with poet James Pearson
Uncurl your fingers where your nails
have left parentheses in your palms.
Lower your shoulders that have risen to kiss
the lobes of your ears
but never quite reached the nibble.
Lay wide your heart
in unbuttoned candor
And let me sup your sweetness.
I can feel those words in my body…so true.
“Lay wide your heart in unbuttoned candor ”….that’s quite the risk, isn’t it?!? But worth taking in spite of the trepidation. Thanks for these words.
and in some way we are all taking this risk in this space, right?
yes, the risk!
Just reading this now and it started my day in the most beautiful way. Thank you.
Love this!
Spring Morning
*
Listen, the dawn chorus is back
And love was never something you
Needed to earn
Love is simply
here, available
to be received like steam rising
From your tea
And goldfinches glinting
Across the marsh after
The winter that stripped
Every ounce of warmth
From your breath
Even then, you didn't have
To earn love
Even then the sun shone
On the expanse of snow
And glittered the days
Into being
Now, here you are
On the edge of a field still
Dull from the cold months
On the edge of a field just beginning
To reawaken
Listen, red-winged blackbirds
Song sparrows, robins
Listen, chickadees and titmouse
Listen, their songs a love to receive
And your own exhalation
An offering of renewal
on the edge of the field just beginning. Sitting reading these beautiful words as the steam rises from my tea!
"Love is simply here, available to be received like steam rising From your tea"
So many good lines, but this one captured my attention to go back and re-read it.
This day
dawns
wrapped in a pale pink tissue paper sky,
scented with petrichor
from the rains of the night,
bound with sparking threads of water droplets
clinging (for now) to the grass.
A blackcap warbles
"Go on, unwrap it, unwrap it".
Receive the gift.
This is the gift we received this morning, accompanied by thunder.
I love the line "wrapped in a pale pink tissue paper sky."
I loved that line as well!
What a gift! I can see it and smell it.
Petrichor is one of my favorite words
I did have to look it up to check I was spelling it right - but I agree, it's a great word!
Now that’s a gift that’s worthy to receive— without any strings attached. Just doing what nature does best—pouring itself out for all to enjoy. “Unwrap it!!” Words of comfort for me today.
In the receiving,
we show love to the giver.
For is it not better to give
than to receive?
At least that is what
we are taught as children.
Sometimes what we
are receiving is no gift.
Sometimes the “gift”
is another’s anger,
hate,
lust.
Sometimes what we are
receiving is a form of
manipulation.
Be wary of those
who come bearing
gifts.
Ah, but when the gift
is a gift from the heart?
Receive with joy.
the gifts we need to survive to get to the heart gifts!
Ooo--I wish I had thought of that line! Beautiful!
“Be wary of those
Receive
A season of transition
My heart lets go of the physical presence of many I love;
Joy, pain, and hope dance together.
Do I close down, curl into myself in sadness,
Do I breathe into trusting,
Moving with open, uplifted, hands and heart.
Dawn whispers the promise of this day,
the gentle reminder that I am loved;
I am not alone.
I hold on to these words- “Dawn whispers the promise of this day, the gentle reminder that I am loved.”
And this very community is witness to that!
There is nothing so wild as
Children rabble-rousing along
Pock-marked streets.
They are not mine, but
What can I do?
I must crouch alongside the tow-headed toddler
To marvel at the the worm slinking out of the shadow
Into the light.
I must settle alongside the blondie, who
Muses over her shoes on a fresh-mown lawn.
(I must, she thinks, be a mountain to her billy goat,
but my knees and back bleat in resistance).
I must stroll, then jog, then lose the race –
Out of breath and full of wonder, I ooh and awe:
at the bewinged indigo blur;
the squirrel’s tail, a perfect apostrophe,;
the irises, robed in passion purple and glorious gold.
How can I say “no,” when my curtsey
To the three little princesses isn’t enough?
“Will you bow for me,” one asks, earnest
and wide-eyed.
Of course I must bow, until my knees
Kiss the pavement and my forehead nearly
Caresses the ground.
