blessed death

if I could die
I would
in your arms,
in that one embrace
of breath,
of the cosmos
swirling
within us,
in our cells,
in our bones,
in our flesh;

if I could live
through that moment,
I would hold you forever
in my eyes,
in my heart,
in my breath,
a nameless god
who made me come alive
to this world,
to this love,
and this blessed death,

with no you,
no me,
just us
in one timeless breath.

Breath of Life

and I stood there
with my head
resting
upon my heart,
as you thundered
through my every pore;
you whipped me,
caressed me,
carved me,
hollowed me out,
and ground me
to insignificant dust,
to carry me upon
your mighty shoulders,
and hold me close,
so I could feel
and merge with
the breath and flow
of all of life.

Planted

There are cracks in walls of stone,
There are pores in stiffened clay,
There are sunbeams streaming
through the darkest depths,
There is starlight kissing
the night queen awake;
Often,
you learn to breathe
when you are stifled,
You learn to bloom
where you're planted.
Space.
Freedom.
Growth.
Love.
It's all inside you.
It's all you.

Arrival

and you told me
what I longed to hear -
the song
that lay quiet
in the uneasy depths
of your solemn heart,
too scared to rise
from the darkness
and take that one breath
that you needed
to fill your lungs
and sing out to the world
that you have indeed arrived.

Black Silence

black silence
fills
every breath
dying
unto itself,
stretched
over one
precious moment;

to live one life -
this one,
when every door,
every window,
is tightly shut,
when every leaf
on the lone tree outside
speaks silence,

you learn to live
for yourself,
for no other;
for it is in
that blackness
and deathly silence
that you know
how to truly live -

to live and die
with every breath
stretched thin,
dying
unto itself,
into that
black silence
refilled.

Steps and Wings

when all you see
around you
are stone walls
and defined steps
that promise
to lead you
into the darkness
that thins your breath,
may you know
that darkness is where
light is born,
where stone steps
become roses
with the kiss
of your
love-filled breath,
for you are
a butterfly
with gossamer wings
who stops not
for well-worn trails,
but rides the fragrance
of the haloed wind.

Morning Song

sometimes
when I wake up
in the morning
and think of you,
your side of the bed
still feels warm;
sometimes
I run my fingers
over the old crinkles
on the sheet, and
I feel your breath
blow over
each trench,
like the wind
that cuts through
each accordion pleat,
filling up
the emptiness
with morning song.

The Anchor

I drop down
to the very bottom
of myself,
the space
where breath
is born
and rises
to break over
and fill
every cell
with the blazing fire
of passion
for all of life,
and the virgin stillness
of unbroken waters,
reborn
again, and yet again.

Breathless

today
the world
lies upon
my chest -
a giant paperweight
paralyzes
a frail papyrus
looking to
take to the wind,
stories waiting
to be scattered
on distant sands,
now trapped
in a
breathless
tempered
pithy existence.

A Pantomime of Love

If only there was
a world
without words
and war -
a pantomime
of love,

where breath
fills fully
every movement
every touch
rising from
the void
within;

where
love and grace
transform
silence
every step
of the way;

where
yin and yang
rest
in the silent well,
yielding to
the enemy inside,

unwinding
the riddle
of life; and
living Tai Chi
every step
of the way.

To be like the Wind

To be like the wind
is to touch everything
even without touching,
to carry a fragrance
without becoming the fragrance,
to hold something
even without holding on to it,
to make things come alive,
only to chip away at them
over space and time.

To be like the wind
is to be
everything and nothing
in one breath of life;
to move,
and to rest,
into life
and love,
knowing this -
just being here,
in this one moment,
is enough.

Owning My Power

My breath holds
the primordial fire
of a million stars,
the waters and winds
that flow from every nook -
both near and far,
the restless earth
that sustains
all of creation,
sprinkled with
magical stardust
for every occasion;
when I breathe in,
I am nourished
by the infinite cosmos;
when I breathe out
I sustain the power
of endless love;
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Flow in.
Flow out.
To wherever life takes me
on the wings of love.

Peace

a small white dove
grows wings
that expand
with every breath -
yours and mine,
to embrace
our world,
with gentle love,
and carry it forth
into the Light.