24 Hours

When I arise in the morning, 

or even when I dutifully date 

the page in my journal, 

do I think to myself.

“Oh, that means I have 24 hours before I do the same thing all over again.” I can’t think that far ahead unless I mark up my calendars. I do have a wall calendar, and all the tech-y calendars. 

I mark each square with

the next dental appointment or birthday. 

But most days are made up of the time 

it takes to do anything, or walk to the store. 

Regardless, all these moments

never fail to add up to 24 hours 

~ every single day.

“Every day is conquerable by its hours, and every hour its minutes.”

~ Robert Breault, musical artist

Darling Clutter

It’s a start:

A broken and cracked flower pot

Bedraggled artificial flowers

like the too many words 

stricken from a paragraph,

these once beautiful pieces 

will meet the same fate. 

“Kill your darlings” it is said 

in the writing world.  

At home: not as poetic.

“Your home is a living space, not a storage space.”

~ Francine Jay, 

Founder of MissMinimalist.com

Gone Fishin'

 

To try and catch all the words that scatter themselves through my head is next to impossible. They float and bump up against one another, flip their wordy tails as they swim by, diving into the waving algae to hide from me. So I will just let them play their games for tonight. In the morning they may want to show off by lining up in a poem or story. But they may stay hiding in the 

little castle nestled in the algae.

“I have hated words and I have loved them, 

and I hope I have made them right.”

~ Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Ready to Flower

We are all ready to flower

with our life’s purpose 

But sometimes 

when you least expect it 

a young man, smiling,

bearded and in bulky, work clothes, 

coming from his lunch break,

held open the restaurant door 

for two friends as they chattered away.

Life happens in the moment.

What is our life’s purpose? 

What is your life’s purpose?

“Live your purpose and make your soul smile.”

~ Frank Sonnenberg,  The Path to a Meaningful Life

Far Away

Colour blossomed far away

~ invisible tether to my heart.

Story is like that 

a blossom of colour

far away from 

the words I write

each step I take

each word I write

will make meaning that 

is the tether to my heart.

“Faith is not about finding meaning in the world,

 there may be no such thing — faith is the belief 

in our capacity to create meaningful lives.”

~ Terry Tempest Williams, Leap

Leaning Tower

A leaning tower built by nature 

ring by ring from wood 

home to insects and birds, 

a playground for squirrels 

one tree along forested streets.

“No matter how beautiful architecture men can make, 

they will never create such a wonderful things as a tree.”

~ Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect

(Jun 1891 - to Jan 1979)

On an Afternoon Walk ~ Rain

 

Streets shone 

with rivulets of muddy water

dips and hollows filled 

to slow its drift

grumbling dark clouds, 

painted leaves from dusty to gloss 

tree roots 

welcomed the drizzling damp

air thick with 

rain smell filled my lungs

raindrops pattered my umbrella 

and tickled my sandalled toes.

“With the rain, falls the wisdom of heaven.”

~ Paulo Coelho