poem: Self, community, earth, cosmos (it is all related)
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Monthly Archives: February 2021
Remembering Lawrence Ferlinghetti on His Death
haiku: the rhythm of the body
haiku: the rhythm of the body
our internal clock
craves light at dawn and sunset
recalibrating
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
February 23, 2021
video by Herb Stone
“ Dawn’s Light and Bird Song”
(reader’s note: Thanks to my wise
Facebook friend, Marva Lee Weigelt,
for her recent post about our bodies
need for natural light at dawn and
sunset to help our circadian
rhythms regulate our alertness and
relaxation and our overall health
functioning. And so this morning, I
stand outside for a few minutes of
mindfulness as the birds sing. It is
a natural high!)
poem: days, seasons/self, divine/community, cosmos
poem: days, seasons/self, divine/community, cosmos
arising early, the new day,
in pitch black darkness
the cold in my bones
silence surrounds me
the earth under
a blanket of ice and snow,
winter’s last gasp
before spring’s riot
in this season of self-introspection,
reflecting on this age of
spiritual greed and idolatrous self-serving
confronting difficult truths and personal discomfort,
longing for a more wholesome
footing with the Divine
Beloveds, the Spirit as close
as our next breath,
breath in, breath out,
inhale ‘Yah’, exhale ‘weh’
softening our hearts,
forsaking worldly rewards,
longing for Authentic Community together,
being as One in Divine Cosmic Consciousness
lighting the fire of the vital Life Force,
we are all just sojourners here walking one another Home
that thou art
rising, opening, sitting
upon the Lotus Throne of the
Divine Heart of the Cosmos
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
February, 20, 2021
photos by Herb Stone
(reader’s note: written during the great
Winter Storm of late February 2021)
quote: an old man’s tears
haiku: sign of my birth
Being that today is my 73rd birthday, I wrote this haiku in an effort to find some thread through all the years and answer the question of what has brought me here and now.
haiku: sign of my birth
under Pisces born
at the end of long winter
Earth child, Mystic heart
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
February 21, 2021
here&now working poetry
February 21, 2021
photo by Herb Stone
‘The Warm Heart of Winter Buddha’
(reader’s note: Born a Pisces
in the age of Pisces, February
is a raw, bitter cold, icy snow,
muddy month when our minds
long for Spring. I am aware of
the signs influences on me,
Earth lover, Cosmic being,
Creative soul longing for the
Divine that unites it all in
a story I am always trying to
tell.)
haiku: snow shadows
quote: past, present, future
Reflection: what to say about this frigid winter and the coming thaw?
Reflection: what to say about this frigid winter and the coming thaw?
One word comes to my mind this morning as I look out my windows and scan the news for information.
Monumental!
Here in Nashville, we had several more inches of snow overnight covering the ice and sleet of the last few days since this all began on Monday of this week. Appears to be 4 to 6 inches total here locally. While the ice and snow has closed down most businesses, schools, and vaccination centers, and driving off the main roads is impossible, our power grid has held up and we have had no interruption of electricity. We have not been off our hill for the past three days, and I am hoping we will be able to drive down again in the next 2 to 3 days. For now we are good on food and supplies and grateful.
I am reading and hearing news reports that 70% of the United States is being affected by the frigid winter temperatures, the ice, and the snow with Texas being the hardest hit state in that its’ power grid is not producing enough power and many in that state have no power or intermittent power leading to water pipes bursting, food emergencies, carbon monoxide deaths, and other crises. The weather situation here in the U.S. is unusual for this time of year in that it is so widespread, severe, and long lasting. Historical records are being set. We pray for all in harm’s way and that warming weather will break the frigid cold soon.
With my birthday coming up this Saturday when I turn 73, I am remembering the February birthdays of my youth when it was almost always cold and snowy or cold and muddy. I remember being a bit envious of friends who had their birthdays outdoors in warmer weather. Oh, I would go outdoors and play in any weather, but the party itself had to be inside. Birthdays in our family were always warm and loving and celebrated with cousins and neighborhood friends. Wonderful memories!
And now, here in the icy grip of late winter, in the solitary shadows of our Lenten heart, we quietly contemplate the self within and the coming of spring with its’ warmth and light bringing rebirth in its’ lifting up of new life. Spring follows Winter as Lent is on the road to Easter and Pentecost. Life’s patterns, tensions, and flow are the threads in the tapestry which interconnect all creation and being as one together. Abide in it. We cry, we grieve, we lament, we rejoice, we hope, we offer thanks!
The old traditions help me navigate the uncertain future.
Beloveds, whatever your circumstances, we pray for you all and send our love and blessings for peace and well being.
Note: Photos are from the last several days since the winter storm set in as we look out the windows and venture into the little woods out back. Beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
Quote: The Spirituality of Imperfection