Haiku: Old Apple Tree

Thick fruit and leaf walls
hang low, her best harvest yet.
The weight breaks her limbs.

Unshuttered

UNSHUTTERED

I had used up the stock
and swept clean the warehouse,
diluting the blood and tears with scrubbing.
I left it airy and open,
the sun flowing into rectangular pools on the floor.

I saw no prospects.
I had no capital to invest.
I locked the doors.

Then a shipment arrived, unordered and unpaid.
I opened it gingerly.
The words, bright mirrors, were jumbled in their crates.
The tees caught in the bellies of the gees.
The jays hooked into the bee bulges.
And the esses? They locked everything.

Their edges were razor-sharp.
It took me weeks, bleeding, to sort them out.
Now they lie, gleaming, at the ready.

The Poetry Factory has reopened for business.

Back to the Future

With Lennon, Dylan and Byrds in my ears
I ride, facing backward, on a train
to the great city of my youth 
where all the doors are still open.

Deliver Us from Evil

When I become spiritually smug
I think of evil people --
my unwillingness to help and forgive them,
and his call to "Love your enemy."

Thank you for grace
for I am a toddler soul
trying to run a marathon.

The Devil Wears Fear

If I wear armor so I will not be hurt by you

then I am weighted, 

obscured,

burdened with weapons,

untouched by light, warmth, skin.

I must forfeit my favorite fears

to know freedom,

transparency,

ability,

and to be all God calls me to be.

Haiku for Planet Mars

Scars show through the rouge.
Were you once wet and vibrant
in blue negligees?

Tail Gator

With rank arrogance he decides
that others can be sacrificed
so he can regally arrive --
three seconds early.

Sudden Sorrow

Breath comes in shards
that cut into the heart
and drain the marrow.
Into the gorge rises sorrow.

Like a cubist's painting,
the raw edges of all dimensions
are jagged, exposed at once.

Please show me where
my touch will not cause pain.
Please tell me when
I can embrace without suffocating.
Please hear me say
you are not alone.

Leaving Home: Maunday Thursday

I can't move the calendar
from the day he was last home --
the day he asked me to splash him with cologne,
to dress him in his best white shirt
and the sweater that showed the depth of blue in his eyes
and his favorite leather hat and coat.

The last time he walked was to the car.
He paused briefly, cane in hand, at the front porch,
looked back into four decades,
and closed the door behind him.

Runner's Evolution

I rarely am presumptuous enough to make suggestions to readers, 
but this one's best if read aloud to a steady beat, one syllable per beat.

Lumber-lumber waddle-waddle
lumber-waddle lumber lumber.
Too-much-effort feel-so-foolish
hard-to-inhale lumber-waddle.
Lumber walk walk Waddle walk walk
Walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk.
Don't forget to breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Walk-walk walk-walk lumber-lumber
walk-walk walk-walk walk-walk walk-walk.
Pleasant-effort feel-so-normal
People-waving walk walk walk walk
Walk trot walk trot trot-trot trot-trot
Don't forget to breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Trot-trot trot-trot walk-walk-walk-walk
Trot-trot trot-trot trot-trot trot-trot
Pushing-limits, I'm-a-jogger
Passing-others, trot trot trot trot
Trot run trot run run-run-run-run
Don't forget to breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Run-run run-run trot-trot-trot-trot
Run-run run-run run-run run-run
Body-streamlined, mind-much-clearer,
Need-to-do-this, run run run run
Run fly run fly fly-fly-fly-fly.
Don't forget to breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Fly-fly fly-fly run-run-run-run
Fly-fly fly-fly fly-fly fly-fly
All-distilled-in-holy-focus
All-unity fly-fly-fly-fly
Fly Fly Fly Fly Fly Fly Fly Fly
I am the breath I breathe, breathe, breathe.

I am the breath I breathe.

Haiku: Tragedy of the Commons

I do best for me,
and it takes more than my share.
I must become small.

Let Us See

One blade of grass is a mystic's delight.

One human spirit is a keyhole into heaven.

