Like an Elephant

Like an Elephant
Spring flowers,
Rain Showers
Bunnies,
Robins, and
Butterflies
are some of the things we tend to think about
when we think spring.
Spring, at least this year for me,
is reminding to move forward
with strength and calmness.
To move forward
in a way that is creating a path
for growth, stability and joy.
This spring I am moving forward
like an elephant
using my spiritual and physical size
to radiate and share my spiritual energy with others.
I am moving forward
with the qualities of my inner elephant
showing empathy,
celebrating and creating community,
showing compassion to and for others.
I am moving forward
to address all the elephants in the room
with the courage of the elephant within me.
I am facing the uncomfortable and the obstacles
with the courage which runs internally.
I am moving forward
with the peace I gain from
breathing like an elephant.
Doing so gives me steadiness,
patience,
and strength.
I move forward this spring
with all of the qualities of the elephant
which speaks to me and through me,
removing all obstacles
and springing forth in renewal and rejuvenation.

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It’s All About the Journey

It’s All About the Journey
For those of you who want to travel
and discover the hidden treasures within.
For those of you who want to grow and evolve.
For those of you who want to develop a spiritual intimacy with your Higher Power.
For those of you who are about process versus product.
For those of you are seeking to ease your Higher Power back in, instead of easing your Higher Power out.
For those of you who value peace, love and joy.
For those of you who are about letting the past go and living in this moment.
For those of you who practice meditation and mindfulness
For those of you who know there are somethings that are just for you.
For all of you, know this
it’s all about the journey,
not about my journey,
but yours.

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Outside the Box

Outside the Box

You don’t seem like a Reverend,
one of my students said.
Why?  Why do you think that?
Hey, that’s a Socratic question,
he laughed.
The reality is that for me
life is too short
to live within traditional structures.
I seek the freedom of focusing on my relationship
with my Higher Power,
the one I call the Ultimate and who is
greater then any single denomination or school of thought.
My ability to grow and evolve
requires me to spend more time
focusing on my personal relationship
working on my spiritual growth,
spiritual liberation, and
freedom.
Living outside the box has
provided me with freedom
and the space to develop a deeper connection
to the one who has set me free.
spirituality is about
experience over doctrine.
it is about fluidity and evolution,
about inclusivity and
listening to the still small voice
which has guided me outside the box
and led me to the silence
which speaks to and through my heart.

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Once I was

Once I was

Once I was
listening to Lucas Graham sing
once I was 7 years old
and it made me think about
my own life and
how the Ultimate has shown up in my life
and the lessons I have been taught
and the wisdom I have been given.
because it is all about the journey.
Once I was being born
and things did not go well
and I almost died
while the woman I never knew
was birthing me,
but the Ultimate kept me here
for reasons unknown at that time.
Once I was 3 years old,
and I met my spirit guide
who all my life has come to me
removed obstacles from my life
and opened up doors
creating new opportunities.
Once I was 19 years old
and my Bubby took me for a walk
where she taught me how
to hear the Ultimate in silence
and I have been listening ever since.
Once I was 49 years old
and I was ordained as a Reverend
but quickly learned I was meant
to minister to the world
to a Higher Power who is
greater then any denomination
or school of thought
Soon, I will be 70 years old
and I am in a peace
the Ultimate has been
guiding to all my life.
Once I was 7 years old
and now I am almost 70
and the Ultimate has always been with me
introducing me to
Ganesha,
Buddha,
Jesus,
Sophia,
and the energy of
all sent to teach and guide me.
Once I was 7 years old,
and I am still learning,
meeting,
teaching,
growing,
and evolving,
until it is time for me to return
to the energy that sent me here.
Once I was.

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Our Journey

Our Journey
What are you trying to do with your poems?
Should be a simple question,
but its not.
I am clear and unclear
of what it is I am trying to do.
What I do know is this,
I write from my heart,
I write because for me,
it is all about the journey,
not just mine,
but ours.
It’s about equifinality.
We may be on different paths,
but you are with me on a journey
to evolve and grow and
develop a deeper relationship
with our Higher Power,
however you define it.
It’s about life,
the ups and downs,
the moments of grief and joy,
of anger and celebration,
of birth and death
and everything else we experience.
it’s about keeping it simple,
relatable,
honest,
reflective,
inspiring,
challenging,
and vibrational.
I try to be of service,
to allow the Ultimate to use me,
to write into being
what is needed at that moment
and will assist us in our journey’s.
What that is,
may not be clear,
but what I do know,
is that we are on it together,
you, me, and whoever else is joining us.

