tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210040812024-02-20T03:12:58.587-08:00Into the Soul - Spiritual PoetryThese poems are what arrive when I invite that "something deeper" to speak - that blessed madness that spins planets and curls toes. Feel free to share your thoughts on them. (...and thanks for all the great feedback. I don't always have time to comment back -- but know that I am most grateful!)IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-76052157985924015592009-04-15T23:09:00.001-07:002009-04-15T23:12:57.193-07:00Something Etched Upon Your Soulyou came here<br />for a purpose<br /><br />something etched upon<br />your soul continues<br />to speak to you<br /><br />the same notes<br />that sung<br />Moses awake<br />through a <br />burning <br />bush<br /><br />the same<br />voice that<br />Ashoka gave<br />his life to<br />the guarding<br />of<br /><br />Christ bore<br />a Cross to<br />amplify it<br /><br />a King<br />stood on a <br />"mountain<br />top" to<br />sing it <br />awake in<br />his children<br /><br />sit quietly<br />each day<br /><br />and<br />find yourself<br />on its mapIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-79305595718037685972008-07-06T23:53:00.001-07:002008-07-06T23:53:21.583-07:00The Taxonomy of Soundthe licking and lapping of a pomegranate --<br />a crimson yearning for the condensation<br />of the morning dew<br /><br />a dog barking in the distance<br />is a yet to be unearthed miracle <br /><br />mitigated against silence,<br /><br />the creaking of millions<br />of houses, still making<br />their decision to settle<br />in one spot<br /><br />or the beatific coronation<br />of endless car horns against<br />a beleaguered but <br />welcoming<br />sky<br /><br />undulating ocean tides <br />lap and lament the births and deaths <br />of a billion sea creatures --<br />saline musicians <br />conducting their underwater symphonies<br />that push against continents<br />and the occasional<br />floating landmass<br /><br />it's the sound grasses make,<br />rubbing up against their cronies -- <br />the scratch beats of countless<br />slender green drums<br /><br />or the startling absence of sound <br />as a moon careens, hovers,<br />then scatters across a<br />bewildered sky...<br /><br />tonight, <br />one lucky soul<br />will have discovered sound, <br />as if for the first<br />time<br /><br />and that will have been enough.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-60336938236087019382008-07-06T23:52:00.001-07:002009-01-20T00:37:57.105-08:00The Mud FlatsOnce upon a time...<br /><br />We lived in mud flats --<br />shallow organisms<br />ringing that bell<br />inhabiting the land<br />white water liquid crystal displays<br />pledging our loyalty<br />by photosynthesizing<br />a planet<br /> <br />time passed...<br /><br />sunset madness,<br />then the moon songs --<br />campfire meadow cries<br />echoing across canyons<br />meandering through valleys<br />sheltering the young and old<br />from the Great illusion<br /><br />Ganymede makes love to jupiter<br />and grass warms the feet of trees<br /><br />while in the stillness <br />the wise ones steal heaven<br />and share it with the strangers<br />still living inside <br />of you and meIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-27047991570363870632008-07-06T23:51:00.000-07:002008-07-06T23:52:01.149-07:00UnionDear Lord,<br /><br />Give me a poem --<br /><br />A poem that will shatter my mind<br /><br />and rip open the ebony doors of my heart<br /><br /><br />may my chest explode from your heavenly light<br /><br />ablaze in rainbow feathers<br /><br /><br />I wish to be like Belize, <br /><br />with its winged ones<br /><br />that circle the canopy of jungle<br /><br />to alight next to the soft cool<br /><br />chatterings of waterfalls<br /><br /><br />humming the tune<br /><br />a forest sings to newborns.<br /><br /><br />Sometimes, like a poem<br /><br />I can't help but bleed into the God around me<br /><br />No memory of being separate<br /><br /><br />circling like sages<br /><br />in the dawn mist<br /><br />dancing to the Ocean<br /><br />begging to be drawn back in again<br /><br />awash in the foam and the crackling rocks<br /><br /><br />to ebb and retreat...<br /><br />ebb and retreat...<br /><br /><br />spending eternity<br /><br /><br />brushing up against<br /><br />my own skinIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-38190920685018794062008-05-28T13:51:00.001-07:002008-12-27T22:19:21.042-08:00The Squaring Knifemy shadow's wake<br />plum and full with longing<br /><br />and the silent moving meadows below indicate<br />my altitude has grown even more pronounced<br /><br />the sea of consciousness<br />has feathered me<br /><br />my fears have morphed into <br />confections of sweet honey laughter<br /><br />patience,<br />like a squaring knife<br />has aligned me, perpendicular<br />to that strange and lustrous<br />Light<br /><br />that now peers out from behind everything.