In the moment when that golden
tree caught fire,
ignited by
the autumn sun,
I knew I needed nothing more.
Such consuming
beauty burned through
to being’s ground,
and in that space, the sight of that
tree aflame in
early morning
light was enough.
JDG
Presence
In Autumn’s morning light, a deer
stood watching me.
Yesterday, I
too watched as geese
and rabbits, squirrel, and deer passed by.
Not having some
other place to
be, I could just
be there – a silent witness to
what was also
there: animals,
and trees, and me.
JDG
Who and Where?
It’s taken a long time, almost
seventy years,
to finally see
the faithful friend,
dear body, that you’ve been to me.
And who’s the me
who’s honoring
you now? The me
who up to now attended more
to spirit and
to mind? One who
commandeered you?
Who is that me and where does she abide?
JDG
Still Life
Between the vast stillness of sky
and pond, no wind
blows. The turning
trees stand still and
silent too, all offering a
quiet prayer of
peace, silencing,
for a moment,
life’s hurried too and fro, holding
space for movement
of a very
different kind.
JDG
Fall Tonic
The amber bite and lingering
warmth of autumn’s
apple cider
days eases us
from summer’s swelter into the
coming cold – a
perfect tonic
for transition
amidst seasonal extremes where
we seek balance
with iced tea or
hot chocolate.
JDG
Wisdom Like This
Headed east into the rising
sun, Kali screened
her eyes and said,
“Someone really
needs to move the sun.” This election
cycle I have
heard ideas
just as absurd
set forth with all seriousness.
They must have looked
hard for blinding
wisdom like this.
JDG
To Each Her Own
Eleven year old Sami and
Kali, age eight,
sat discussing
their writing skills.
Kali staked out the short story
while Sami claimed
the poem. When I
asked about my
skills, they exchanged a glance and said,
“Gaba, you are
really quite good
at paying bills.”
JDG
Calling All Readers/ Writers
Today, as we were driving to school, two of my granddaughters and I began composing a joint poem. I began with the first line, ” May each of us remove one stone,” and then the wrangling about what should follow began. Sami, who was serving as transcriber, finally became exasperated and wrote:
Every five seconds an editation
is leading me to great frustration.
I hope this will finally come to an end
and I can soon put down my pen.
We decided to invite you, the reader, to weigh in with your suggested follow-up to “May each of us remove one stone…” and see where that will take us. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
JDG
An Unexpected Find
In the early morning hurry,
trying to get
the kids to school,
I came to a
sudden stop behind cars all in
a hurry too.
In that long pause
I looked around
and saw the autumn trees – russet,
fading green and
brown – and found, in
that moment, gold.
JDG
Back to Basics
As part of my daily practice,
I’d sit saying
silently, “May
I be open
to all that’s here.” I was trying
to go on to
graduate school
without having
finished first grade. Now I stick to
the basics: “May I
be happy. May
I be well. May
you be happy. May you be well.”
I’ll come to “May
I be open
to all that’s here,”
once this foundation has been laid.
JDG