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January

January

I look out the window,
the snow continuing to fall,
staring at a blanket of whiteness,
and while I feel the cold
I also see freshness.
There is a sense of newness,
of all that is coming,
or renewal,
of opportunities,
of the universe inviting me
to share with it and others
my intentions,
my resolutions,
all that I seek to transform in my life.
It is the beginning of my journey
and creation of new things,
like the new project at work,
Inspiritual attracting those in need,
my collection of poems being published,
opportunities to be of service to others,
of my health improving,
of my body getting fitter,
of relationships being repaired
of working to raise the vibrational frequency
of this world, or at least my part of it.
It is about parts of me transforming
and parts of me being born.
it is about watching me grow each day,
mentally,
emotionally,
and spiritually.
It is a time for me to sit in the sun
that shines on to the snow
and not want to rush the process,
but be open and welcoming
of all that January has to offer
and bring and how it keeps the dreams alive.

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Gentle

Gentle

I knew you were the one,
they said, after I had listened
one more time.
You seem to do more than listen,
you hear what is in my heart,
and more clearly what is in my soul.
I knew you were the one.
There is something about you
that is gentle.
I can feel the presence of the Divine
when I am with you.
I feel kindness,
warmth,
and tenderness.
When you speak,
it is soft and warm
and I feel cradled,
as if I am being rocked into peace.
Thank you,
for being you,
for being so gentle.

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I Have the Power

I Have the Power

I have the power.
It is such an empowering statement
and reminder that we may not be able
to change the world,
but we can change what we can.
We can take one thing
and change that.
We can take the small piece of the world
which is ours,
and use our power to transform it.
We can take our corner of the universe
and recognize we have the power
to change our life,
our relationships,
the spaces we live,
we work,
and every other aspect of our life.
Sometimes we look at our life
and the world and
all we see is what is wrong,
but we have the power
to see all of our lives as
opportunities to be more loving
and powerful.
I have the power to release my fear and negativity
and embrace my life with love and excitement.
I have the power
and so do you.
Use it!

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You Have a Huge Heart

You Have a Huge Heart

A long time ago now,
when my son was so much younger
someone asked him why I was so fat.
His answer has stuck with me all these years.
She’s not fat,
he said,
God gave her a huge heart
and then gave her a body that could hold it.
I have faced my share of criticism
in my life.
I have been too much
or too little of so many things.
I have heard hateful words
and experienced hateful things,
like when someone bashed the back of my knees,
or when I was raped,
or when I was verbally abused because
I provoked it,
or because I refused to be in the closet
about being biracial
or because I would stand up for myself
and speak truth in all circumstances,
even when it meant invoking the anger of others
Despite all this,
I knew I had not been sent here to hate.
I had been created to
spread love,
help those in need,
and remember the heart I have,
was given to me by the Ultimate.
I don’t think of its size,
until someone tells me
I have a huge heart
and then I give thanks
for the ability to have stayed loving
through it all,
to be loving
in the midst of it all,
to help others through
the worst of it all
and know that no matter what
the Ultimate’s love
for me and for others
is never ending
and flows from
one heart to another,
I may have a smaller body one day,
but I pray that my heart
will always be huge.

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Thank You Jack Gilbert

Thank You Jack Gilbert

I will never meet you,
at least not in this realm,
because you have long transcended.
Like me, you had your challenges and obstacles,
and you wrote your poetry in private.
You were about encouraging people
to step outside their comfort zone
to risk delight
and experience gladness
no matter what challenges life presented.
You lived in a world of your own creating
leaving behind a legacy
of living with authenticity,
of having the courage to write from one’s soul
enabling your words to be a way of writing back
against the ruthlessness in this world,
and with those who too had the
wisdom and courage to be brave.
Bravery,
perhaps it would have been your next collection.
Bravery, you would say
is what enables us to climb our way
to the depths and heights of our abilities.
Bravery,
would introduce us
to a world of marvel
and the mysteries of life.
Without it,
we would never know the world
as the Ultimate sought for us to know it.
There are moments
I wish I had a teacher like Jack Gilbert
and then I realize I do
and he and all the others
the Ultimate has sent to me
are ongoing reminders
to have the courage
to keep writing
and enabling the treasures
that are buried within me to flow forth.
Thank you Jack Gilbert
for always encouraging me in your own way
to be brave.

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It’s About Us

It’s About Us

I need to be mindful of what I say,
a friend once told me.
She had dreamt she prayed for her mom back
and instead got a bob cut again instead.
I have had so many hair cuts in my life,
some of which I have like more than others.
I loved having dreads,
and being able to hear
the shells and bells make sounds
as I moved my head.
Then I began shaving my head
so my friends who had cancer
would not feel alone in the journey,
Zoe was one of them.
Her hair never really grew back
and she wanted me to have hair.
One of us has to she would say.
so one side of my head is long hair
for her
and the other side
is shaved for me.
My hair is about my commitment to her,
the one who has stood by me
through all of life’s challenges
and all of the blessings.
My haircut is not about me,
it is about us.

