Working Iron
When we were behind the plow, working portions on another man’s land, we thought we understood the situation, our dream a piece of ground for ourselves. We worked our tail off for that quarter section and then came taxes and we were forced to wonder. My Pa fought the first war in France and me […]
Cold Air of January
Covered in winter clouds light rain falls on the valley, dripping from bare trees to the hard skin of concrete. I count prayers in tens, using my fingers for a rosary as I look out over the rooftops to smoke rising among shrouded evergreens. I remember my mother bearing the burden long ago seeing her […]
Temple of Your Heart
Tender is the birth of joy. Though the lies of fear disturb, innocence will not betray us. As we move from dark to light look within and see what rises; that ray of kindness in the temple of your heart will surely save us all. […]
Brave Horses
Quietly night slips away into the western peace of starlight and dreams. As day rises with bruised faith the shadows of discontent can consume the light, yet in winter dark brave horses await their riders, bearing a new earth yearning to be born. Reading of “Brave […]
Flame in Darkness
a kaddish for Tony Kennell There is healing in the tide and the energy beside the sea, yet I’m on short rations here in the gray light of winter dawn. The rain soaked streets add to the melancholy, but self-pity is a waste, so faithless to the many who walked before. So I go on […]
Healing of the Nations
On a cold November morning the sounds of the wind and rushing tide awaken me amidst the silent trees. Winter here is closing in and I must find new footing. The grief of the land is quiet, unassuming, so I let myself drop into the deep earth where the ancestors wait, chanting their welcome to […]
Guardians of the Earth
Guardians of the Earth Winter cold settles on the valley with smoke curling from the rooftops into steel gray skies. The trees stand alone surrounded by cement, crows inhabit the wires that fill the airwaves with messages of isolation while guardians of the Earth surround the sacred planet. The presence of the ancient ones penetrates […]
Deep Dreams of Winter
With the icy fog and sun far to the south, dawn barely shines on the cold valley. Trees are silent in the sopping earth, drinking in vigor for the rising of spring. Shrouded in dense clouds and dim light of December my mind wanders over rooftops to the pale horizon. In the snow covered mountains […]
Ancient Bond
Softly comes the morning with the green grass of autumn and the silence of trees. Rooted in stony ground, still as the water between tides, we are brethren to the land, kin to the distant stars. Fed by light and nourished in darkness, we guard the arc between earth and spirit, the ancient bond that […]
Drop the Skin Face
I listen to the earth, to the sound of the animal that paws from within, scratching at the door for release into light. How long it’s taken, the miles of dream track while the scent of morning invited him out for the pleasure of dirt. I drop the skin face and let the wolf loose, […]
An Old Tree Falls
For Robert Bly He had gotten old last time I saw him, hair thinned white though with fire in his belly. He’d lit that fire for many, bringing wildness and passion to the prisoners of boredom. We won’t find another like him until we drop into the dark pool and recover the face resting in […]
Janitor in the House of Soul
As janitor in the house of soul, I work each night with broom and mop, pushing my old cart through the dream time. The body sleeps while I toil, vacuuming the worn books and shelves filled with records of relationship. There are lots of visitors to inquire about family stories, read the how-to books of […]
Soul Kitchen
Down I go once more into the soul kitchen where winter soup slowly cooks. All the heartache and worn out beliefs of the living and long gone simmer over a low flame in the iron cauldron, releasing the inedible up the spirit flume, melding the useful by ancient recipe to what will feed through solstice […]
Guided in the Dark
The ocean roared with strong winds, sheets of rain and white capped waves. I awoke in the night, gusts shaking the cabin, rattling my sleep, and now in dim morning light, I drop further into winter’s cave, wrapped in wool and warm by the fire. The ocean will have its way for months to come, […]
Walking Hand in Hand
Between the storms thick clouds break to reveal patches of blue and light to the east. The sound of the wind diminishes to near quiet leaving an absence to the ear, a sense of what is coming. We confirm with our eyes yet it is the invisible wind that moves the sea, the ubiquitous spirit […]