morning
sudden flurry “clang!”
soft underbelly exposed NOW
breathe sigh hum sway pray
EOD
bare bone tender nerves
sleeping sitting it all hurts
wrestling like Jacob
*******
morning
sudden flurry “clang!”
soft underbelly exposed NOW
breathe sigh hum sway pray
EOD
bare bone tender nerves
sleeping sitting it all hurts
wrestling like Jacob
*******
EOD
detritus of fraud
consequences blossoming
spirit walk with me
just as I’m buckling down to prepare for hip replacement surgery in less than 6 weeks, the bank informs me they’ve closed my checking account. so that’s why my debit card didn’t work at the restaurant. it was the nefarious AI company which subscribed me to their elite service without authorization and continued to hide behind an endless string of messages from their bot service reps. no human agent despite repeated requests. their response to a stop payment order? switch merchant ID. that’s probably what caused the bank to determine my account was at risk and the safest thing they could do to protect my funds was to shut it down. now, two days before my monthly annuity check lands via direct deposit. three days before my mortgage is withdrawn from the funds provided by my annuity check. yes, the proverbial domino effect. the back of my neck and shoulders is tight, of course. that’s where anxiety always lands in my body. there was a time when the back of my shoulders was hard as concrete 24/7. I was that anxious. all the time. didn’t even notice it. rock hard shoulders was my normal state of being. that was pre-therapy. pre-equine assisted somatic therapy. it took a long time. and I was really mad about it. no, you don’t understand I wanted to shout. eventually, I surrendered to a horse named Parome. and the concrete shoulders cracked open. and now, I know when the back of my neck and shoulders starts to stiffen up it’s my body showing me how I really feel about what’s going on. it’s not a bad thing. it’s just information for me. of course I’m anxious. especially now. late at night. imagining all the things that could go wrong. what might happen if we’re too late to catch the direct deposit. why wasn’t I more aggressive this afternoon in sitting down with the bank manager to at least identify the big “hits.” what was wrong with me? why was I so blasé. really, I was just little stunned. I needed a minute to process. I wasn’t fully processing the consequences and the timing of those consequences. plus, my hip hurts like hell. all the time. 9 out of 10. and I have 10 other things on my mind. so I’m human. I will help from the bank tomorrow morning. we will take things one step at a time. I have lots of documentation. I am well-prepared to handle this. the bank is well-prepared to help me. things may not all go smoothly. there may be some bumps along the way. but there will be a way to resolve everything, each in its own way and time. all will be well. I am breathing. spirit is with me. and the back of my neck and shoulders feels smooth and relaxed.
5am
reconnection soothes
long-time friends waken
creamy memories
EOD
deepening delight
soulful, mature, deep-in-the-bones
a Mona Lisa smile
5am
anticipation
showing up for a real friend
settling … I am here
EOD
quiet, slow delight
this joy moves softly, a breeze
caresses my brow
5am
another clear sky
open horizon, am I
open to just “this”?
EOD
contented delight
a table set with riches
shared hearts, smiles, bellies
5am
waking with muchness
heart feels squishy, tender, raw
quiet uncertainty
EOD
through the window glass
tall grasses sway silently
I sit in stillness
7.13.26
Mary Oliver
lived eyes, heart fully open
today, so may I
And then the day comes,
The house clean, the list double-checked,
And now, surrender.
******
Trust the skill of the surgeon.
Trust my body
To begin the repair
I’m told starts the very moment
Of the wounding.
Cells, do your work.
Stitch together
All the parts
That have been
Severed.
Take the tiny fragments,
The eroded bits,
Worn out
Detritus.
Send them down
The river of
‘Thank you for your service’
Into the ocean of
‘Well-done, no regrets.’
Shiny new parts,
New connections.
Some old parts
Have been practicing
To join the new —
Strengthening,
Readying
The new
With the old
Join
To make me
Whole
Again
Summer solstice,
Full moon, hot sun, fierce wind,
Shattered glass. Look up.
***
Lift your eyes now and
Look up from the place where you are.
Words from the LORD to Abram,
“Look up from the place where you are.”
This place holds death and grief,
Matted grass poisoned by limited beliefs.
Even now the scarlet poppies bloom,
Rising up out of the hidden grasses
The mystery of life revealed,
Their glory triumphant in full sun
Grief surrounds me.
Some of it is mine.
Some lies in the community around me.
Some lies just beyond me,
In the fractured relationships not yet healed,
Still, part of me.
I was raised in grief,
Lost to the loss that defined me.
And now,
In this time between the soft green of spring
And the harsh heat of summer,
In the fullness of the moon’s ebb and flow,
In the fierceness of Spirit’s breath
And the shattering of what was once a solid surface
For my musing.
What must I see
As I lift my eyes
To the horizon?
Slept well, woke rested.
After weeks of restless grief-sleep,
Eyes open, heart smiles.
*****
Art heals.
So they say.
An afternoon in the sun,
At the patio table doing art.
And if he were still alive,
My dog would be lying
On the flagstone
Beside me,
Always beside me,
Lifting his head now and then
To look at me,
Sniff the air,
Watch the birds
Swooping in to land
On the nearby feeders,
Shifting his hips
Now and then.
If I say his name,
Rising to bring his head
To my lap,
Waiting for my pets,
Insisting I continue,
Lifting my hand when I stop.
Is it art that heals?
Or the felt presence
Of an old friend?
Or the birds?
Or an afternoon in the sun
With all three?
Who can say.
What I know
Is I slept well
And woke rested.