“Dance with me?” the eldest asks – nay, demands,
As princesses do.
I decline on the grounds that I am in discussion
With the Queen, her mother, who soons stops
To weave a bracelet of clover for one of her girls. Of course,
I must take the stroller to ease the work of her hands.
We walk –
A mother returning to her childhood,
a child expanding toward the world,
A baby, lips puckered and signaling that all is well –
He has enough.
I walk–my heart and hands open to
The rabble-rousing
Marveling
Oohing and ahing
Bowing, knees on the ground.
Out of breath and full of wonder and knowing that this –
This is enough.
This is so beautiful. So much revely and love for the playfulness of children.
what a wonderful expansion into the world and return to childhood!
O how shall I receive thee
blessed morning light,
casting striking shadows
on the blank canvas of my wall?
Shall I receive you as balm
in the midst of all that is aching?
Or as revelation
of my shadow unrevealed without you?
Or as energy
in the midst of all that is depleted,
longing for restoration?
Or as courage
to face the challenges of this day?
Or as invitation
to walk out into the world,
gently among my tree-friends
(as well as among my friends of the two-legged variety)?
Or as hope
for a better day:
a day of compassion and kindness,
a day of open-heartedness and generosity,
for this day made new before my eyes?
I will do my best to receive it all
with eyes and heart and soul and arms
wide-open.
This reads like a hymn of praise and love.
Gorgeous invocation! You inspire me to look beyond my where’s my coffee morning mindset!
I took out the line about being an invitation to go straight downstairs and make my coffee!!!
😁 Ha! Thanks for sharing that! I am not a morning person, try as I might to jump out of bed into a positive mindset!
thank you for naming all the ways to receive one simple gift!
So beautiful!
What do we receive
From stillness?
All the sensing
We can stand,
Presence full,
Embodied spirit,
Peace at heart
And empty hands.
all the sensing we can stand, and not any more - love the boundary
RECEIVE
“Open wide,” my mother croons,
promising the deliciousness in the spoon
Will free me of the pain in my throat!
As soon as the spoon touches my tongue
I see her eyes, taste her deceit and spew it out!
Her betrayal buries deep within my belly.
I become nauseous.
Trust is lost, deception reigns.
How does one exist if death is served instead of life?
Why give a child a stone in place of bread?
What trick is this?
A trust broken between mother and child.
Nasty is the gift received that pretends to heal. Bjc
Thank you for sharing that very personal poem.
cala lily sips
morning dew's drops of nectar
receives god's mercy
What a special gift James Pearson's poem was. And Happy Book Birthday, Kaitlin!
Here's my poem for 'Receive'
Reciprocity
the circle continues on
receiving my soul.
Beautiful haiku!
Thanks, friend! It was fun to play around with a different format than I usually use.
love that - going to try a haiku one morning
I've walked through life with a deathgrip¹,
clinging desperately to the illusion
that I know what I need,
that I can finally relax when [x,y, and z],
but I've tried everything,
and sometimes I still feel like I can't breathe.
I want to rest in some deep knowing,
to release the weight of all
the awful possibility.
I want to receive all the world has to offer me.
¹not a death wish, the opposite
love the footnote!
Thank you! 😊
receive
the blessings
of creation
sun
to give light
and warm you
trees
to give shade
and cover you
breeze
to give freshness
and cool you
of community
music
to caress
and excite you
art
to reflect
and challenge you
books
to uplift
and educate you
of God
grace
to heal
and transform you
call
to give purpose
and fulfillment to you
life (abundant)
to enjoy
and to share
you receive
Your poetry is deep and rich, reminding me of what I read yesterday:
“Creation is theophany—divine appearing. And theophany is the love of God” by Hans Boersma
Thank you for the kind words.
thank you for this blessing today
You're welcome!
BAM!
Old dust flys as the receiver receives
another fast ball.
STUURRIKE ONE!
yells the old man behind home plate
The pitcher's mom smiles and shouts,
"Nice pitch Tommy. Do it again!"
