This is That, That’s All There Is

Back and forth I go,
Thinking this, then thinking that!
I cannot decide.

Show me, God, the way,
Let me give up and let go,
I cannot decide.

Want someone to say,
This is what is right for you,
Go this other way.

But I know it’s I,
Who must feel where I’m to go,
Hate that lifelong choice.

Freedom is at top,
I could not let someone say,
“Here you must now go.”

But a lighthouse, please,
Shining light near ocean shore,
Sounds like seas I seek.

Yes, the valleys, too,
Great, grand meadows ‘neath the peaks,
Mountain grandeur too.

I am That. This is That. That is That.
That’s all the is.
Quoted by Deepak Chopra.

Then I think of home,
Needing freedom and to give,
Women are in charge.

Where could that then be?
If I want to stay out West?
Near the ocean blue?

Don’t know answer now,
But I know each saddness brings,
One more light to bear.

Oh, dear God of mine,
Maker of the souls of Man,
Give me guidance now.

“Yes, impatient one,
Deep within you I am there,
You know it is true.”

Each new thought that comes,
Is a clue from Divine seas,
Flowing strong in you.

Let go of control,
Trust the steps each day of life,
And your inner flow.

Thank you, God of All,
For my life gifts, large and small,
Blessings ev’ry day.

Plant Yourself Somewhere

What, then, do I want?
To belong, to give and take,
Like a family.

Being known and loved,
For my full self, gifts and flaws,
Seeing others, too.

Shared experience,
Touchstones through these years of life,
Memories of all.

People I count on,
When I’m sick or need a ride,
As they count on me.

Near the Nature sights,
Sounds of birds and oceans far,
Simple, grateful life.

Making music, too,
Singing, laughing, weeping, all,
Melody of life.

Open to the world,
Through our books and travelogues,
Sharing what we have.

Sounds like church of old,
People seeking higher goals,
In community.

Where to find it now?
Groups together, living near,
Common thread for all.

LGBTQ and more,
Love and include, honor all,
In the end, we’re one.

East or West for me?
Homebase where to put down roots?
Still not clear to me.

Maybe I have roots,
In the soil of West Coast lands,
Where I’ve grown and learned.

I can still explore,
‘Cross the country, East or West,
North and South call too.

But the roots go deep,
In my homeland here I see,
Now I feel it more.

Plant yourself somewhere,
So your new shoots can grow up,
By Pacific shore.

Let It Go, Let It Be

Rosh Hashana night,
Two great women left us here,
Totally bereft.

Still, we do go on,
As we must to honor them,
Grateful for their lives.

Here I can’t let go,
Need to struggle, find a way,
Thinking makes it so.

But mind is not heart,
And the heart is not the soul,
Where my guidance lives.

If I am to be,
Living, flowing, feeling ME,
I now must let go.

Trust once more in God,
Shining light where night is now,
Showing me a step.

Where is my new home?
Is it here in old home state,
Or up north somewhere?

Thought it might be there,
With the fam’ly ready-made,
But I feel it’s here.

Somewhere in the West,
Just where I don’t know,
For that I let go.

I can shine my light,
Down the way or also north,
But I just don’t know.

Still, I now have clues,
More than Friday, as I take,
One step at a time.

Where is family?
Gathered for our lives to share?
It will show itself.

Music, learning, there,
Sharing, laughing, crying too,
Caring for us all.

Open hearts and souls,
Giving to the cause of good,
All with one high goal.

Stumble, yes, we will,
Like a fam’ly, squabbles come,
But the bond is set.

Surrender, Just Let Go

Surrender and breathe,
Let go and feel relief flow,
All is well again.

Sometimes I forget,
How surrender brings such peace,
Letting it all go.

Sometimes time or place,
Not the time to stop and breathe,
More a time to fight.

But that time is here,
To surrender all the fight,
And to be here now.

Thank you for this peace,
Letting me recall my Self,
Breathing in me now.

