reduction in force

the cookies rest sedately

on a work counter

under fluorescent light,

a simple reminder

of how it crumbles underfoot,

slides with the tide of apathy,

slippery,

slipping.

a living wake for my job,

that I still get up and go to.

a living wake for my family,

very much alive and breathing.

a living wake for my spirit,

fading fast with each passing of the day.

the sweetness of the cookie

tastes like a bitter pill

or a heavy load of syrup.

so I take the whole box

and give the mess away.

mountain

nothing wrong with

being sweet all the time

letting the sweetness lift and lift

my heart, radiating

up, up

filling the atmosphere

with warm pink light,

orange gleaming shine,

prismatic dust motes,

golden cream seashells,

fierce tiger lilies and red rose petals

raining,

misting down,

radiant.

enclosed in a dark diamond sky

white snow glittering underfoot

a sense of a dome

vast, dizzying, upward

up, up,

merging, growing, magical, unearthly.

floating in this little room

this temple, our spaceship

adults tucked like sleepy children

by a roaring fire on Christmas Eve

bowls appearing from the ether

singing their deep circular sound

ringing around the tiny room

merging, merged.

bursting forth with love

a crack of sunlight

in winter's gloomy gray fortress

untitled

by Ryokan

My hut lies in the middle of a dense forest;

Every year the green ivy grows longer.

No news of the affairs of men,

Only the occasional song of a woodcutter.

The sun shines and I mend my robe.

When the moon comes out, I read Buddhist poems.

I have nothing to report my friends.

If you want to find the meaning, stop chasing after so many things.

laundromat series

live a simple life

put quarters in the machine

watch white suds spin round

stare out the window

unburdened, no student loans

read auto trader

cycle number three

my reflection in round glass

tired and pretty

alone in this place

where did the simple life go?

time makes things too hard

sunday, store's open

sweet ladies in plain tee shirts

measure, fold and weigh

rent an apartment

eat french fries and watch tv

aldi on sunday

fifteen minutes flat

hot spinning quarter eating

box of detergent

comfort in the smell

quiet calm clothes turn circles

clean place of refuge

sailing circles

leaf spattered raft

bobs on neon green mud water

a pink plastic halo

to sail in slow motion

over the murky unknown

to circle over the fearful dark

like the lightest

seashell hued bubbles

that might carry a good witch.

canoe conversations tingle along

cool water over wrists and ankles

'it's deep and good here'

and it finally feels like home,

the ancient water smell is in my bones,

and I fall asleep,

eyes heavy as moons.

two weddings

Learn to love

those white silk shackles

which lash your legs

to the floor.

Then the floor

slides out from under you.

Now you dangle

where nothing is certain

and certainly not guaranteed.

He knows

that half a smile

can't get him as far

as it used to do

or used to did.

Now the dogs are yelping,

your stomach's swimming,

the only food in the house

a solitary chicken nugget.

Suitcases are scattered,

packed, unpacked and repacked again

right there on the Thanksgiving table

right there where you folded his clothes.

So here comes the truth

with its painful shards of light.

Where could you ever find a shield

to ward off this kind of attack?

It stabs into your eyes and hands

and deepest layers.

You take it up

stab yourself with it

over

and over

until your love

has bled out

all around

those shackles soaking

slip out your tired feet

and fall through.

zero circle

"zero circle" by Rumi

Be helpless, dumbfounded,
Unable to say yes or no.
Then a stretcher will come from grace
to gather us up.

We are too dull-eyed to see that beauty.
If we say we can, we’re lying.
If we say No, we don’t see it,
That No will behead us
And shut tight our window onto spirit.

So let us rather not be sure of anything,
Beside ourselves, and only that, so
Miraculous beings come running to help.
Crazed, lying in a zero circle, mute,
We shall be saying finally,
With tremendous eloquence, Lead us.
When we have totally surrendered to that beauty,
We shall be a mighty kindness.

Rumi