The Just and the Unjust

TO be in the woods
when the thunderstorms come
is to experience the gradual silencing of the forest
as the deer and squirrels and birds
seek shelter
even while the thunder pounds;

TO be in the woods
when the thunderstorms come
is to hear the coming of the rain
before it lands
imperceptible at first
hitting leaves far above and away;

TO be in the woods
when the thunderstorms come
is to feel the false and god-like assurance that
even with the rain falling all around you
- you remain untouched!

And
if you are wise
you know that it is only a false assurance

Rescue

A damselfly flew into my car

and became trapped

A damselfly in distress

I rolled down my window and

she rescued herself

It's easier to rescue one's own self

when the doors are opened and

the windows rolled down 

The Rainy Paths

The rainy paths

the ones that threaten thunder

and warn the others away

the ones that turn to darkness

in the middle of the day...

These are the paths we may choose to take

for understanding and hope

for wisdom and grace

for infinite box turtles

and shocking black snakes

nearly hidden in the grass

until they're not

The Plot

My poem has a plot

a beginning middle and end

it's a mystery

 

Part I, the Walker

The walker found himself

in a wind-blown woods

it was a bright and breezy day

the twin sycamore waved white arms

across the blue sky

trying to catch the attention of the clouds

who mostly ignored their waving

but it served to distract the walker

Part II, the Mystery

The walker

having run face first into a ruined trunk

found a runic message

written on the old tree

in words he couldn't comprehend

the story flowed from top to bottom

and right to left

or so it seemed to him

Part III, the Twist Ending

The walker

looking for clues in the wakening woods

spotted a red-bellied woodpecker

watching from above

and laughing and laughing

and the walker knew then

the message wasn't written to him

The mystery, then,

was why he assumed it was all about him

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream

In my dream, I was feeling ill, heavy, bloated, slow-moving, weighed down.

I went to the doctor's office (walked and bused there, in spite of not feeling well), where they did some tests and seemed quite concerned, but also unsure of what to do next.

So, they recommended more tests from more doctors, and told me to get with the front desk to find out details of where to go and when.

I went to the front desk, where I could see the nurse had some official-looking document printed out with four or five doctors' names. But instead of giving that to me, she handed me a piece of paper with a hand-written address on it and, looking furtively around, said, "Go here, now..."

While this seemed a bit odd, to be sent directly to another doctor for more tests right away, and with no name, no phone number or anything but an address, I followed her directions and started walking to this new appointment.

The trip to this new place seemed to take a long time, but I don't really remember any details (I think I stopped for a fund-raiser for homelessness and saw there the guy who sells hotdogs down the street from my office... but that may have been a separate dream...). I just remember feeling more and more weighed down and bigger, as if this illness was literally making me rounder, larger.

I believe the address was just an address, nothing else, but I kept looking at the paper as if it were giving me directions, leading me further from a developed city and further into the woods, until I was literally on a path in the woods. Then, at the "end of the woods" (or so it felt), there was a beautiful, oddly-shaped tree.

I felt I was supposed to climb it, but by this point, I was totally worn out. I felt even more tired, uncomfortably physically larger, my legs were tired, my hands were swollen and I just couldn't do it. Besides which, there was a storm brewing, the wind was blowing, leaves were whipping around and it felt rather unsafe.

Then, I think a wolf (or a scary wolf-like animal) showed up. I heard it first, a large animal moving in the woods around me, it seemed on all sides. Finally, it came out of the woods and while I don't think it was behaving in a threatening manner, wolf, you know, so I was sorta scared.

In my fear, I began climbing the tree. As I did, the wolf ran over to the bottom of the tree to chase me further up. Up I climbed, further than necessary to escape the wolf. Up into the blowing leaves with the limbs whipping around, threatening to knock my tired and gravity-soaked body to the ground. Eventually, I reached an opening in the tree branches, where I could see the forest around me and all the trees blowing in the wind.

Having a secure, large, flat branch below me and the tree against my back, I stood up and stretched out my arms, enjoying the terrifying wind that was flowing through the forest like an out-of-control river. And, as I stretched out my arms and stood there - autumn leaves blowing all around - parts of "Me" were blowing off, all that bloating and excess that I had accumulated were blowing off just like the leaves that were blowing off the trees.

I began to feel lighter, less weighed-down, more invigorated and still the wind whipped off bits of me to flutter away. Finally, I reached a point where I was so light, so freed from gravity, that I knew I wouldn't be able to stand there much longer, I was going to lose my balance and fall.

And then, I did.

Only, by that time, there wasn't much of "me" left, and - with the sky clearing and the wind lessening to a gentle breeze - I floated down to the ground below like just another autumn leaf.

Although I thought I was dying by then, it was an exhilarating and freeing fall to the forest floor that seemed to last a very long time.

From that point, I think it was as if I were seeing the scene apart from myself. I saw the bottom of the tree, the forest floor with golden and red leaves, and the wolf, still waiting at the bottom of the tree. The wolf padded over to a pile of leaves and began pawing through them and there I was, made whole and healthy.

I woke up soon thereafter and it was a new day.
 

Release

And just like that!

the colors leached away

and the Gray settled in

and that was

in no wise

a bad thing

insofar as it goes

There is a singular openness to a

Wild Gray Woods

and a clarity of

mind and thought

and a breath of peace

that is deeper and somehow

more sincere

than all the glorious color and bright joy

found there in Spring and Summer

and when a bright remnant of

Autumn is stumbled upon

a lingering red star from a Sweet Gum

or a Maple leaf, still soft and yellow

somehow

these can be an appreciated reminder

of earlier days and that is

in no wise

a bad thing

insofar as it goes

but those were passing times

those bright Summer days

as these shortened Autumn days are now

and shorter still Winter days to come

and we have a blessed permission

to appreciate each for their own

grace and glory

and so, we listen to the rich and somber

wind through leafless trees

and breathe deep

and release and release and release

Borrowed for Days Such as This

Even on days

when clouds cast shadows everywhere

every plant

every leaf

every flower

seems to glow

with hints of sunshine

borrowed for days such as this