Untethered in the World

What do I want to do with my time?

 to walk untethered in the world  to wander without a compass only to find my way home at the end of the day  to carry only that which feeds me wholly  to embrace silence until the language of the land becomes my own  to pause when the bones say rest under the outstretched arms of a forest green  to honor the hoof prints of the doe with words rippling down a blank page

and

 to say, “Here, take these words and know the freedom of honoring the yearning of your soul.”

Home Again...Home Again

Day 4

Celebration Day

Ouch! Driving a stick shift on Day 3 took a toll on my knee. It was a tough night that pain meds barely touched. When I woke up the morning of Day 4, it wasn't much better.

Leanne had risen early to retrieve Venus and Emma, so it was puppy love all around once they hit the door. Emma is a chocolate lab that's a month younger than Miss Mocha. Thank goodness they were playmates as puppies. I don't think anything chewable would have survived in either of our households had we not had regular play dates with the two of them. Venus is the latest addition to the family and she is a sweetheart, full of play and kisses. Neither dog minded I was piled up on the couch with a pillow under my knee. It gave them easy access for petting and snuggling and that's just good medicine in my book.

We spent a leisurely morning with the newlyweds, hearing more stories about their trip to Niagara Falls and catching up on life since the last trip to the Lone Star State. Soon other friends would be arriving for the celebration and I knew this quiet morning was a gift to be cherished.




The Lovely Linda and I ventured out to run errands and either the meds or the heat and humidity hit me half way through. I broke out in a cold sweat and thought I was going to be sick. We finished up quickly and I went straight to bed for what I hoped would be a restorative nap. This was too important a day to be less than 100%. The nap worked and I awoke refreshed and ready to resume the festivities.

By early evening, we were driving on the Old Galveston Highway to the restaurant where 60 of Holly and Leanne's closest friends and family were gathering to celebrate and bless their union.

***Pausing for a little rant***

It is ludicrous that two people who love each other have to go to another state or country to get legally married. Suffice it to say those who filled the tables that night felt the same way I do...that love is love, this world needs more of it and it's a violation of a person's civil rights not to be able to legally wed and receive the benefits of such a union. One day this will change. And when it does, we will sing a song of emancipation so beautiful the ivory towers built on myopia, hatred, fear and self-righteousness will simply crumble.

***Rant concluded***

Like any wedding reception, this celebration dinner served as an important bridge between family and friends. A humorous, but heartwarming speech by Leanne's sister had us all laughing through tears. This was an "official" welcoming of Holly into Leanne's family and I can tell they treasure and love her as much as her biological and chosen family do. Likewise, Holly's father gave a short but powerful blessing for the couple. Here's a sweet photo of them dancing:

Friend after friend stood up to celebrate the wedding of Leanne and Holly with raised glasses and happy hearts. They have a strong foundation of love and support from family and friends that will help sustain a long and happy life together. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Holly's father and we spent a large part of the evening in conversation. A former major league ball player, I wasn't sure we'd have much in common, but we're both talkers and sure enough we hit it off and I even talked baseball with him. [For those of you who know me, you may now pick yourself and your jaw off the floor.]

The meal was divine and the spirits flowed and as I look back, a poem has risen from my spirit to yours...

To Holly and Leanne,
Leanne and Holly,
your life of wedded union begins
surrounded by your love
surrounded by our love.

There is no force sweeter,
greater or wiser.
There is no force more forgiving,
patient or skin-tingling.
There is no force
more powerful than love.

It is alpha, it is omega,
it is worthy to stand wedded
before those who walked with you,
at times carried you
to this place.

On this day,
and a lifetime of tomorrows,
we celebrate and honor you
as Holly and Leanne,
Leanne and Holly,
on this blessed wedding day.

Day 5

Ride along with us tomorrow on our trip to Galveston

A Warm Hallelujah

Light played golden notes
on the grass
until music awakened
a warm hallelujah
in my soul

it was then I knew
the prayer inside me
had been answered
as the words, “I love you”
poured from your lips

Hungry

To awake hungry,
you must lie down
with the memory of
a feast

a handful of warm berries
who leave their mark on your fingers
a handful of air
grasped in a moment of ecstasy

reaching for the pinnacle cloud
with the tip of your toes
as the arc of the swing
takes you higher

until you come full circle
to the familiar,
the starting place
it all began...

the memory
of being born

hungry

An Extra Hour

What did you do with your extra hour on Sunday?

