Branches

Intending to follow 

the direction of my heart,

I set out without a map. 

As a child, instruction from parents 

~ and any adult ~ 

composed a singular map 

Adults were all knowledgeable? 

An adult for many years, 

the truth of what I have known  

has been pared, shifted and changed 

with many maps needed and used

   Lives lived by example

     

   Instructions books

       Text books

   Advice from family and friends,

    Books of all kinds

  Noticing nature’s ways of growing

I set out with many maps in my heart. 

“Maps are way of organizing wonder.”

~ Peter Steinhart, writer and naturalist

Into View

Suspending time, 

memories slid into view, 

softened treasures cherished, 

blackened edges honoured

 ~ yesterday’s blossoms of

learning, knowing and feeling.

Suspending time, 

memories slid into view….

“As long as there are memories, yesterday remains.”

~ Billy Joel, pianist

Being

 

To know one’s being after

all the glorious mess of a day 

is to allow it to blossom

in the quiet of the evening.

“Inhale and hold the evening in your lungs.”

~ Sebastian Faulks, Engleby

Fish or Flowers

When the order of things is 

1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 

and so on….

but the time of things 

does not match the order, 

how to make sense of it all 

just do what needs doing 

ignore #2 to answer 

the phone when it rings, 

accept a sudden appointment 

because 

it has been too long a wait, 

push #3 aside to make room 

for the laundry

from the dryer, 

put #1 to the back of 

the order of things. 

It is not my order but an order 

I have yet to envision ~

my fingers, my feet and my heart 

seem to know differently.

“Deep in human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe 

that makes sense, But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”

~Frank Herbert, Dune

Tracks of My Life

Gracing the memory tracks of life, 

   the many phases of growing up 

     to these retirement years. 

There was a time 

when my adult mind stood before

   this child, 

     this adolescent, 

       this young adult 

In stern admonition said

 ‘You should have known better!’ 

to stay safe in the slippery ways of life

      mentally

        emotionally

          physically

when, with each phase,

I had only taken sips of knowledge

until I knew that I was grown 

 capable of more

  curious to learn more 

    eager to fill my cup to the brim.

Gracing the memory tracks of my life 

  with humility and understanding 

     these stages of my life have been set free.

“Grace is a power that comes in and 

transforms a moment into something better.”

~ Caroline Myss, 

(Genre: Health, Mind, & Body)

The Art of Writing

Never knowing what words 

will pour or dribble from 

my pen each morning. I’ve always 

wondered how they get so many 

words into the barrel of a pen 

but I suppose that is not for me 

to know. I only have to take my 

pen from the darkness of my 

desk drawer, position it over a page 

  ~ any page ~ and words slide onto 

the pale beige surface. Sometimes so 

quickly the words look like wiggly 

worms that mean nothing; other times 

letters are shaped so beautifully 

they look like little balloons and

handsome walking sticks. 

“Creativity exists in the present moment. You can’t find it anywhere else.”

~ Natalie Goldberg

Inspired by the poem Budapest by Billy Collins

New Growth

There are tree experts that 

could tell me what these 

crusty brown growths are. 

I suspect they are buds 

~ for new leaves? 

Rather like all of us 

as we grow. We get 

crusty with new knowledge 

mixed with old lessons.

As leaves and blossoms 

emerge the crusts fall to the 

ground, the protection for 

new growth no longer needed.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud 

was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

~ Anaïs Nin, author

Sheltered

Sheltered ……

from knowledge

is awkward when

ancient beliefs hold fast

Sheltered…….

from ancient beliefs

makes knowledge

vulnerable and translucent

Sheltered ……

from each other

we can become

afraid of the world

Shelter……

of any kind is necessary 

but needs safety and balance 

for us to step boldly into life.

“I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. 

A sheltered life can be a daring life as well.

For all serious daring starts from within.”

~ Eudora Welty

All Tucked In

Hearts desires

all tucked in

until we know

“….let’s only say what our hearts desire.”

~ Rumi