One earth is a tapestry of wonder.

One unspeakable I-Am is manifest in all.

Every tree of joy is rooted in gratitude.

Haiku: Michigan Spring

While we were sleeping
she unrolled the green carpet
and hung buds on trees.

Boston Marathon 2013

Hell tore two holes
into a perfect day
of dappled sunlight,
human discipline and
hundreds of thousands of affirmations.

Heaven, its face to the heat,
lifted the fallen,
staunched the wounds,
dried the tears,
hugged tight until the shaking stopped,
fed, clothed, healed, sheltered, listened.

Goodness, an elite athlete,
gained strength and endurance
running the marathon against evil.

The Lord God Almighty

"I am The Lord God Almighty.
Would you like to take my picture?"
he asked.

"But of course,"
said I,
"but would The Lord God Almighty please smile?
Ah, many thanks!  Now I recognize you.
May I give you an offering?"

The Lord God Almighty sobbed,
as if he had not encountered kindness in many a day.

"I will remember you in my kingdom
Because you gave to the poor.
I will remember you."

In the rheumy eyes I saw Jesus.
In the gritty voice I heard his words:
"What you do to the least of these,
you do to me."

Haiku: Reformation

All my bones were crushed
To be shaped and hardened new,
Stronger than before.

Epiphany's Child

Epiphany's child
grew a garden of souls,
planting, nurturing, watering, pruning, weeding.
Discerning the needs of each,
he gave what was helpful,
restricted what was harmful.

He laughed and cried,
exulted and suffered
in the garden
but took pride in his calluses
and bone-deep fatigue.

He gathered spirit like roses,
never minding the thorns,
and danced.

The Gift of Death

When I thought Death was a specter
that sat patiently in the corner of a room
waiting to rip us from all that is dear,
I feared him.

Now, watching him work,
I see that he is a kind nurse,
cleansing,
folding us inward,
anointing our wounds
and wrapping us in clean white sheets
for the journey.

Death prepares us as a beautiful gift
to be opened by our father
in gratitude and great rejoicing.

Haiku: The Color of Death

Death is not darkness.
Vivid colors of life pale
until they glow white.

Haiku: Celebrating a Life

Together we threw
confetti in a moonbeam
on a darker night.

Beyond Words

There is poetry that can only be written on the parchment of the heart.

Two Haiku for Spring

The silent impulse

calls bulbs to stretch their green-shoot

arms as they awake.

With the rise of shoot, 

sap, bud, blade, and robin wings,

comes hope from the mire.

Parentheses

She came
and inserted into our life sentence
some parentheses
(a small vacation sheltering us
to rest, recoup, relax).

Haiku: Choices

We are what we choose.
Choose spirit, goodness, kindness
instant by instant.

Bubble of Life

This fragile shimmering bubble -- 

where earth meets sky,

where air kisses the skin of land,

where clouds are mixed into the waters -- 

supports all of life we know in the universe.

Palm Sunday

Each Palm Sunday I tie a frond into a cross.
It stiffens, pales, dries into dross,
fading like my resolve to remember your life,
your loss of love, your sacrifice.

Among the horde of believers waving their palms,
I inhale joy and exhale psalms.

I do not dare to come to your bloody spiked feet,
your rales, your cries. Our eyes might meet:
in that holy reflection I would know my soul,
poor, weak, inflated -- black as coal.

Forgive me my convenient faith, Lord.

A Baby's Blood

When suspects skipped school,
the victim rode in a stroller,
and the crime was murder,
call for national atonement.
We are all responsible.

The Haiku of Doves

Ha-i-koo-koo-koo:
Mourning dove's sweet poetry
sounds a soft sad flute.

Google

Warriors 195,000K, Peacemakers 4,240K

Sexy 1,990,000K, Chaste 5,999K

Money 2,690,000K, Charity 278,000K

Reflections on us: Not OK.

