I always know that something’s up
( more than likely
it’s my dander )
when the children
take an interest in my getting
needed rest. Though
much was given
me, an even
temperament was not, so I guess
I’ll just take me
and my dander
and head for bed.
JDG
Even after a heavy rain,
last year’s leaves, now
brown, hold fast to
what was home. Some
have scattered, though, across soggy
ground, joining pine
needles and moss
in shades of brown
and washed-out green. And in the trees,
hanging upside
down, a red-headed
woodpecker swings
JDG
Our bodies know before our minds
when we’ve come home.
For some, home is
the high drama
of the mountains, or the solid
sameness of the plains.
For others it’s
the ever-shifting
mood of shore and sea. For me it’s
the gentleness
of these rolling
Piedmont hills.
JDG
They’re working on the roads out my
way, giving me
time to reflect
on the wise things
road signs say. Just today was ” Be
Prepared To Stop”
and I wondered
what would happen
if we all took that wise counsel
to heart, ’cause stop
we surely will,
like it or not.
JDG
All around me unexpected
quiet lay. No
dreams, no hungry
dogs, complaining
cats, unwelcome thoughts, protesting kids,
just open space
before the day
fills up with things
already done or still to do.
Ah, here I drift
in a space blessed
with emptiness
and bone deep peace.
JDG
Like a cane, a daily practice
can steady me
and help me walk
in a balanced
way. I need one that’s right at hand,
easy to grab
when I falter
or my legs give
out. Nothing elaborate, just
a simple stick
like Thich Nhat Hanh’s
“Smile, breathe, go slow.”
JDG
Those who think grey is not ok
are missing out
on grey’s many
life-embracing
ways. Threading a neglected path
between extemes
where nothing much
can live for long,
grey guides us past the uptight guards
of rigid thought
to a vast realm
of subtle shades.
JDG
Against the slowly ebbing dark,
Canada geese
sound their way. In
the far distance
a train whistle adds its long notes
to morning’s song.
An eager dog
joins in and these
three, homing geese, train, and eager dog,
hustle in the
day as grey owl
stands listening.
JDG
Today I honor all those who stand
in the gap, hands
outstretched to those
on either side,
willing to wait until something
larger than what
divides comes forth,
unwilling to
let partial truths have the last word.
Today I bow
to those whose reach
includes us all.
JDG
Tonight driving west for home, led
by a shining
sliver of moon,
bowl-shaped, holding
its own darkness in a darkened
sky, I was led
to something more,
a far sighting
of a possible world where each
of us cradled
our own darkness
and lit the night.
JDG
aholdingplace 