Happy Birthday, Cheri!

Today is my dearest friend Cheri's birthday. As part of my celebration of her birth; I share the following poem which I penned for her this February.


Summit Self
a poem for Cheri winter ‘o9

She will climb a mountain
if you tell her which one

Or swim upstream
against tides of White Ruffians
if you take her to the River

She is transparent, bursting,
jammed with wisdom born from
years of surrender and wiping
Emergence is near

Like a mountaineer at the zenith
piercing flag into jagged peak
She’s ready to reclaim Herself
The stake: more about Call than Career
Moment than Momentum

For today, she seeks and asks and waits

You are silent.
Come on! Speak!
Aren’t you Word, anyway?!

She listens, blurring blue another day
Can’t you utter a solitary sound?
Or – at least – take her

Take her to the River
dunk her Summit Self down
deep and when she emerges

Smile a resonant Yes!
on her beauty and gifts and age


Happy Birthday, Cher!!!

A Poem Inspired by The Woman at the Well

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Wait Well
Based on John 4:1-38

Like her
Cry when its time to cry
Ride the rollercoaster of it all
Go to the well with empty jar:
expecting to be slaked

When you see The Stranger
and realize he knows all
your foibles, losses, Cracked Places
too well to be anything but a Diviner

Leave your jar
Go tell those you love
And when you return
the jar will be full of
laughing waters for you,
for him, and for all of his friends

Twilight

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If you're as obsessed by Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Series as I've been over the last few weeks (I'm in the middle of the last book and not wanting it to end); perhaps you'll enjoy the following poem, inspired by the saga.

Awake Again
Spring 2009

When the No is deep and hard and long –
filled with empty urgency of a broken,
never-hatched egg –
find a way to rest instead of sleep

Slumber knowing that God
(like a fictive Vegetarian Vampire)
never sleeps, but, sits
in a chair by your bed
watching, keeping you from harm
held in love

Making sure that all your
sleepy words turn into
dreams come true

He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:3-8

Butterfly Wishes

Butterfly Wishes
For Kristen, March 1, 2009

Be free to fly and rest
lovelike she does, unencumbered by agenda
loveand deadline or public opinion

Let the Wind blow you from
loveone sticky gold, crimson or
lovecornflower blue stamen to the next

Drink in Sweet as you do your long
lovecurly proboscised work
lovewith Grace and Intuition

Be yourself in full, colorful, feminine
lovecreativity: embracing Process
loveand summer days, the Organic Way

Then, when your wings are tatter edged
loveunable to ride Wind as easily, readily
loveas on the day they dried

Flutter down to tree shaded ground
lovewhere it’s cool and green
loveand safe

Sleep there
lovesurrounded by the colors of
lovedivine cross-pollination