Haiku: Spring Equinox

Sweet spring equinox:
birthday of color, fragrance
and life's soft edges

Modern Slave

At 15, Reva serves her by day,
serves him by dark.
At 15, Reva, pregnant Reva,
bleeds in the park,
yearns for death's pay.

Haiku: Irish Jigs

IrishJigsNe'erRest
TumbleTwirlAndDemandBest
FiddlersDon'tInhale

Irish Jigs

IrishJigsDon'tEverRest
TumbleAndTwirlAndDemandYourBest
FiddlersDon'tHaveToInhale
IrishMusicWillAlwaysSail!

Haiku: March Snow

Old March snow, thin-skinned,
with ear to spring's belly dreads
the heartbeat he hears.

March Snow

March snow is a crusty, thin-skinned old man
with his ear pressed to the pregnant belly of spring,
dreading the strong heartbeat he hears.

Papa sine Cattus

Opulent digs, big mitre hat,
power, huge staff, popemobile phat,
and for seven years
poor old Benedict
was not allowed to have his cat?!

Numb Muse

My muse is asleep so there's no depth to plumb.
She's snoring and tooting and sucking her thumb.
The wordwell is dry so I'm vapid and dumb.

Creation

From waves of being and not-being
I-Am sifted mind into stardust
and sowed void with its seeds.
Galaxy flowers, nebula fruit fill First Eden.

An Old Man

An old man sat on a chipped park bench, 
a note taped to his forehead: 
"I'm 19 years old and trapped in here, 
and this body feels like lead!"

The Poem that Could Only Be Called "Rain"

Rain cold rain clear bane rain.
Rain sweat rain tears rain heat rain blood rain pain
rain me pure rain clean rain sweet rain.
Reign rain.

Children of Abraham

Sibling rivalry of 
Muslims, Christians, Jews 
causes divine pain for 
the actions we choose, 
and from it all earth has 
everything to lose.

Dawn

Dawn slipped from under the covers, 
rose, 
and stretched her arms wide. 
She drank an orange-juice sun 
and wiped the stars from her mirror.

Distillation of Kindness

The sweetest distillation of kindness is that of strangers expecting no return. 
The sourest is that of those who weigh gifts on balances.

Rabbit

I am at war with my internal rabbit, 
who under threat is immobilized, 
yearns to remain unnoticed, 
and takes action only at the last second.

Science

Science, today's revelation of divine handiwork, gives testament to the Designer. 
The more we know creation, 
the more we know the Creator.

Give Me No Pale Sweet Jesus

Give me no pale sweet Jesus, 
but a radical strongman with a hearty laugh, 
The God-man, 
who evicts moneychangers and bear-hugs children.

Sheepish

Straying, buggy, lumpy, placid -- I am one of the flock. 
Despite this, the Lord is my shepherd. 
That's a humble role for a CEO.

Contentment

Contentment is like a cat -- best invited, never chased. 
If you wait quietly, it will creep onto your belly, knead its paws, and purr.

Today

Leaving the cocoon into snow, I caught some freedom molecules -- 

that annual first whiff of spring that stirs both loins and hope.

Prayer for the Earth

It is a universe of power,
Vast beyond understanding
Without edge or horizon,
Without dimension or definition,
A void that is not a void
In which curtains of is and is-not
Flow in and out of creation.
It is occupied by titans:
Fiery or ravenous or angry giants
That spew or consume,
Rocky cold barren giants
That travel in isolation.

Hidden deep within is one small precious sphere.
She is vulnerable, delicate, and possibly unique,
Her dress is rainbow chiffon,
Her soul is blue liquidity,
Her tresses are green,
Her personality is charming, unpredictable.
She is the Mother of us all.

We are spoiled children
Who leave her house in disarray,
Who ravage her gifts,
Who demand more than she has,
Who express no gratitude,
Who rape her, poison her
And leave bleeding wounds in her flesh.

God, forgive us.
Teach us to live lightly,
With discipline,
To give more than we receive,
To recognize that all that is ordinary is precious.

For You said when you dwelt in her home:
"You do it unto Me." 

