the turning point

on my journey

into wholeness

i bought a compass

and never looked back

what eyes fail to see

my fingers touched

holy braille

and found

love inscribed

on every cell

building stonehenge

we can only guess
why some things exist
no one takes notes
when things are obvious
and why leave blueprints
when you can leave monuments
only pilgrims keep searching
for footprints

spring of the eternal

i was walking down the driveway when i noticed water pooling under the house. i asked the clergywoman, one of three living there, if they had a leak. she said, "no, the water has always been there. don't worry."

the water has always been there. she seemed so confident...so sure...playful even. but water makes me nervous. especially when i find it in places where i think it ought not be.

her certainty had a calming effect, and i wondered...how does she know that? and...what is it like to live in a house with a spring beneath it? and not just any spring mind you...an eternal spring...one that has always been there.

why do the waters trouble me?

candy swirl

what does one voice sound like

when it rises in the sea

of a crashing crushing
thronging wave

of frail humanity

all the hopes and fears

and dreams

are bursting straining

at the seams

who can contain

such a cosmic candy swirl

communion

i am a child
not yet confirmed
sitting - well...
fidgeting in my sunday best
next to my mother
on the left side of the sanctuary
where an hour
seems longer than eternity
at communion time
she takes a few extra elements
from the plate as it passes
and presses them surreptitiously
into my small palm
and as she sips the welches
from the tiny glass cup
she makes sure to leave a few drops
the sacrifices she made for me
i'm only now beginning
to understand

the eye of the beholder

this mandala has a mirror in the center, as well as around the perimeter, so that whoever looks at it, becomes part of it. i call it the eye of the beholder. it is my hope that as you see yourself reflected in the mandala, you will see your own beauty.

the good china

don't wanna' wait

for some special occasion

i wanna' celebrate every day

that we're together

'cause i came alive

when i met you

let's use the good china today!

the garden at spanish wells

i am homesick for the garden

pardon me while i press my palms

against the window pane of memory

and gaze out on the camellias at spanish wells

a young girl walks in awe

among thousands of exquisite blooms

she has never seen such a beautiful place

she doesn't know yet

that she will always remember this day

with longing

kaleidoscope

memory is like

a kaleidoscope

shards and fragments

constellate as

each twist of recollection

brings a new image

into view

some we want to

linger on awhile

others quickly change

and some

we hold up to the light

open eyes

if i close my eyes

i can see you

every line

each tiny detail

perfectly etched

in my memory

your word is written

in every cell

every fiber

of my being

waiting patiently

for total recall

you are so close

when i am sleeping

wake me...

wake me

when you rise

i want to see you

with open eyes

inner compass

exactly how i got here

i cannot say

but i began to pay attention

to my dreams

and i followed the trail of crumbs

left by the authors

whose books i read

i pushed "pause"

and asked questions

and for help

i shed many tears

and a few skins

i explored new

and ancient paths

i surrounded myself

with people who believed in me

until i could believe in myself

i found my center

and followed my bliss

and found this...

my inner compass