In a recent storm one tree fell,
its trunk broken
by the wind. Was
there something about
this tree, standing among others,
that could not find
a way to make
it through the storm?
Or did the wind hit at just the right
angle with just
enough force to fell
this still rooted tree?
JDG
When gold spills forth from morning sky
and lingers through
a day not too
hot or cold, when
kids, cats, and dogs can run and play
and fuss outside,
leaving me to
rest and read, nap
and write, I know I’m living high.
Such slow moving,
sun-filled, quiet
days lift me up.
JDG
Today a rainbow shone amidst
the morning fog;
it’s good to know
the promise holds.
Even when the way’s not clear, we
too can do our
part to honor
sacred covenants.
With focused minds and willing hands ,
we can jointly
build a world which
enriches all.
JDG
Words hide behind wavering walls
of weariness
and can’t be coaxed
onto the page.
They huddle silent in the pen
and look askance
at the slightest
suggestion an
outpouring could bring relief.
“Tired writers
write tired words,”
they say, “Don’t try.”
JDG
Today I had a fantasy
of sitting down
to tea with six
of my former
selves – one from each decade of my
life. We would swap
tales of what we’d
learned and what we
wished we’d known, hoping this would help
the decade soon
to come to be
both wise and well.
JDG
It seems a life too small never
to have pushed past
the pale, pinched
platitude of
better safe than sorry. Into
every life come
moments when the
better choice is
not the prudent one, as every
pioneer who
set out on a
new path knows well.
JDG
With just a hint of turning leaves,
fall harvesting
has begun. Fields
will lie fallow
through the cold, then new sprouts will come,
sometimes from their
own roots and seeds,
sometimes from fresh
planting. Either way, Spring’s warmth will
bring new growth to
this harvested,
now barren land.
JDG
When I pause to reflect on all
that had to be
just the way it
was for me to
be at all, my mind expands in
wonderment. When
times are hard, may
I take refuge
here and open up to all that
was and is and
ever shall be.
Each plays its part.
JDG
When caught in the clamoring swirl
of conflicting
pulls and pushes,
the great sages
have gone to a still place within
and waited for
wisdom to speak.
Most times that seems
a stretch too far for my edgy
self, but I know
how much is lost
when I don’t go.
JDG
Grey-white mist slides across the fields,
then stops and for
a time the road
ahead is clear,
but soon enough the mist returns,
sometimes even
turning into
fog, then clearing
once again. The sun stands watch as
the day’s clear start
interweaves with
greying threads of haze.
JDG
