NOTICE RESISTANCE

Notice
resistance–
Look it in the face,
hold its hand,
help it relax–
with it, make friends. . .

Honor it and cherish it,
for the teacher that it is,
so you both can move
to better understanding
and eventual landing
on a firmer, broader plain,

from where you roam
on winding and inclined terrain
and choose to stride
toward elevation gain
and yet another brighter, clearer
beautiful and powerful,
brand-new-for-the-both-of-you,
new place,

Where spread such untold wonders
you can hear and see,
while you live in counterpoint
and harmony–
joyful, playful,
in a mix
of upward lift
and gravity,

so that you can really LIVE
in way much better time
and freer space.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MIRACLE

Another day,
another set of miracles
made manifest

in numerous ways,
much more than empirical
I’ve weathered all the wrinkles
and risen to the level
where I’m shone on by sun’s rays
in climbing sundry pinnacles
where life has put me to the test. . .

I’ve put in
my little wherewithal
and God has done the rest.

FEELING THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A TREE STUMP

Tree stump
still
vibrating here,
sawdust wood chips
newly cleared. . .

they’ve left it
for gone,
like a log’s proverbial lump. . .
but what a being,
great,
now downed,
laid bare
was living there,

before humanity
did change its mind
as goes the modern flair. . .

where once it put
your now deep and cut off roots
it took your life away
with chainsaw speed,
which took some time,

Though that
was little,
for your tall
and long, strong life–
limb by limb
on pulleyed lines
they took you down,

climaxed by
one big, sick thump.

Where once you
sheltered
me in shade
my insides cry,
beneath the empty-of-you sky,
as enters in
an unrelenting sun.

CREATIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE, ENLIGHTENING– PRODUCTIVE?!

Creative
Constructive
Enlightening–
Any of
(or all)
these things
can be productive,

Depending
on the course you choose,
based on your deep
and careful
inner sighting. . .

Nourishment
of you and others
in your life. . .

Encouragement
you’ll need in bundles,
as big resistance
may arise,

to meeting
simple needs:
to feed,
to rest, restore,
to ready all
of us to
savor, weather more,
both day and night,

As blur drops
away
from forward-seeing brain,
each step may trip, but must plod on,
for that’s what brings reality
with highest dreams
much more in line,
though hard, intrepid test it be,
to carve a way on untrod road
the effort takes you on your way to find
your own long wished for
perfect paradigm,

a trip which,
even though it takes some time,
will in some ways feel like you’re flying,
and that can be quite frightening,
while, comfy habits left behind
will sing and sound like sirens calling to you, crying
to render them their former time
and place and state of mind–

But, from them,
you’ve broken,
gone away–
you have escaped,
met up with Grace,

and reached the other side,
where lies your treasure,
deep inside,
your living chest
within your living hide–
no need to grip it tight,

for it belongs to you–
it’s just your simple pleasure. . .
you breathe it in and out. . .
it penetrates you,
so life has reached a brand-new best:
you have the solid feel
that all’s congealed,
so now you stand
upon a panoramic crest,
where you can see
that with you and for with your world
(though much more will yet be unfurled)
it will come eventually
that everything
will be all right.

IF A TREE FALLS AND CINDERELLA GOES TO THE BALL. . .

If a tree falls in the forest,
and no one is there to hear it,
does it make a sound?

If Cinderella goes to the ball,
fits the shoe,
and marries the prince,
but no one posts a photo
on their Facebook wall–

Did any of it
really ever happen
at all?

THE MOST IMPORTANT SOUND IN MUSIC

The most important sound in music
is the rest. . .

for
it’s only in the quiet
that we
pick up all the rest of it
and ply it,

and shape it
to the grasp
of our wee brains,

until, at last,
we understand
the deeper meaning
that, for us,
was planned
transmitted through the sundry sounds
with which
we’ve just been blessed. . .

so, take the sound and action
where you will,
but always do remember
that the music works its best
when you take it as intended
and you well observe the rest.

A MOTHER AND A FATHER AND A LIFE

A mother
and a father. . .

a privilege
to know both. . .

so lucky those
who also
knowledge and acquaintance
with their grandparents
can boast,

for these forbears–
the colors of their eyes,
the feelings of their stares–
impart so much of what we dare
call ours. . .

and of their parentage
and parenting
we reap, we ARE
the fruit of the next crop
and, if we’re very lucky,
what they give,
we will give forward, too,
so that the life lived in and through their lives
will not
with the beat
their
(or our)
hearts
stop. . .

for
from loves and labors
which we
to the world
have brought
may issue forth
+++++in ways we cannot always see,
+++++ predict,
+++++ and in no way we can ever force,
another
and another
crop.

So does life go on–
just as
butterflies and bees
from flower to flower
do use their wings and legs
and mingling power
to help spread
life of every kind
quite far and wide
with every buzz and flit and fly and hop.