That dog who growls at you
the pain gnawing at your heart
the silent mate
arguing client
meowing cat…

All swim inside the circle of you.

They materialize
exactly when the Beloved ordains,
so they may most serve you.

Each is a seed,
at first appearing as little but a nub
but once watered
and warmed,
it sprouts and grows into something new:
a green-leafed stem
then a closed blossom
and finally the unfolded rose.

And yet always just you,
the you who is the whole universe,
the you that is everything
so that nothing is out of place
no extra puzzle pieces in the box
all perfectly existing for you
here
now
to expand you like a galaxy
forever great, unfathomable,
in your
vast
existence.

This,
the one
whole
reality
of
God.

Image: Wild roses in Jemez Mountains, New Mexico