On a muggy, head-achy morning
We were graced by a heron
With its presence two times.
First in the air from the side
Of the dock with a great
swoosh of wings and air.
And later across the pond,
Still like a slender sculpture,
Until it sensed something
Wrong and turned its head
To and fro and then took off.
We were sorry to disturb its
Peace but grateful for its gift.
Today each read in her own voice
a poem of her choosing,
except for one who let Maya
Angelou read her own verse,
because who would dare to
compete with that voice?
We do this every year and
each year it gets sweeter
and a bit more poignant as
those of us close to or
in our eighties do wonder
how many more times we have.
But we are not old, we are
just rare, treasures, maps
as we learned in one of
today’s poems. We keep those
poems and mark who read them
so that on those
dark, grey days of winter,
we can reach into our
“keep” folders and once more
experience the magic
of those words in
those beautiful voices.
We were dismayed to see
two long-time friends
in a healthcare unit,
bound by wheelchairs
and with garbled speech.
He once led us and others
on day-long canoe trips,
and she taught grammar
to corporate executives.
Yet…….
That twinkle is still in his eyes,
and her sweet smile is the same.
Though we could not make
out most of what they said,
they seemed to have a
secret language and to
understand each other.
He looked at her with
such love in his eyes,
and she smiled back.
At that moment it
was just the two of them
and they were happy.
A bridge is easier
To build over
Calm water than
Water roiled by
Personal slurs,
Lies, and
Exaggerations.
After the sun burns
through the clouds
and wipes away
a rainy morning,
we venture out
with others eager
to enjoy clear weather
while it graces us
with its presence.
On a walk I see
delicate patterns
in the sand made
by seaweed and shells
as they are dragged
to and away from
the water’s edge,
sea oats gently
waving on the dunes,
pelicans lazing on
a pier, and curling
waves tipped
with white foam.
There is nothing
else I need in this moment.
The sun suddenly bursts
forth from pink clouds
as people in chairs
and on walks stop
to breathe it all in.
A tall, lean man with
white hair, jeans,
a flannel shirt,
and old sneakers,
leans over a fishing rod
to bate it for his wife.
Another man stops
to admire Luna and
tells me about his dogs
and how COVID has
impacted his small business.
I find a five dollar bill
in the sand with no owner
in sight, a good luck sign?
In the distance sitting
on the beach with her dog
is one of my daughters.
She joins in the stroll
and then her sister and
her new lab puppy join us.
We make out way back
to the house, hot coffee,
and toasted zucchini bread.
Heron lifts up,
flutters her wings,
and glides.
I want to ask her:
do you have muscles
and joints that ache?
Is your mind full
of clutter? Are
you thinking about
where to land next?
Or are you simply
enjoying the thrill
of the moment.
This morning I cooked
bacon in an iron pan
and scrambled eggs
the old-fashioned way.
The smells, the crackling
took me back to
an earlier time when
there was no microwave
and these smells and
sounds were a morning
ritual as my mother
cooked for us and
we begged for a piece
or two before we all
sat down. Funny how
smells and sounds bring
back childhood memories
as I play mother again to
a daughter post-surgery.
Deep in every human is
the yearning to belong,
to be loved, to be safe,
to be accepted as they are.
By accident of birth,
some are born with
unearned privilege,
and remain totally unaware.
By accident of birth,
some are marginalized
by others because of their
race, culture, or sexual identity.
Young children do not see
race, or color, or sex,
they are inclusive until
taught to be exclusive.
Mother Earth embraces everything.
different colors, textures, sounds,
the animate and the inanimate,
and therein lies her beauty.
Imagine a world where
people embrace and celebrate
difference, welcome diversity,
a world where one is
judged by the content of your character
rather than by the
color of your skin.
by the way you treat others
rather than your sexual identification.
A place where the dignity of
each being is equally valued.
In a world where fear and ignorance produce
hate, denial, and blame
rather than self-reflection and compassion,
we need those who help
move us in the right direction,
who stand up for inclusiveness
and support the right of others
to be their authentic selves.
Tonight we honor one
I am proud to call a friend,
an awesome human being
passionate about creating
a culture of belonging and helping
us to do our inner work,
our own fabulous, fantastic MT!
(Written in honor of the recipient of the InnerWork Center’s 2021 Spirit Award)
Who belongs in this country?
The natives who were here first?
The descendants of the first
Europeans to set foot on its shores?
Or the enslaved Africans
stolen from their homes?
Or the descendants of the
indentured servants who
worked for their freedom?
Or those crossing the Mexican
border as I write?
In Mother Earth’s world
everything belongs.
Different colors and textures,
the animate and the inanimate,
all beings large and small.
The peep of the sparrow,
and the hawk’s raucous cry,
the prickly gumball
and the smooth moss.
The heat and the cold,
the mountains and the plains,
the rivers and the oceans,
the raging tornado and the morning dew.
untangling the web 