a little river thinking...

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Beloved

You walked across mountains for my love
moved boulders in your deepest sleep
opened the hearts of others, through miracles,
for me, unfolded the wide universe in your kiss.
Still, I forget your name.
Still, I forget your presence.
"Be Still", you say, and I am.
As fears cascade from my eyes and at once,
I am healed from all suffering.

You have scooped the whole ocean in your
hand and given me its bounty, unfolded
the pattern of a million stars within your eyes,
yet, I forget to look when the sun rises
to greet me. And I still turn away when
my heart has shattered, like caked mud.
But you continue to line my nest with
soft feathers to return to, and your call is
crisp and clear through the noise, again,
to show me the way home.

It is through such grace that I can embrace
innocence, through such safety that I can
learn to love.


Peace Flame

They shiver their wings as if to stay
warm; the sky is bolted shut with steel
plates. A pigeon walks among the crumbs
on blood-red feet, hinting at the inevitable
fall, towering a shadow amongst the
greedy chirping.

A duck, a crow, all things living in peace in
this garden, lulled into tranquility by the
tireless beating of the falls. The peace flame
sits among these rocks, hidden underneath
the foamy waters, but there is no fire here.
Only the royal purple, sacred white of the
succulents, and the rhythmic currents of the pool.

It is easy to be at peace when there is only
love and safety. To maintain this pure moment
in the valley, along the bay, where hunger and
pain pull at the tailored hems of pant-suits,
the champagne-flute heels of designer shoes,
that is the riddle that beautiful cascades
can not solve.

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