ZzzzZzzzZzzzZzzzZzzz
It was the key of E
ZzzzZzzzZzzzZzzzZzzz
punctuated by the coloratura
of exuberant birds
greeting the morning sunlight
as the bees rushed from flower to flower
zealous to drink in the nectar of a new day

A leaf blower pierces this subtle but mighty symphony
Why can't we just allow the wind to blow the leaves?
Still the bees ZzzzZzzZzzz
Still the birds rival the greatest sopranos
And I pause
What am I adding to this grand opus?
Am I in harmony?
Am I the din?

ZzzzZzzzZzzZzzzZzzz
And we keep buzzing, humming, singing
As this little planet turns, ecstatically
In a symphony of galaxies and stars
Basking in the dayspring sun

Today, I walked
along a river girded by concrete
as fall's cold hand caressed the sage nearby

Today, I walked
among hundreds of shades of sepia, brown, vermillion
as I heard my footfalls distinctly, with no green, dewy foliage
to soften my heavy steps

Today, I walked
among the surrendering of Naure
to  fall's cold hand, which caressed the sage nearby

What parts of me are dry
What parts of me are brown, with no verve
What can soften my heavy footfalls

Today, I walked

This is the cup of the new and everlasting covenant
Shed for you and for all, so that our sins may be forgiven...

Do this in memory of Me.

In memory of the spooky parochial school halls
In memory of the wizened nuns, quietly obedient
In memory of the over-simplicity of rules
In memory of false piety laced with hypocrisy
In memory of crushing inadequacy

Do this, in memory of me, the child.

In memory of the child whose uniform never quite fit
Whose body developed too early
Who had trouble making friends
Who didn't have enough discipline

Do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that
So many tiny rules and expectations
to love, serve and obey

Great, Merciful Destroyer,
your mercy is abundant, overflowing in your devastation
as the dross is cleared

The time of great surrender is here
It is today, now
And, like a lover, I yearn to surrender
I yearn to let go

In your magnificence,
only the raw, unvarnished, pulsating, living truth remains
All else is dross  
All else is no-thing
All else is glimmer, not gold

Great Merciful Destroyer,
please give me the courage to witness
the destruction that creates
that fire that cleanses
the truth that liberates

A beehive displaced
Shrouded by passion flowers
As humans walk by

Sap bleeds from tree
Purging as it witnesses
A blanket of leaves

Tiny tomatoes
Sunlit, ripen on crisp, green vines
Trampled by footsteps