Category Archives: suffering

poem: a season of loss

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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.”





























































					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
poem: “maybe not being on the way is also the way”

			
						

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poem: “maybe not being on the way


is also the way”at one with life’s Cosmic Flow,

in the True Self and Authentic Nature

of all things here and now,

the way is eternally unending










our story becomes broken

when things become hard,

we pick and choose: ego erupts,

shadows creep in, suffering ensues


one feels they have lost the thread of life,

are off the path, are in exile,

lost in the dark night of the soul,

no longer walking towards home


maybe once on the way, there is no way

but the way; the conscious/unconscious,

engaged/disengaged, yin/yang,

wholeness of it all


“nothing goes away until it teaches us

what we need to learn”: isolation,

grief, loss, illness, doubt, heartbreak;

all are the way on the way


within the complementary tension of Cosmic

Flow, here is the Truth, Authenticity,

and Wholeness that guides us step by step

unending in the eternal way of all things


Herb Stone

here&now working poetry

November 19, 2022


author’s note: the title of the poem is a quote from the writing of Toka-Pa Turner.

The quote in the fifth stanza is a quote from the writing of Pema Chodron. I am

grateful to these two contemporary seers for their deep wisdom, writing, and

teachings which inspires me to reflect and write as I seek to know for my Self.


image: Cosmic Dust Flow, NASA Hubble Space Telescope


























No photo description available.



















































					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
poem: a harsh season

			
						

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poem: a harsh season




this late summer’s day

sitting among the blooms

of garlic and petunias 


admiring their beauty

during a brief respite from

the season’s searing heat 


she nearby with a wry smile,

resting on her cane, eyes closed,

lost in a reverie 


the past 12 months

of our life’s second half

its own harsh season




 


mindful that earthly forms

wither and fade

yet souls hold their beauty 


grateful for the radical

acceptance and love

of mutual belonging 


aware that our most

high Spirit resurrects

in Cosmic harmony of All 


yes, in the late summer

of our harsh year, seeing

the Beauty now and to come 


Herb Stone

here&now working poetry

August 6, 2022 


photos by author 


Author’s note: The past twelve

months have seen a string of acute

illnesses, chronic health concerns,

and injuries for my beloved. We

weather the harsh season together,

and discover the Beauty that survives

and endures now and to come.






  

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
poem: invitational presence

			
						

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poem: invitational presence


like the lodestar

in the dark of night

calling us to safe harbor


the host setting

an extra place at the table

for the unexpected guest


the healer connecting

deeply with others

through their own wounds


the creative soul

offering its expression

as a gift to the universe


the True Self animating

our life together

in communities of belonging


the spirit uplifting

the life and dignity

of all oppressed beings


the dear friend who

senses our need

and reaches out in support


being the invitational presence

subtly communicating to all

one’s radical acceptance and inclusion


Herb Stone

here&now working poetry

July 22, 2022


self photo “Opening the Heart Chakra’


Author’s note: Each of us can cultivate

an invitational presence which is key

to fostering healthy beings, relationships,

and communities of authentic belonging.

An excellent resource on invitational

presence and belonging is Toko-Pa Turner’s book,

‘Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home.”

This is an area I must continually work on due to

a temperament for solitude.











					

		
		
	


				
					
	

				
					
	

		

						
poem: an economy of words

			
						

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poem: an economy of words


writing over a lifetime

one uses tens of thousand words

baring one’s innermost soul

to the light


words can collect like rain

in the lowlands

and burst forth

in a torrent


and words can be

hard to come by

hidden in the darkness

of stultifying events


one can be filled

to over-brimming

and one can be empty

to the core


now exiled on the high knob

in the dry desert

in hopes dark clouds pour

releasing the light of new life


Herb Stone

July 19, 2022

here&now working poetry


photo by author









					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
poem: writing in time of pandemic, climate change, social injustice, tyranny, and gratitude for what matters

			
						

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poem: writing in time

of pandemic, climate change,

social injustice, tyranny,

and gratitude for what matters


writing from our home

in Nashville, where we

are under an excessive

heat warning all this week,

high humidity and temperatures


my beloved and I

both testing positive for COVID

for the first time and

quarantined at our home,

we are managing


writing this now,

my eyeballs hurt,

my fever is breaking

and I am covered in sweat

and trying to control a bad cough


tragically, we are inundated

daily with bad news of

gun violence, mass shootings,

and extrajudicial shootings

of young black men by police


and all this, not to mention,

the house hearings on the

criminal ex-45th. ‘president’

and his fascist, anti-democracy,

insurrectionist efforts to steal election


dear hearts, grateful for

all of you who have expressed concerns

and who walk this journey with us,

blessed to belong in authentic

community with you all


Herb Stone

here&now working poetry

July 7, 2022


photo by author





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
poem: somewhere between solitude and loneliness

			
						

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poem: somewhere between solitude and loneliness


being here now in solitary existence

somewhere between solitude and loneliness

reflecting on recent events and experiences:

aging, disease, injury, separation, siloing,

the world and its totalizing systems


struggling, striving, sitting with challenges,

reconciling the grace of our being,

the preciousness of our life together,

and the amazing beauty of our Earth Home

with tender heart and teary eyes


busy, tired, and weary at times,

continuing at my task knowing

that we can bear it together

through connecting, belonging, and sharing,

grateful for authentic relationships and community


sitting quietly, listening,studying, reflecting, creating,

and connecting continue in this busy season of the suffering

arriving as an unexpected guest at my door,

each invited in and treated with truth and respect








Herb Stone

here&now working poetry

June 21, 2022




art by Andrew Wyeth, ‘Christina Olsen, Triton’




Author’s note: I have struggled to write this, or anything else down, for over a


week. Knowing that sharing one’s suffering is very unfashionable in our


contemporary culture and society of everyone for themselves, I hesitate. I do not


share my poem from the perspective of being a victim, or a denier, or a masochist,

or from a place of apathy. Rather, I share from the perspective of witnessing,


better understanding, gifting, connecting, authentic belonging, and healing in the


tension of our suffering and our joie de vivre! The last three lines of stanza four


are after Rumi’s poem ‘The Guest House.”





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

				
					
	

		

						
haiku: broken ankles and dreams

			
						

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haiku: broken ankles and dreams


toe nails painted pink

a pedicure on her feet

she dreams of dancing


Herb Stone

here&now working poetry

May 14, 2022


photos by author


Author’s note: The physical therapist

working with Cathey is the best. Very

professional, highly skilled, and a

great motivator, with excellent rapport

with the patient. We are so grateful for

his presence. Oh, and yes, I did the

pedicure and nail polish.