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Hold It Up to the Light

Hold It Up to the Light

Hold it up to the light
my Bubby would say.
Then she would say
and now what do you see?
Does it look the same
or are you seeing something new?
My Bubby, who I miss dearly,
was the source of so much wisdom.
When I was feeling weighed down, she would say,
hold it up to the light
experience the grace and hope
which radiates from it.
This simple act has always been so powerful,
The last time I felt down,
I looked at it and
saw this hand reaching out to me
and I reached back and held it.
I saw that I was not alone,
even when I felt like it.
I saw the little things which surround me.
the things that serve as symbols of peace,
love,
gratitude,
hope, and
then I looked up at the binder of my planner
and it said,
I am enough.
that was what was printed on the binder
I am enough.
The light had made that reminder visible.
just when I needed it the most.
when others were telling me I was not,
the Ultimate reminded me I am.
I don’t know what you are going through,
but whatever it is,
stop,
breathe,
and hold it up to the light.

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Nothing Can Hold Back the Spring

Nothing Can Hold Back the Spring

Nothing can hold back the spring.
I remember Rev Callan saying that
as if it were yesterday.
We were in the midst of an ice storm
and people were without power
and everyone was struggling
in the midst of a really rough winter.
It was all going to be okay,
because nothing can hold back the spring.
In the midst of the storm,
it was hard to image that the season would pass
and the flowers would bloom
and we would be enjoying all the gifts of spring.
In the midst of it all he reminded us that
nothing can hold back the spring.
I have been through some rough times in my life,
as I am sure you have
and I am sure there have been moments
where you wondered
am I going to make it through.
Then you did,
you made it through the frustration,
the pain,
the tears,
the challenges, and
the depression.
You made it through the times
you wanted to hibernate,
escape from reality,
and pretend like it just wasn’t happening.
In the midst of it though,
we have remembered that
nothing can hold back the spring.
Nothing keeps us from overcoming,
from surviving,
from regenerating,
from rejuvenating,
and from thriving.
No matter what you are going through,
no matter how challenging it may be,
just stop, pray, breathe and give thanks and
remember nothing can hold back the spring.

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I Wasn’t Even There

I Wasn’t Even There

I wasn’t even there,
when he died,
but I knew it before my brother called.
I couldn't sleep,
I tossed and turned,
then I felt the blood drain out of me
and then I was at peace.
I knew he was gone.
It had happened twice before.
I was writing my dissertation
when I felt this wave of cold,
followed by the peace.
I called my friend
and she said I knew you would know.
he told me you would.
He just passed.
Then there was the morning my mother died.
I kept having dreams I was being held.
I could hear her telling me goodbye
and thanking me for saying her goodbyes.
I knew this day was coming.
I had dreamt of doing her funeral
and then my father called and
said she was gone.
I may not have been there,
for any of them,
but I was
and they knew it
and so did i.
sometimes we are there
even when we are not.
Being there is not about our bodies,
but about our souls.
it's why I can say
I wasn’t even there
when I was.

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Connecting the Dots

Connecting the Dots

I loved connecting the dots
when I was a child.
My crayon would go from dot to dot
and with each movement,
what I saw changed from
a sheet of dots
to an image,
all because I drew a line
that connected the dots.
Life is like that,
just about connecting the dots.
it's like seeing that the tree
is connected to the air,
the earth,
the insects,
the sun,
the rain,
and everything else
which in any way, shape or form touched it.
Life is like a constellation.
We may not see the lines
that connect the events,
the achievements,
the moments of happiness,
and patterns,
but when we step back
and look at the big picture,
we see the celestial story
of our lives
all because we took the time to
connect the dots.

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Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh

It’s been almost 4 years,
since you passed away,
but there are moments
like now
where it is hard to believe you are gone.
Maybe it’s because your words
and your teachings live within me
and help me to find peace in every breath.
You helped me discover equifinality
and understand we are each on our own path
to the place of relationship with the Ultimate.
Our paths may be different
but they are all going to the same place.
You taught me to live in this moment,
to be mindful
in how I eat,
drink,
connect,
walk and
breathe.
You taught me to face my fears
and move through them
and to calm them.
You taught me
it’s okay to be alone.
You taught me
that I will never be alone,
You touched my heart and soul
and left a piece of you in me.

