Poem: An Old Man in Liminal Space
Praying for Togetherness

Our indeterminant first half of life
is a necessary first step
but certainly no end in itself
(experiencing the ego to see how inadequate it is)

Now a wandering pilgrim
in the pathless land,
I wander through what time I have left

With no thought to success
and even less to loss;
a rhythmic cyclic flow

In the Great Cosmic Universe,
within our Earth home of authentic
Self, relationships, and communities

Closer to the end than the beginning,
my time is precious here on Earth school,
blissful with all to learn and what yet comes 

Present and absent, giving and receiving,
coming and going, contemplative and chaotic,
saint and sinner, living and dying

So goes the days of this old man in this liminal space
now  out of sorts with the selfish mundane world
grateful for the Great Cosmic Circle of Beloveds 

God, Cosmos, Beloveds united together
be with me now on this side of Life
walking one another Home

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
September 2019

Poem: Autumn Befalls All

Peering out the window
on this Northern Autumn equinox morn
tree leaves spiraling down
kissing the ground

Blessings of the season;
the slowing, shortening, changing,
letting go, dying away;
revealing the beauty of its’ rhythm

Last crops are harvested
the rest dies down
the ground lies dormant
a quietening, stillness abounds

Animals preparing
storing food and seeking shelter
migrating to fairer climes
naturally they fair

Light fading, shadows lengthening
the sun drops over the celestial equator
to the southern hemisphere
its’ Vernal equinox of new life

A Cosmic, Earthy-thing is
happening, of which we humans
are a small part; with blessings of
mysterious awe and transformed hearts

A time to contemplate
the living and the dead
a Fall Triduum: All Hallows Eve,
All Saints Day, All Souls Day 

A time to appreciate with
cornucopias of gratitude
and the heart’s thanksgiving for
the cycles of growth and shriveling

Remembering the unity
of the many dancing as the one
doing nothing and leaving nothing undone
Autumn in the North befalls all

Herb Stone, hereandnow working poetry,
September, the Autumn Equinox, 2019

Photos by Herb Stone