The Stuff of Life

The space between sleep and busy 

~ where the stuff of life lies 

plays to the rhythm of the phone, 

the doorbell’s ring, children’s voices 

asking why a million times, 

aromas of bubbling sauces and stews

without the stuff of life 

there would be an incessant hum 

or a silence with no end ~ even ones thoughts could grow silent.

So I’ll bake bread; 

listen to birds chirping happily, 

take in the aroma of my kitchen or 

from a restaurant down the street; 

hear the traffic of sidewalks and lanes

~ when it’s time to sleep, I’ll dream.

“Get busy living or get busy dying.”

~ Stephen King

One Summer Day

I seldom speak with young men on the street, but this young man ~ he was young, and not yet a man ~ maybe 5 or 6 years old. But very serious. I had noticed this slightly stocky fellow looking in my direction. It was just a couple of days ago and temperatures had soared. The lineup at the ice cream window was long. I was on my way to a hair appointment and he and his mom were at the end of the line. He stood with his little arms folded, his head tilted a little on one side. He glanced up at his mom and whispered - ‘what’s that she’s got?’ nodding towards my cane. I seldom use it, but this day between the heat and an ache-y back, it was my balancing rod. His mom looked at me, maybe hoping I hadn’t heard his whisper. But I just smiled, then looked at her little one and told him. “It’s a cane.”  Suddenly shy, he didn’t say anything so his mom asked him. ‘Don’t you want to know why she’s using it?’ Looking him in the eye, I said ‘I need it for my really sore back today.’ It seemed an end to our very short conversation so I said good-bye and went on my way glad for this serious young man's curiosity.

“To take children seriously is to value them for 

who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.”

~ Alfie Kohn, author of Unconditional Parenting

Homemade Granola

Cashews and almonds

Seeds and grains

Maple syrup, butter and olive oil

Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

A delicious crunchy bite

~ by the spoonful.

“The greatest dishes are very simple.”

~ Auguste Escoffier, French chef

(1846 - 1935)

Nature's Potpourri

 

Nature’s potpourri ~ 

soft and fragile ~ 

faded pink reminders of 

their lively beauty 

only a week ago.

“At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough.”

~ Toni Morrison

Eventide

What more could I ask for 

when sun polishes the floor,

lights the corners of the room, 

my cat naps in its rays? 

Only the book 

I’m reading filling me with 

the energy of another’s life, 

and when I finally lay my head on my pillow, 

soft sleep comes easily.

“The evening stands silent, listening to the murmurs of the night.”

~ Suman Pokhrel, Nepali poet

Pastel Petals and Lilacs

 

Today's wind stripped trees 

of pastel pink petals

Taking over spring duties, 

deep purple lilacs stand ready.

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”

~ John Muir

The Artist

 

It was only the colours 

out of place 

that my eye saw, 

my consciousness recognized. 

But how? 

I laughed at the old sun

using the fountain’s spray 

to sketch a tiny rainbow

of colour on the water.

“…..just happy little accidents.”

~ Bob Ross, artist