Our bodies know before our minds
when we’ve come home.
For some, home is
the high drama
of the mountains, or the solid
sameness of the plains.
For others it’s
the ever-shifting
mood of shore and sea. For me it’s
the gentleness
of these rolling
Piedmont hills.
JDG
They’re working on the roads out my
way, giving me
time to reflect
on the wise things
road signs say. Just today was ” Be
Prepared To Stop”
and I wondered
what would happen
if we all took that wise counsel
to heart, ’cause stop
we surely will,
like it or not.
JDG
All around me unexpected
quiet lay. No
dreams, no hungry
dogs, complaining
cats, unwelcome thoughts, protesting kids,
just open space
before the day
fills up with things
already done or still to do.
Ah, here I drift
in a space blessed
with emptiness
and bone deep peace.
JDG
Like a cane, a daily practice
can steady me
and help me walk
in a balanced
way. I need one that’s right at hand,
easy to grab
when I falter
or my legs give
out. Nothing elaborate, just
a simple stick
like Thich Nhat Hanh’s
“Smile, breathe, go slow.”
JDG
Those who think grey is not ok
are missing out
on grey’s many
life-embracing
ways. Threading a neglected path
between extemes
where nothing much
can live for long,
grey guides us past the uptight guards
of rigid thought
to a vast realm
of subtle shades.
JDG
Against the slowly ebbing dark,
Canada geese
sound their way. In
the far distance
a train whistle adds its long notes
to morning’s song.
An eager dog
joins in and these
three, homing geese, train, and eager dog,
hustle in the
day as grey owl
stands listening.
JDG
Today I honor all those who stand
in the gap, hands
outstretched to those
on either side,
willing to wait until something
larger than what
divides comes forth,
unwilling to
let partial truths have the last word.
Today I bow
to those whose reach
includes us all.
JDG
Tonight driving west for home, led
by a shining
sliver of moon,
bowl-shaped, holding
its own darkness in a darkened
sky, I was led
to something more,
a far sighting
of a possible world where each
of us cradled
our own darkness
and lit the night.
JDG
Today as I sat dressed for work,
I felt one nudge,
then another.
Ignoring them,
I raised my cup of morning brew
for one last sip
when suddenly
a furry nose
flipped the cup and in Toby’s eyes
a question shined:
“Which one of us
needs forgiving ?”
JDG
In that place where water touches
land and morning
sun ignites them
both with sparks of
pink-tinged light, in that place I stand
and watch the wild
blue heron soar,
then land and take
his stand, and we two, he on one
side and I on
the other, bear
silent witness.
JDG
