alone on a cold
and clear day
at the Coast
i lavish my senses
by listening to the Ocean
but my ears
are gradually freezing
and i want them
to be warm
so i put on a wool cap
covering my bald head
and my almost-frostbitten ears
but whilst the Ocean
is singing in Waves
and ways that should
be ringing through
my Body and Being
i can't hear It
so i fold back
the flaps
of my cap
far enough
to cover
my eartops
and uncover
my earlobes
and while i can sense
the essential Majesty
of the Ocean in Motion
It is a muffled Magnificence
a stifled Symphony
and i am reminded
in this idyllic
and isolated Paradise
that no one of Us
can have It All
(as if any of This
is Ours to 'have')
and that the cap
covering the ears
(and the ears themselves)
and the Place
to hear the Waves
of the Ocean in Motion
(and the Ocean Itself)
and the Space
that props up the ears
and replays both
the Hopes and fears
of all my years
and causes commotion
within both Hemispheres
of Head and Heart
Psyche and Spirit
and the Grace
that embraces the fears
and the Love
at the Center
of It All
that contains the tears
like a salty Sacred Ocean
with Waves that wash away
the years of despair
the jeers of dismay
and refresh the Soul
and make us Whole
are All Gifts
to be received
but not possessed
and how our attempts
to possess All that
already embraces Us
muffles the Magnificent Mystery
stifles the Spirited Symphony
and maybe allowing
my ears to freeze
can not only open
my Self more fully
to hear the Spirit
(and not to fear it)
but also open
my Spirit in ways
that enable me
to hear the pleas
of my neighbors
freezing on our streets
(and recognize the pain
pounding down like sheets
of rain resounding
through the Air resonating
with my own
as something we share
- at least in some way)
and empower me
to shine the Light
of the World
that frees All Captives
through the murky haze
of despair and discomfort
and apathetic indifference
as a Being
who is Beaming
with the Brilliance
and Radiance that fires
a million Suns
and warms a trillion
freezing ears and noses
and fingers and toeses
and Bodies and Beings
(and maybe
even my own
which i do not own)
a living reminder
that no matter
where we find
our quivering Selves
we aren't shivering
or sojourning
Alone...
Thanks.
#430wordprayers #Lent2023
No comments:
Post a Comment