a New Song (Interdependence Day 2024)

in this time

where it's unclear

what song to sing

(or which song

we'll be allowed

or required to sing)

'God Bless America'

or 'God Save the King'

(or simply 'God

Save Us All')

and seemingly all

that we fear

is becoming 

unceasingly visible

and unbecomingly clear

for this one nation

aspirationally 'under God'

supposedly 'indivisible'

and yet viscerally 

appearing to be

asphyxiatedly drowning 

under waters of worry

and floods of fanaticism

with Hope yearning

to breathe free

yet increasingly invisible

and subversively submerged

and Peace running

for its Life

away from death

gasping for Breath

grasping for Sanity

longing for Liberty

and our Beloved

and bedraggled Community

hating each other

into deeper hurting

from untrusting pathology

baiting each other

into another bludgeoning

from unstable ideology

with the only

shimmers of Space

coming to us

even more discreetly

and the only

glimmers of Grace

coming through us

even more cheaply

may We somehow

remember amidst all

the begrudging 

and berating

that can grieve us

and leave us 

feeling like that 

'grand old flag'

(tattered and torn)

that We remain

a Nation still

waiting to be Born

aching to emerge

into the World

as a Light unfurled

on the Eternal Wings

of the proverbial Eagle

with a New Song

as ageless as

the Ancient of Days

Germinating and Growing

in our Hearts

Creating and Composing

the Melody of Magnificence

and Harmony of Hope

and Rhythm of Reconciliation

waiting to be Sung

and may we not

misuse the Eagle's claw

to cling onto beguiling

branches of control

but may our Creator

mend our every flaw

and confirm our Soul

in Spirited self-control

and may we find

our longed-for Liberty

not only in 

the Law of Land

but even more deeply

within and among Us

the Law of Love

in Our Time...

Amen.

#300wordprayers #HappyInterdependenceDay2024 #GodBlessUsEveryone #WeAreStillOne #WeAreStillTheBelovedCommunity #WeAreStillWaitingToBeBorn #BreatheAndPush #RevolutionaryLove #LibertyAndEqualityAndJusticeForAll

('The Cry of the Earth' © Arthur Mhkoyan)

ode to Joy

amidst all 

the what-if's

and oh-no's

and i-wish's

and i-shoulda's

and i-coulda's

and i-woulda's

and who-knows

and let-go's

and hold-on's

and i-miss's

and i-can't's

and i-won't's

and i-must's

and i-fear's

and i-trust's

and i'm-lost's

and i'm-bound's

and i-long's

(to be Found)

and i-want's

and i-shove's

and i-need's

(to be Loved)

may we know

that the Flow

always goes where

we need It

and while we

can be so

easily entangled

by the incapacity

that is created

by anxiety

we also have

the Capacity 

(beyond sad 

and happy)

for surprising Joy

from Beyond and

within our Selves

to be unfurled

to our World

enabling the Elasticity

to Feel the Flow

and Heed It

and not only

to Ride It

but also

to Feed It

and Seed It

into the Soil

hardened and mangled

by a mindset

of scarcity

Softening all expanses

and circumstances

that are rough

Embracing all distances

and differences

that are tough

and reminding Us

through all

the fluster

and fluff

the bluster

and bluff

that We are

Beloved

and We are

Enough...

Thanks.

#175wordprayers #AllOurEmotionsAreNeededAndEmbracedInTheFlow #ThanksToJoyForBeingPresentBeneathSadnessAndHappiness #ThanksToPixarAndTheBrillianceOfInsideOutOneAndTwo

(Joy Embracing the Whole Self  from 'Inside Out 2' © Disney/Pixar 2024)

Say Hey & Hallelujah

the greatest player

in the history

of the greatest game

in our history

made the greatest catch

without seeing the ball

until right before it 

landed in his mitt

but sensing where

it was heading

he headed himself

in that direction

without looking back

but innately Knowing

which way it was going

and which Way

the Wind was blowing

and where the Energy

was freely Flowing

his Spirit trusted

in what he

could not see

and the ball

eventually did arrive

and the Play

(and history)

was made

not unlike Justice

deferred and delayed

eventually did arrive

to those Beloveds

still slaving away

in the dusted

and distant expanses

making a declaration

of true Independence

and a proclamation

of true Emancipation

and the ever-presence

of Divine Humanity

in all Beloveds

a true Incarnation

resurrected into expression

of true Interdependence

a holistic Jubilee

of unbridled Celebration

that all Beloveds

are truly Free

(and by Trust

in What we

do not see

will always Be)

so Say Hey

and Hallelujah

for miraculous Plays

and courageous Stays

and Infinite Ways

to embody Faith

and true Equality

and Liberty

and Justice

for All...

Thanks.

#190wordprayers #Juneteenth2024 #RIPToTheSayHeyKid #WillyMaysTheGOAT #LoveAndRespectToOpalLeeTheCatalystForJuneteenth #97YearsYoungStillGlowingAndGoingStrong 

Choir

It's not about

achieving perfection

but believing connection

is a Sacred Source

of glistening invention

through listening with intention

not merely with our ears

but with our Senses

to each other

and our deepest Selves

and the deeper Spirit

sharing the Air

nurturing the Pneuma

rejoicing in Ruach

wandering and wondering

with the Wind

befriending our fears

and embracing them

with sighs and cries

moans and tones

melodies and harmonies

that emanate from years

and ages past

into the Present

and reverberate to soothe

our tender tears

and wounded Souls

and alleviate the aching

of our breaking Hearts

and elevate our sore-did

and burdened Beings

to Sacred Heights

simply by Breathing Together

whilst Being Together

seeping into the Silence

to reveal and release

the Resurrectional Resonance

sneaking into the Invisible

to unveil and unleash

the Visible Presence

conjuring the Cosmic

manifesting the Mystery

singing the Song

of Divine Humanity

in Temporal Eternity

under the guidance

of Priests on podiums

stoking the Spirit

working their Wizardry

to create amazing Alchemy

that communicates Infinity

the resounding Revelations

of the Almighty

in the Radiance

that enlivens 

and enlightens

and Delightens 

Us All...

