Embrace your death
Tag: poem
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The only
The only thing I can change is myself
There is only one thing
The eyes let in the light
The light lets in the being
Union is the moment
Now is the time
The temple is released back into universal soul
Fears bind us
One moment we all will die
Our death riding on our shoulder has already arrived
Going from darkness to light
We come to go
This is just another step
To a wider perspective
Living is the journey through to being
What you are fundamentally
Does not belong to time
Once we master death there is no longer fear
Going forward and letting go
Trusting what you have done all your life
We are born to learn how to die
We only carry consciousness across the river
All we are leaving behind is a body
All those things we cannot see
Are all the things we cannot measure
Are all the things that matter
Being quiet in one way or another
Is part of each of us
There is not a better something
There is union
Unity became separateness
In order to create individuality
In order to return to unity
Thought and kindness are the path
Serving others, you can find yourself
Take part in the world
To hold happiness
Move to union in letting go of happiness
And the breath returns the ultimate joy
Nothing can bring you happiness
Because you have it already
Your experiences are all you have
Without a past and without the future
All the present moments are the experiences
Which are the reality
In you
You have to live in the world
And know you are not of the world
The whole world is inside of us
The still small spiritInspired by On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace
A film by Michael O’Neill (Netflix)<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 03/17/20
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here and now
when you formed in your mother’s loins
no one wanted this result for you
the vagaries of life
in tragedies of death
came to this place
that you are in
here and nowyou gave
and you received
the naïve joy of youth
a fleeting fantasy
of sustenance
longing to recover it
here and nowthe lives you bore
in your own womanhood
blew away
in a moment
the tempest of tragedy
lost in your lifetime
here and nowthen and there
the crush of sadness
tore away
all defenses
and left
just you
here and nowjust swallowing pride and hope
community of sharing
had been expected
then you descended
into darkness
impenetrable
here and nowyears and decades
passed over like smoke
of sorrow
no relief in mist
of mind bending toxins
no relief for the unbearable
here and now -
Here is a poem which took 38 years to write, and it is not finished.

Wisdom, strength, humility, joy.
If wisdom be your goal, then knowing you know nothing had better be good enough.
Strength flows on, as time frame is spanned, then forms in space expanded.
If you pray for humility, you better be prepared to accept it.
Joy comes to those prepared to accept, and to those who know what they know, manifest as soul expanded.
Wisdom, strength, humility, joy; all for the glory and honor of the Creator and creation.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 05/07/16 -
moon and sun – a new day begun
The sunset and the moon had a conversation
Why won’t you be with me all night long
the reflections of my glory shine all night through you
All night long, I am still missing you thoughThe moon shines down in fits and starts
Sometimes as a sliver sometimes just in parts
The moon bursts out and lights the land
in summer nights the day expands
Lovers walk under her light
And making the use of all that’s brightThe sun goes then comes again
It wakes them as another day is planned
The sunset and the moon
In each other’s space will swoon
Giving back when what they need
is just what the other seesThe sunset and the moonlight crossed
Held together, in each other, never lost
Balanced by what they finally found
Each spreads light on the forests’ ground
The sun now ponders, the moon arises
Holding hope that darkness prizes
joy of dreams gives soft renewal
To lift creation like mystic jewels
illumination
flirtation
conflagration
Joy of light in night or day
Until there’s nothing left to sayThe moon at dawn assured again
The alignment as it had begun
The sun would shine
And give light reflected
All in between again protected
As light gives glory and hope renewed
Such are held in morning’s dew.<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 07/18/18
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Haiku from fire days
In the hour before
The mind comes into focus
Dawn breaches slowlyPink clouds of dawn, soft
Gently melding wisps of thought
Power bringing changeLove is like the smoke coming
fire we don’t control
The smoke is like loveThey spread everywhere
in space we didn’t know was there
A conflagrationFire like a giant
Crow waiting to swoop in and
Blow away our dreamsLike a white egret
Love flies across misty fog
In all its beautyMay grace and mercy
Like mists find us all our lives
Heaven here on earthWill anything find us
Ever ease the weary soul
Grace and mercy mayGhostly white egret
Made late twilight passage
A brief glimpse then goneLove or smoke floating
Through our lives encumbered by
Nothing we can seeFelt reality
