July 13: Pathways To The Street

Pathways to the Street

There are many pathways to giving up

In games where we no longer care to compete,

He sits on a stairway and holds out his cup,

Finding his place to exist – on the street.

Wild in the spirit and up for adventure,

Looking for love and living for song,

Ever at war against social censure,

And no idea how to get along . . .

What began in good fun became a crutch;

Addictions to drugs and to alcohol,

What it took to engage became too much.

He's a prisoner outside the walls.

Chorus:

We all have to struggle to get what we need,

As we cope with our own deficiencies.

We’ve all ignored what we’ve needed to heed,

Been given a mandate that we couldn’t concede;

Suffered the blindness in somebody’s greed,

Or are stymied by daft inefficiency.

So he drifted.  He couldn't see he was lost,

While his chances began to run out,

He dabbled in dreams; In goals to be tossed

‘Cause they carried such worry and doubt.

His thoughts became plagued with resentment

Against anyone’s expectations,

To hide the shame in his lack of commitment.

He made stories of manipulation.

He became an accomplice to a petty crime,

And fearing he would get the blame,

He hopped a freight; found work in a mine,

Where he went by a different name.

Chorus

He met a lonely man who had worked so hard,

But never felt himself succeed,

Until finally, from years of disregard,

He was swept away in his need:

A sensitive person, who, having been attacked,

Could not face the world again.

On a construction project, he hurt his back,

And sought healing though the use of his pen.

At one time, he'd made it in the mining business,

But for lack of ore, the mines had to close.

He wanted his fortune and nothing less,

And so his possibilities froze!

Chorus

The two became friends, and though both deranged,

Compassion between them was given.

Easing their torment; allowing for change,

They could laugh at the lives they'd been living!

They were touched by a woman with a heart so pure,

Subsisting as a church volunteer,

Who finds sexual passion amongst the poor,

Unscathed by Want or fear,

Who said, "As long as you’ve got a place to crash,

You have freedom to sit where it’s sunny.

They look away.  Others treat you like trash.

It’s sad, but people are funny –

"Stuck in possessions they have to maintain,

With so much feeling that they just can’t relate,

It’s their own inner pain that makes them disdain

My joy and my pathetic fate."

Chorus

July 15: Shelter

Shelter

My shelter is my faith in God!
My shelter comes from knowing my present limitations.
My shelter comes from envisioning my true possibilities.
My shelter is my protection.
My shelter allows me to store and organize.
My shelter gives me privacy.
My shelter is my space to own and be alone.
My shelter is a gathering place.
My shelter is shelter for friends when they need it.

Faith is a system of beliefs and understanding
Faith is trusting in whatever life can bring.
Humility is deference to the true sensibilities of others.
Humility is adherence to the truth of our experience as our experience.
Envisioning sets a direction and a sense of purpose.
Envisioning implies action and collaboration
Protection is recourse to the tools of self defense.
Protection is a plastic screen.
Keeping is a locked door and an iron safe.
Keeping is a library full of books and music.
Privacy is turning off the phone and closing the door.
Privacy is being invisible in the world.
Ownership is a picket fence with a no-trespassing sign.
Ownership is freedom to create your space as you want it.
Gathering is sharing a bottle of wine at the end of the day.
Gathering is like-minded people working for change.
Our shelter is God’s gift to us.
Our shelter is our gift to God.

July 16: Leaving It Up To God

Seth 2:  Leaving It Up To God

I feel so sad to see  you go.
I don’t know what to do or say.
It hurts to see you so alone.
It hurts to leave you in so much pain.

You say you must be a wanderer,
And it’s an empty life you didn’t choose.
You say you’re an incompetent ponderer,
And abandoned your whole life through.

If it was up to me, I’d let you out
Of all the sorrows of your past.
With perfect love, I’d dispel your doubt,
But I cannot answer what you haven’t asked.

So come again another  time
If the road you’re traveling makes you bored.
For I would like to meet your mind.
If the spirit’s willing, it’s an open door!

July 17: The Intuitive and the Revolutionary

The Intuitive and the Revolutionary

The guardian is inclined to go within

Through practices designed to enhance intuition;

Awakening her sensitivities

Through the forms of divination:

Gaining focus through meditation,

Following the patterns and the currents of feeling;

With an instinct to be empathetic;

Reflecting, in amazement on inner meaning.

She is Surrounded by people who are out in the world:

People primed for a revolution;

People out on a religious mission,

A scientist searching for a new solution.

An athlete; a businessman doing his best,

And  drawn to her quietude.

Knowing that they could not share in her quest,

As she could not hold their attitude

Of holding some standard which they have to win.

It’s an uneasy collaboration,

And it’s a necessary balance;

A complementary attraction

Stemming from people’s adherence

to divergent ways.

May 7: God As Personal Power

God As Personal Power

I look for God in everything,

Though sometimes I know it’s a stretch.

I reach for God when I pray or sing;

When I think of myself as a wretch.

I see God in everyday coincidence:

Messages that come through divination

But there’s no guarantee that an incidence

Is more than an indication.

