A greater wisdom

took me in hand, over-ruled

all shoulds and coulds, shut

the door on an active day,

and nestled me in

a comfy chair with pen, books,

and tea nearby. I

wasn’t ill, but I was sick

of days packed with busyness.

                                                                          JDG

Five friends,  who don’t share

common ground on politics

or religion, meet,

as they do most every week,

and swap stories, share

small triumphs and defeats,

shore each other up,

and find common ground through the

love of laughter they all share.

                                                                                                       JDG

I pause before that

green door, wanting to open

it, wanting to pass

on through to the life-giving

source within. What must

I first put down before I

take that golden knob in hand?

                                                                         JDG

I usually shun

gray days, but not this one. I’ve

come, after days of

unrelenting heat and bright

sun, to a new-found

appreciation for gray

and its manifestations.

                                                                    JDG

Inner and Outer

sometimes conspire. Today,

as a gentle breeze

softly ruffles sun-lit leaves,

a blue heron stands

looking out upon the pond.

Inner and outer,

blue heron and leaves, whisper

together, bringing forth ease.

                                                                             JDG

Watching myself pay

attention first to this, then

to that, I see where

I stop the flow. It’s right here

where the flow is blocked

that I am at the very

edge of learning something new.

                                                                                          JDG

Two weeks of unwashed

clothes, mosquito bitten limbs,

and a longing for

all things electronic came

home with her from camp

today. It won’t be long ’til

tales of near misses,

narrow calls, triumphs shared, friends

 made, and friends lost arrive too.

                                                                                                                        JDG

What is it about

mourning doves that makes them think

they own the road? Crows

and even turkey vultures

flee from approaching

cars, but not these doves. They play

chicken and I always lose.

                                                                                                        JDG

It’s a simple thing

really, but in a house full

of kids, difficult

to find. As the day goes on

the longing grows til

the moment finally comes

and quiet, at last,

descends. Before I know it

though, sleep carries me away.

                                                                             JDG

Without caring hands

to plant, feed, and water them,

wildflowers still

find a way to flourish and

to bloom, brightening

unlikely places with their

own uncultivated charm.

                                                                                      JDG