After All This Time

Every morning
you rise from my dreams.

It is a brand new day,
year,
life,
and yet...

Every evening
you set unfailingly
upon my heart.

Morning Magic

Long before the break of day,
I woke from a dream feeling powerful
and I knew what I could do.

Inhaling deeply, I collected all the hurt I could find.
All the longing, the doubt, the fear.
All the indecision, regret, sorrow.

Every existential ache from near and far
flowed straight into the kiln of my heart,
bound for transformation.

Soul alchemy.

I held it all in my deepest depths
and burned bright as the sun,
exhaling a white hot jet stream
to melt the ice,
to light up the darkness,
to awaken the delicate buds.

From west to east it flows, bringing
courage, movement, ownership,
authenticity, creativity, newness.

Feel the warmth.
For what else is love
if not the eternal promise of spring?

The Returning

Days apart stretch out long,
but are almost worth the returning.

Lonely lips find their match in an instant
and longing vanishes,
evaporating like steam in the heat of our embrace.

Muscles flex, lungs fill, eyes lock.
We take each other in in every way.

Fierce yet tender,
we are eager but not hurried.
Rushing is for those who sleep.

But we who love with eyes wide open
stand long in the slow burn.

We swallow the sparks on our tongues
until we are melted to the core,
let our fingers light fires
on shoulders and hips
until every ridge and valley is engulfed.

We dance in the flames,
fanned by quickening breath,
fueled by rising desire,
until we are utterly consumed
and left but a bed of hot coals.

And here may be the best of it all:
these wildfires crack open our heart-seeds,
new growth emerging from within.

Not an ending at all,
but another beginning
awaiting the spark to ignite.

(3/25/2014)

Better Than Perfect

Practice never really makes perfect.

You will be tested over and again,
and even the thousandth time
you will be far from perfect.

Do not be discouraged,
for there is something better than perfect:
Progress.

Practice so the next time
the winds of uncertainty howl
you will bend and sway,
but you will settle at your center
sooner than the last time
so they won't blow you entirely off course.

Practice so the next time
the rip tide of fear catches you
you will struggle,
but you will surrender
sooner than the last time
so it won't drag you to the darkest depths.

And when you stumble,
when you are blown or dragged
further than you would have hoped,
do not be discouraged.

These are simply opportunities to practice,
and practice makes progress.

Unexpected

Isn’t it astonishing,
the wonders we uncover
when we dare to look at another
with an open heart?

Amazing to discover
that behind those bright and playful eyes
rests a gravity that can pull you
instantly to the center of it all.

Incredible to find
that behind that firm, broad chest
beats the most expansive and softest
of tender hearts.

Astounding to recognize
that behind a lifetime of
unfamiliar experiences
lies a soul so like your own.

Unbelievable to realize
that what you thought
you’d search the world over to find
was just down the road all along.

Trinity

The rhythmic roar of the ocean tide, 
the steady presence of the ancient mountain,
the wondrous glow of the full harvest moon.

Such power in each to
lift the burden of man's heart,
to remind him
he is at once
infinite and infinitesimal. 

The ocean, the mountain, the moon.
A day of deep connection
with this sacred trine
leaves me feeling exquisitely alive.

What a beautiful life.

I Can Tell You This

I cannot do it for you,
but I can tell you this:

To find what you seek,
you must do the work.

Walk the path, however slowly.
Move. Be still.
Speak up. Go deep.

Purge, heave, sob.
Tear open your own heart
and let all the darkness bleed out of you.
Make room for the light to pour in.

Day after day, drop the expectations.
Take the bushels of shame off your back.
Set them down. Walk away.
Repeat.

Scatter your stories in the dust.
Say "thank you." Let them go.
Keep going.

In time, tiny magical moments
will creep into your days.

You will see clearly
and find light in every darkness.

You will feel the pulse
of the universe in your very veins.

You will stand taller in your bones
than ever before.

You will feel intensely alive,
and you will have done it all on your own.

Then, and only then,
when you least expect it,
an arm around your waist
will feel like freedom,
and you'll break into a run,
laughing at the sky,
every other step barely skimming the ground,
the path ahead paved in possibility.