More than any substance can
Worth every momentSmoke of our sadness
Loss we have yet to measure
Drifts across the heartsFire lingers in the
Ashes of our dreamscape held
In vague memoryLove like smoke held close
No form or substance revealed
Is nonetheless realLove better than smoke
Because ambiguity
Lifts us up in timeLove and smoke entwined
Neither has a boundary
But both impact usThe moon is waning
Orion striding along
Moving to sunriseBlow across the sky
Ever hoping happily
Love is on the waySmoky clouds descend
Blocking moon or shiny stars
Wisps in time revealedLove or smoke rising
Ever hoping happily
Love is on the waySmoke near dawn revealed
In random burning tells all
That souls need to knowHolding love like smoke
Illusion of our power
Nothing held is lostNothing held is lost
Turn to learn the simple truth
Nothing held is gainedNow hearts hold softly
Now our hearts abide today
smoke or love or graceGrace abides through time
ever blowing on its way
wisps of mysteryblowing through our life
Precious love believing
Smoke or love will stayStay to reach for smoke
Hold to love ambiguous
Hearts forever youngDespite the line of time
Memory intertwined will
Be held togetherSmoke and ashes fade
While love becomes egret’s flight
Ever glides alongHazy smoke of love
Bringing tears of passion forth
Better life revealedBecoming simple
Hanging wisps of thought fulfilled
Into grace revealedGrace moving throughout
A life of giving into
Forces unforeseenIn lives revealed somehow
Ancient intuition here
Love or smoke brought forthLost to love til now
Like some smoky memories
Emerge as a mistOf strength in passion
Helped discover long lost
Innocence of hope
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 02/23/18 -
Out of fire come Seer’s dreams
Rest quietly
let the Spirit guides guide
rest quietly
among the flame
then ash
rest quietly
let the Spirit guides guide
the spirits of trees
moved on in ash
just as you
and I
will one day be moved on
as ash<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 10/13/17
Waiting for David Bowie or an angel to walk in
Sitting in a chair I would welcome their grin
A warm greeting can be expected
In our community where we are protected
Love is stronger than some
And all the bureaucrats with whom I spoke
Were kind and informative
Sharing anything they had to give
Emergency services are morphing
As the options for recovery we are sorting
Don’t worry be happy playing in the air
Not quite yet but we’ll get there
My community
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 10/18/17 at brewBowie comes on singing “under pressure”
The flames of nature assaulted us like a thresher
Yet responders and neighbors responded with effort
And kindness despite transformation brought on by the zephyr
Homes in ruins as all our stuff is gone
Transforming life as we knew it to a new dawn
Mindful of what has been given and what is won
Take the circumstance so we can act onGlory of friends,
Glory of place,
Glory to the Creator who gave us space
To live this life as life allows
In this our souls will rouse
To become what we might be
To act on what we now see
As fate and circumstances
In this our life’s brand new dance
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 10/18/17 at brewTo search the depths of resiliency
The fog in the Redwoods portends that with which we must contend
Everything is a test and a lesson to search the depths of resiliency.
Or expand the heart.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 12/14/17Winter whirls
Outside the window
Inside worries and wonders
Continue
As they do
Wishing for joy
Settling for contentment
Have to take
What is there for the taking
Blessings
Mixed
As they often areFirestorm
Still blows
Cold and harsh now
Like nothing
Ever felt before
Harsh like ashes
Stuck to a shoeScattering ashes to the wind
As memories cling
Like leaves
To trees.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 12/26/17Love is like smoke
Smoke is like love
They come from a fire we don’t control
They spread everywhere in the space there isFire sits like a giant Crow waiting
To swoop in and blow away our dreams
Love flies across the view scape
In the fog like a white egret
There in all its beauty
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 01/29/18A truck weighed down
like a soul
a journey
filled with stones of memory
somewhere in California
a monarch flutters
like a soul
the journey against hot winds
a journey to be completed nonetheless
despite the possibility of death
especially because of the possibility of death
life’s journey is like that
moving forward
ever forward
despite the inevitability of death
smoke filled skies
give way to memories
dusty ashes of our lives
sifted in mesh nets
yielding the unburnable
Memories
like pebbles through the mesh of our minds
this is what is left
except for the love thicker than smoke
wafting in the air
ghosts of the buildings
we once called home
blow out to sea
or settle in the vineyard soil
to grow to be a smoky ghostly vintage
such is our Redwood lives
where love is thicker than smoke
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 04/26/18
Another ThursdayFrom the depths of Sorrow
or the heights of joy
all the world can do
is ask, “Do you want more?”