When I let fight go,
I remember who I am,
Inner power mine.

Deep peace I do want,
And well-being, love and health,
All within me now.

Do not fear next days,
All will flow as it will do,
My boat will float too.

On this day of smoke,
Staying in can bring great gifts,
If I let fear go.

I have had such days,
In the past, tomorrow, too,
But today I’m here.

I am joyful now,
As my gratitude takes hold,
Lifting me right up.

I don’t need to know
What tomorrow brings right now,
Just live in this day.

Oceans and the skies,
Birds fly free around the world,
Flowers bloom here too.

Blinders drop away,
When we let go of control,
Loving just what is.

Gratitude I have,
For these days of silence here
Time to just have peace.

This Day of Days

Today is a stretch,
To believe divine order,
Still, I must have faith.

What else can I do?
When the world seems wounded too
Dark fear muddies seas.

Nineteen years ago,
Buildings fell, our safety too
Now we must change hate.

This time hate divides,
From within and all seems lost,
Still I must have faith.

Wildfires burn our hearts,
Homes and forests, lives are lost,
Ashes rain down here.

Hard to stay with hope,
Feathers singed with fear and dread,
Only path I see.

Keep the sun in mind,
And its light despite the dark,
It’s still there each day.

Fans boo Unity,
Wonder why such white fans think,
They are the Be All.

May men play as One,
Knowing all are on the team,
Of Humanity.

Will our women save?
Seeking ways to heal the wounds,
Fighting not the way.

Men and women both,
Find the sacred heart within,
Hold the thought of One.

Climate needs our help,
Not for one but ev’ry one,
Hope it’s not too late.

Children need our help,
Seeing love instead of hate,
Holding All as One.

I must let go fear,
If my energy can help,
Must be out of love.

Gratitude, of course,
Is the way to fly the sky,
Light as air o’er all.

Holy Smokes Sky

Not Night – Twelve Noon Today , Marin Side of Golden Gate Bridge

This is one of those days where frustration and anger block poetic inspiration, as the smoke from raging California wildfires blocks the sun today. I understand that in each person’s world, today may have snow, intense heat and drought, wretched poverty, wounds of racism, even total joy. I can only give expression to my own feelings.

Sky is dark as night,
Not a storm but smoke and ash,
Like apocalypse.

When will this be past?
Covid, fires and Cruel Dunce,
Making us afraid.

How can some deny,
Climate-change is harming us,
Extremes ev’rywhere.

What brings denial,
Of the Holocaust and moon,
Who can think such things?

I have not breathed yet,
Given thanks or let rage go,
Such extremes in me.

And the cycles move,
Through the seasons, hot and cold,
Ever it is so.

Be here now so true,
In this moment there is life,
Blessings in this day.

Some have lost their homes,
Some have lost their lives today,
From whatever cause.

Still a baby’s born,
Somewhere to bring hope and life,
To a wounded world.

Not a special child,
But each spirit a grand gift,
Saying spring will come.

Fires will then be gone,
And, we hope, new thoughts, new cures,
There is only faith.

Keep the sky alive,
In your mem’ries of clear blue,
Sun bright over all.

Keep the love alive,
For each person in the world,
We are all we have.

Give your thanks this day,
For your life, for breath, for hope,
Come back to this now.

Sun Now Hidden Too

Heavens grey with smoke,
Orange sun in distant sky,
Live with what is now.

Metal birds in here,
Perched on metal trees with leaves,
Outside lots of green.

But I cannot go
Out exploring as I’d like
Need the air I have.

Coffee now and breathe,
Deep breaths in and let them go
Focus now within.

Thank you for the bonds,
In our towns and neighborhoods,
Friends supporting friends.

Fountains flow inside,
Pure clean water overruns
My cup overflows.

I remember thanks,
Gratitude the root of joy,
In the dead of night.

Sun now hidden too,
It is there but unseen here,
Faith that it still shines

I stay sheltered in,
Some find pockets of good air,
Just as every day.

