Bringing Us to Words...One Heart at a Time...Changing the World

I am still in my pajamas at 1:00 with no real reason to get dressed I wonder how long this coronavirus pandemic will continue I hear people taking their final breaths on ventilators I see people hoarding toilet paper and more patients than the hospitals can handle I am still in my pajamas at 1:00 with no real reason to get dressed
I pretend to go about my daily business—washing dishes, preparing meals I feel the boredom that crept in weeks ago and the panic of those who lost their jobs I touch a fear deep within me that my elderly parents might die from this I worry about the germs floating around in the grocery store I cry that my fifth grade daughter will end her elementary years at home, without fanfare I am still in my pajamas at 1:00 with no real reason to get dressed
I understand there will eventually be a vaccine for COVID -19 I say we are washing our hands and taking precautions to help flatten the curve I dream that people are kinder on the other side of this I try to do som…

I am ebb and flow.
I wonder about the middle space of ebb and flow, when neither and both are present.
I hear silence.
I see potential.
I am ebb and flow.

I pretend to be wise.
I feel melancholy, as usual.
I touch the holy and the unholy.
I worry that the dream is just a dream.
I cry about getting in my own way.
I am ebb and flow.

I understand one does not exist without the other.
I say - make it a dance not a war!
I dream about open waters and meaningful flows.
I try to navigate well.
I hope to balance even in the tides and currents.
I am ebb and flow.

I am small, yet brave. I wonder where I’d go were I braver still. I hear a voice that says “No, I cannot.” I see all the ways I have already said “Yes.” I am small, yet brave.
I pretend that my power is meaningless. I feel self doubt taking hold. I touch my fingers to the pen. I worry that the pen will stay still. I cry because worry drains me power. I am small, yet brave.
I understand that the choice is mine. I say that writing is my power. I dream that I fall and fail. I try to remember those are only dreams. I hope my fingers always find my pen. I am small, yet brave.

I am as delicate and as strong as the red caliandra tattooed on my skin I wonder about windows reflected on soap bubbles
I hear when the stars blink their eyes
I see the hands of time caressing my friends’ faces
I am as delicate and as strong as the red caliandra tattooed on my skin

I pretend I’m not afraid yet
I feel the pain of the world
I touch the face of the child I once was
I worry poetry won’t be enough
I cry for the ones who die, I fight for the ones who stay
I am as delicate and as strong as the red caliandra tattooed on my skin

I understand love expands your soul
I say writing is for everyone
I dream of changing the canon  and the world
I try to be the best version of me 
I hope poetry will be enough I am as delicate and as strong as the red caliandra tattooed on my skin

I am beloved and sad.
I wonder if 8 billion people are changing, can change...should change.
I hear the collective clamor.
I see in each face: resolve, or fear, or defiance.
I am beloved and sad.

I pretend I am hugging you, when I’m only leaving a token on your doorstep.
I feel grateful to do even that.
I touch the dry and brittle sticks, collecting them for a fire each night.
I worry when the flame gets too high.
I cry, driving through the silent, shuttered city.
I am beloved and sad.

I understand this, like everything, will end.
I say that connection exists beyond our sense of it.
I dream all night of faces from my past, places I’ve performed and won.
I try to love exactly what is in front of me.
I hope not one of us escapes unscathed.
I am beloved and sad.

I am loved and loving
I wonder what needs to die
I hear blossoms opening
I see my world transformed
I am loved and loving

I pretend I am connected to all beings
I feel an inner aliveness
I touch the red hot center of my heart
I worry about places inside that are still entombed
I cry for those too burdened to wake up
I am loved and loving

I understand all things are changing
I say, “Let me, let us crack open.”
I dream we can treat everyone with respect
I try to really listen
I hope it’s not too late
I am loved and loving.