In Sync with the Season

woman with her dog near the fireplace

in solitude and silence,

close to the fire, listening to crackling

kindling, snapped off branches, whole logs burn

I contemplate the coming frost—

the need to resolve unfinished bits of Fall

Winter: the perfect time

to make peace the way Jacob made his timely,

pressing peace with brother

Esau

after how many years (?)

finally choosing to play his own part

knowing most of us die with a to-do list better extinguished

a poem about homecoming, finding peace – from my new book, Quiet Waters

Hear My Prayer

black twin bell alarm desk clock on table

if solitude is time alone with God

what holds me back?

when I am tired, Lord, hear my prayer—

there is too much to do and too little time to do it

when I am a cynic, Lord, hear my prayer—

there are things I have tried, and they have failed,

I see a pattern in me and those around me

when I am busy, Lord, hear my prayer—

there are people who need me, hold claim:

 who will take care of them?

seeking solitude to be with you Lord, hear my prayer, to live simply

this poem is about finding time, making time, setting time aside not to do, but to be, alone with God, to hear the one who hears our prayers – appears in my new book Quiet Waters

Sunrise

bird standing on shore line during golden hour

time stretches long like a beach

in the morning when we get up early

to meet what God would show—

endless wonders in our path,

intricacies of the nautilus, eight-armed creatures

that walk when made to swim, shells

that stick strong enough to rock

to withstand powerful tides,

signs of fire, symbols

of love

wonders at our feet,

as if we were meant to pick them up,

know more about living

and walking with wonder

a poem about finding stillness, going deeper, restoring wonder – from my new book, Quiet Waters

On Silent Retreat

medieval residential buildings in scenic highlands

With its air of confidence,

simplicity confounds untrained senses,

a body numb with over-stimulus—

unused to being

until

a good night’s sleep and an early walk

through treed grounds marked

with stations of the cross—places

to kneel—remedy what is

weary

and a ransacked heart comes to release burdens

it didn’t know it carried—but that silence

threw into relief, prompting prayer

to him who is holy, boldly

grants peace

at the point in the journey, the story,

where it is needed.

there are places we can go, locally, designed to foster prayer, times of reflection and even set the stage for personal repentance, all things that serve to re-set, re-new, re-store what has been lost, or neglected for too long; these places start by extending, morphing the nature of time; they help release the pressure we’re under to perform within a certain time; and so they invite us to connect (or re-connect) with what is eternal and pure within and without; in other words, they put us in closer touch with God

FOR MORE ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND THE DEEP NEEDS OF THE SOUL, VISIT MY BOOKSTALL