On the day we are born
until the day we die
all the world can show is,
“This is it”
In our deepest thoughts
and our shouted words
all the world’s lessons are expressed
From the dawn’s early light
to the sunset glow
the world is always spinning
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 08/23/18Another Friday night
Five days of Orion running
through smoke passing
through places of which we spoke
Paradise and Hidden Valley
Gone away now
Under Fire and Ash
gone away
gone
gone in the ashes
rise up in the air
to arrive upon another life
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 11/09/18 -
Politics
Transparency and Trust are the currency of democracy
In order to gain trust the people involved have to have a fair and equitable opportunity to participate.
Transparency which is planned and genuine assures each person can know what is going on when they choose to pay attention.
Most people have neither the time or sustained interest to solve these huge problems.
That is why we hire politicians of good repute.
We Trust our leaders to hire competent dedicated professionals.
An informed appraisal of these conditions shows you are doing the steps necessary to move our community forward.
Having met that prerequisite, now I ask you to improve the transparency and participation as we move forward
I invite you to communicate with me if you are committed to the principle I am speaking about.<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 04/25/18
Not a new revelation that politics sounds a lot like hypocrites
not a new feeling this indignation
complex problems given voice
deflated deferred to a false choice
searching for hope for all the nation
words words words dancing absurd
when will the people’s concerns be heard
can anyone understand our problems simply
or actually listen with some intimacy?
hold them responsible for all we see
demand our leaders assure transparency
all our facts based on realityThen the answers will emerge
bursting forth through the people’s words
democracy triumphs over the absurd
God help them
God help us
as we demand our justice<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 05/04/18
Sneeze tick cough
Sneeze tick politics
you can’t stop any of them
they just keep going on and on
they’re mostly unpleasant
but always needed
sneeze tick
sneeze cough
cough cough
pick ticks over politics
politics
another wasted bloviated sound
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 11/11/18

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Before you can dance again
I got bit by a spider
and stung by a bee,
all in 24 hours
once again life came along and made a fool out of meOne thing I’ve learned
as days go by
you have to get back on your feet
before you can dance againI got hit by a drunk
then sprayed by a skunk
It knocked me for a loop
and I hacked and gagged and stoopedOne thing I’ve learned
as days go by
you have to use
both hands to clapAll my stuff got stolen
while I slept on the ground
and none of it was golden
the thief by dreams emboldenedOne thing I’ve learned
as days go by
you have to wake up and reach for the sky
even when you want to cryMy partner left in a huff
they’d had enough
of bickering and snickering
and other couple’s stuffMy dog had no leash
so the god damned police
took her off to puppy jail
and left me here to wail.One thing I’ve learned
as days go by
that a dog will wag her tail
when one of us gets out of jailOne thing I’ve learned
about life on the streets
it’s filled with defeats
and life’s simple treatslike a dogs wagging tail.
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Cold / Homeless Count 2018

Cold rain
Driving down the homeless man
Doing his best to live as he can
The world shattering all of his plansCold shoulder
And hostile stare
Coming from those
Who don’t want him thereCold heart in the night
A policeman’s flashlight
and on the cold morn
Wishing sometimes to never been bornCold numbers
Do the counting on the counting day
Give the impression we can stop this someday
But just to know the need hasn’t assured we’ll succeed.Cold here outside
On the day he died
Maybe it was different
If someone really triedExistence is a struggle
the fortitude which humans must muster
to get out of trouble
proves a warm heart has a lustreOvercoming cold rain
cold shoulders
cold nights
cold numbers
the cold outside
the blizzard of lifeFortitude and kindness
dumb luck illumine
the world’s blindness
to suffering or need
world driven by greedHomeless carry on
from dusk until dawn
refusing to behave
as only a pawnrefusing to give in
to bureaucrats’ sin
of following rules
set down by fools
who don’t have to sleep
in the street againCold rain
Cold shoulder
Cold heart in the night
Cold numbers
Cold here outsideStruggle for lustre
Fortitude and kindness
Homeless carry on
in the street
then it’s dawn,
night’s behind us

