tanka:time is memory
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Category Archives: belonging
poem: a missive from a hard winter and a possible return
poem: a missive from
a hard winter and a
possible return from deep within
the dark lair
a hard winter and a
possible return from deep within
the dark lair
wounds are salved
and broken things mended
a buffeting wet, cold
winter wind chills the bone
quality of life
frail and weak
free floating soul
battered in the storm
consciousness clouded
the way uncertain
circling in this thin place
in liminal time
letting go of survival instinct
for more understanding
perhaps a bit more repose
into the bardos of uncertainty
faith in one’s good nature,
clarity, and hope of return
opening to what lies beyond,
transformation, re-engagement
the intuitive wisdom of knowing
beyond the mind
emergence of True Self joined
mutually in beloved community
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
January 13, 2023
photo by author
‘Old Coyote in Winter’
an Advent poem: making ready (what comes before)
an Advent poem:
making ready
(what comes before) sitting in the pre-dawn
darkness of this spiritually
transformative season
(what comes before) sitting in the pre-dawn
darkness of this spiritually
transformative season
silent, reflective, open,
to the Divine Truth within
and the new beginnings before us
witnessing the Universal Cosmic Christ
who came down to us, comes again,
and is always with us in eternal life
mindful of the season’s
sentimentality, nostalgia, and hubris
which comforts and distracts us
here and now in the bliss
of participating and being
in the way of Creator God of All
mutually committed in body/mind/spirit
to preparing the way and living together
in diversity, healing, and peace
we humans transformed and co-creating
the alternative neighborly community
of True Self and Authentic Belonging
a lone voice in the wilderness
crying out, make ready the way
for the in-flowing of the Great I Am
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
December 6, 2022
author’s note: The last stanza is a paraphrase of the prophet Isaiah from the old testament found in Isaiah 40:3. The Great I Am reverences the I Am statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, and Yahweh, God’s name in the Old Testament. It also connotes the Sanskrit mantra Tat Tvam Asi from the Chandogya Upanishad which refers to the unity of the individual Soul with the Divine Universal Consciousness. My experience is that all Divine Truth is universal, perennial, and cosmic flowing from the one supreme source which underlies all religion, spirituality, and mysticism, and which can be directly experienced by human beings who follow the way of True Self. An excellent book on this idea is “The Perennial Philosophy” by Aldous Huxley.
art image ‘O Root’ by Sister Ansgar Holmberg
poem: conscious aging, spiritual foresight, perennial wisdom
poem: conscious aging,
spiritual foresight,
perennial wisdommindfully present
flowing in the
universal rhythms
of the Cosmos
here and now
spiritual foresight,
perennial wisdommindfully present
flowing in the
universal rhythms
of the Cosmos
here and now
letting go any
pretense of
hubris, sentimentality,
power, control,
and domination
pure being,
not desiring,
doing,
grasping,
or withholding
emptying,
opening,
uniting,
in the eternal, omnipresent
One Peace/One Love
sharing mutually
authentic presence
of belonging: witnesses,
prophets, seers, souls,
and saints
focusing, preparing, practicing,
participating, reflecting,
celebrating, liberating,
transitioning, whole-making,
arriving full-circle
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 20, 2022
photo by author
“Full Circle”
poem: an elder’s perspective on time and space
poem: an elder’s perspective
on time and space
on time and space
thinking of the past is useless
unless it informs the present
always going for the gust
is a fool’s dream
worrying for tomorrow
a thief in the night
thus taking more time
mindfully present here and now
with loved ones, dear friends,
soul mates, and witnesses
wherever you go, there you are
you will find me there
covering less ground somewhere
between disengaged and belonging
close to home
Homeward bound
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 27, 2022
October 27, 2022
author’s note: My reflection on aging
was sparked after reading Thomas Merton’s
quote, “Take more time, cover less ground.”
John Kabat- Zinn is reflected in a book title
of his, “Wherever You Go, There You Are.”