Loss

Ebony and ivory, notes and rests -- 
losing gives us the needed palpable contrast in life, 
silhouetting joy so we can know gratitude.

Nightmare

Ad man with '70s hair: 
"Joe, betcha a trip to Paris that I can make them pay more for bottled city tap water than for milk."

Survival

For all, outside is camouflage and inside is truth. A hospitable spirit can pass the you/me definitions into spiritual commons.

Godlight

Like the sun, Love always shines.  
Like the moon, our ability to reflect it depends on how much we remain in earth's shadows.

Fashion

"I earned each crease and I'll keep the old face," she cried.
"No factory one that yells 'I'm what Mad Men decide!' "

Prayer

I try not to use words, for they limit my perception.

 I empty. 

Wait. 

Watch. 

Listen. 

Experience. 

I emerge still too verbose, 

humbled.

Comforters

Earth sleeps under starry ceiling

 and her pure white duvet. 

Her aura shines through the windows. 

Beauty keeps fear at bay.

Crocus

A leaf spears the cold iron ground. 

The blossom's fat, bright and round -- 

it's a party with no sound!

Baking Bread

Water, sugar, grain, oil, yeast: 

Gorging, belching in the heat, 

billions of wee moonshiners 

make our breakfast feast.

Biopsy

Deep with her breast they found small Stonehenge, 

its boulders while grains tumbled in circuit bright: 

Why? Death? Life? Dark? Light?

Candy Box

My guilt's easily numbered by empty rows. 

With just two in the house, gluttony shows!

Pain

Fiery-mawed ferrets gnaw into his belly,
while acid-jawed ant hordes flow up his spine --
ceaselessly.

Warming Winter

This year the snow is not virgin,
its purity penetrated
by even the young blades.

Liberia

Impeccable worker asks,
"Bleach bottle in trash? Please?"
I smile quizzically.
He claps joy.
"So good to carry water home."

Digital Scrabble Solo

Ado jo qi etui fa la rife.
She arranges squares for meaning
when she cannot control her life.

Tropical Vacation

Leaving icy perches,
their fuel almost spent,
birds bask in a sweet breeze
blown from a dryer vent.

Freedom

Each must break chains that bind us from our best:
ignorance, habits, ill spirit,
and self-perception forged in the marketplace.

Mr. President

He--vanguard valiant, 
ascetic aesthete, 
mountain mover, 
sacrificial servant--
calls for the best in us: 
rock-stock faithful.

MLK

Afraid, he yet holds ground.
He soaks from his roots
generations' pain, hate's manure, truth's wellspring.
His justice is a mighty oak.

Strange Alto

Fearing insanity, I ignore 
the clucking under the chancel pew. 
Hen vibrates: phone's throttled. 
Son, wait till I see you!

Noah Redux?

When water smothered earth's land,
the humans saved were the band
who heeded divine alarm.
They kept all creatures from harm.

Terse Verse

Drifting softly till forced into narrow shallows,
I must untie everything from the gunwales,
discarding even that I cherished.

Niggles

Memory, mind, soul or britches:
it's bad when you can't scratch itches!

Namaste

Floating in the Eye, we find light and liquid.
We are at One,
called by holy spirit to gather,
empty of preconception,
to I-Am.

Earth's View

A cancer, we spread beyond proper place and role.
Sick, feverish, she destroys what nourishes us,
dilutes us with salty blood.

Evangelist

He opens his gemmed pocket box.
Inside is his god,
impaled on velvet and wriggling,
drawing us away from the Holy.

Twitterland

"This seems a place where no one listens," noted Alice.
"Cabbages and kings," said the Walrus, his mouth quite full.

Twitterland2

 "It seems here that those who would lead many must follow many,"
observed Alice.
"Off with her head!"
shrieked the Queen.

Motherthoughts

Why a buttered English muffin in a potted ficus? 
Ah, kids 5, 3, 2! 
Why not eaten by the dog? 
Ah, that is the mystic's query. 

Michigan Winter

An icy-dicey
whip-slip
nail-hail
white-blight
freeze-knees
beat-sleet
bog-fog
scraper-caper
sled-head
snow-blow
no-go
day.

