Take In the Gold

Abundance is not required

to feast on life.

Bury your nose

in one blossom,

take in its golden scent with one

full breath, then turn

your eyes slowly

to a single

peach lying in an empty bowl

and once again

take in the gold

through open eyes.

JDG

Knock Me Over With A Feather

“Who knew?” we say when we’re surprised

but someone did

we can surmise

and even so

the fact remains, we did not know.

We had no clue,

no hint, no hunch,

not a glimmer

because, of course, we thought we knew,

thus failed to see

you coming with

that darn feather.

JDG

On Being’s Ground

What lies ahead we do not know.

What lies behind

we cannot see

entirely.

Yet to these dim and distant days,

we turn our eyes

while in our midst

the moment waits

and the ever-changing, changeless

now spreads its feast

on being’s ground

and bids us eat.

JDG

Pause for Refreshment

When things seize up and I seize on

and nothing seems

to break the spell,

when all I see

and feel and know grows small and tight

and what comes forth

makes everything

grow tighter still,

If then I learned to call time out

and take a breath,

space would be made

for fresher air.

JDG

Nighttime Soliloquy

All night the words go on and on

inside my head

and from that perch

nag and harangue

and put up for review everything

I did and do

and also you

and all your ways

are gone over and over too

til morning comes

and brings relief

from all these beefs.

JDG

Crescent Moon

My mind grows quiet as I rest

in your broad arms.

No jumping cows

come sailing by

though old nursery rhymes return

and wrap themselves

around us all –

dogs, cats, and kids

and even me as you slowly

rock us to sleep

watched over by

your friends, the stars.

JDG

Unseasoned

What season is this that follows

Fall? Did Winter

last but a day?

How do these pink,

untimely blooms add to Winter’s mix?

December’s cold

and spicy brew

has lost its bite

and we are left with but a dash

of seasoning

and longing for

a zesty punch.

JDG

In Morning Light

Today before the rain began

no thought or breeze

or calling birds

disturbed the air.

No sun or moon shone bright or pale

as the pond held

in gentleness

its images,

a photograph in black and white,

the day captured

in soft starkness:

morning’s still life.

JDG

My Dog Toby and Christmas Musings

Toby‘s heart is wide and open.

He doesn’t need

to know your race

or creed or class.

Your politics don’t interest him.

Like the wise ones

of many faiths

he rejoices

when doors open and the hungry

are fed because

for him and them

love matters most.

JDG

Resolution Comes

In its own time, in its own way,

resolution

comes. We can push

and plead and pull,

all to no avail. Nothing shifts

or tips or falls

smartly into

place. Blocked and spent,

with hands thrown up and towel thrown in,

we turn aside,

and in it slides,

sideways, with a grin.

JDG