The Rules of Engaging Grief

I recently reconnected to an old friend that was/is eccentric.  And yes, it is from him that I learned that in eccentricity we discover authenticity.  I woke up long before dawn one morning with this poem on my fingertips.

 “Eccentriciy”

In the art, gesture, action
Of eccentricity
We reveal authentic self,
Touchstone of Divine within –
Not clouded with expectations
Belonging to others,
Delusions of what we’re not.

How bold to grasp, but more
To display openly
This existential truth in acts
Of wonder for all to see,
Throttle tired conventions of thought,
Lead seekers through terrain
Of heart and mind rarely visited.

One evening I was reminded there is much to observe in ordinary time.

“Ordinary Time”

A gray fox stealthed before me
As I rapt silent – motionless
Before lowering color sun,
Lilting pale crescent moon.

Soft steps web within cosmic stir –
Sliver glow uplifts steady to stars,
Furnace orb fades low to darkness
On a chill autumn draft.

Who says that nothing ever
Happens in ordinary time,
When all about stirs in dance
Like these ripple rays of light?

We are invited to be conscious,
To witness – even participate in –
Each ordinary moment as it
Unfolds in extraordinary time.

My twelve year old son returned from school to tell me
how lightning is a source of nourishment for the earth
as it contributes to the creation of ozone that is delivered
to the earth on the droplets of rain, thus the inspiration of this poem.

“Like Lightning”

Scatter light fell like
Seeds through black clouds,
Impossible to chart
We shuddered at its shock.

Thunderous rain pounded,
Drowning out all thought,
A mantra to command
Attention of those distracted.

Next day we assessed
The damage – ripped shingles,
Torn siding, flooding as
Birds chirped in thanksgiving.

Following the storm,
Clattering lightening,
Fear as foundations shuddered,
There is nourishment still – in silence.

“I saw Satan fall like
Lightning from Heaven.”
Luke 10:18