Chorus:

In varying degrees, I know that God is here,

Whether I succeed or I fail.

Reflecting on things that I hold most dear,

I seek where God blazes a trail!

I see God when my plans succeed,

And all of my wishes seem to fall into place,

But when luck turns against me and my heart is in need,

It’s a less recognizable face.

I see God when my heart’s open wide

To any changes that come my way:

God who’s within and God outside,

But when the heart grows weak, does God go away?

Chorus

I look for God though spiritual actions

Like yoga, meditation, and dance;

I see God where I feel my strongest attractions:

Like camping in the mountains, or wild romance!

I see God in the crash of a n earthquake or storm,

Awakening fear, togetherness, and awe.

I see God is moving beyond every norm,

Yet guiding us all with Its Law!

Chorus

In varying degrees, I know that God is here,

Whether I succeed or I fail.

Reflecting on things that I hold most dear,

I seek where God blazes a trail!

May 6: Self Assessment

Self-Assessment

I don’t really have any major complaint,

Though I do feel out of phase.

I can see that the house needs a coat of paint,

And I guess I’ll get to it – one of these days.

No, I’m not even close to my Spirit’s perfection.

I hope I am headed in that direction.

I’ve decided what’s required, and it isn’t that hard.

There’s trouble abroad, which I can disregard,

And flaws in myself that I don’t have to see

While I take my adventures or make up my lists.

I’m not sure how I’m doing, but I believe I am free,

Though somehow, there’s something I’ve missed;

Every day brings another diversion,

And it’s hard to accept that it’s all in my hands.

It must be the time to take an excursion

From this world so full of demands.

Something inside that still needs to heal,

While the treadmill goes faster and faster,

That disconnects me from what I feel,

As though moved by the rapids of impending disaster!

Have I let myself get out of condition?

Am I too obsessed and with too many goals?

Am I trapped in the demands of social competition?

Was I supposed to have chosen a different role?

I live in the fear I might somehow be “gotten”

We all have the wisdom, but it’s all too soon forgotten.

I hope all I need is to get re-adjusted,

And I don’t want to admit I might really be busted.

Every day brings another distraction.

It's hard to accept that it's out of my hands.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a little action

In this world so full of demands!

May 5: I Want to Fall in Love

I Want to fall in Love

I want to fall in love:

Me with you; you with me:

I’m trapped in myself.  Could you please set me free?

Do you think we could fall into LOVE?

You into Me; me into You –

First to declare it and then make it true,

As we do the things that lovers do?

As I listen to you, I like what I see:

We’ve got the same issues that make raw material;

A search for awareness that sparks the ethereal;

Adventure cries for my love’s opportunity,

And our bond grows substantial as we dance in community.

I can see that we both have a need to be sexual

In the context of intimate sharing,

And that our search for wisdom is intellectual,

And we want our choices to be effectual

Of results that are worth our caring,

So we set our standards for the lives we seek,

And trust in what they’ll be attracting,

But we blind ourselves in that kind of mystique

To this person; this challenge – that’s completely unique,

And miss the  direct interacting!

We’ve just got to learn how to work things out,

Accepting each other just as we are;

Trusting in Love as our guiding star;

Being true to each other ‘til there’s no room for doubt,

Thus defining the pathway to what we’re about!

I want to check “girlfriend” off of my list;

And feel the closeness that I’ve wanted so much;

To ignite the fire of a passionate kiss;

Get over the sorrow of being dismissed;

I just want to get back in touch.

But while having a lover gets so much resolved,

It also gets in the way!

We get entangled as we get involved

In conflicts that make all our good times dissolve

Is it worth the price that we pay?

Both of our lives have so many demands

While we’re wishing to be in relation.

What we do becomes grist for contemplation,

What we’ve said with our lips; what you put in my hand;

What we bring to the conversation.

Are we here to practice performing our roles

Or get into the present to see where it leads;

Sharing our poetry to see how it reads;

Defining and conspiring towards meeting our goals,

And standing in the light of the Soul!

Let love be patient and love be kind.

We can’t help being the things we’ve become.

We must hear the beat of each others’ drums,

And mirror each others’ minds,

Until we play our music in time!

You jump to conclusions on my own sensibilities

That don’t square with the things you’ve expected.

My social relations make you feel disrespected.

I want to please you if I have the ability.

We must temper reactions with grace and humility.

‘Cause in the days I’ve found myself spending alone,

You’re in all of the things that I do,

And I want you to know what I’m going through,

And also to see your world as my own,

Though I stand at the edges of what can be known.

You don’t have to be perfect or get prepared,

But surely, you have to be willing

To respond to needs that wait for fulfilling,

Open to being right there.

We could make an awesome pair,

Honest and always fair,

Pursuing our dreams to the extent that we dare;

An expansion of Life; not a snare!

I want to fall in love:

Me with you; you with me:

I’m trapped in myself.  Could you please set me free?

Do you think we could fall into LOVE?

You into Me; me into You –

First to declare it and then make it true,

As we do the things that lovers do?