Chasing truth
is difficult
when it’s wearing
a hat 3 sizes
too big
for it’s head —
hiding its eyes
from the onlooker,
dancing in shadows
it knows no better
while we go on
searching
under street lights.
December 5, 2018
Chasing truth
is difficult
when it’s wearing
a hat 3 sizes
too big
for it’s head —
hiding its eyes
from the onlooker,
dancing in shadows
it knows no better
while we go on
searching
under street lights.
December 5, 2018
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:
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.
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
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
Today, there is sun.
Yesterday, too many clouds.
Be grateful for both.
March 26, 2016
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
Finding myself
in a dark forest
wasn’t easy–
but,
my god,
was it worth it.
November 2, 2014