Bathed in the dark
I take to the forest
with starlight high above.
A crescent moon
brightens the southern sky
with Mars and Jupiter shining.
Betrayals fade to insignificance
beneath the streetlights of home,
the reset sadly negated
by the modern glare.
I treasure the night,
luxuriate in its beauty,
resting like the sea
between the flux of tides
to let the strength of darkness
bring peace into the coming day.
Reading of “Strengthened in Darkness” with music by Nicolas Jaar
After the storm
white and gray clouds
drift lazily north
beneath shafts of blue.
The sea ripples
with the rising sun
in a light breeze,
the soft awakening
breathing easy
after strong winds
and sheets of rain.
I open to the light
like green moss shining,
letting thought focus
on the near distance,
seeing through
the web of things
to the source beyond.
I fish the morning
like a dolphin
in the tideline,
where the food is rich
and the timeless
lies waiting.
Reading of “Where the Timeless Waits” with music by Van Morrison
Autumn fog covers the sea,
gray water quiet
with barely a ripple.
A lone seal fishes
along the rock shore,
a raven tears at his food.
Glad to be hidden
I stare at the water
as dolphin arc
in the tideline,
gulls perch and wait;
foghorns echoing
the only sound.
Moments of stillness
precious as gold,
currency of the earth
rich as starlight.
I rest here
in the falling mist,
entraining myself
to silence.
Reading by the author with music by Van Morrison
Veiling the mainland
fog shrouds the distance
rising in mist
off the sun lit sea.
Green moss sparkles
on dew laden ground
while the trees
and steep roofs
slowly drip.
My heart rests
like calm water,
luxuriates like moss
in the morning dew.
I’ve shed my skin
and speak with crows.
Stones talk
and I listen.
We’re asked
to be as birds
or like the sun,
to release our stories
and rise with the earth
like fog off the water.
Beneath our burdens
there are wings.
photograph by Robert Aughenbaugh
Reading by the author with music by Aaron Copland