Expectations rise as the pitcher receives the ball. He too wants to do it again.
He rocks on the mound, he raises his left leg and with all of his might throws,
CRACK!
The catcher will not feel the pitch in his glove this time as it flys high over the left field fence.
Home run.
Touching home plate the hitters mom smiles.
More of a "TINK!" now but an old school "CRACK!" is a nice flashback.
Thank you.
I love baseball.
Throughout the day
I ladle a listening ear
To one empty cup
And then another
Pour out affection for my boy
In food prepared and
Wrestling matches
Then, when my bowl is running low,
My shoulder is surprised
By the kind hand of my husband
I startle, then recieve his care.
Ladle a listening ear to an empty cup! Wonderful!
The ABCs of Earthling SWAG (Stuff We All Get):
Awe. Adaptability. Aging, ideally.
Breath. Belief. Bolstered spirits.
Creativity. Curiosity. Crushing moments.
Delight. Daylight. Death, eventually.
Elation. Excitation. Exhaustion.
Feelings. Fatigue. Forgiveness.
Giggles. Gas. Generational trauma.
Habits. Hurts. Healing.
Ideals. Indigestion. Indignation.
Junk mail. Junk drawers. Junk food.
Knowledge. Kindness. Kitchy trinkets.
Lists. Laughter. Lessons.
Memories. Magic. Melodrama.
Naps. Nostalgia. Notifications.
Obsessions. Offended. Overwhelmed.
Popsicles. Pimples. Purpose.
Quizzes. Quibbles. Questions.
Rage. Regrets. Reassurance.
Stories. Sensations. Sentimentality.
Talents. Taxes. Tears.
Unbalanced. Uncertain. Understood.
Vigilant. Values. Voicemails.
Wounds. Warnings. Weariness.
Xeroxes. Xrays. [e]Xlovers.
Yearnings. Yesterdays. [more] Yourself.
Zeal. Zest. Zero repeats.
What a fabulous poem for this word!!
Xrays.
Yup.
I adore this!
I love this!
Uncurl your fingers where your nails
have left parentheses in your palms.
Lower your shoulders that have risen to kiss
the lobes of your ears
but never quite reached the nibble.
Lay wide your heart
in unbuttoned candor
And let me sup your sweetness.
I can feel those words in my body…so true.
“Lay wide your heart in unbuttoned candor ”….that’s quite the risk, isn’t it?!? But worth taking in spite of the trepidation. Thanks for these words.
and in some way we are all taking this risk in this space, right?
yes, the risk!
Just reading this now and it started my day in the most beautiful way. Thank you.
Love this!
Spring Morning
*
Listen, the dawn chorus is back
And love was never something you
Needed to earn
Love is simply
here, available
to be received like steam rising
From your tea
And goldfinches glinting
Across the marsh after
The winter that stripped
Every ounce of warmth
From your breath
Even then, you didn't have
To earn love
Even then the sun shone
On the expanse of snow
And glittered the days
Into being
Now, here you are
On the edge of a field still
Dull from the cold months
On the edge of a field just beginning
To reawaken
Listen, red-winged blackbirds
Song sparrows, robins
Listen, chickadees and titmouse
Listen, their songs a love to receive
And your own exhalation
An offering of renewal
on the edge of the field just beginning. Sitting reading these beautiful words as the steam rises from my tea!
"Love is simply here, available to be received like steam rising From your tea"
So many good lines, but this one captured my attention to go back and re-read it.
This day
dawns
wrapped in a pale pink tissue paper sky,
scented with petrichor
from the rains of the night,
bound with sparking threads of water droplets
clinging (for now) to the grass.
A blackcap warbles
"Go on, unwrap it, unwrap it".
Receive the gift.
This is the gift we received this morning, accompanied by thunder.
I love the line "wrapped in a pale pink tissue paper sky."
I loved that line as well!
What a gift! I can see it and smell it.
Petrichor is one of my favorite words
I did have to look it up to check I was spelling it right - but I agree, it's a great word!
