poem: a season of loss

poem: a season of loss
feeling the deep sting of loss
in this dark, wet, cold,
season of mid-winter

and yet, what personal hubris of one’s self
would tell someone to worry about the comfort
and safety of their own ego

only in the dark night of the soul
are we liberated from old attachments
and compulsions so that we love more freely

only with suffering can we
awaken to the deepest
compassion and wisdom of life eternal

and only in healing can one
know the complimentary, both/and,
unitive, full process of suffering

yes, here and now in the second half of life,
it is time to put away our childish ways,
and spiritually discern our falling upward

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
January 27, 2023

photo by author “Home”
author’s note: the second line of the last verse is from 1 Corinthians 13:11. 
Richard Rohr has an excellent book titled, “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the 
Two Halves of Life.”

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

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

haiku: autumn’s winds and lover’s whispers

haiku: autumn’s winds
and lover’s whispers

wind in the red oak leaves
on the bridge crossing the creek
whispers sweet nothingsHerb Stone
here&now working poetry
November 10, 2022

video by author
“Love Is In The Air”

turn on sound

haiku: flickering memories

haiku: flickering memories

Totties’ white crochet
in Fall’s dancing light adorns
the royal blue chair

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 31, 2022

photo by author

author’s note: remembering my maternal grandmother, Aline Feustel Martin (1889-1979), who we grandchildren called Tottie all her life.

poem: her morning reverie

poem: her morning reverie

framed by the golden light
of the Fall day

in the rocking chair by the window
in the sun’s warmth

body still, mind quiet
eyes soft, breath even

soul ascending
on wings of spirit

ageless dreams
of Home

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 23, 2022

photo by author

poem: a caregiver’s satori

poem: a caregiver’s satori

with the beauty of
a new autumn day
this tapestry
of colors

blue, pink, white
sky above
orange, red, yellow
leaves below

a caregiver’s day
begins early
it holding
much to do

caring for
my beloved
ordinary chores
and errands

here and now
this satori moment
and then the laundry,
meals, and dishes

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 13, 2022

photos by author

poem: the autumn of life/ winter’s coming

poem: the autumn of life/
winter’s coming

suddenly
a gust of Fall breeze
flattens the tall grass
with a swoosh

peacefully
butterflies dart
and flutter
in the frostweed

blissfully
the golden sun rays
play upon our skin
warming our core

gratefully
our breath catches
walking the path
heading home

mindfully
aware winter’s coming
and light’s fading; hope is
a glowing ember in our hearts

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
October 2, 2022

photos by author

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!