Wish I had a cat!
Tiny kitten starting life,
Playful despite all.

Cats that I have loved,
All are with me still like friends,
Always joined in light.

Thank you for the stars,
Mountains, streams and meadows vast,
Lives beyond our ken.

Music of my youth,
Flows from Rodgers, Hammerstein,
Heart songs of my soul.

You’ve got to be taught,
To hate what is different
To fear the Other.

If I loved you, all,
Could I see our country now,
Back again as one?

If thoughts make it so,
May we all love life as one,
Miracles appear.

Ole Ole Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot

In this dreadful heat,
Pool lies sparkling by our stairs,
Covid means no swim.

Still it gives the hope,
Of new times by water’s edge,
One day soon again.

Right now windows closed,
Smoke stay out until the night,
Then I let it in.

Complaints on this morn,
Keep my focus from the gifts,
Of this Labor Day.

I awake with breath,
Friends and fam’ly still here too,
Coping with covid.

Life goes on in thanks,
Joy still found in gratitude,
Just keep keepin’ on.

Thank you for the stars,
Twinkling in the distant skies,
There is so much more.

Thank you for the ant,
Tiny life in miniature,
There is so much more.

Thank you for the docs,
Using all their brains to find,
Cures and reasons why.

Thank you for pictures,
For the views of places far,
We can see today.

Thank you for the years,
So I know this too shall pass,
Joy will come again.

Ever is it so,
Seasons come and seasons go,
Nature beyond man.

When I try control,
Forces laugh and I let go,
Trusting order still.

Now I try to trust,
Even if the world explodes,
Revolution here?

Sitting in my room,
I just write and give my thanks,
For our lives and love.

On a Hot Day Here

Hot stove, pretty girl,
All is relative, he said,
So I know this day.

In the winter cold,
I cannot remember heat,
That we have today.

When my thoughts are full,
Occupied by something grand,
“Heat?” I think, “What heat?”

She in iron lung,
Grabbing life for all it’s worth,
With her endless faith.

I could not do that,
As I’ve thought since a small child,
And therein lies truth.

She did not give up,
Paralyzed through all her days,
Many years of love.

Maybe she lost faith,
But she persevered throughout,
Her life saw much joy.

Phyllis is not here,
But her truth has stayed with me,
Beacon of the light.

Though we were not kin,
She was part of all of us,
As we served her, too.

On the sign I saw,
“Root of joy is gratitude,”
Thank you for her life.

All is relative,
What we think and what we do,
Light or dark, we choose.

Why not choose the light?
Even when there seems no end,
To the dark of night.

Luckily for me,
Time was kind and I’m still here,
Living in the light.

I am grateful for,
Endless blessings, even night,
All is relative.

Now we hope the light,
Can withstand the current dark,
Love can overcome.

Labor Day Weekend

On those Labor Days,
Off to Disneyland we went,
Dave’s birthdays at beach.

Now the house is gone,
Dave and I remember still,
What those days were like.

Memories with sun,
Darkness gone as years go by,
Only joy remains.

Now I walk my streets,
Mask for smoke and covid too,
Happy to be out.

Some grand homes near here,
Wonder what their pasts have seen,
Steady through the years.

Once there was no gate,
Golden bridge across the sea,
Ferries brought you here.

Now our cars go by,
Taking us where we will go,
Close or to the East.

Kids now say “Cali,”
Not a thought when we were young,
Frisco, also, no.

Change with times we must,
Words, ideas, and new thoughts,
Who knows what can be?

In her youth no jets,
No web browsers or email,
Lots of open space.

Now we talk for free,
To New Zealand, ‘cross the world,
On our magic phones.

Where is spirit now?
In this talk of change and tech?
It is everywhere.

In my heart the peace,
Seeing Nature, birds, the trees,
Beauty everywhere.

I need peace this morn,
Not the busy-ness of life,
Just a silent space.

And it is right here,
Waiting for me just inside,
What a great, new day!