama de.

Autumn in Portland

Seeking color
my wife drives, I
capture neon
stripper signs, beer murals
and burning bushes of fall.

Every once in a while

lazy day -
disregarded list -
warm blankets
and heat turned up high,
sweet sleep instead.

Que Bueño!

pink beans
soaked, cooked slowly
ham hock
peeled from bone, heat
and spice and rice. Goodness.

A virtual bookmarker

- End of Packet 1 -

Packet 2 will commence tomorrow.

Pray for Peace by Ellen Bass

Pray for Peace by Ellen Bass

This is the kind of poem that takes you on a journey, takes you through the moments of life, while imploring you to take notice of the world the entire way.

With a sense of urgency as its undercurrent, it reminds me of Eckhart Tolle’s statement that “the transformation of human consciousness is no longer a luxury, so to speak, available only to a few isolated individuals, but a necessity if humankind is not to destroy itself” (from Stillness Speaks).

Pray for Peace by Ellen Bass

what I didn’t write

pages print
heat of toner crisps
starkly against
the white page, open
space speaks volumes.

Februarys in Florida

hot chocolate
mug warms my hands
I sip; smile —
shut my eyes and remember
the sand beneath my feet.

In 200 words or so

asked to define
myself and why I do
what I do,
I don’t reply: without
the outlet, I’d disappear.

through the aether

I walk the beach
and talk to Viejito
my mother says.
I wonder if he hears
us both at the same time.

Despite myself

I caught myself
smiling while driving today -
the sun broke
into my car and stole
away my misery.

How the Earth Loves You

Beautiful poem.

David Waltner-Toews - How the Earth Loves You.