an inventory of a restless soul

1am and i am taking note
of the angel of courage on my desktop
beside the iron pig statue with wings
i bought for myself to celebrate
my commitment to self-employment
one piece of apophyllite to keep me clear in all my conversations
a chipped statuette of a bride and groom
the one memento i've got of my great-grandmother
the one i loved so dearly
more than any other relative
buddha in a mandala
a kindergarten photo of my dear child
with a smirk that makes you wonder
what does she know already?
and i pray she remembers
a plaster mother mary 1-1/2" tall with fine details
a string of seven red buddha beads
and a japanese bell to mark each day
tomorrow's mail to post
and a pile of chinese fortune cookie treasures
promising health and wealth
"in bed"

an altar have i made
of this desk i write at and work at
long and happy hours
surrounded by old friends and new hopes

the perc test

testing soil
can be simple
you might have to wait
10 minutes

or a day and a night
for the soil's reply to water

percolation goes on in my head
long after the soil responds
or doesn't

loam, clay, sand, pebbles
what am I?
what are you?

perhaps together we can offer a young plant a place to grow?

The Real Work

It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.The impeded stream is the one that sings.

- © Wendell Berry

to the muses of my blessed life

Rain beautiful rain
creates many good reasons
to stay close to home
and many wonderful things
need no more than two good friends

i.
canopy of trees
heavy with leaves and
tomorrow's flowers

ii.
trees that bear no fruit
are yielding still to beauty
by simply blooming

iii.
gentle rain could soak
my warm skin like thirsty soil
if I but step outside

to walk and wander
not aimlessly, but freely
with sweet intentions

a great intelligence
keeps me company, all times
all seasons, so fair

When I choose letting go
and I see how wise I am actually being
I look around for what next to release

Confident and trusting completely
this grand intelligence that will send back
that intended to keep me company a while.

Quiet vitality poured into an empty vessel
long empty of wine or water
life's waters spilled over the top in moments
thirsty earth and heart and grass and seeds
drank deeply and bloomed

Oh how they all bloomed
Look at what spring has brought in for the dinner table
and look who joins us

night after day after night