Weeds

I share this spot of earth with tall

pines, persimmon,

juniper, and

wild cherry

as they bear silent witness to

me and all I

have called weeds, but

lately I’ve come

to wonder which is more invasive,

dandelion,

golden rod, Queen

Anne’s Lace or me.

JDG

Better Than Fireworks

On the fourth of July this year,

we moved beyond

the illusion

of independence

and spent an evening in quiet

celebration

of connection –

of all the ways

we are woven into being

and become part

of the vast web

of creation.

JDG

Hummingbirds’ Hymn

Green, iridescent hummingbirds

plunge deep into

narrow trumpets,

savoring the

sweet nectar flowering there. They

hold nothing back,

giving themselves

over to the

momentary joy of total

immersion in

earth’s banquet of

orange delight.

JDG

Invitation

I awoke to a congregation

of animals

eager to show

me the way. With

a little nudging and prodding

they gently led

me to the light,

asking only

that I open the door to the

world beyond and

joyfully greet

a whole new day.

JDG

All Heat and No Light

It’s been all heat and no light for

several days

now, with all the

fireworks you’d

expect such a combination

to bring. The dogs

wisely chose, off

and on, to join

the fish and turtles in the pond

as we tried our

dead level best

to keep our cool.

JDG

Unseasonal Longing

The pond lay lit with fire from

the setting sun,

flames shimmering

over surface

calm. In the distance thunder shakes,

fueling hope for

rain to quench the

fiery heat

of summer’s slow and sultry start.

How we long for

each season’s gift

when it’s not here.

JDG

Their Own Truths

My kids say I could squeeze meaning

from a turnip,

but I now see

turnips don’t need

any help from me. They have their own

truth and their own

beauty as does

everything from

elephants to fleas. Nothing more

needs to be squeezed;

nothing added

needs to be seized.

JDG

All Around Potential Wonders Lay

Overnight the large white blossom

opened and brought

a certain rare,

exotic flair

to the start of what was about

to be a quite

ordinary

day. All around

potential wonders lay, ready

to bring us to

full flowering

if they but may.

JDG

Interception

Sometimes feelings hover around

just looking for

a place to land.

Mostly it seems

to be the darker ones that show

this tendency.

Today I had

to intercept

a few and listen until they

could settle down

and rest, knowing

they were tended to.

JDG

The Only Reason To Look Back

If we could know the multitude

of factors that

shaped not only

what we saw, but

the eyes we saw through, we might look

upon it all

with such profound

compassion, our

hearts would stretch beyond all reasons

and we would have

to leave behind

what we once knew.

JDG