And Ram Dass’ iconic words, “Be Here Now”
from his book by the same title is
represented in the poem. Merton, a Catholic
monk; Kabat-Zinn, a biomedical scientist
influenced by Buddhism; and Ram Dass,
a Harvard social psychology research professor who became
a disciple of Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba.
These and others have been my teachers from
whom I have learned about living, aging, and dying.
I have tried to be a good student and continue to learn.
photo by author ‘On the Front Stoop’
haiku: autumn’s home
haiku: autumn’s home
high on eastern ridge
abundance of peace and love
harvesting blessings
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 4, 2022
photos by author
quote: seeking the light
poem: a husband/caregiver’s lament
poem: a husband/caregiver’s lament
speaking honestly now,
crying out into the silence,
seeking to project
understanding, hope, and healing
into the challenge of
giving care to a beloved
having no time
for platitudes,
sentimental claptrap,
and well-meaning advice,
these self serving idols
of comfort, security, positive-thinkers
do not tell me
about long goodbyes
and cruel diseases;
the stigmas of Alzheimer’s, and
its resulting isolation and lack of support,
are contemptible in our competitive society
and so we two, together here and now,
presently in our deathless love,
falling upward into this simple, sweet life,
sharing warm hugs, a deep mutual attentive
presence, and loving-kindness for all beings
in deep gratitude
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
September 12, 2022
photo by author ‘Resting’ and “Here and Now”
Author note: I have labored to write this
piece for weeks in an effort to bring a balance
in the tension between living in a society
that does not value the aging resulting
in trite sentimentality, the isolation of individuals and caregivers,
and the lack of compassionate support and care, vis-a-vis
the reality of caregiver spouses and their
beloved with Alzheimer’s living and loving
with presence and attention together
here and now. Their is a great need for
everyone to better understand those living
with this disease and for more compassionate and accessible
support and care. Let us love one another!
poem: child of the universe, hippie, yogi, elder
poem: child of the universe,
hippie, yogi, elderneither clinging to a nostalgic past,
nor projecting a future of sentimentality,
now resisting social norms of
emotional idealism and neurotypical
stereotyping
hippie, yogi, elderneither clinging to a nostalgic past,
nor projecting a future of sentimentality,
now resisting social norms of
emotional idealism and neurotypical
stereotyping
I, being a witness of here and now,
maintaining spiritual consciousness,
invitational presence, and attentive
mutuality, connecting deeply at soul level,
opening to the wholeness of other
we, belonging here together in beloved
community, falling upward in grace and love,
cycling through the bardo, eternally together
with the supreme in cosmic union,
that am I (tat tvam asi)
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
August 28, 2022
photo by author
“Here is, in truth, the whole secret of
Yoga, the science of the soul. The active
turnings, the strident vibrations, of
selfishness, lust and hate are to be stilled
by meditation, by letting heart and mind
dwell in spiritual life, by lifting up the
heart to the strong, silent life above, which
rests in the stillness of eternal love, and
needs no harsh vibration to convince it of
true being.”- Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras of
Patanjali
“The Perennial Philosophy is expressed
most succinctly in the Sanskrit formula,
tat tvam asi (‘That art thou’); the Atman,
or immanent eternal Self, is one with
Brahman, the Absolute Principle of all
existence; and the last end of every human
being, is to discover the fact for himself, to
find out who he really is.” – Aldous Huxley
“It is only those who are in constant revolt
that discover what is true, not the man who
conforms, who follows some tradition. It is only
when you are constantly inquiring, constantly
observing, constantly learning, that you find
truth, God, or love.”- Jiddu Krishnamurti
poem: initiation
poem: initiation
witnessing life’s tension
with both/and mind,
opening to the complementary
experiencing the interconnectedness
of all things (oneing),
the initiated adult
in the the second half of life emerges
from their ego’s protective shell
of small self becoming
an invitational presence
of mutuality and belonging
here and now in the
beloved community
Herb Stone
August 15, 2022
here&now working poetry
