poem for chakra ajna

one pointed focus

two petaled flower

violet third eye

cultivating wisdom

seeing clearly

non-duality

all opposites as one

awakening unity

between the eyebrows

sounding om

all seeing third eye

limitless Self

discerning clearly

limited personality

two petaled

violet flower

all beings unified

full of vibration

opening fully

one-pointed clarity

poem for chakra vishuddha

sky blue

sounding ham

sixteen petaled flower

throat blossom

listening inward

receiving guidance

thumbs touching

breath lifting

upward current

inner listening

attuned to subtle feeling

noticing sensation

collar bone, neck, throat, shoulders

aligning cervical spine

balancing metabolism

receiving messages

clear communication

inner being

deep listening

sky blue blossom

poem for chakra anahata

twelve petaled 

emerald flower

love and compassion

heart center

index fingers touching

softening and opening

harmonious

universal

love

sounding yam

emerald blossom

uplifting

self acceptance

all beings

compassion awakening

noticing emotions

allowing without clinging

twelve petals opening

heart center expanding

love

poem for chakra manipura

yellow sun

solar plexus

vital energy

balanced activities

ten golden petals

exhaling into center

inhaling in all directions

fire elements

self confidence

yellow light

vital sun

middle fingers touching

blooming energy

ten petals golden

envisioning balance

fully vibrant

unfolding possibility

sounding ram

solar plexus

yellow sun

poem for chakra svadhisthana

orange wave

energy currents
self established

internal comfort 

nourishing relationships

six-petaled flower

interlacing ring fingers

waves of self healing

blossoming flower

adaptable, flexible, fluid

water, pelvis, womb

healthy intimacy

six petaled bloom

glands and organs

inner sea

sounding vam

deep breath

infused with wellness

gently bathe

inherent wholeness

poem for chakra muladhara

root red

four petaled

perineum

flower

root red 

deep breath

drawing down

root chakra

red flower

four petaled

pinkie fingers touching

earth connection

dirt connection

nutrient rich

sustaining

sounding lam

a low note

a red root

a deep breath

a four petaled flower

high school haiku (free verse)

the bell rings

joyous reunions

lockers slamming

new clothes though unsure

where to go for homeroom

searching for a friend

old teacher shocked

how short the girls’ skirts 

how long the boys' hair

leaves falling

sweater weather

dreaming of kissing

teacher announces quiz

students groan

fooled again!

the first snow

everyone at the windows

lessons abandoned

loud speaker blaring

report to the auditorium

students slump, yawning

passing in the hall

hands briefly touching

hearts loudly thumping

after the students

exit the auditorium

a glove left on a seat

smells of tater tots

fish sticks and ketchup;

lunch!

absurd high schoolers

wondering what is absurd

and deciding everything

thick snow falling

praying for a snow day

instead, school

oh no! forgot

to study for the test

again!

muddy tracks through snow

a paper tumbling, a cold wind

winter school yard

day dreaming in class

notes passing, hearts breaking

teacher calling for attention

hallway empty

except one student

head bent, crying

warm sun, robins call

after school students loiter

holding coats, laughing

windows open wide

last day of school, finally!

the lake beckons

staying out late with friends

cicadas calling

hoping summer never ends

questions to four people, rearranged

In Response to Wislawa Szymborska's "Possibilities"

I prefer hot drinks.

I prefer pie.

I prefer waking as the sun rises.

I prefer giving people the benefit of the doubt.

I prefer trusting that everything will work out.

I prefer sitting on the floor.

I prefer enjoying rather than criticizing.

I prefer friends.

I prefer kindness.

I prefer writing.

I prefer peace.

I prefer the path of least resistance.

I prefer open.

I prefer essays.

I prefer up and round and dissonant.

I prefer untuned.

I prefer triptychs.

I prefer drums.

I prefer ink.

I prefer in person.

I prefer outside.

I prefer oatmeal raisin.

I prefer mint chip.

I prefer unlined.

I prefer lists.

I prefer fulfillment.

I prefer not knowing.

I prefer the process.

I prefer the spontaneous.

I prefer beginnings that never end,

And endings that start back at the beginning.

Let it Flow All Week!

at The Rock Garden Studios

Appleton

Editable. Not Edible.

Coming Soon to Let it Flow at the Rock Garden Studio - Editable Poems

Add a line.

Subtract a line.

Rearrange the lines.

Opening Friday, January 13th, 6pm

what is a voice in a chorus of artists

what is a voice in a chorus of artists

what is the purpose of a painting

is it possible to understand a work all on its own

is there a separation between my words and yours

how to understand an image you’ve never seen before

when your words inspire me to try to find my own

do you feel proud humble vulnerable

what responsibilities do you bear when you claim to be an artist

when setting sail do you focus on a narrow course

or travel wherever the wind blows

what is your intention when putting pen to paper

what is a voice in a chorus of artists

can i really claim my voice as my own

isn’t it true that if i stay open and attentive to an underlying current

i can become one with the rhythm of an ancient tide

how do you enter the flowing river

do you dip in a toe

do you cling to a root

do you regret never learning to swim

do you let yourself go and hope for the best

do you find fault in what has no right or wrong

it’s not always easy to honor without getting bent out of shape

how true so often what we honor is not the other or the whole

but some warped view of our own egos

is it better to blend in or to stick out in a crowd

Emily Dickinson's Scraps Recently Published

36 Questions for Take Me to the River

What do you hear when you listen to the river?

In the currents can you hear voices from your past?

When the seagulls cry do you hear the ocean?

In a storm, broken hearts?

What sound does the river make in the thick of night?

When your thoughts turn to your deepest concerns?

What do you see where the river meets the sky?

How deep beyond reflections can you see?

What is the opposite of now?

Can a river flow more than one way?

What secrets does the river conceal?

What stories do you read in its waves?

How to reveal the meaning of the river?

Why is our awareness so fleeting?

Can you feel the river in your bones?

How long do you sit by the river before turning to other things?

How to understand that my arm is not mine?

What makes a river what it is?

What is your connection to the river?

What is the song you sing whenever i’m around?

If we walk by the river, will you hold my hand?

Can you imagine a time before this river was born?

When the sky and earth were one?

Can you imagine how a river is always home?

When do you think about the river?

When do you crave its song?

How often do you make your way to the river?

Have you ever been to where the river is born?

Have you ever floated its length?

Have you ever traveled to its end?

Have you considered this river of thought?

This river of vein? This river of sewer?

Can a rock be a river?

Is the sky a river?

What about this moment?

Are you and i a river?

A Few Facts About Me and The River

Sometimes I forget there's a river nearby.

Sometimes I forget to look at the sky.

Sometimes I find myself churning over useless worries.

Sometimes I walk by the river.

Sometimes I look at the sky.

Sometimes I find myself letting go of useless worries.

save it for the grottos

what is the experience of now?

what sensations do you feel?

where does the breath begin and end?

how many tears have you shed?

from where does joy emerge?

what does it mean to be free?

how many days until the new year?

how many hours before you’re near? 

from where does sorrow rise?