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“…but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 18:14

God of the Pedestaled and of the lowly base,
in the midst of the upright and tumbled
we strive to climb,
we yearn to settle down,
seeking a bit of fortune and some fame,
deliver us from those who
only clamber noisefully upward
to the heavens of their own making
while stepping, worse eliminating,
the ones who are happy with step-by-step.
Amen.

Skeleton key

I found the skeleton key to reality displayed
on the lower level of an antique store
tucked away in a dusty corner.

There was no price tag on the key, only a note
scribbled in a fiendish hand saying, Touch
if you must.  Use sparingly.  Good luck.

I offered one dollar for the key at checkout
and the attendant smiled as if they knew
something which I did not know.

I now keep the key on my key chain hoping
to come across the door with a mysterious lock
waiting for fantasy to end and something to begin.

Outside

How many times 
will I find myself
outside the door
listening on the wind
as songs and prayers
are lifted up within?

Paradox Happens

Do not retreat to the simple and to the blockish.
Those dances have already been danced.

Find your repose of spirit hiding behind the garage
where weeds have grown up for years.

Turn to the setting sun and then to the rising moon
crying aloud from your soul, "Paradox happens."

Then you will not have to worry at what the morning
brings after another restless night of being awakened.

The Dance Into

We contain the bread and the wine.
More than symbols,
the grain and the fruit contain us.
Whether we sweat from  
the work of our labor or from
the sweet mingling of our love,
both contain the reality of suffering.
The pressed or shredded elements
of creation make holy the communion
of souls tonight at the altar.
Do not let your heart say, No.
Rather, dance your way into 
the realm of further complexity.

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord…” – Jeremiah 31:31

Creator of all days,
Sender of the morning brilliance,
Our growing out of seeds in darkness
Brings fruit to the edge of underground
Where we wait for the first light.
Make us shine and become ablaze
to burn away all the layers of dross 
meant to keep us in our place.
Amen.

In the Grove

Attempt after attempt fails.
The inbox of my life
once again fills itself
up to the roof where
I have tucked myself away
trying to escape from
a world where unmindful
breathing carrying one apple
in an outstretched hand
exhales with a hiss 
endangering all who simply
seek to gather in the midst
of the grove of fruit trees.

“Love God and Do What You Will” – Augustine

People kill and people die
from various interpretations
of loving God.

Better to breathe a mindful
breath where place and desire
no longer clash against the other.

Difficulties

You cannot explain apple juice
to someone who has not tasted it.

Mountain climbing should not be tried
by someone who never touches stone.

Experience accumulates slowly for those
who fail to rise from endless morning sleep.

It is difficult to tell the story of the color purple
to a field of standing goldenrod.

The Many-Colored Way

I said, "Can't you see that it doesn't
matter to me if you run your sword
through my soul?"

She asked, "Are you so certain
in your monkish response
that pain will no longer matter?"

I answered, "Somewhere there is
no concern between what is right
and what is wrong."

She said, "Those who believe so
practice dancing on graves
in the middle of the night."

I apologized, "My sleep was full
of dark dreams meant only 
for those who cherish pain."

She said, "Try walking down avenues
paved with stones of many colors
each sharper than razor blades."