Only Had

You told me to read this
when I have time
a lot of time
it’s really long
and with that I knew
I had to
right now–
And so the writer tells us
of a time
in which he lost consciousness
after being pummeled during a football
game
for what seemed like many, many years.
He married, had children
and played with them often
loved them always.
There was a lamp he discussed
that he looked at from
time to time
and as time passed
the lamp began to take a new shape
look a little off
not seem to be right–
Until eventually
one day
the lamp
and its base
completely took on a new form
and here he was
again
lying
on the ground
no wife
no children
no sweet faces to kiss goodnight
and so
he was depressed
for 3 whole
years
realizing
then
that there is More
to this life
and others
we think we might
be living
just one
disconnect
and you lose
gain
all that you
thought
you
truly
only

had–

A new dawn, new day

Forgetting the universal

I’ve been riding on the individual plane

for too long

thinking only of myself

I began to sink

wondering why

as my arms flailed

slowly drowning I

saw the lifeboat passing through

my finger the last limb

to reach you

The message now so abundant and clear

I needed to open my mind once again

The top chakra blossoming to unfold

a beautiful lavender lotus flower

The rain welcome to grow

this beautiful

me–

Angels

The day winds down
as the sun sets behind the
Brooklyn rooftops
I’m reminded of a gentle
voice inside my head
she says yes you can
she says yes it’s all right
she says yes you can rest
’cause we’ll love you tonight–

Falling From Grace

Death
So heavy
Foreboding and
Cruel
You snatch away the souls of men
and women
before
they’re ever ready
before
we’re ever ready
before
I’m ever ready

Watching them all drift into
outer space
Like astronauts
No weight to call their own
Our deeds on Earth
I hope
will save us
from
falling
from
Your
Eternal
Grace–

You said it’s my grandma–

You called me into the
bedroom to see something
really special
you said

And on the windowsill
I saw
One large lustrous green parrot–

I thought
They don’t sit on
windowsills
around here

In fact
They don’t fly
around Brooklyn at all–

I had never seen such
beauty so close–

My fingers shook
as I struggled to
take a picture
and so
in that instant

He flew away
but came back again
with four of his
brothers and sisters
and as a team
as one family
they gathered up
their soft green wings
and quickly
disappeared into
the early Brooklyn morning–

Wrapping

Kneeling and
praying at your
lilac casket
I felt for a few
soft moments
your spirit arms
wrap around me
and around me
and around me
and
around
me–

Mysterious Shape

In the darkness
I see a shape.
My husband?
A woman or a man?
A thick being from beyond?
An angel sent to tell me something?
The hollow feeling stiffening my skin
stopping my blood flow
My heart, a piece of ice–
But oh!!!
It is
a big stack of pillows
misleading
everyone
even the cats
even after we know for sure
for the rest of the
long
lonely
night–

The Dome

I realized today
why I love medieval art
with its flat 2-D lines,
ambiguous grimaces on
lonely faces,
lily flowers coupling
long blue drapery,
severe brown cloaks
and rigid narrow staffs
for watching flocks,
for steadfastness,
Drowning faces
masquerading suffering
yet glorifying grace–

I stared up at you
Distant martyrs
and worshipped you in
my small but big mind
almost thirty years later
I still revere you
and give you thanks
for all that you have taught me
through your artists’ interpretation
of what it means to be devout
what it means to be pure
what it means to be love
and finally what it means
to be humble and
surrender
to the almighty
Our Lord
Our Father
Jesus Christ–

The Universe

You have passed
I watched you go
The ceremony created by the sisters
complete
with prayer
with tears
with song
with even some laughter
you are gone
but you are still here
Your smile permeating
All
Your existence
has seeped into everything
that we call
The Universe–

Threads

There is a thread that links
my heart to yours
A red and swollen thread
Thumping as our love
twines
twisting around this
broken head
Karmically removing me
from trying again
in one more life
Teaching me
that I
once was
and can
also be–