Everywhere we look, there’s red, green

and gold – signals

that the season

is about to

change.  Now’s the time for slowing down,

for putting on

the brakes, for coming

to a gentle

stop, for pausing to give thanks. It

won’t be long before

these signals change

and we’ll move on.

                                                               JDG

Her questions take me deeper than

I thought to go.

What often starts

as judgment or

complaint, slowly intertwines with

her inquiring

words to form a

rope. Grabbing hold,

I descend into dimensions

unexplored before

until I reach

a place of grace.

                                                      JDG

When his garbage disposal broke.

my friend fumed, his

mind consumed with

thoughts of lousy

timing, inconvenience, and cost.

Then, from somewhere,

came another

thought: “What you have

is a first world problem.” Grateful

for a wider view,

he disposed of

earlier thoughts.

                                                          JDG

Down by the shed, my two large dogs

were nuzzling

a rabbit who

seemed unafraid.

It was as though she’d met these two

before and knew

they meant no harm.

They continued

for a while, then moseyed on,

leaving me to

ponder how this

friendship came to be.

                                                        JDG

Today when I awake, I’ll fall

back into the

arms of time and

relish this hour

on loan from spring. Savoring each

borrowed minute,

I’ll slowly stretch

and surrender

myself to the sweet embrace of

extra time – a

soothing start to

an expansive day.

                                                          JDG

Outlined against the morning sky,

the precocious,

bare-limbed tree called

to its slower

sisters, “Come on girls. Don’t dawdle.

Take off those bright

red dresses, those

golden gowns. Strip

down to what’s essential.”  “There’s no

hurry,” they replied.

“That time will be

here soon enough.”

                                                      JDG

Headed east into the rising

sun, Kali screened

her eyes and said,

“Someone really

needs to move the sun.” This election

cycle I have

heard ideas

just as absurd

set forth with all seriousness.

They must have looked

hard for blinding

wisdom like this.

                                                                       JDG

Amidst all the human chatter

of this and that,

the season slowly

turns to fall. No

explanation, justification,

obfuscation

can stop a single

leaf from falling

nor stay the flight of honking geese.

Measured against

this natural

arc, what words of

ours endure?

                                            JDG

It takes just a few bright stars to

lighten the mood

of the night sky.

When surrounded

by such a depth of dark, and still

to shine ignites

an answering

fire in us.

As light begets light, fire begets

fire and thus

the flame stays lit

through the long night.

                                                           JDG