I am all alone
No one sees me
No one hears me
It is as if I’m invisible
My soul’s yearning for comfort goes unrequited
In this reality
Love is only a myth
Created by some deceiver
Can I even claim to still be alive?
Yes, it must be so
For dead, surely all these walls of silence
Would be seen as only artifacts of my mind
And my imagination
Easily breached
The separation from others, a mirage
The truth would reveal bridges
Connecting my innermost self
With all other living things
But (why must there always be a “but” for me?) this awareness of life
Brings no joy in its wake
It does not make the pain I feel disappear
Nor the sadness dissipate
Nor the loneliness magically go away
Life is not a fairy tale
With a happy ending guaranteed
I want there to be a way to break through
To be able to let go of enough of myself
To become light enough to fly away
To be free at last
Why must something so simple
Be so impossibly difficult to achieve
I hold the key
Yet can not turn it by myself
Another, others are needed
A Catch-22 of a different sort
Having to reach out
Vulnerable and afraid
Trusting that I won’t be hurt
Before someone can enter my sacred space
And effect my release
Even in my desperation
This leap of faith is daunting
Old patterns of denial and anxiety and inadequacy
Are deeply ingrained
Please grant me the courage to proceed
That I might finally awaken from my dream…

She laughs at our pretensions to know Her
And at our even more arrogant attempts to capture Her,
As if She were a prize
That we could somehow merit and thereby obtain
Through our own efforts
Nor is She a product of mere longevity
The passage of years alone does not guarantee
Any accumulation of Her immense riches
A child can be as wise as an ancient
Yet those same young Magi
May lose their connection to this precious gift over time
If they ignore Her to focus
On the pursuit of mere mundane possessions
And worldly success
As fools of all ages are wont to do
Wisdom, while not imperial,
Demands in exchange for Her presence
Humility and devotion to a constant search for truth
As hallmarks of any who would wish to gain Her favor
She also insists that your life’s journey
Be one always steeped in self-reflection and contemplation
Learning from every step and misstep along the way
Integrating that knowledge into your very soul
Wisdom seeks out those
Who are awake and attuned to Her intimations
They who do not cling to Her
But desire a relationship
One that will continually challenge you
While also illuminating
The essence in all reality
That you might be able to follow
The pathways hidden to others
Wisdom is generous and wonderful to behold
For Her faithful she grants
The ability to perceive the good
In every particle of creation
Not denying the evil
But enabling Her adherents to accept
The dynamic tension that connects them
So that they might achieve balance and peace in their lives
And allow Wisdom to reign as Queen over all
As is Her…

During the past six months, there have been a number of writers on Medium from countries outside of the United States who have written about the American political scene. I read many of them with interest. Some were very thought-provoking, well researched, and offered compelling insights. A few indicated that they have visited the U.S. fairly often and have friends here, so they know this country. …

The cold has settled in to stay
Frequent winds amplify its impact
My aging body increasingly rebels
At having to work harder to stay warm
For once the chill takes hold
Mere layers are insufficient to allay it
Covering my face when going out
Is now a blessing rather than an annoyance
As the temperature plummets
And snow and ice are an ever present threat
Irritability seems to increase among those you encounter
And I am no exception to its grasp
Holidays’ good cheer
Is fast fading
Children are reluctant to resume a schooling
Wherein they can only see and not touch their friends
Parents, especially mothers, must continue
Their juggling of many roles: Career, tutoring their child
Mother-father, spouse-partner
Playmate, advocate, arbiter
All to be performed amidst the political insanity
That consumes the world in which they live
Yes, Spring will once again come
But for now, its arrival seems so very far off
As to raise a flicker of doubt that this too
Might be in danger of being
Yet another broken promise
More rational thought eventually prevails
Nature, unlike people, will prove faithful
Though mercurial and unpredictable at times
She at least is steadfast
Trust in Her will not go unrewarded
Darkness will slowly give way
To longer portions of light
Even January’s general cloud of depression, pervasive and common,
Through whose filter all seems dull
Though it must be acknowledged and respected
As a persistent reality in many lives during these stark winter days
Will lose its sway if one reaches out for assistance
For isolation only enhances its control
Yes, January is here
February will be even more trying
March will vacillate in its intentions
But April will come
All things will seem possible once again
Spirits will rebound
Dreams and plans for the future will be…

There is no past
There is no future
Not even tomorrow
Now is all the reality you have
Be awake in it
Be still, and let peace rest upon you

Breathe in divinity
Then release Her out into the world
With each intake you grow
So that you have greater capacity
For Her life in you to be enhanced
Be still, and let joy abide in you

Stop talking, and worrying about
What you will do,
Every moment is precious
The number of them allotted to you
Is unknown
Perhaps this might be your last one
Or the next
Be still, and see Her in everyone you…

Grandchildren, if you are fortunate to have them, are the rewards that you receive for all those years of hard work raising your children. They are living, personal gifts that bring hope and new dreams to your later years. The intensity of my love for them is so strong at times to be almost painful. It bursts forth spontaneously time and again. You know that you are hooked when small instances of shared participation in their lives find you almost overcome with happiness. …

There is a spring
Whose waters quench not only thirst
But satisfy every hunger as well
Her depth is unfathomable
Her source cannot be located on any map
Yet She is accessible to all
One only has to search
And you find yourself by Her side
These waters have been known to cleanse souls
Heal broken hearts
Raise up the downtrodden
No benefit is bestowed, however,
On those who merely gaze upon Her loveliness
Content to simply to observe
Afraid to drink their fill
Less they lose control
Terrified to proceed even further and
To immerse themselves in Her depths
Less they face the dissolution of their very identity
Such foolishness!
The spring is a gift that grants those who partake of its refreshment
A new life,
One that offers a true wealth
That would be the envy
Of the richest people on earth
As well as wisdom that exceeds
The collective knowledge of all the civilizations that have ever existed
And a love that flows through every fiber of your being
The Giver asks for nothing for Herself
She takes pleasure in the happiness of others
She is blind to every distinction among peoples
And recognizes no preferments
She perceives each person’s special needs
With Her inside you
One can hear the the music of the universe
And see the dance of the stars in the heavens
All boundaries between every part of creation
Are now seen as illusions
There is nothing but Her
Through Her all are one
Drink…

Light and darkness are twins
You must take that as a matter of faith
For you will rarely be able to see them together
Darkness and light also appear under different guises
Further confusing attempts at being easily defined

Natural light in the daytime uncovers
Flaws obscured when there is
Only moonlight to rely upon
With its romanticized pretensions
And promises revealed
As illusory upon awakening on the morrow

Darkness can be threatening when,
Imagination running wild,
You walk unfamiliar streets,
With only artificial brightness as a guide
Yet evening time can bring comfort
As night touches your body and your mind
Making you feel more alive,
In tune with nature,
As you lay in the grass
Watching the sky become vibrant
With stars finding their way
Through the fog of life
Directly to, and especially for, you…