What Remains?

What Remains

What remains
When everything we know
Is wrong
Was justa song.

What pertains
When all we've sown
Has flown
Was just on loan

What remains?
What pertains?

Signs

Signs
Little trembling
Fingers
Aging
Aging
Aging

Lines
Little wrinkling
Cheeks
Aging
Aging
Aging

Minds
Little lapsing
Thoughts
   Aging
    Aging
   Aging

HAIKU

Cemetery Love

Cemetery Love
Do I fear death? Fear the end?
Unknown mystery.

(Written the day of my sister-in-law's graveside service.)

Children Running Aisles

Children running aisles
Are much better than screaming
Tied to seats and held.

From Row 4 to Row 7

From Row 4 to Row 7
Different world’s existing.
Crystal to plastic.

(Written on the plane coming home from my sister-in-law's service.)

Each Day I Am Torn

Each day I am torn
'tween Michael the hypocrite
And Mike the humble

When Sprinklers Don't Sprink

When sprinklers don’t sprink
When toilets don’t toil
Better give God a small nod.

They Are Invaders

They are "Invaders",
"Illegals", scorned and disdained.
Each one loved by God.

Posted 8-22-19 on the Profound Living Facebook Page:

So many people bring happiness to my life, for tiny or enormous reasons. It makes me happy, for example, that you follow this Profound Living page. It makes me happy that people dedicate their lives to working for organizations like the Network For Grateful Living. It made me happy yesterday when someone donated a Keurig machine to our office break room. It made me happy that when the bus was a half hour late last night - my second attempt at taking the bus to work - a nice woman named Janet told me how to download an app that let's me know where the bus is on its route.

There are plenty of things I'm not too happy about in the world - like the fact that I've always disliked coconut and I know other people love it - but when I reflect on who brings happiness to my life, the list goes on and on.

Finally...

Mrs. Wilson's foot by her toe
Had a bunion as big as her nose
But happy to say
As most women pray
The men still pursued her in droves.

Reading The Art of Pausing , by Judith Valente , Brother Paul Quenon , and Michael Bever , and writing a haiku has become a daily practice for me. The authors recommend this, and I have found it in the few short months I have been writing them to be a meaningful activity when paired with reading a daily haiku and narrative from the book. Now I have added other books of haiku to my regular reading.

I’m not a trained poet, but I don’t think poetry has to be created by an MFA graduate to be meaningful, and certainly meaningful to the author.

So here are some haikus (and other stuff) I have lately written.

If you are interested in this poetic form, I highly recommend the work inThe Art of Pausing . It is so good. I am reading it now the second time, still each morning.

What Is Haiku?

Three lines. Five syllables the first line. Seven syllables the second line. Five syllables the third line. They aren't supposed to rhyme, but of course why have rules if you can't break them once in a while.

More about haiku here.

It can be so beautiful. Take a look at some here.