On One Foot

…brief updates about me and those I love

** The sun is shining at last here in Salem, and I feel like I am running to catch up with myself.

*silver haired blind lady running breathlessly to catch giggling little imp-girl*

**Because at last I can announce the publication of my second book of poetry

One Glittering Wing

You can find the print paperback at Amazon, and the ebook will be available in about 72 hours.

*silver haired blind lady turning cartwheels*

Here are a few words from the Foreword, written by poet and memoirist, Ada Molenoff:

“Throughout the book, word-pictures of sensory experience and metaphors reveal meaning. Poetic forms fit her themes of nature, loss, spirituality, and the world’s repair. Each poem tells its tale indirectly, letting the reader leap to understanding. We not only read the pieces—we participate in them. For example, the poet’s vivid storytelling in “Walls” generates empathy and finally, our indignation.”

**And as Autumn paints trees and landscape in hues of gold and rust, beckons us into our homes, our families, ourselves, I wish you each and all sweetness and hope, Love and Light.

*silver haired blind lady embracing the giggling little imp-girl*

Circles intersect

Like fingers interweaving

Such are these moments

Words tumble and fade

Echo in our minds and hearts

Float beyond grasping

We will touch again

Feel warmth of breath and body

Passing between us

For now we withdraw

Into autumn’s realm and wait

Silent and open

When I am little

Again I walk on raindrops

I slide down sunbeams

And ride wind current

Stallions through forests of time

To recover myself

we hang suspended

between the mystery of beginnings
and questions of ultimate meaning

ripening to sweetness
only honey bees recognize
…or so we hope

*The Jewish calendar marks this time as the start of a new year, a fresh beginning, a space to turn inward in an effort to reflect upon personal shortcomings and the possibility of change. This is a spotlight moment to realize the importance of life, the value of meaningful interactions with friends and loved ones, with Nature and the planet, and certainly with Divinity. The ancient cry of the shofar (ram’s horn) opens our ears and hearts, calling us back into meaning, the meaning of this season, this moment, every precious moment of our precious lives. Wishing you sweetness on your journey, darling friends*

Today is new

Can you feel it?

Right now

The sun is cloaked in shimmering clouds

And the sky is streaked in pink and orange

But just for a moment

Because now the wind is pushing past

And snatching away the clouds

The cloak

Revealing the sun

And all it is

And you are new

Can you feel it?

Right now

You are cloaked in clouds as well

In yesterdays streaked with sadness and delight

But just for a moment

Because when you hear the shofar

Its ancient blast Will snatch away your cloak

Revealing all you are

Darling Friends,

You don’t need to be reminded how difficult 2020 has been. So many people around the world have suffered the loss of loved ones. Somany have lost jobs, their savings, their sense of security. Here in Oregon, forest fires have ravaged town upon town, uprooting families from their homes, then consuming those homes entirely. People gather at churches, colleges, the State Fair Ground. They gather their children, their animals, their energy and strength and push aside fear and loss to simply move forward.

They are not remarkable by any means. They are people like you and me and that guy over there whose name you never learned. We are all just people trying to find meaning during a time of incredible confusion and upset. Maybe we cling tighter to our religious traditions, to our prejudices, certainly to our loved ones.

And there is something even sturdier we might find, something deeper in ourselves, something truer about reality.

Light.

I’m not talking about the light from the sun or the stars. Sure, sunlight chases away our night fears and makes our gardens grow. We can all identify with the quiet devotion of a sunflower turning its face to follow the sun’s path. And starlight is a universal source of inspiration and strength.

But there is another light, a light inside each one of us, a flickering flame of uniqueness bestowed to the world in our name and image. It is a source and strength no other human can bring to this world. It is your light, your essence, your blessing for this world, this time, this moment.

And amid all the ash falling to earth, amid the financial and personal losses of these days, your light is vital. Your light can pierce through the smoke and red haze claiming Western skies. Your light can soothe and heal and enliven. In the solitude of your home, your room, your thought, your light is a blessing to everyone.

You need only to shine. Shine with the hope your breath inspires. Shine with the voice which is yours alone–in words, in song, in squeals of childlike joy. Shine with all you are, this moment.

And the light that is you and me and that nameless guy over there will spark something new and fresh and living, a wave of light opening the path forward.

Wishing you love and sweetness, my dazzling friends.

When we breathe again

Will our hearts be clear or worse

When ashes disperse