Forgotten Pains

I struggled climbing up,
Legs and lungs groaning
At the task.
Coming down,
My knees screamed
And then tantrummed,
Refusing to work
The rest of the day.
It’s incredible,
Really,
That what our body protests
Can be a triumvirate of joy—
Past, present, and future:
Pretty memories of snow-capped peaks
And glittering piles of fat crystals;
Genuine smiles along the way
For the pleasure of company
Both human and wild;
Fickle muscles somehow anxious
To repeat the challenge soon,
Complaints already waved off.

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Laugh & the World Transforms You

Our ideals chase reality
As if it were any more possible
To pin down than a wave
That turns and chases back,
And we wonder what was the use
Of dreaming big.
What was the use of thinking
We could change the way things are?
You can be angry at reality,
Disappointed and bitter,
You can dig your heels into the sinking floor
And say no to what is
Flooding the very foundation
You stand on,
Or you can laugh at it,
Run with it,
And dream anyway,
Letting both real and ideal
Shape you like ripples on the sand.
Reality transforms
As we transform ourselves
In meeting it.

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On Alert

Nosing the air,
Instincts sure that
Something interesting
Is about to be found.
How often we tiptoe
Into a situation
Not completely knowing
What’s brought us there,
Only that intuition
Says, “Be alert.
You might like this
Next opportunity.”
Curiosity isn’t the killer
It’s made out to be;
No, it’s a lifelong friend
With mixed advice.
Might as well see
For yourself,
Nose in the air.

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Change of Pace

When the weather cools,
Blankets emerge from hibernation
Along with slippers and sweaters
And other fuzzy accessories
We hadn’t thought to miss
While the sun baked us red.
Life slows to a cat-like pace,
Content to curl up on a couch
With hot beverages
And few agendas.

Some of us relax into Fall
The way we’d sigh into a hug
With a long-lost friend:
“Thank God you’re here!
Summer rushed me around
Like a mad person,
Determined to do one million things.
Let’s just sit and catch up
On being still.”

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Second Chance

The opportunity
You thought you missed
Comes again
When you least expect it—
Two bunches of juicy red globes
Spotted behind leafy vines
A month since the others
Were picked clean.
Nature’s timing,
Though it moves in circles,
Can surprise you.

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Smoky Skies

Our pocket of the world
Is engulfed in violent flames
That turn our blue sky
Gray as ash.

I’m afraid for the firefighters,
Afraid for the residents,
Afraid for the forests,
Afraid for the future.

If I spell out that fear,
Will it lessen
Or consume me
Even more?

How do I find
A zen-like peace
When the acrid smell of smoke
Pollutes every in-breath?

When we are helpless
Against colossal destruction,
And tears won’t douse the fires,
Do we cry anyway?

I’m weeping for the world
Whether it helps or not;
I’m praying for the sky
To mourn with me.

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That Universal Theme

Not every poem features
Romance or heartbreak
But the theme
Of every verse or picture
Or story or conversation
Or anything
Really
Is love or its lack.
Words and images
Remind us
To center ourselves in the love
That is everywhere
And with every connection
To help it spread.

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Curtain Call

The magic of collective awe
Washes over us like a wave
Until applause breaks out
Here and there as if this
Were a theater production
With a sunset-painted backdrop
Lowering to the horizon of the stage
And announcing that the day—
With its ironic charades,
Tense missteps,
Playful laughs,
And tender moments—
Has come to a close.

So we rise from our seats
And stand for an ovation
Before heading home
With rose-colored thoughts.

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Spell

Make me a love potion
Of softest sand
And darkest soil
And prettiest petals
Encased in a star.
I will drink it all in
Like a memory,
To seal this moment
In my mind
Of when you were five
And we sat in the sunlight
Full of magic.

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