Magic

Magic

For me, there is no shortage of magic in the world, only in the eyes and ears we bring to it. When we live with a spark in our eyes, a flame in our hearts, and a light in our soul, the world is a supernatural wonder, a kaleidoscope of ever-changing beauty, even amid the misery and craziness we often must endure in ourselves and in life. How do you keep the flame in your heart alive?

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What Train Travel Does

What Train Travel Does

I wrote this poem while traveling on Amtrak across the USA, starting with the California Zephyr  from Sacramento to Chicago and then the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington DC. The photos show some of the amazing countryside of America. When do you feel off track in your life and when on track? what do you do to slip off the old robes that no longer fit who you are as you evolve in life?

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Ghost Town

Ghost Town

Once in a while, I get stuck looking for a phrase or for a line to start and find myself dismissing possibilities in search of something captivating. This is a recipe for writer's block!  This poem came out of one such blocked moment when I finally landed on the line, "I went looking for words..." The key to writer's block is "moving away" from, dismissing lines and phrases. Hence the poem took an interesting turn with the idea of driving away from something, which led to the image of a ghost town. What kinds of ghosts live in your ghost town?  

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Sing The Blues

Sing The Blues

I am often surprised by what appears on the page while writing a poem. I do not usually write anything political and I had no intention to do so with this poem. I started with the opening line and was surprised when the third and fourth stanzas raised the issue of kneeling during the National Anthem.  I would rather see players take a kneel as a peaceful way of protest than to see riots in the street. What is your take on it? 

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Agave Nectar

Agave Nectar

Recent tragedies from nature, including the devastating storms and the fires across the state of California, and other disasters in the world, show that we are children of the earth and we live at the mercy of weather. What is left when we lose everything? Perhaps the only thing we have, in the end, is our dignity. Have you suffered from potentially devastating circumstances in life? If so, how did it change you? What did it take from you and what did it bring out in you?

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Shorebirds

Shorebirds

I love early morning walks on the seashore and sometimes catch shorebirds chasing waves or seeking food in the wet sand and chill air. I watch them dash around, back and forth, seemingly at random. We may claim superiority over the animals, pointing to our big brains and human erections as proof of our claim. Yet, from another view, we see the futility of our effort and it becomes clear that we are like them. 

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Life At Our Fingertips

Life At Our Fingertips

Do you have the Midas Touch? The Phrygian King Midas' was obsessed with gaining immeasurable wealth. His wish for a golden touch was granted and everything he touched turned to gold. The tale goes on to say that he died of starvation because even his food, and, sadly, his own daughter, were turned to gold by his touch. It is a cautionary tale about our current obsession with personal wealth. This poem, Life At Our Fingertips, celebrates another kind of gold that we can only find by living a soulful life. 

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Spigot

Spigot

When we embrace the heart cracked open, we are often moved to tears for no reason, as if the dam breaks and our joy and our sorrow flows out of our eyes with almost no provocation. When we are willing to be touched by life, we come to love this one life we are given no mater how damaged or distorted it may be. This blog celebrates a weekend with Mark Nepo at the end of July, 2017.

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