Now that’s a gift that’s worthy to receive— without any strings attached. Just doing what nature does best—pouring itself out for all to enjoy. “Unwrap it!!” Words of comfort for me today.
In the receiving,
we show love to the giver.
For is it not better to give
than to receive?
At least that is what
we are taught as children.
Sometimes what we
are receiving is no gift.
Sometimes the “gift”
is another’s anger,
hate,
lust.
Sometimes what we are
receiving is a form of
manipulation.
Be wary of those
who come bearing
gifts.
Ah, but when the gift
is a gift from the heart?
Receive with joy.
the gifts we need to survive to get to the heart gifts!
Ooo--I wish I had thought of that line! Beautiful!
“Be wary of those
who come bearing
gifts.
Receive
A season of transition
My heart lets go of the physical presence of many I love;
Joy, pain, and hope dance together.
Do I close down, curl into myself in sadness,
Do I breathe into trusting,
Moving with open, uplifted, hands and heart.
Dawn whispers the promise of this day,
the gentle reminder that I am loved;
I am not alone.
I hold on to these words- “Dawn whispers the promise of this day, the gentle reminder that I am loved.”
And this very community is witness to that!
There is nothing so wild as
Children rabble-rousing along
Pock-marked streets.
They are not mine, but
What can I do?
I must crouch alongside the tow-headed toddler
To marvel at the the worm slinking out of the shadow
Into the light.
I must settle alongside the blondie, who
Muses over her shoes on a fresh-mown lawn.
(I must, she thinks, be a mountain to her billy goat,
but my knees and back bleat in resistance).
I must stroll, then jog, then lose the race –
Out of breath and full of wonder, I ooh and awe:
at the bewinged indigo blur;
the squirrel’s tail, a perfect apostrophe,;
the irises, robed in passion purple and glorious gold.
How can I say “no,” when my curtsey
To the three little princesses isn’t enough?
“Will you bow for me,” one asks, earnest
and wide-eyed.
Of course I must bow, until my knees
Kiss the pavement and my forehead nearly
Caresses the ground.
“Dance with me?” the eldest asks – nay, demands,
As princesses do.
I decline on the grounds that I am in discussion
With the Queen, her mother, who soons stops
To weave a bracelet of clover for one of her girls. Of course,
I must take the stroller to ease the work of her hands.
We walk –
A mother returning to her childhood,
a child expanding toward the world,
A baby, lips puckered and signaling that all is well –
He has enough.
I walk–my heart and hands open to
The rabble-rousing
Marveling
Oohing and ahing
Bowing, knees on the ground.
Out of breath and full of wonder and knowing that this –
This is enough.
This is so beautiful. So much revely and love for the playfulness of children.
what a wonderful expansion into the world and return to childhood!
O how shall I receive thee
blessed morning light,
casting striking shadows
on the blank canvas of my wall?
Shall I receive you as balm
in the midst of all that is aching?
Or as revelation
of my shadow unrevealed without you?
Or as energy
in the midst of all that is depleted,
longing for restoration?
Or as courage
to face the challenges of this day?
Or as invitation
to walk out into the world,
gently among my tree-friends
(as well as among my friends of the two-legged variety)?
Or as hope
for a better day:
a day of compassion and kindness,
a day of open-heartedness and generosity,
for this day made new before my eyes?
I will do my best to receive it all
with eyes and heart and soul and arms
wide-open.
This reads like a hymn of praise and love.
Gorgeous invocation! You inspire me to look beyond my where’s my coffee morning mindset!
I took out the line about being an invitation to go straight downstairs and make my coffee!!!
😁 Ha! Thanks for sharing that! I am not a morning person, try as I might to jump out of bed into a positive mindset!
thank you for naming all the ways to receive one simple gift!
So beautiful!
What do we receive
From stillness?
All the sensing
We can stand,
Presence full,
Embodied spirit,
Peace at heart
And empty hands.
all the sensing we can stand, and not any more - love the boundary
RECEIVE
“Open wide,” my mother croons,
promising the deliciousness in the spoon
Will free me of the pain in my throat!
