A well-deserved rest

... and then there are the days
when, after having sailed
a lifetime or two,
you give yourself permission
to curl up at the dock
and bask in the morning sun.
A quiet cove,
cool mists of fog,
the gentle rocking of the waves,
the cries of the gulls
and the scent of salt air
to hide the inevitable lingering odors
of diesel fuel
and years
and years
of successful fishing expeditions.


* * *

Lying down on the job

When you decide to lie down on the job,
you run the risk
of not looking
all that glamorous;
the pale underbelly
of all your expertise
is exposed;
folks can start to tell
your opinion of yourself
may have been a bit inflated.
But darn,
that grass sure feels good
against my skin;
maybe I'll roll around for a bit...


* * *

Thirsting for Divine Connection

No one leads this dog to water;
no one needs to make him drink:
he does it when he's thirsty,
for he listens to his body.
When will we learn
to pay attention to our longings,
to honor our hungers
and assuage our true thirsts?
When will we --
seeing our reflection hovering there,
in that for which we thirst --
begin to comprehend
that that face is not our own
but belongs to God;
that what we long for
is the Divine Connection?


* * *

It feels like hope

We clasp our hands
and bow our heads
yet somewhere
deep inside
some part of us
is yearning,
stretching,
cupping its eager hands
in hope of gathering the light.
I stand before You, humble,
and still that longing
glows from deep within:
I hold it gently
as an offering
of trust:
See? I am both shy and bold,
shrinking away and reaching out:
It feels like hope;
approach/avoidance --
How can I be reserved for You
and yet still bloom?


* * *

Sailing toward integration

Let us harness the energies
of dark and light together:
in combining both
we create a breeze
that propels us
ever more surely forward.

Let us strike a balance
between leanings,
left and right:
in combining both
we create a tension
that helps keep us upright.

Let us find the courage
to walk upon the water,
to step out onto faith
and trust the balance and the breeze
to carry us across the waves
and safely to the farthest shores;
the land of integration.


* * *

The jangled imperfections of Now

I know,
or dimly sense,
that there's a future
hidden in this scene;
the shadow of the sea,
a dock,
a destination...
But just for now
I think I'll focus on these poppies;
drink in their brilliant reds
and strum my fingers
across their crowned heads,
listening
for their sweet green music,
the jangled imperfections
of Now.


* * *

Focused on the gold

I understand we all see things
from differing perspectives.
What I'm learning from my camera
is this:
Each vision contains
some partial truth --
no one of us can comprehend
the wholeness of the picture.
Proof:
Would you have guessed
that this scene is contained
in that image to its right?
Like a digital camera,
we have our limitations:
You may see the blues today
but I seem more focused on the gold.


* * *