Beyond the Chair

Beyond the chair

the window

                the tree outside

 and past that the field

 and further still a hill sheltered by trees.

The one who lives on the hill dwells in fog,

in rain, snow, sun, fallen leaves

 and from these things

she gathers to herself her own self

the essence of her particular thoughts and sentences.

Her life.

And with this life she opens to sky,

clouds, air and sun until

her spirit flies into space, freedom without barriers.

Until she clearly and plainly hears

what she has to say to heaven

©photo and poem by caf

Comes the Dark

Darkness, you bring rich deepness

and tantalizing mystery

both blessing and fear

stealing blankets of warmth

from our comfortable resting place.

You show us stars, planets, galaxies not visible

when you withdraw.

You clothe our world in a blanket of cold,

a womb sheltering the seeds of dramatic sunrise.

You are our Mother as much as Earth

When light appears over the curvature

bathing our faces with tender regard

you take only partial leave

lingering in shadows and making a home

under our hats,

hiding in our marrow

like a kernel of corn in a field

awaiting the sun

to stir its birth.

You bring us dreams –

relief from ordinary life

an existence outside of sometimes banal days.

I would not give you up

nor ask you to stop returning,

for you help me see the substance

gleaming daylight often hides

behind her skirts

Truth hidden by the bright light of the sun

©photo and poem by caf

Passing the Light

Lazy moon in her bed of night sky

makes no light of her own

but only reflects the sun

and trusts the earth to keep her orbit steady.

She lights our darkest world

and her burnished body covers the pines in lacy glow and shadow.

Yes, this spoiled child creates miracles of beauty while doing nothing

but sharing the light she has been given.

©photo and poem by caf

What the Tree Said

What the Tree Said

The tree extends to her

across the road and river

a branch, its wing with flowers white and delicate.

She looks into the centers of calm harmlessness

as they attend to her gaze with

offerings of healing fragrance.

Their spirit offers her inclusion in their peace

and they whisper

when nothing within is defended

 or denied, you, too,

will awaken to your own beauty.

©photo and poem by caf

The Mystery

Waning moon

Stars, small suns to other worlds

the smell of morning.

No matter the evil,

the ugly,

or the political,

the Mystery is still here.

©photo and poem by caf

A Guitar and Max

A Guitar and Max

You are the soul of so many tunes

and my soul as well

old friend – what do you think of your life with me?

stuck in a closet

needing new strings and a tuning.

You are a grand lady

who has served me well

and I will not give you up

although our times being with each other have grown scarce and thin.

Old Max brought us together

muttering over his work bench

tuning, humming

looking for tiny screws with a magnifying glass

eyeglasses heavy on his nose

covering innocent eyes that saw

an awkward young girl in need of hope

and someone’s notice.

He spoke to her in musical words

like strings and sound boards, tuners, and horn bells

and the best language of all, born of unaffected innocence of observation…

the language of the heart.

©photo and poem by caf

A Pond With No Name

A deep tureen

concealed by forest foliage

and therefore mysterious.

crafted by beavers,

quiet but for birds and insects

singing her secret name

while raindrops drum her surface.

Dead wood and weeds clog her banks

where dragonflies are born

and grow in her slimy gumbo.

To those who live there

she is the ocean,

the bottomless crater that holds the world.

But as this wondrous old bowl

reflects the clouds and stars

she dreams she is the sky.

©Photo and poem by caf

Noticing

I’ve been noticing:
Many of the acorns are tiny this year
the waters are full and rushing
waterfalls are full and loudly vocal
the sun is sometimes red in the morning
the moon has not been so visible
frogs continue to croak
dragonflies still hunt mosquitos
I remain in love with cows
mountains continue to inspire me
we are rich in slugs
the spiders have been busy webbing
mornings have been foggy
mushrooms are abundant
the trees are lushly vibrant
I still miss my Mom
I am so grateful for this life.
If you keep noticing you will reach gratitude
that overflows as a water fall streams from an overfull lake or 
a river spills its banks from too much sustenance
soaking the ground of your life
the banks of your heart
and the rocks of eternity.

© film and poem by caf

After Night

sunrise

After Night

After a long black night
pink and white clouds
yellow sun
dark branches waving
against a glowing sky.

Icy waters slide over stones
spring winds rustle the chimes
as she watches the waking forest and fields.

She says the day love and joy were born
has come again this morning
to be remembered
to renew Spirit in the world.

Miracles live within each other.

After dark storms this day returns
as much a miracle
as the breath
and heart that live
within the blue bird on Bennett Hill.

©photo and poem by caf

Talking to the Big Bear

September Moon REDUCED SIZE_72

Talking to the Big Bear

Outside at night
admiring the seven stars of the Dipper as it floats over her house
she asks
how do you stay together in your constellation
and not drift apart, leave each other, find new stars to align with?

The Dipper answers:

Bear sings to crow
crow talks to others.

Seeds ride the butterfly’s wings
Butterflies flap their wings and worlds collide
Stars move around the galaxy
but never leave home.
There is a sun in everyone’s life –
a mooring to oppose the random
flight of wild freedom.

Evolving through plankton, amoeba, dinosaurs,
bears, lobsters, butterflies, mountains and trees
you own their DNA and you know them.
Through them you are anchored to earth
and through earth to the universe.

There is no family if not these tribes
of nomads,
these clans of non-relations,
an expanding, elaborate
lineage of dissimilars
that hold the bloodline for all of us.

And you are part of a dynasty and royal house,
knotted together by interlacing
webs and snarls of lacework,
fastened to the destiny of the universe,
like the stars of the bear that sail over your house.

© photo and poem caf