Clouds and Sky

Your thoughts are like clouds in the sky

Coming, going, passing by

Do not mistake one thought for the whole sky

For the sky is much bigger than any one cloud

The sky is bigger than all the clouds

The sky is vast, deep and many colored

Yet it clings to nothing

It holds the sun, moon, rain and rainbows

Sometimes it is calm, sometimes it is stormy

Beyond what you see, the stars are always shining

The sound of the rain needs no translation

You can observe the clouds while keeping your feet on the ground, without being pulled by them, without your vision being clouded

We are only responsible for our own feelings

Our spirit receives a breath a life, we exhale back into spirit

Life and death are one big moon bounce

Tropical Moon

I could be a hula girl

I’d give my grass skirt a twirl under the tropical moon

My coconuts would sway to the sound of the waves in the bay under the tropical moon

I hope I get there soon

At night the sand is cool under my feet as they dance to the sound of the beat under the tropical moon

The fire is burning bright and the stars light up the night under the tropical moon

I hope we get there soon

The palm trees sway above our heads under the tropical moon

May this vision serve as a thread to weave a new tapestry of reality

I’d place it above my bed like a tropical moon

Goodnight, tropical moon

Bless This Suffering

Bless everything in your life

Bless every present moment

Every present moment is the most important in our lives

That is the secret for happiness

It is easy, if we remember it

Everything that happened to me I attracted, either consciously or unconsciously.

I own it, take responsibility

I transform my pain and suffering into love.

When I focus on love, crippling fear melts away

The universe wishes for our comfort

Feel how the Earth rises up to hold us, how the sky fills our lungs

Witness how all of creation collaborates to give us life

We don’t have to kill ourselves to survive, I had it backwards this whole time

Experience it for yourself: increase your faith, decrease your fear

Watch your happiness blossom open

To have it, you have to give it away

Bless the difficulty, discomfort and pain, and also the joy and bliss

Embrace your feelings

I bless this moment

I bless this suffering

Even when attacked by prickly people, the air I breathe stays peaceful, calm, and smooth

When shots are fired at my ego I feel the wound in my heart

I fight back tears, the dam of my eyes is filled to breaking

I used to try to heal before others noticed that I was hurt

I am learning to embrace my pain, hold it close to my heart, thank it for protecting me

The human experience is about gratitude and love

We must learn how to love the unpleasant moments, and own them

What we resist persists

We don’t have to struggle uphill all the time

We can let faith carry us

This was a significant revelation

I bow in humble gratitude to my angels

Medusa

I’ve got that medusa head

Curls on curls, in your bed

Don’t look into my eyes, I’ll turn you to stone

Then you won’t hear me calling on your phone

I don’t mean to be venomous

It’s just how I am I guess

When the radio asks for a donation, I change the station

My cogitation gets agitated, dancing between play and work, dinner and dessert

I try to chop off the head of an anxious thought, for naught-

More troubled rumination sprouts from the wound

I pray inner peace will resurface soon

Always a breath away

The Point

I found a years-old grocery receipt with the following message I’d scribbled on it:

The point of life is to become enlightened, again and again.

For me, the quick and easy way to become enlightened is to suffer beyond words to the point that my ego splits open and divine light pours in.

Every time I arrive, I bow to my suffering in gratitude.

I remember that what I had grappled and struggled with was actually on my side the whole time.

When I arrive at enlightenment, for a moment, I know peace

Then the journey starts again, like bringing my awareness back to my breath, most of the time I am unconscious of the miracle that flows through me.

Perhaps suffering is not necessary, however it seems to be a catalyst; speeding up the process.

I want to hug the whole world, wrap it in a hand-knit sweater

To those who feel sick, I hope you feel better.

I want the glow in my heart to grow and light up the dark.

