Equipped with Love

How to save the flame
from the fire,
when the flame is at the heart
and the heart is the fire.
What does one desire,
but to be humbled
in the grace of love?
In the form of a dove
You came to me
Encountered in many ways
and even in ways not yet known.

The thorns
are experienced daily
through the witness
of the experience.
Hourly we are called.
By minute we have thought
and in the seconds,
we sometimes forget
to remember
that which is most important.

The sword of truth
is sworn to secrecy
and if revealed all will be well,
If only the peace of surrender
Will follow.
To follow otherwise would
only be in the eyes of the follower
And in so doing would no longer
Be following, but leading
Which could be tragic,
if not in the right spirit.

For the mind
does not always align
with the heart,
so we need to listen
to a different rule
not the lies that our thoughts
sometimes provoke.
For when we listen to these lies
we are blinded by the stillness,
when in reality there is so much more
for us to experience.
In the dance of motion
In the dance of life.


It is there that we seek solace,
It is there that we seek peace.
When all else is chaos
There is a place to call home,
Even when it seems to be far
From us
It requires only that knock
Only that seeking
And you will find
That simply behind the door
Is the place of rest
Peace on earth
And mercy mild
Are we reconciled?

Look inside and all will be revealed
What picture do you see?
Puffed up and fearful
Or meek, mild and fearless,
In a tiny manger
Equipped with Love for the
Whole world.

For Shore

Look in, look out
Breathe up, breathe down
Hard to return to the ground
And plant your feet soundly
Once you’ve been flying
And sailing the seven seas
Miles of time have held that place
In the arms of time
Remind the sailor where he has been
Because he has seen so much
That it now blends together
In the mosaic of memory
In the place where the boom of the sail
Is louder than the pounding of the railway
Look in, look out
Farther inward than out and you will be okay
Breathe up and breathe down
So there is room to grow in the lungs of time
That inhale and exhale every present moment
Sometimes we have the luxury to enjoy every moment
And other times it feels a chore
But one thing is for shore
The sea breathes in every memory
It breathes in and out with the tide
And we look in, look out on the horizon
Where the sun both rises and sets,
Depending on which direction you look
And at what time
Blinded by the sun and enlightened at the same time
Yet not fully ignited because the flames are only lit
In our hearts
Each flame burns differently
And although we do not see
We know there is a flame in all people that we meet
Each person we know and people we pass by
This flame unites us, though we know not why
We do not always need the answer, nor the alibi
But to weep with those who cry
To give thanks with those who rejoice
To mourn with those who are saying goodbye
We have this gift to live alongside one another
To love and to be loved
What a gift.