Light within Darkness

Out in the night, when the juniper trees are but shadows, and the birds have gone quiet, I turn off my headlamp and look up at the blackness. Slowly, shimmering flecks appear, a cluster here, a river there, until a blizzard of stars dances across the sky lighting up...

Dog Dreams

On the bike trail when I fall on rocks and cry over a hurt arm, The rottweiler appears, growling, fangs bared. I jump on my bike and pedal away. On the hiking trail, the husky lunges at our dog strains against his leash snarls and barks. I run, pulling our dog along...

The Ocean Life

I am a sea creature swimming in the Beloved’s warm current. I fly, flip and turn in perfect weightlessness. Never do I have to return to that dense, land-locked realm Where each step leaves a heavy footprint. Here, in the blissful blue, I float on wonder,...

Little Bird

The bird hits my windshield. “Oh no!” I exclaim, as its fluffy little body launches upward and then plummets to the pavement. My heart clenches, but I call inward to the Source. “What do I do?” The message comes fast. “Get the bird.” I turn the car around, drive back,...

Coyote Chorus

My cat hears it before I do. She lifts her head from my lap and cocks her ears. What is it? I ask. Her eyes widen. Then the ribbon of sound lilts on the morning air, a high call, a harmonizing wail, and the full chorus sings in the dawn. Such is the practice of...
Be Foolish

Be Foolish

Read a poem to an audience while your voice and hands shake with fear. Give that coin to the homeless man who will likely buy drugs. Tell your friend you love her even as the air shimmers with awkwardness. Let the wind blow your hair into a rat’s nest, the sun burn...