Yesterday and tomorrow bleed into today
and everything that matters is washed away
the present moment is diluted and drowned
the heavy veil of time always in the foreground
Today could stand alone or float with frosted wings
above the swell of swinging hands, searching for tiny somethings
eventually all levees break and all that's left is to let go
trust the flood of forward motion to take care of everything on its own
Flowing water can't be contained, the cool caress feels nice
stand in the stream of experience, knowing it won't happen twice
preventing storms is not your place, they have their purpose too
the heavy rains feed the soil and someday so will you
Sometimes the hard part is slowing down
and accepting that it's time to rest
perpetual forward motion is impossible
listen to your body's plaintive request
If you can't enjoy the path you've chosen
the destination won't ever please you
all the world is made of perfect cycles
allow yourself to have seasons too
The healing hum that reverberates
through all the small, silent moments
can become buried beneath the louder
frequencies of frustration and forward motion
The panicked pace of ungrounded grasping
the breath that's stolen while being swept off your feet
it can feel like dying to slow down, to surrender momentum
in favor of savoring the soft rustling outside your window
Finding peace can be counterintuitive
stop flipping over rocks and just pause
to feel the cool stone against your skin
and hear the whispering stream gurgle past
It's hard to accept that happiness is here
when we've wasted so much time searching
learning to laugh at ourselves like when we've been
seeking the object that's been in our hand the whole time
It's the simple things that will save us
if we can sit with the fear that they
won't be enough in the end
they will
Marble mountains of morning mist
rising like phantoms from the warm river water
blue grey mirrors of the colorful hillsides behind
hanging motionless in the much cooler air
Another period of miraculous transition
lingering warmth of summer days
meeting the icy nights of autumn
manifesting monuments of change
Gentle nudges from mother nature
reminders that letting go is something beautiful
reassurance that life's long winters
are making new space for another spring
Each dark night of the soul threatens
that the sun will never rise again
but new happiness will find you
as surely as the earth will keep spinning
Fall is a yearly ritual in finding faith
bravely embracing a season of snow
instilling a confidence that striding through darkness
will always lead you back into the light
Holding back the happiness
has become a form of self-defense
a suit of armor inlaid with spikes
stripping the soul of all color
A perversion of pleasure
believed to be undeserved
the conviction that hardships
will hurt worse with contrast
Let your heart lift with the certainty
that there are no prerequisites for celebration
the spirit is free to sing at its leisure
relinquish the reigns of self-affliction
Wrap your heart in layers of joy
so when the rain comes, as it must
you will have a safe harbor of happiness
to sustain you from within
Don't ever feel you must deny yourself
life's most simple, innocent delights
don't leave your soul to starve
without its natural nourishment
I promise you've already earned
your small share of sunshine
don't waste your life wondering
if you are worthy
You've won the lottery of merely living
each automatic breath is a reminder
that you deserve to be here
and thoroughly enjoy it whenever you can
There is a stillness in the night
that stops all thought
I often wonder if it is supposed
to feel so sweet as I slip
underneath existence
Each morning is an agony
of renewed responsibility and expectation
awaking to find myself again confined
behind the same searching eyes
within a cumbersome prison of flesh and bone
Where is it exactly that we spend half our lives?
why does my soul seem more suited
to the ethereal landscapes of the unconscious?
why has the waking world never seemed
to hold me fully in its solid hand?
I've always looked forward to the night
to the moment I am swallowed up by
the soft oblivion behind my eyelids
even a dreamless inky darkness
to me seems simply scrumptious
I've rarely known the torment of
an agitated, incomplete night's sleep
I am equally a stranger to even a moment
of conscious rest and repose
I'm accustomed to black and white
My soul is perpetually sleepy
exhausted by the constant fires
lit within the waking world
It wants to dissipate under deep slumber
to be scattered into stardust
I can only hope that I'll be greeted
by this same strange pleasure
as I let go once more into my ultimate end
and sink beneath those familiar, dark waters
for one sublime and final time
Fall is a reminder
to forgive ourselves
for our failures
The inevitable plunge
after a season of fiery energy
the slow decent into old age
We cannot always hold ourselves
to the standard of our best days
the winter will come again
And it's okay to rest
it's okay to stumble
and go backwards
There is no shame
in still loving yourself
after your worst mistakes
Don't be afraid to offer yourself
the sacred medicine of self-love
it's not reserved for perfection alone
You won't be spoiled by
your own positive regard
during the dark night of the soul
There is strength to be found in forgiveness
there is grace that blooms from the rich soil
of having faith in yourself
Severity will not serve you
rigidity will leave you broken
let your inner gaze be soft
Gather up the lessons learned
and save them for future opportunities
life is abundant with second chances
A coyote cuts across the foggy highway
a life held inside indecision, a moment's hesitation
could be a violent end of everything all at once
Sulfurous air that once shrouded out the sun
a sudden impact that swallowed the earth
in many decades of dark, lifeless winter
Time has a way of emphasizing
the absurdity of right and wrong when
final outcomes are impossible to predict
Half the suffering I've known has been
an inner upheaval of moral outrage
resistance to the evils of this world
My stormy turmoil subsides if only
I can learn to surrender all judgement
and accept my place as a humble passenger
Who am I to hold dominion over
the way life is supposed to unfold?
I prefer the role of patient witness anyway
To watch with curious eyes and an open heart
ready to embrace all of life with equanimity
a grateful submission to existence beyond understanding
To play my small part with a soft hand
extending a gentle, hopeful intention of pure love
prepared to let go of any and all expectations
Tender feet along the balustrade, balancing
between engagement and surrender
too often falling into indignation and anger
The perpetual repetition of life can be tedious
but it offers endless chances to keep trying
precious lessons linger behind a door that is always open
Every failure is an opportunity to find grace
there is no permanence, perfection, or wasted effort
everything is as it should be, everything is as it should be
Protect the Innocent 