For years

they had grown together,

those three tall pines.

They stood firm

as land was cleared,

a road built, a house raised.

Soon, on planted grass,

kids ran, dogs barked, deer roamed.

In the big wind a single tree fell –

one day standing,

the next day gone –

 two brothers left

to carry on.

                                                                                                        JDG

If I interrupt the story

 and simply sit,

noting what comes, what goes,

 what lingers on,

perhaps

I’ll find a silent treasure

 in this boundless place,

emptied of unneeded words.

                                                                                 JDG

Not one of those leaves

declares its independence

from the tree, nor does

the tree announce itself

free and independent

of ground or sky

or whim of weather.

Without thought, they claim

their place – one part 

of an interactive whole.

It’s just us unwisely named

homo sapiens who deny

what the leaves and tree

already know.

                                                                                                     JDG

After years of singing

the sore foot blues,

she finally found

the perfect pair of shoes.

Now, as she prepares

to take a hike,

she’s singing

a very different tune.

Her lilting voice joyfully proclaims

” These shoes were meant for walking!” 

                                                                                               JDG

Radiant moments,

fleeting though they are, sustain

as night approaches.

photo by Kali Wells

This must be the nine millionth time

I’ve forgotten to

pause,

breathe,

listen compassionately

to my lower self,

but let my higher self speak

~

I’m putting in an urgent request

to my higher self

to help the me of middle self

remember.

                                                                                          JDG

With a deadline

fast approaching

and nothing much to say,

I’ll just bow my head –

Namaste

                                                                      JDG

 Not that I was ever

well put together, but

now it seems I came unglued

real fast – at least

that’s the story

my grandkids spin

as they ponder why

I fell apart so fast

when confined to

a few small rooms

with a drippy head cold 

and three angst filled

teenage girls.

                                                                             JDG