Love's New Day

in the soft, still moments of morning
hands clasp, fingers lace
to steady the dizzy rush of love

for you,
the prayer inside me
each day born anew

two puzzle pieces
slide smoothly into place
aligned, there is no space
no trace of a seam

between us
the rise and fall of breath
our timekeeper
a fervent gaze
our barometer

we break the fast
on warm, supple lips
gather vibrant colors
of a hungry kiss

in an arc overhead,
a filter for the sun’s rays

as we usher in love's new day

the breaking of the day

the breaking of the day,
with all its textures and colors and rays
dims when you step
into the new morning

every breath feeds your radiance
every heartbeat a challenge to the sun
to rise

it bows its head and blushes,
knowing tomorrow
it must try again

Mystical Moments of Wonder

REACHING

We travelled, you and I

to a place neither here nor there

somewhere in the ether, aloft

but aware

of each other

your face, inches from mine

our bodies aligned

one breath

one heartbeat

one voice

whispering in the night,

"see, feel, touch, taste"

CONNECTING

Look into my eyes, you said,

and hold my gaze

and then you drew me deeply in

so deep inside of you

a place of light and warmth

and rainbow color swirling

all around the edges

You drew me gently down

into your core, into a space

entirely filled with love and joy;

with grace and gratitude

and all around me

you were singing YES!

Just breathe me in, you said

and so I did

inhaling slowly, fully

filling up my heart, my lungs,

my soul with you

my spirit rising buoyant

on this breath of you

my skin, my life expanding

to absorb you, to contain you

I drew you deeply in and held you,

breath of life residing in

the very core of me

and I am singing YES!

Singing

you have been singing
in my heart all day
singing cream into coffee
singing birdseed into feeders
singing groceries into cart
you have been singing
in my heart all day
singing fear into peace
singing grief into gratitude
singing joy into each part
of me... singing, too

Toothpaste Grin

Brushing my teeth,
a smile begins to build and overtake my face;
a full-on foamy toothpaste grin smiles
back at me in the bathroom mirror.

I peer into my eyes and there you are,
a pulsing blue flame of intensity.

A giggle ignites spontaneously,
bubbling into lilting laughter,
spilling around me,
a full-on frothy toothpaste embrace.

I look at my face and there you are,
love's radiance, ignited by your touch.

Giddy Up!

She Calls

When your words come to me
across this new geography
my own rise up to meet them
to find what will complete them.

They seek the one who calls them forth
who gives them reason to be born
and sweet intentionality.

I Respond

You hold one rein, I the other
they lie loose in our laps
giving the dapple grey
lead to fly over the snow-encrusted lake.

A slight tug on the reins
slows the supple steed
and the spinning, intoxicating scenery
comes into focus
long enough to catch our breath,
for our eyes to meet.

Mischief, or the hunger for more
passes between us
and in an instant
we snap the reins
and shout giddy up!

You Are the Prayer Inside Me

You are the prayer of transcendence,
the prayer of acceptance,
the prayer of laughter,
of love, of inspiration, of redemption

You are the courier
between consciousness and sacred,
the halo encircling my heart

You are a feast in my mouth,
a feast in my mind,
a feast in my soul,
following a long, dry fast in the desert

'You are the prayer inside me,'
the prayer uttered in hushed tones
in the darkest of nights, the brightest of days,
a prayer that now has a name, a voice, a tender touch of grace

'You are the prayer inside me,'
radiating from my heart,
and I am whole.

I Walk

We speak softly in the night
in hushed tones…
reaching for each other
across mountain mist

Your lilting laughter
is to my ear
the leprechaun’s grail
shining at the end of a rainbow

Alchemy of words, of breathing, of silence,
smoldering, unspoken passion
transforms grail into molten gold

Molten gold spins into fine thread,
fine thread sets adrift on the wind,
adorning the veil of mist between us

The alpha moment of morning breathes deep,
inhaling the mist
untethering itself from its Earthly confines

So too do I rise,
beckoned by slanting, swirling rays
onto a footpath
laid before me by the Ancients

and so,

I walk…
I skip…
I run to you

You,
who knows not how you came
to stand in the soft grass
at the break of an alpha morning
trembling heart and hands outstretched,
whispering, “Come, be embraced.”

Call and Response

She Calls to Me

What is this humming, thrumming current
Pulsing feverish through the wire
What is this singing in my veins
What is this pull against all reason
That draws me to you as a moth to flame
What poet’s voice that leads me willing...to the fire

I Respond

Come,
sit next to me by the fire
we have been chilled to the bone

Behold,
this is not a fire of consumption
but the slow burn of blue flame

Come,
I will bring a blanket
and something savory to eat

Behold,
we fit in places that are thawing,
leaving puddles on the floor

Come,
I am quivering
from the want of you

Come…Behold…Be Ablaze!