Pure Joy

When the fruit of body and soul
returns to care for body and soul,
then love's circle rolls forward on wheels of gratitude.

Last Night

The future,
warm and soft and fragrant,
curled upon my breast and belly
and with his breathing alone
demanded global protection.

Suspect Pizza

At dawn I conquered,
relocating it from fridge onto snow.
Sentinel Crow was gleeful at carrion: "Haw-HA!"
A murder ensued.

Cliff

Weaving fingers in small roots,
we dangle in a colder wind,
wonder how long we could fly,
and strain to hear if help is coming.

Vacation

Sleep sealed holes in the marrow where spirit seeped,
swept out attic cobwebs,
piled wood on the hearth,
and kissed my eyelids.

Heaven

Heaven isn't sudden.
Daily, it's pools reflecting our best,
relationships resonating with Spirit,
music cascading soul,
and nature's "Aha!"

Gen Xbox

I show frogs to spotless kids in the park.
They must think my pail overflows with maggots,
though that should be interesting too.

Care

Both the young and the frail need love's dome:
to ensure safety, guide, assist, advocate, 
and push their independence to its limits.

Ashes

Life distilled by fire was in sweet atonement spread.
In ambush she tried to scrub "dirt on your forehead."

Crime

Crime: human.
Verdict: guilty.
Sentence: death.
Liberty: house arrest.
Stay of execution: awaits decision.
Appeal: none.
Pardon: God.

Filtered

Filtered of dross, distilled, sweetened, mindful and responsive,
consumed to be love, energy, and light --
these only remain of my ambition.

Time Machine

Foolishly, I enter.
I am was will has been would hast be willst will
will am was was ugh milldog ong gurg pluperfect.
Ack.

Sanctuary

A pew decked in blue-sharded light, sun-sifted trees,
a backyard chair, purple pulses behind my eyelids --
these are holy sites.

Holy Leverage

Balance your relationships by the minute with love,
and know others' fulcrums
before they start throwing their weight around.

#artwiculate*: maneuver

Asked why she didn't use the new vacuum cleaner,
the Yorkshire wife said "because it's a man 'oover, of course."

*#artwiculate is a Twitter game in which players try to craft the most creative post from a given word. 

Midnight

New constellations lead my path --
Microwavius, Clocki, Cableboxalis, Smokealarmia, Coffeeissetius --
all under a nightlight moon.

Giant

Orders: slay.
Sitrep: so close, huge, nothing vital accessible.
Action: polishing brass buttons on its shoes.
Plan: nibble to death.

Balance

Life isn't a pirouette, but a bucking bull ride, 

a long spanking requiring tenacity, midair shifts and appropriate calluses.

#artwiculate*: "nefarious"

Nefarious Ned cackled, tied her to the tracks,
heard the whistle, noted rope nearby.
"Egad! I used my mustache!" he shrieked.

*#artwiculate is a Twitter game in which players try to craft the most creative post from a given word.

#artwiculate*: "pipistrelle"

Pipistrelle thugs hang out at the corner to pop bugs and rank pipistrellettes. "Man, didya hear the tail membrane on that one?"

*#artwiculate is a Twitter game in which players try to craft the most creative post from a given word.

*#artwiculate: "terpsichorean"

Success eluded terpsichorean millepede. It took days
to tie her slippers, and her pas de deux was a study in acatalepsy.

*#artwiculate is a Twitter game in which players try to craft the most creative post from a given word.

#artwiculate*:"acatalepsy"

Acatalepsy: Gangnam-style dancer who dips felines
 into pub brew despite the high probability they'll shred his shorts

*#artwiculate is a Twitter game in which players try to craft the most creative post from a given word.

#artwiculate*: "photovoltaic"

At a 'Vole Vogue' shoot, a model electrified the photog
with her curvaceous tail and tiny ears, and he deemed her photovoltaic.

*#artwiculate is a Twitter game in which players try daily to craft the most creative post from a given word