What helps when nothing seems to help,
when the black clouds
descend and block
even the moon,
when nothing soothes and nothing suits?
Rumi tells us
not to turn these
dark visitors
away. “Invite them in, offer
tea, lend an ear.”
Today though, I
don’t want to hear.
JDG
Lenny, you were a gardener
of hearts as well
as plants. I’ve watched
you tenderly
prepare a space for all you loved
to grow and bloom.
I’ve seen you bend
and plant tiny
seeds of hope and weed and water
them into full
flourishing – your
lasting legacy.
JDG
As long as I’m here, I’ll burrow
my nose in sweet
Daphne, I’ll breathe
in lavender,
wrap myself in honeysuckle,
slather lilac.
I’ll hold nothing
back – not now while
my heart still beats with such longing.
I’ll take it all
in til I’m spent
on earth’s sweet scent.
JDG
When I was little, no one said
that grownups lied.
I thought it was
only me and
all the other kids I knew who
could stretch the truth
until it broke,
but now I know
growing older does not release
the constricted
heart where lies come
from. That’s love’s job.
JDG
Sunday in the insight meditation practice group facilitated by my friends, Kay and Phil Davidson, Kay read a passage from Mark Nepo’s THE BOOK OF AWAKENING in which he says that each of us is born with an unencumbered spot of grace which, in the normal course of things, gets tarnished or covered over. Occasionally the covering gets worn through and we and others get a glimpse of “that uncorruptible spot of grace at our core.” He goes on to say,”When the covering is worn through, we have moments of enlightenment, moments of wholeness, moments of satori…moments of clear living when inner meets outer, moments of full integrity of being, moments of complete Oneness. And whether the film is a veil of culture, of memory, of mental or religious training, of trauma or sophistication, the removal of that film is the goal of all therapy and education.”
Recently I was fortunate to be in the presence of that unencumbered spot of grace as I witnessed an exchange between two of my granddaughters which I wrote about in my January 31 posting, “Two Poems, One Heart”. Mark Nepo gave words to what I saw embodied for a moment by these two young girls and reminded me that each of us, at our core, has that same unencumbered, uncorruptible spot of grace. In that moment I was given a tangible experience of what is meant by “namaste” when “the divine in me bows to the divine in you”.
Yesterday when I stopped and looked,
I saw some blue
(however faint)
in Winter’s grey
and even though I cannot say
it was enough
to send the blues
away, maybe
in time, I can embrace them both
(the blues and grey)
without pushing
either away.
JDG
If I stop and take a minute
before I leap
ahead and can’t
undo what’s done,
I could save more than that minute;
but even so,
it’s not easy
to remember
“not” can take me to the center
where freedom lies
and other knots
can be undone.
JDG
Our minds sift through all happenings.
Some pass quickly
through while others
lump and linger.
Both what passes and what lingers have
their use. It all
depends on what
we’re looking for
It could be bread; it could be gold.
In either case
sifters, we find,
work best when clear.
JDG
On Grandparents’ Day at Ian’s
school, we old folks
are interviewed.
In this way we
can convey the wisdom of our
years. I heard one
sigh and suggest
our president
resign. Ian turned, placed his hand
on mine , and with
a grin, said, “Let
it go, Gaba.”
JDG
Kali
Full of eight year-old fire, she
burst upon us,
Kodi and me.
“Gaba, I have
a question,” she loudly proclaimed.
Then, seeing tears
on her sister’s
cheeks, she softly
said, “What’s happening here is more
important than
my question,” and
she turned to leave.
Kodi
Kodi, opening her arms, called
to her, ” Come here,
Kal. It’s ok.
Ask your question.”
And as they sat, these two sisters,
each making room
for the other,
I too was held
in the sure and certain knowledge
that no matter
what, these two girls
would be all right.
JDG