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When It’s My Time

When It’s My Time

I remember when my father was grieving
the loss of his wife and my mother.
He would wake up having nightmares
about not knowing what to do
or how to plan for his own time.
We worked together and planned
where he would live
and what I would say at his funeral.
A few days ago, I remembered
the 24th anniversary of my mother’s passing.
Remembering her bought back so many memories
and then questions.
Questions about when it’s my time.
I am not afraid to go to the next realm,
but I worry about going first
and leaving Zoe here without me.
But when it’s my time,
it will be my time.
I want to give back to this world
that has blessed me with so much.
I want what can be used by others
to be used.
I want what is left to be buried with
rainbow hostas on campus
and I want people to tell stories
about me and my legacy.
stories about what I taught them,
about meals I made them,
about times I touched their lives.
I want people to know they are not alone.
I want people to meet people
connect, comfort, and celebrate with each other.
I have not wanted much in my life,
but to do what I can to make this world a better place.
I had no control over the legacy I inherited,
but I realized long ago,
I had control over what I leave behind.
I hope no matter how or when I go,
that I leave behind a legacy
filled with people who remember
me with love, light, and laughter.
Until then,
I will keep living my life,
working to raise the vibrational frequency in this world
and letting others know I am grateful
for their presence in my life
and the love they have shown me.
I will do all this
until it is my time.

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When the Student Was Ready

When the Student Was Ready

I have had amazing teachers throughout my life.
There were times, however,
I was just not ready to learn.
When I remembered to be a beginner
then I opened myself up to learn,
but there were times I thought
I was an expert and I knew it all.
There were times I was dealing with so much
emotionally, mentally and physically,
that I could not process anything new
My Bubby taught me to quiet my soul
by walking, rocking in my chair, and
turning the noise in my head off until
all I could hear was the symphony of silence.
Come, Sara Bella, let’s walk
and then we would walk in silence
until she was ready to teach and
I was ready to learn.
My grandmother taught me to value crumbs.
She would gather them
and then she would blend them all together
to make the base of a cake.
Nothing, she would say,
is invaluable.
What my ancestors gave me
was a foundation and skills
like focusing,
following directions,
feeling emotions, and
being curious.
They guided me to tools
that continue to teach me today.
like respecting others
and not offering unwanted advice.
They taught me to think before speaking
and reframe what I say
so it always truthful, necessary and kind.
What they could not teach me
was the deep desire to understand,
the willingness to become more in tune with the Ultimate.
I had to be ready,
they would say,
to quiet my mind and soul,
and walk in silence with the Ultimate
as I was taught at the University of life
where I continue to study sign language,
not ASL,
but DSL – divine sign language
so I can learn how to learn from
all the Ultimate
sent me to learn from.
I just have to
stay ready to learn.

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Soup

Soup

We would gather in the kitchen,
my mother and I to make soup.
She always made chicken noodle soup from scratch.
Making soup was more than a time together.
It was a time when she taught me life lessons,
a time we connected, and
a time of meditation and focus.
Serving the soup,
or being served a bowl
was healing.
I could taste my mother’s love in each spoonful.
It carried with it memories.
Memories of patience,
memories of love,
memories of faith and
memories of compassion.
Making soup,
my mother would say,
is a form of prayer.
It is a time when we focus
on the experience,
the sights,
the sounds,
the smells,
which ushered us into prayer
and gratitude for the blessings.
Making soup,
she would say,
is about trusting the process,
as we trust in the Ultimate.
Making soup,
she would say,
is more then a bowl of soup,
it is a time to connect with the Sacred
to no that each spoon was a reminder
of how we are fed each day
and where our food comes from.
It is a reminder of how everything works out
as it should
and we are to savor each spoonful
and know that soup is
more then just eating a meal,
it is about deepening our relationship
with the Ultimate,
being filled with holy warmth,
and remembering there is more
in the bowl then just soup.

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RIP Sam Rivers

RIP Sam Rivers

You like Limp Bizkit?
Believe it or not – yes.
I had not listened to their music in a while,
but then Sam Rivers died.
I started remembering
the call to unite under a common good.
RIP Sam Rivers
for being a part of that call to unite humanity.
You called for the uniting over shared values
that are greater than any denomination or school of thought.
You may not have always sung it,
but you and the others lived it.
When it came to human dignity,
you and your group were more than
your bands name,
you were all about healing
and encouraging others to
heal through conversation.
I grieve your talent as a musician,
but more so I grieve
your calling as a healer,
as a part of something
which reminded us to never
judge a book by its cover.
RIP Sam Rivers
who always said music was
a way to combine intellect with the soul.
Your music
was an expression of your spirituality.
There was nothing pretty about your music,
but that is what I loved about it.
There was a primitive beat,
which reminded me of the chaos
in which we all came out of.
Listening to you reminded me
of the beauty and the power
which flows from our soul
when we just allow ourselves
to develop our own voice
and be the authentic one
we were created to be.
RIP Sam Rivers
and know that your
power is undiminished
and the music and lessons you taught will live on.
RIP Sam Rivers -- RIP

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