Thanks.

#190wordprayers #HappyBirthdayDearDad #ThankFulForAllThePriestsOnPodiums #GratitudeForAllTheInspirationAndLatitudeToCommunallyCreateAndCommunicateInfinity

3-or-4-Ever-More (for 34)

for the Grace

that embraces misgivings

(and even snore-givings)

with endless Forgivings

needed for Living(s)

with endless Thanksgivings

that engages Breathing

when we're seething

and understandably needing 

space for grieving 

and unspoken soothing

that enacts Sharing

and compassionate Caring

when circumstances call

more for swearing

and fearful tearing

apart our bearings

that empowers Forbearing

of each other

when we're weathering

the bumpy lumps

(a few more

than 3 or 4)

that rise up

on the road

of Life together

with the Love

that helps us

keep our bearings

in our unique

and inimitable pairing

and meets us

when we're despairing

with the Light

that softly saturates

the daunting darkness

and gently scatters

our fragile fears

and the Laughter

that not only

rattles the rafters

but also shatters

the solidified hearts

so easily hardened

by the knocks

of painful strife

on this sordid

and Sacred Sod

with playful pokes

that remind us

of our parts

in the craziest 

and Holiest 

of Jokes

like the pitchers

and the catchers

blundering their signs

wondering who's on

first and what

is the score

and the batters

who need just

one good pitch

one good swing

to bring Everyone

safely back Home

and Redeem Everything

like the 3-Personed God

4-Ever and Evermore

the uproarious 

and glorious

Gift that Shines

in the Face

of the One

whom i awake

to each Morn

and Graces each

Day and Space

with Puma Pride

by my side...

Thank You.

(to dear Kir, for 34 years of facing our fears and embracing our tears with Love and Laughter...love, bri)

#240wordprayers #HappyAnniversaryToUs #PatienceAndPathosAndForbearanceAndFaithAndLaughterAndLoveCanCarryYouALongWay #BugsBunnyPetePumaAbbottAndCostelloJohnDunneAndTheHolyLaugherFTW #GoMilwaukieElPuentePumas 

All Who Gave All (Memorial Day 2024)

the saying goes

that All gave some

and Some gave all

and that resonates

with our Divine

and Human instinct

to serve and protect

and our capacity

to care and connect

in our Divine

and common Humanity

and given the chaos

of impenetrable polarities

and indefensible perplexities

and industrial complexities

in our world

that keeps trying

to keep us disconnected

where we can feel

like things are fated

to trap us

infernally in hatred

there is a special

place of Gratitude

for those who fight

(and even die)

to bring an end

to the lie

that we cannot ever

end the fighting

and ignite the Light

of Beloved Community

Eternally in Love

and so we celebrate

Those who went big

and gave all

for the sake

of undying Peace

who Inspire Us

to do the same 

each and every Day

in our small

yet Sacred Ways...

Thanks Be for Them.

#150wordprayers #MemorialDay2024 #FightingToEndAllTheFighting #WeWantTheRuleOfLoveEnoughToFightAndDieToKeepItComing #BruceCockburnFTW #PeaceOnEarthBeginsWithUs #ThanksToAllWhoGaveTheirAllForAll #PeaceInUkraineAndSyria #SalaamShalomInIsraelPalestine

('The American Dream' © Daniel Wall)

Unknowingly Known (Mother's Day 2024)

it all begins

with a radical Risk

a Leap of Faith

into the Unknown

for the sake

of Incarnate Love

in the form

of an Unknown

yet Knowing intuitively

that the Journey

through murky uncertainty

into unbelievable Birth

is worth the danger

like a friend request

sent to a familiar

and Beloved stranger

allowing the Life

of another to enter

the deepest, most vulnerably

intimate places within

opening up to embraces

from faces only imagined

appearing in surprising places

endearingly and perpetually

in spaces that stretch

the sinews and warm

the Senses and Souls

Eternally like a Manger

and while the Path

winds its wild Way

through blind alleys

and dark valleys

over dazzling peaks

at dizzying heights

like a maniacal

and Mystical rollercoaster

there are no regrets

only plenty of Re-Gifts

that Miraculously Multiply

with each Giving

if not like rabbits

at least like remnants

precious and rare

(sometimes rarely shared)

of a limitless Love

that keeps on living

through precious reminiscences

amidst painful remisses

over endless distances

and friendless absences

with a Pulse

that keeps Pumping

and a Heart

that keeps Hoping

and a Grace

that keeps Guiding

and a Courage

that keeps Encouraging

from the very start

through every chart

of unimaginable weather

even when apart

always intrinsically Together...

for all our Mothers 

and Nurturing Others...

Thanks.

#220wordprayers #MothersDay2024 #GratefulForTheHistoryOfPlungingDeeperIntoMystery

('Mujer' © Marie Aschehoug-Clauteaux)