Swamis near and swamis far have

some helpful tips

to aid us on

our karma trips.

When all else fails, it’s best, they say,

if we can turn

toward om. Guided

solely by sound

practices, we can shift and steer

til we resound

with laughter and

  intone delight.

                                                                JDG

These tiny yellow flowers out

my way send no

e-mails, texts, or

tweets. They speak in

old-fashioned ways, telegraphing

their message to

all who pass by:

” Put down your phone.

Look all around. There’s no telling

what you might see.

Maybe it would

even be me.”

                                                            JDG

You welcomed us and took us in

never asking

how long we planned

to stay. Through dark

nights of sad uncertainty, you

cradled us and

when morning came

you were there to

greet the light. When it’s time for me

 to leave, you’ll be

the solid ground

 on which they’ll stand.

                                                                                             JDG

Will the sun or will the rain

win the day? Will

a tie be called?

Just yesterday

 they sang in harmony at noon,

but that duet

didn’t last and

for a time both

fled the day, leaving only grey

to sing the blues.

 That’s how it went

and how it goes.

                                                              JDG

Hafiz reminds us ten thousand

idiots live

inside each of

us and even

though we may think we’ve left them far

behind, it’s good

to remember

they are with us

still. No matter how far we’ve come

or how long we’ve

worked, they’ll never

leave. Let us be

mindful of them.

                                                        JDG

It’s Saturday and I can ease

my way into

day. There’s no race

to get kids up

and out of bed, make sure they’re dressed

and well fed, no

books to gather,

no buses to

meet. It’s Saturday and I can

join, at last, the

chosen pace of

the leisure class.

                                                       JDG

She came again today as she

sometimes does, this

visitor, but

never does she

come inside. She stands, instead, just

outside on my

second story

window ledge and

peers within. When she’s satisfied

we’re all okay,

she softly coos

and flies away.

                                                               JDG

All along the road toward home, white

blossoms arch waist

high, inviting

you and all your

fellow creatures to stop by. In

another month

or so, blackberry

banquets will be

spread and you can dine in splendor

there, savoring

each wild and

delicious bite.

                                                JDG

First one gust, then another sweeps

me off the course

I’ve set, leaving

me and all my

 plans scattered, shaken, tossed about.

When everything’s

up in the air

and I can’t fly

or even find a place to hide,

then that’s the time

to dive within

and just abide.

                                                JDG

A chorus of birdsong rings out,

greeting a day

already filled

with the so sweet

scent of wild honeysuckle.

Bees tickle white

clover, daisies,

and buttercups

as bright butterflies flow with ease

amidst it all,

unhurried as

they join May’s dance.

                                                                     JDG