Category Archives: darkness

Phantom of the Opera

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Last night I saw Phantom of the Opera with a friend, front row, all the way on the right. She won the tickets in the Broadway Lottery in New York for less than a third of the price.

This is what I learned from the show:

  1. Be patient.  Be aware.  Be kind.
  2. Love the light and the dark in you.
  3. All experiences teach you something.

Without going into more detail, I’ll just say that I found the play to be highly symbolic of an experience in my own life.  I feel like it can speak to parts of everyone’s life, naturally. It is a classic for a reason.  Thank you, Broadway.

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Watching the Night

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Have I ever gazed

a sight like this?

Third (fourth) floor?

Window sill?

Moon shining like a teardrop

ready to fall from above?

 

Well, no.

It will stay in its place.

All you must do

is spread your wings

and fly up there yourself, darling.

 

You have nothing to fear.

 

It is just a New York street,

an Upper Manhattan merengue

playing off in the distance.

 

What does that sound, taste, scent of doubt

have on this essence of consciousness?

 

We are here together, on this main stage.

 

It keeps turning,

we keep turning,

your mind keeps turning

let it be what it is.

Feel it.  Nod, let it go.

 

Patience is hidden in the smile of the moon,

offered by the silence of her sister sun

she remains, shining brighter in the darkness

and not afraid of her beauty, either.

 

The real miracle

is knowing how to watch the show

and not become it;

the moon does this for us every night

brushes her lips against the sky

I can see it shining–

a smile reflected in the stars.

 

No, I cannot see them above the diner sign

but I can hear them:

whispers of light

burning through the galaxy

reminding us

that we do not understand time, just yet.

 

July 12, 2016

All

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It’s all about leaning forward.

 

In the moments fear grabs your neck like a thief

and you don’t know where you belong–

the sky or the ground–

realize that all we can do is lean into the moment.

 

It’s all about being honest with yourself,

about yourself.

 

In the times joy cradles you in their arms

like a newborn child

know that you, too, can rest–

realize that you, too, are safe as long as you exist.

 

It’s all about loving yourself,

the darkness and the light.

 

Society comes up with names for every game we play,

whether it’s in our head and back again

the way we look up at skyscrapers and billboards

beach walkways and desert islands

your children are my children

we are all of the same skin

just let me in on the secret of sin

there’s no winning or losing,

there’s just where you are

and where you’ve been

in these bodies we pray

these genes aren’t moving today

they’ve taken up residence for a reason

in an effort to survive despite the season

trust in your Self, above all else

no matter what name you’ve learned,

you are here Now,

so love all of your Self,

not just some.

 

April 10, 2016

Darkness

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My friend once said,
“The scariest thing
is looking at a mirror in the dark.”

She got me thinking–
do I think that is scary?

Do you?

I glance down a narrow hallway,
midnight light etching out
the shadow of a moon
on the back wall,
and wonder why,
so often,
our reflections scare us so.

Sitting down with a friend,
I can hold her hand,
touch her cheek,
knowing that in one moment
I can offer my ear
and know
that it is enough.

Why can I not offer my heart
the same love?

Darkness is an inevitable partner,
disguised in dirt and anguish
it is only off looking for it’s long lost brother;
Light cannot be asked to search alone.

As I walk towards the moon,
I know that it’s light will spread in both directions:
inwards, returning love to itself,
and outwards,
steadily marking my way
towards the hallway mirror.

 

Tomorrow I will be starting a weekend-long “technology cleanse,” so instead of a poem per Saturday and Sunday, here is just one, now.

August 13, 2015