Jibber jabber, jibber jabber, 

This mind-talk, day and night.

Gabble gabble, twaddle twaddle,

The endless inner fight.

One voice says “yes!”, 

another cries “no!”

It sure don’t mean nuthin’

It’s all one big show.

Blather blather, bother bother,

It’s one great do-si-do.

Burble burble, drivel drivel,

How to escape this loop?

Prattle prattle, babble babble,

Please tell me, what’s the scoop?

To break this endless nonsense,

That renders me so surly,

What must I do to save myself

From this dizzy hurly-burly?

Mumbo jumbo, mumbo jumbo,

My soul is getting blurry.

Stop.

Breathe.

Notice.

Watch.

That’s all you need to do.

You cannot crush your bugging brain

Beneath your grinding shoe.

The river’s long, its force is strong

Your problem’s nothing new.

The sages knew the answer

Before we built this zoo,

Just know one thing, these voices sing

A song that is not you. 

Our big mistake, it seems to me

is claiming ownership

Of every thought that passes by

like a passing sailing ship.

We need some distance, lots, in fact

from yattering and natter,

To see that it’s not you or me

And it really doesn’t matter

Enmeshing thoughts will make you nuts

Like Alice’s Mad Hatter.

Stop.

Breathe.

Notice.

Watch.

Let go of need to rhyme.

See what arises.

Let it flow.

Let it go.

You are not that.

You are.

You simply are.

You are.

You simply are.

You are.

Ahhhh.

Feeling the pull

I step in

Allured to something

I step in

Some unknown place

I step in

A mystery me

I step in

Not knowing where

Not knowing who

Not knowing how

Not knowing why

I step in

I step in

I step in

What would it be

to admit?

Admit that I chose 

so much of this life?

Admit that I chose

In

and 

out?

Admit that I chose

joy

and

grief?

Admit that I chose

This path

and

not that?

Admit that I chose

This me

and

not another?

Would I melt,

like the 

last snow

of the season?

Would I explode,

as a

land mine

left from some ancient 

war?

Would I vanish,

a mere

whiff of a

dream?

Or would I 

awaken to

the possibility

of choice?

I choose

In.

I choose

Joy.

I choose

This.

I choose

Me.

I choose 

Love.

.

Sit.

Do not.

Do naught.

Notice everything.

Do naught.

Do not.

Sit.

.

.

.

Even if only for a bit.

Mass shootings

Mass extinction

Mass panic

Avert my pained gaze 

from the horror of it all

Keep my head down

from the terror that abounds

Unfathomable love

Unimaginable beauty

Unparalleled delight

Open my eyes

at the limitless glory

Lift my head up

to see the path forward

Lift my head up

Lift my head up

I lift my head up

To see the path forward.

Space

Aching for 

Space

Space to breathe

Space to listen

Space to create

Always yearning for

Space

Yet,

There is only Space.

Space around

Space within

Space throughout

Only Space.

Shatner sees only death,

I see only God.

Thank you for my pleasure and my pain. 

Thank you for my loss and my gain.

Thank you for my highs and my lows.

Thank you for my joys and my woes.

(Thank you for my friends and my foes.)

Thank you for my laughs and my tears.

Thank you for my courage and my fears.

Thank you for my ills and my health.

Thank you for my lack and my wealth.

Thank you for the rain and the sun.

Thank you for the pain and the fun.

Thank you for the strain and the rest.

Thank you for the worst and the best.