“And the speck of my heart, in my shed of flesh and bone, began to sing out, the way the sun would sing if the sun could sing, if light had a mouth and a tongue, if the sky had a throat, if god wasn’t just an idea but shoulders and a spine, gathered from everywhere, even the most distant planets, blazing up. Where am I? Even the rough words come to me now, quick as thistles. Who made your tyrant’s body, your thirst, your delving, your gladness? Oh tiger, oh bone-breaker, oh tree on fire! Get away from me. Come closer.”
–Mary Oliver
time
Morning Trip (209)
“Awareness, or the practice of being in communion with this moment and my present environment, is the key.”
–Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
Morning Trip (198)
“
- The Laughing Heart
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.”
–Charles Bukowski
A Way of Expressing A Bad Night, Had and a New Day
Tossing and turning and thinking and viewing
Chest clenched
First roiling and next fidgeting feet
Still–to solid
Heavy weight
Soft suggestion
Sleep
and quiet
Before
eyes open
yet again
to sigh
then start
to feel the quality of the light
and the clock pronouncing
the tomb-time
earliness
resistant to my noticing
a spark of joy
in earlier days
and later nights
out of the tomb
to feel earth
spin round
into Sun
–elisabeth connelley
Noticing and Choosing Mooring and Grounding
I got up early.
I looked at my hair.
I laughed.
I pulled on a pair of shorts.
The body said that it was up to some.
The head laughed in joy and at the intoned limits of the body.
It was agreed the drive would be made to the Tree Place.
Some
the entire idea of some, in the head today, so far
accomplished
peace
mooring
feeling self
apart
smiling at the puzzle recognition of energy
the one that begins automatic restructure
energy flows
pieces refit
point one
the ground
Home
treatment for the lungs
anxiety and spin
tell the brain to fret
and also to spin
today
signal of the mooring
more than anger or regret
a beacon
not to grasp
desperation high
a steady marker
a hold at core
observe the body and mind
wait
for the notice of the beacon
breathe
in
out
and listen
to the next, last, gift provided
as reminder.
Live.
Meaning and Continuity of Time, or Karma…Everything is Now
Morning Trip (71)
When the Sky Clears
“The drop grows happy by losing itself in the river.
A pain when beyond human range becomes something else.
One man’s heart died when he insisted on treating his own problems.
Sometimes people solve jute knots by rubbing them on rocks.
Since I am weak, I sigh instead of weeping.
My experience tells me that water can change and become air.
The sky abruptly clears following thick clouds and heavy rain.
The clouds, recognizing separation, cried and vanished into non-existence.
We make the back of the mirror green in order to see our faces.
Sometimes nature makes the front of the mirror green as well.
We love seeing the beauty of poppies and lilies.
When the eyes lose themselves in the colors, they are seeing at last.”
– Ghalib
translated by Robert Bly
My Living Room–Purple Profundity Poetry
My living room
has a woman
crouched and old
a bit twisted and a tad bent
murmurs
whispers
wisdom
or vent?
She rocks
she works her hands
the motion stops
abrupt
thrust forward
glimpse of smoothing face
joyful expression
noticing
a little girl
perched upon her toes
beside the arm of the couch
peeking out
giggling
brightly
watching bubbles float up
reflecting
my living room
has a young woman
in a sweater
and a handmade quilted skirt
sitting on the couch
reading
as if to herself
sidelong and knowing glances
at the old woman
tilting her head to listen
to the story
read
just for the little girl
wide eyed and joyful
perching on the floor
of
My living room.
–elisabeth connelley
Elisa's Spot 