I Watch the Tops of Clouds from Where I Sit - A Meditation
I watch the tops of clouds from where I sit
swollen rivers and flooded fields,
the evidence of winter’s embodied
presence upon the land
And I in my own body also embodied
yesterday amongst the cold and ice,
shoulders draped in snow
my hands numb and clumsy,
my face wind blown and dry
today on a plane above the world,
writing down words that catch my
attention, creating my own gravity
to draw in that which I hope for :::
oneness - hidden wholeness - vision of the world as it could be - suffering as a doorway to empathy - trails of language leading to kindness - rest - sacred architecture to house gifts for my friends - the sentience and soulfulness of every earthly thing - the depth and meaning of ordinary relationship - mystery and poetry soaked into every pine board and spruce needle - artwork made by night shadows - the love of dirt - the joy of mud - the patience of stones - life beyond disease - the universal invitation of circles - the nourishment from eye contact, offered and received
I watched an ascent of unknown birds fly above me as I woke up in a spider web beside the river, the winged ones sang strange songs as the predawn light slowly grew around me. I offered them a whistle and they returned the favor
Each glint of light, each thank you, each conversation, each birdsong, each rain soaked sweatshirt, each spark from the welders torch, each fluid fern leaf from the end of my paint brush - a gate into eternity
I am, we are
the meeting place of spirit and matter
each inhale a creation
each exhale a death
each breath cycle an opportunity to experience a gift, a miracle, a mystery
We are all Artists, each second creating the world we are just about to live in
We are all Universes unto ourselves,
and
We are all the smaller pieces of larger Universes
The center of everything,
and at the edge of nothing
All of it, all of us, existing simultaneously
May you learn to live peacefully with the body you were born into - adapting, changing - metamorphing, may you recognize what you need - seek it out - and find it, may you make friends with the questions that tap you on the shoulder in the darkness, may you find laughter bubbling out of you like spring water, may your imagination run wild like swollen rivers, may you thoroughly explore the world within you, may your emotional intelligence increase, may your temper dissipate like fog in the morning sun, may you find all the time you need on your slow journey of becoming and unfolding into your fuller self
You are a landscape, resonant with depth and growing light.
Alive and present, encompassing everything, each emotion a partner in a greater understanding.
You, in all your vivacious complexity,
are a wonder - worthy of being known