poem: a season of loss
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: a season of loss
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.”
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’
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
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
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
author’s note: My reflection on aging
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
for weary souls
attention narrowing
deep in thought
blank stare
unmoored in rough seas
sensing distress
husband and caregiver
wife and charge
weary souls connect
gently taking her hand
and whispering
“we need some loving-kindness”
she smiles tenderly back at me
metta, compassion,
benevolent tender affection
re-centering us back
in the here and now
loving-kindness
is our healing balm
for much of the weariness
of this world
may all beings be safe
may all beings be free of pain and suffering
may all beings be whole
may all beings be loving and loved
Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
September 5, 2022
photo and quote by author