As soon as the spoon touches my tongue
I see her eyes, taste her deceit and spew it out!
Her betrayal buries deep within my belly.
I become nauseous.
Trust is lost, deception reigns.
How does one exist if death is served instead of life?
Why give a child a stone in place of bread?
What trick is this?
A trust broken between mother and child.
Nasty is the gift received that pretends to heal. Bjc
Thank you for sharing that very personal poem.
cala lily sips
morning dew's drops of nectar
receives god's mercy
What a special gift James Pearson's poem was. And Happy Book Birthday, Kaitlin!
Here's my poem for 'Receive'
Reciprocity
the circle continues on
receiving my soul.
Beautiful haiku!
Thanks, friend! It was fun to play around with a different format than I usually use.
love that - going to try a haiku one morning
I've walked through life with a deathgrip¹,
clinging desperately to the illusion
that I know what I need,
that I can finally relax when [x,y, and z],
but I've tried everything,
and sometimes I still feel like I can't breathe.
I want to rest in some deep knowing,
to release the weight of all
the awful possibility.
I want to receive all the world has to offer me.
¹not a death wish, the opposite
love the footnote!
Thank you! 😊
receive
the blessings
of creation
sun
to give light
and warm you
trees
to give shade
and cover you
breeze
to give freshness
and cool you
receive
the blessings
of community
music
to caress
and excite you
art
to reflect
and challenge you
books
to uplift
and educate you
receive
the blessings
of God
grace
to heal
and transform you
call
to give purpose
and fulfillment to you
life (abundant)
to enjoy
and to share
the blessings
you receive
Your poetry is deep and rich, reminding me of what I read yesterday:
“Creation is theophany—divine appearing. And theophany is the love of God” by Hans Boersma
Thank you for the kind words.
thank you for this blessing today
You're welcome!
BAM!
Old dust flys as the receiver receives
another fast ball.
STUURRIKE ONE!
yells the old man behind home plate
The pitcher's mom smiles and shouts,
"Nice pitch Tommy. Do it again!"
Expectations rise as the pitcher receives the ball. He too wants to do it again.
He rocks on the mound, he raises his left leg and with all of his might throws,
CRACK!
The catcher will not feel the pitch in his glove this time as it flys high over the left field fence.
Home run.
Touching home plate the hitters mom smiles.
More of a "TINK!" now but an old school "CRACK!" is a nice flashback.
Thank you.
I love baseball.
Throughout the day
I ladle a listening ear
To one empty cup
And then another
Pour out affection for my boy
In food prepared and
Wrestling matches
Then, when my bowl is running low,
My shoulder is surprised
By the kind hand of my husband
I startle, then recieve his care.
Ladle a listening ear to an empty cup! Wonderful!
The ABCs of Earthling SWAG (Stuff We All Get):
Awe. Adaptability. Aging, ideally.
Breath. Belief. Bolstered spirits.
Creativity. Curiosity. Crushing moments.
Delight. Daylight. Death, eventually.
Elation. Excitation. Exhaustion.
Feelings. Fatigue. Forgiveness.
Giggles. Gas. Generational trauma.
Habits. Hurts. Healing.
Ideals. Indigestion. Indignation.
Junk mail. Junk drawers. Junk food.
Knowledge. Kindness. Kitchy trinkets.
Lists. Laughter. Lessons.
Memories. Magic. Melodrama.
Naps. Nostalgia. Notifications.
Obsessions. Offended. Overwhelmed.
Popsicles. Pimples. Purpose.
Quizzes. Quibbles. Questions.
Rage. Regrets. Reassurance.
Stories. Sensations. Sentimentality.
Talents. Taxes. Tears.
Unbalanced. Uncertain. Understood.
Vigilant. Values. Voicemails.
Wounds. Warnings. Weariness.
Xeroxes. Xrays. [e]Xlovers.
Yearnings. Yesterdays. [more] Yourself.
Zeal. Zest. Zero repeats.
What a fabulous poem for this word!!
Xrays.
Yup.
I adore this!
I love this!