I pray for Jill

I see her face
once filled with courage
now looking thinner
and distraught

her purpose is noble
she is not the enemy
truth is her goal

if I were her mother
I could not sleep
I would be inconsolable

her own mother appears
strong for her daughter's
sake

what can I do...but pray
keeping them
in the front of my thinking
staying with them
in my heart

praying on their behalf
for all that they need
to bear this burden
to give their minds
occasional release
from this torture

I can only do this

I can only do this. . .

to market, to market to buy a fine pig.......

I love the Webster Street Market
I go every Saturday
to see friends
to mill among the market folk

farmer Dan and his family
raise free range chickens
and everything else
organic
you can thing of
they just had a new baby

there is usually live music
today it was the down home
stompin variety
fans toss dollars
into their bango case

I secretly wish I could play. . .

I had my usual cabbage roll
it hits the spot
my toe taps to the music
as I breathe in the scent of cabbage

sometimes I stop by the candle shop
I chat with the clerk
I adore the lace
wall hangings he sells

Then it's
home again
home again
jiggety jig

Renewed . . . .refreshed
with the belief that
neighbors do exist
in 2006

will I know you when I see you....

will you be tall and thin
will I recognize you by your
s mi l e

do you have brown hair or black
what will you be wearing

will your eyes betray what you know
will I know you know my secrets

OR

will you merely pass unnoticed
and the opportunity for friendship

will be

l i k e it

o r not

s a d

t h i n g s happen

today I pondered

while my class read
I pondered the universe
from pictures
in the magazine, ASTRONOMY

there are many times
I wish I could leave
the confines
of my body

and explore

I can't believe
the human mind
would want to
put up with
such confinement

in flesh and bones


when all
it would take
is
imagination

to leave the
boundary of skin

M.L.K.

what he said in the 60's
is still revelant

prophetic voice
God. . . . speaking

showing
the way

why must
we always
destroy
the prophets

violence is
the way of
fight
evil-
aspire to be
radical

dreams. . .

3 nights of dreaming
about water

water rising
water threatening
to invade
a sanctuary

I am panicking
sometimes alone
sometimes begging
others to leave
before its too late

and the water will
overtake the illusion
of safety

they do not listen
to my cries
but try alternate
methods of
building barriers

I can "see" these
will not work

as the water is
crashing
getting higher
seeping in
everywhere

my chest is
tight with fear

and one appeared
with barbed wire
around his throat
and head

I awoke with
the residue of fear
wondering why

when I consider
water my friend

that so much unease
is there

it takes more than one....

Who did I see today?

Who did I encounter passing
the time of day?

Who will I see again...
maybe today
was that once in a lifetime
c o n t a c t

Humans everywhere

some I connect with
some I dismiss

But we're all apart of
God's body
whether I acknowledge
that or not

my ego tells me
I am important
in that body

but in the end
all are needed

and to survive

that is best done
with cooperation. . . .

I need you....you need me

I need you
you need me

we're all apart
of God's body

stand with me
agree with me

we're all apart
of God's body

It is his will
that every need
be supplied

you are important to me
I need you to survive

holiday blues

my grown children
came and went
the house
was filled
with laughter
with activity

so many memories
to add to those
of the past

but each year
it seems
they become
more poignant
more precious

I do not let them know
I weep
when they leave

the house sighs
too

I am coming

I am coming,
I am coming to water's edge
at last we will meet
perhaps exchange thoughts

I will stay near
as near I as I can
I will listen
to the sounds
water makes
in the repeated fashion
I love

I never thought
this encounter
would occur
so near the place
where I saw the faces

in anguish and despair
calling out for
fresh water
despite the fact
so much salty water
was around
not soaking in the ground

but standing everywhere
taking the brunt
of human anger
for deeds
that should not
be blamed on
an element

that only goes where
it naturally should
if it could....

ocean current of thought

the collective consciousness
a strong ocean current

listening in
hear the babbling

the power of thought
clouded with confusion
and fear

put something in the stream
to negate the confusion

and fear
will disappear

fear not the silence, know thyself

silence within, without
no pressure to be
anything

when silence comes

a peace settles
in my soul
my body

I am present
with who I am

I accept the wisdom
that is buried
deep within

I visit this place often
and the rush of life
slows

to let me know
I am alive

It is what it is

Hands outstretched
for water

that priceless element
of Mother Earth

faces filled
with despair
lips cracked with
thirst

asking for water

we see water's power
we have growing respect
for this ancient element

we talk of nothing else

watching its power
invade our
meager attempts
to contain it

it doesn't try to humble us
but succeeds anyway

putting us in our
place

which needs to be
changed

if humankind
wants to live along side
this magnificent
intricate,
can't-live-without-it
substance called
w
a
t
e
r

we have a god

we have a god
not spelled with
a captial "G"

we have a god
spelled o i l

we pay homage
with our lives

we spare nothing
to accumulate more

we panic when we
fear there's not
enough

we don't care the
source
as long as
we don't go
without

the visionaries
speak of using less
to save our future
from being filled

with constant thoughts
of how and where
we can get more
than our share

of the total that
should be used
by all on earth

we care little about this
as long as we
can make and take
ours vehicles
our trips

some would say
the sacrifice
is being made
in human cost
in desert lands

wake up, O people
this god
demands much

my prayer for water

if water is pure
then human bodies
will reap the benefits

when water is defiled
humankind is defiled

I pray without ceasing
that water
will find health


and the beautiful
molecular structures
made as a result
of human love

will once again
be with us

Drumming for the good of all

a new drumming circle
four men and four women
balanced

our intent was to drum for health
and well-being of people
strangers to most of us

the drumming began
each listening to the beat
adding our own rhythms

to the ebb and flow of vibrations
felt through the skins
of our drums

we lose ourselves to
become one in sound
adding our thoughts
to the collective consciousness

as the drumming subsides
we feel the intense
energy in the room
we revel in its power

we are thankful we can
drum with like minded
people
who know
the power

of the drum

I would say...

I would say that human behavior has caused water to destroy. I would say that the "collective consciousness" of humankind and planet earth are intricately entwined in ways we are beginning to discover. Life responds to life. We respond to earth and she to us. She carries the burdens of human misery and human shortsightedness. We are not separate, but one.

A vision that includes humankind must also include our habitat or we will parish.

water hears

water lying stagnant
impure, defiled

human flesh
joined as one
with water
that left its
boundaries

we curse its name
shake our fists
in rage
at what water
has done

but those who
know water best
know
that when love
is spoken
water reacts

to make itself
intricate
and beautiful

human words
fill the air
with all that
is vile
and then
we wonder
w h y

water
responds with
distruction

hear what was said

what have you spoken
in the travisty of distruction

would we know your words
if we heard them

or have we ignored
for too long

not recognized the wisdom
in your actions

some would say you speak not
that only ancient peoples
believed these things

but I say, you have been
speaking and will continue
until those who hear

translate your actions
into words with meaning

I am so happy to be back (blogging and ......)

I have been gone what seems like a long time. During this absence I have been moving into my old, new home on Cross Street. The furniture is in place and the numerous odds and ends are finding their way too. I got a new computer and set it up today. It has all the bells and whistles. I know I will need assistance and training in its use.

As I am writing this, I hear my water fountain in the dining room. I sometimes can't believe that I am actually moved in. It has been a long process really beginning after my mother's funeral. But that's behind me and I look forward to a new year in my old, new house.