death

out of no where

You come

dis-rupting comfort

and routine

toppling the known

and familiar

altering courses

forcing us

to begin anew

to see and be

different

You cleanse

and re-arrange

twisting us

in-side and

crying out

raising

existential questions

we’d rather run from

You will come

for each and every

one of us

at our appointed time

a surprise

out of

seeming

no where

hunger

a constant gnawing

deep within

to be fed

and tended to

through The Mouth

that did not know

its mother’s milk

suckled instead

by the middle finger

of its right hand

The Mouth that spoke

not a word

its first few years

now relentlessly demands

food

attention

silence

rarely satiated

riddled with shame

and melancholy

a downward spiral

often begins.

here, now

this time

a long breath

slowly let out

through The Mouth

gentler with the hunger

less intolerance

more patience.

Yolanda

Are you homeless?”

she asked,

penetrating my self immersion.

No, why?

I responded, a tad vexed.

Because of your bag,”

she said,

pointing to the shopping cart

I was wheeling behind me.

I am homeless,”

she shared.

I stopped,

emerged from my shell.

We stood

face to face

under a first quarter moon,

meeting each other.

Yolanda was her name –

engaging,

loquacious,

deeply rooted in her faith,

enamored of the Celestial Realms.

She spoke of harrowing experiences in the local shelters,

of the inconsiderate and dangerous conditions  –

especially

for a woman

alone.

Just a year ago,

Yolanda had a home,

a husband,

was employed with a car.

A divorce rendered her without,

leading to her sleeping

outside

for the first time

on a frigid and blustery night.

Yolanda alluded to

grown children,

yet gave thanks

only to the kind strangers

who kept her fed

and still alive.

“I will pray for you,”

I offered humbly.

And I have,

and will continue to

pray for Yolanda

and all in our human family

on their own

out

in the bitter cold.

This is not the way it’s supposed to be!

We are each other’s keeper!

Indeed, we are each other!

When did we forget this?

No mere coincidence,

my time with Yolanda.

Divinely orchestrated,

potent seeds planted.

An assignment awaits.

Still-ness

Still-ness

is quiet

and slow;

a Mountain top

in lieu of

the marketplace;

blessed Solitude

chosen over

the complexities

of company.

Still-ness

is the Moon’s femininity

relative to

the Sun‘s great fiery πŸ”₯

may we Be Stll

to know

to then act

from Heart πŸ™

been here before

this place,

these people,

those words,

that feeling,

been here before.

The Benevolent Universe

slowly closing a door,

ushering in

something unfamiliar

far beyond my

imagination –

another assignment

an opportunity

to learn

to grow

to contribute

and explore

pieces of me

never seen before.

anticipation clasps the hand

of trepidation,

resistance gradually gives way

to acceptance

of a Journey

marked by the continuous

making

and then

the breaking

of bonds.

The Wisdom of Innocence

she teaches me –

my Little Niece

a Guru from the day we met –

months into a pandemic.

she taught me

then

the feel of unadulterated Love –

startling in its immediacy and potentcy!

she continues to exemplify

curiosity and Surrendered play.

Innocence demands cultivating

patience and acceptance;

necessitates

being

there

fully

now

in Its Presence.

Innocence is exquisitely perceptive –

cannot hide for long

behind the “adult” masks.

she humbles me,

de-constructs me,

my Little Niece.

forever grateful πŸ™

forever changed πŸ™

Mother is Husband

“I am your husband,”

said The Mother

to The Daughter.

Not entirely an untruth, 

as Mother dwells in household

with her eldest Daughter.

They share expenses

and secrets.

They are each other’s “somebody”

the unspoken priority,

the new nuclear family,

the what remains

when what was The Core

splinters off

never to return.

The Illumination of Benevolence

The Stunning Presence

you see,

that is The Illumination of Benevolence.

The Eloquence

you perceive,

that is The Expression of Benevolence.

The Care

you feel,

those are The Hands of Benevolence πŸ™

Empty vessels, we can be

when we surrender –

completely –

to Benevolence’s Will.

Then we consider

everyone, all beings

no thing left behind –

abandoned

forsaken.

Pop: Year Nineteen

nineteen years

since you transitioned

to The Other Realms

no father, no more

like yesterday

when you left

in the arms of the woman you Love

on the bed of your and hers first born

a massive stroke

quickly

dramatically

graciously

commenced your way back Home

your Heart the last to go

fittingly

as It defined you

and, hence, me,

your namesake

thank you

for coming to me

in dream

recently

a rare occurrence

so cherished πŸ™

you are missed

here

your Presence still felt

here

there really is no ending

simply a change to the scenery