Some for good
Some for naught
Most with barely
Any thought
A good many
I regret
But the life
Which made them
I do not
I learned
I grew
I fell down
I got back up
So stop
Take stock
Find firm footing
And there turn
Full face
Into all that comes
Lick the salt
Upon my lips
And savour
All strange beauty
In the bitterness
Laws which I do well to heed
If my art is to succeed
Nature I do not exploit you
Nor wrest the brushes from your hand
It’s not my mind to alter your decision
But offer you my humble vision
The grey between
The black and white
I lose my way
To gloom within
Then light of day
Too dim by far
The dimmest star
The light within
So then seek I
A beacon bright
To light the way
A light without
She said
He laughed
Then leaned down to kiss her
Stern, she held him off
I’m not worthy yet
But couldn’t hold the moment
As he searched her eyes
She laughed
Pulled him to her
And kissed him
Hard
Events
Connections
Love, loss
Attainment, failure
Lessons, places, people
Glories and gaffes and grace
Everything that ever happened
To get me here
Where I’m standing
In this moment now
On the path
To who I’ll be
If nothing comes
Find a prompt
(Photographs usually work.)
Start again
Breathe
Quiet mind
Write what comes
Don’t argue with the words
It’s OK to not like what they say
Write them anyway
It’s OK to not have the right words
Write down the wrong words
The right ones can be found later
Wait or pause whenever it feels
Like the words aren’t coming… yet
Or the meaning isn’t right… yet
And the right way isn’t present… yet
Quiet mind
Breathe
Take the time
To let them come
To let them flow
When they flow
Don’t stop
Stop, when it feels OK to stop
Stop, when the words feel true
If the words feel true
They are authentic
Whether or not they seem beautiful
Whether or not they seem important
Whether or not they seem angry
Whether or not they seem loving
Whether or not they seem … whatever
This is the hard part
Whether or not they hurt a little to read
Or hurt a lot
It seems, though
Authentic words are never hurtful
Nor bitter
Nor righteous
There is no deceit in them
Nor guile
The ego is not authentic
Not all words which come
Need to be shared
Even authentic ones
Some words were only ever intended
To speak truly to a readership of one
But, consider sharing them anyway
The word could use a little more
Authenticity
Hope
Though much I seem
To go astray
Just trust the flow
To lead the way
So long as I
Keep steady craft
Row with the main
And level stay
I’ll reach the calm
Upon this raft
Here am I
On the cusp of the sky
While far below
Rivers and life
In endless flow
Reminding myself
Of the importance
Of even one small voice
In the tide of events
Like the butterfly
In Beijing
I flutter
Back down to the valley
Where I ride the flow
Singing
From the depth of my soul
Pix to Words 