I’m glad I kept that receipt

I could frequently benefit from a reminder about what the point is

It is most difficult to remember when I am surrounded by those who cling steadfast to their self-centered identities, awash in all sorts of drama, trying at every angle to drag me into their mire

I pray they will know enlightenment, even if for a moment, someday

I pray that I will know enlightenment, even if for a moment, today

Lotus

Anxieties and worries

Crowd around me in the dark

I dissolve them by sending breath to

My blossoming lotus heart

Each thought is another petal

Adorning a loving heart more precious than metal

Transformed by new perspective and watered by sacred tears

My lotus grows without limit, fertilized by fear

I invite anxiety in for tea

Faithful friend, you must be growing weary working all the time

Why settle for nettles when fruit is ripe on the vine

I thank you for your service and put you at ease with this rhyme

Soar

This body is my prison

Everybody has a body

Everybody is somebody’s son or daughter or both

Everybody is somebody

I’m tired of trying to be somebody and failing and flailing

When I could shed the skin I’m in

Crack open my ribcage and fly free

I’d let go of my eyes that once gazed into yours and kiss goodbye my lips that once kissed yours

I’d let go of my strength and my softness, my curves and my curls

I’d give up my form, vanities and imperfections

I’ve flirted with suicide my whole life

And spoken of it to no one except the one who pulled it off

I heard his rib cage crack open on the concrete below our college dorm

I understood

Afterward, we sad survivors put on a show- a tragedy!

But he just did what he wanted to

What many of us want to

Those who want to be free from their body know

The temptation to empty the lead from their pockets

And soar

Carnival

Welcome to the carnival

I offer all manner of novelties to delight you

Are your thoughts as wild as a flying trapeze?

I’ve got pills to set your mind at ease

Does your heart feel like it has been trampled by an elephant?

You don’t need to use booze to get bent

I’ll flood your blood with chemical love and adjust the dose to fit like a glove

I’ve perfected my performance to be your ideal physician despite my perpetual exhaustion, hanger and burn out

Ignoring my own pain as I eliminate yours

Neither one of us is listening to the sacred wisdom of our bodies

I suffer long and hard so that you don’t have to feel a thing

In my side-show alley you’ll see that if you want more than an endless stream of candy refills, if you want me to be your shaman instead of your drug dealer, at any time you can feel your feelings instead of suppress them

Take a plunge from the high dive on the wild horse of your unmedicated body

Hear your healing lion’s roar

Let your self-expression soar

Allow yourself to fall into the safety net of the universe

Trust that you belong, that you are a star just as you are

Juggle fire and meet yourself with humor when gravity makes its presence known

Allow yourself to be shot from the cannon of self-doubt, trusting that you will be ok

If healing is a series of flaming hoops

The transformative way out is through

Show yourself what you can do

Dance to uplifting music every day

Cultivate strength and flexibility in body and brain

Remind yourself it is normal to feel insane

In this seemingly crazy world, only you can take the reins

Be the ringleader of your life

It ain’t me, babe

Though I have the hard-won power to prescribe the goodies you crave

To be in control of ourselves we must give up control of everything else

Welcome to the big time

The show can’t go on without you

I applaud you

My eyes are open to witness your marvels and miracles

Flame

Your rage strikes my heart like a lightning bolt

Cracking it open and setting it afire

I am at a loss for what to do, so I warm my hands over the embers and wait

To transform, part of me must die

I cannot rush, only trust

How many times can one heart break?

As many times as it takes

To learn the sacred lessons

To consciously unite with the divine

Time and time again

Pain is pain, sensation is sensation

No matter the form or formal education

Lucid dreaming just before waking

I see a sea of broken hearts glowing in the dark

Each a floating lantern offered up

Burning with the same flame

Strong

Let’s start where we are

At the end of my rope again

Wanting to kill my body to liberate my spirit

Free myself from the grips of your jealousy

Your hands can’t grasp the air, can’t contain that which is intangible

Only the heart can do that

I want to throw a wrench and stop the drama-go-round with a screeching halt

Would it shake you awake from the illusion of reality?

Would it finally lift your veil?

I have felt hunted by you my whole life

How refreshing to be the one to hold the knife

I want to get out of my own way

I balance a negative thought with a positive one

Remind myself that I create my life each moment through perception, attention, intention

Even now, you are another a poppy in the field, trying to keep me knocked out instead of awake, empowered, enlightened

Wrapped up in visions of destruction, I remind myself that I have a choice every moment

I turn my mind’s eye to that which uplifts me, and give a wink

How much more energy would I have for that which I love if I let go of that which I loathe?

I don’t have to prove that I am strong anymore

I don’t have to take your shit anymore

You are the one who needs strength

At my best, I pray for you and the healing of our relationship

At my worst, I fantasize about taking a shit on your grave