YES, Yahweh’s voice vibrates creation,
Hearing YES as healing energy abounds soulfully,
Yahweh’s call needs responding NOW!
[This Haiku reflection is from a conversation with a Clergy friend of how one response to God. How do we say “yes” when called upon?]
Mother and Child in Motion
Feet moving without body motion,
Toes steady within shoes but no muscle action,
Escalator controls the motion,
Guatemalan refugees seeking asylum,
With feet running from abuse,
Now walking roads toward freedom,
Up and down with rocky terrain,
Walking on mechanical device,
Walking a top clouds by airplane,
New freedom,
Nogales Sonora Mexico,
Tucson AZ to Seattle WA,
"Oh Say Can You See",
The American dream!
[This reflection comes from an experience that Kathleen had while escorting
a woman and her daughter from
"Chirping with Senses"
Audio senses awakened with
chirping sounds before open doors,
Morning has broken,
Door opens,
Walk in motion begins,
Cool air
refreshes skin of exposed face and arms,
Caffeine to the
lips,
Thorns in the way
of fragrant roses,
Step into the
temple of brightly colored glass of sacred images,
Kneel before “I
AM WHO I AM”,
Coffee hidden then
cleaned away,
Labored sacred
actions for temple readied to smile with YHWH,
Legs in motion as
body heat rises,
Footing on gravel
penetrate shoes,
Big gravel form sitting
on Camelback mountain,
Senses are chirped through walk rhythm.
[Reflection is
based upon a retreat exercise for Deacon postulants. The assignment was to walk
the grounds of "The Franciscan Renewal Center" to awaken the senses in a morning walk on June 26, 2022. The "Big gravel form" is the praying monk. The rose is from the garden at the retreat center,
who at one time was full of roses, and now is mixed with roses and other
garden beauties.]
“Wagging
Tongue”
That muscle
between teeth,
Tongue it is
called,
Like a vertebrae
animal, whose tail wags of many meanings,
Tongue flaps
in many forms and meanings,
Curled to
lap water for hydration,
Taste buds
sensing the delectable and sour,
It wags words
of Hopeful Joy,
It wags
words of Hateful Helplessness,
It filters
air to cleanse the soul,
It filters
air to excite the body cells to wholeness,
It filters
air when breathing the gift of life,
Tongue Wagging aliveness!
[Reflection evolved from a poem entitled "My Breath is the Gift of Life" from the book The Black Trans Prayer Book with the opening line of "the power of life and death lies in the tongue"]
"Ground Zero"
Binary formation Zero and One,
Zero flipped to One ignites a beginning,
One rotates circular Zero,
United into emptiness a hole of pain,
One space One name,
Zero formed into Square flowing water,
Washing away pain,
Washing away death,
Binary formation One and Zero,
Zero a point to start,
One is starting point,
In the beginning God created Ground Zero,
Then pointed to Binary One,
And it was Good!
[Reflection is based upon a visit to the "Ground Zero" memorial in NYC in the first part of October 2021; the feelings go beyond the normal ying/yang essence; names are etched on black granite; the mixture of sadness and hope is melt in the water fall of the square sculpture]
Magical
Cobble stones simmer with moisture,
Stones ancient in time placed in a Square,
Fluorescence lights top the columns,
Saint-filled statues aglow topping the columns,
An obelisk marks the center’s the Square,
Tall lit holiday tree in the center,
Moisture from misty rain continues,
People wandering the Square,
Kneeling on the moist cobble stones in prayer,
Standing straight to protect the Square,
Crossing themselves in reverence,
People wandering in the wilderness to see Himself in the flesh,
No flesh to see,
Jumbo TV screens project people life sized images,
Psalter chants,
Papal words of prayer and wisdom,
It was Himself, the Pope, in the flesh,
People seek realness of the flesh to Believe,
“What did you go out in the wilderness to look at?”,
Wandering in the Wilderness,
People miss the essence of the rain,
Moisture from misty rain is Baptism,
Rain bringing message of Jesus through the Pope,
Strive for Justice and Peace among all People,
Wilderness wanderings open the eyes of Belief.
[Reflecting upon Christmas Eve 2021 in St. Peter’s Square in Rome Italy; yes there were hopeful emotions to see in person, in the flesh, the Pope, but it was not to be; many people were inside St Peter’s Basilica; yet being outside seemed more natural for that Holy Night!]
