Life flows through me

What's the difference
between a canned reply
or inspired response?

Living in the past
Expressing conditioning
Insistence on being right

certainly lead to
predictable and repetitive
results

But truly living
in the moment
defenseless

with nothing to prove
and nowhere to go
what is left

but the inspired response
even if it means no words at all

Freedom
is made

by our
choices

Living
beyond

our means
or in the

unquestioned
life

We no longer
embody that

which
we truly are

and surrender
the jewel

of life
we are given

and the Freedom
to be

something
beyond

what others
have conjured

Early Summer buzz

Days full of activity and busyness

No breathtaking insights or pearls

Just a delight for the senses

"Life is Hard!"
Compared to what?

"Life it is a Bitch!"
Compared to what?

"Life is a Drag!"
Compared to what?

"Life is Delicious!"
Now that's better…

The winds…
within and without

relentlessly
bringing change

no matter
the denials

infinity
passes through

in each
moment

A day of breathe

of wind

and soul

and gratitude

Who's here

inside this windswept mind

lovingly waiting

while I writhe?

- Excerpt starting on line 6 of page 366 of "The Soul of Rumi" translated by Coleman Barks

"...
The whole world is a form

for truth. When someone does not feel grateful to that,
the forms appear to be as he feels.

They mirror his anger, his greed, his fear. Make peace
with the universe. Take joy

in it. It will turn to gold. Resurrection will be now. Every
moment a new beauty.

And never any boredom. Instead the pouring of many
springs in your ears.
..."

~ Rumi

By the stream side
entranced by the beauty

Healed and at peace
fully restored for a moment

I walk away
leaving the memory

And enter the world
of turmoil

Ensnared by the doing
forgetting to return

I become parched
wrinkled and sleepless

Thinking the stream
was far away

I decide to return
and begin the journey

To a place
That is never far

To my old friend
the stream of Life

In
every
moment

we are
at choice
the choice

building
a life
of meaning

and direction
for ourselves
and the world

Earliest days of Spring
Mornings still cold
Birds have returned
Squirrels scamper
Surrounding mountains
Still have snow

The air is
Fresh and scrubbed clean
Running free and wild
As gusty spring winds blow
Fierce and unrelenting

Sobering,challenging
Good to be in it
But also a relief to hide

And still the little
friends on tress and fences
sing and chirp

And live out their lives
without any complaint
that I can discern

In wind, rain or snow

Is it best to defend
a hardened and narrow view

or rather loosen the tether
of hierarchy and prejudice

and drift to untamed waters
writhing with unfamiliarity

filled with panoramic mysteries
that paralyze our abilities

to comprehend and classify
allowing the piercing

of armored hearts
and the illumination

of dingy corridors
filled with well-worn opinions

Renewal
in a moment

Healing waters
of eternity

Cascade
upon us

Endlessly
anointing

The Gift
is not outside

Regardless
what we think

Quietude
opens the doors

Allowing the Sea
to enter

Swirling vapors rise
off steaming chai

Graceful spirals
mingling with the unseen

A joyous dance
of aroma and flavor

Echoing the dawn's
smile and song

Huddled close
to this richness

My being
is enveloped

By the sweetness
of the air I breathe

While savoring this
delightful brew

Hope is dashed
upon the rocks of circumstance

Dreams dissolve
under the light of day

The grit of sand
and new choices remain

Between breaths
of questionable clarity

Solace lies in memories
of Life's gifts and cycles

The pendulum
has swung

And may still
be swinging

But the dizziness of change
pours in now

And all I can do
is breathe

Meaning and meaninglessness
at the same moment

Perfection wrapped in jigsaws
we can barely comprehend

Buffeted by the endless
roaring river of Life

Sustained by bounties
that themselves

Result from infinite
bounty beyond knowing

Left with
what is before us

Crashing and gliding onward
as passengers and participants

Savoring or clamoring
creating the intricate

Landscapes of color
That define our lives

No meaning
and still Life continues

No meaning whatever
except what I assign

Eat, don't eat
be happy, be sad

Be nice, be mean
be self-absorbed

Be absorbed by good
by God, by TV or hate

Choose a path
or don't

Succeed or fail
live or die

Say yes or no
and define your Life

Day by day
moment by moment

No meaning…
that the little "i" can discern

Life just continues
regardless of the puddles

We stand in
thinking it is the Sea

Storms swirl
in our perceptions

Some people
insist the sky is falling

While others
just tremble and whimper

Funny how on some days
the light doesn't seem to appear

Maybe I just need
to open my eyes

Close my mouth
and dance

No matter what
I choose to stand as close
to peace as I can

No matter the circumstance
I choose to be in awe
of the miracles that surround

No matter the setbacks
I choose to allow love
to be my highest calling

No matter how far I stray
I will eventually return
to the eternal whispered call