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-11670820641096969992008-01-13T21:42:00.001-08:002008-02-02T23:25:55.485-08:00My New Book of Poetry Is Now Available<br><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.luminaia.com/poetry" target="_blank" border="0"><img src="http://www.luminaia.com/poetry/images/BookCover-sm.jpg" border="1" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Greetings all,<br /><br />My new book of poetry is now available.<br /><br />Here's the website:<br /><a href="http://www.luminaia.com/poetry"><span style="font-weight: bold;">http://www.luminaia.com/poetry</span></a><br /><br />Peace,<br /><br />Michael</span>IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-21839483016600671362007-12-31T22:50:00.001-08:002008-05-15T10:26:13.946-07:00Understand Yourself as Liquidunderstand yourself as liquid<br /><br />although the other forms of matter will do<br /><br />it's a stable breeze that suspends us here<br />high above the cliffs<br /><br />caught up in the thermals<br /><br />we withhold our judgments<br />to be lifted higher<br /><br />what we think of the world<br />changes it<br /><br />why not stop thinking entirely<br /><br />and allow the world to be<br />exactly what it is<br /><br />beyond our limited projections<br /><br />understand yourself as liquid<br /><br />lie down at the feet of rocks<br />and small children<br /><br />allow divine gravity to mold<br />you into a shape not unlike<br />Moses or Niagara<br /><br />understand yourself as liquid<br />and yield to everything<br />that wishes to make you<br />part of it<br /><br />and it<br />part of you.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-56910815943786564562007-10-04T19:42:00.001-07:002007-10-04T19:42:48.495-07:00At Home In the SilenceIt's as simple as this...<br /><br />dawn is your wake-up call<br /><br />the stars are the lamp beside your bed<br /><br />shake your bones regularly against the earth<br /><br />to ensure the life still flows through them<br /><br />properly<br /><br /><br />you should melt more --<br /><br />water yourself a tree or an ocean<br /><br />or a parched stranger<br /><br /><br />maybe you'll become a saint<br /><br />or be a bastion of sweet laughter<br /><br />for a frowning world<br /><br /><br />and no words in any combination<br /><br />can match a well-timed smile.<br /><br /><br />Learn to be silent<br /><br />and traverse that inner cave<br /><br />spelunking across the great granite<br /><br />crevasses of your soul<br /><br /><br />because not even a Senegal,<br /><br />with its drum troops<br /><br />and thunderous rattlings of<br /><br />griots with koras<br /><br /><br />can equal the goliath reverberation<br /><br />of the one that makes their home<br /><br />in the silence.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1137320848746420502007-04-01T02:27:00.000-07:002007-04-04T11:46:56.941-07:00The Ability to ExplodeI drip like seeds<br />onto your fertile soil<br />splashing in patterns<br />of refined thought<br /><br />Laughter will catch <br />up with you, my friend<br /><br />Seriousness, <br />like a cancer<br />has rendered you<br />inert<br /><br />while the <br />ability <br />to explode<br />is what you're<br />really after<br /><br />Combust!<br />Let creation<br />throw pieces of<br />you everywhere<br />so that no one<br />can tell where<br />you end<br /><br />and God<br />begins.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-91096340900418332032007-03-20T11:30:00.000-07:002007-05-01T20:35:22.770-07:00Planets and Poemsstill,<br />on this earth -<br /><br />lover's moon<br />gazing down<br />whispering her reassurances<br />in beams of light and<br />arcing and ebbing ocean tides<br /><br />you stand inside me,<br />the millisecond before<br />"let there be..."<br />intoned a world into motion<br /><br />a sky before a sky<br /><br />the God before God<br /><br />towns that blaze eternal<br />from inner light<br />beg to call you their home<br /><br />like some palm branch<br />making love to a passing breeze.<br /><br />it's you,<br />ya know<br /><br />it's ALL you.<br /><br />my sweet,<br /><br />there's a game we can't<br />seem to stop playing<br /><br />that always<br />leaves us<br /><br />knee-deep<br /><br />in planets<br /><br />and poems.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1170408378265018142007-02-12T01:24:00.000-08:002007-04-04T11:53:27.825-07:00Stay Close to the RiverLook! <br /> <br />I built a shrine to you. Right here. <br /> <br />Right <br /> <br />here. <br /> <br />At the end of all your brave and brilliant quests for something better, <br /> <br />I'll still be right here. <br /> <br />Right <br /> <br />here. <br /> <br />Although you've forgotten. You've forgotten to lean close when you weep, <br /> <br />when you weep from your lilted loneliness. <br /> <br />Touch our hand to your cheek and feel the river that has run through a million billion wondrous earth bodies -- this majestic membrane that masks our starlit eternal glory. <br /> <br />Such is the game of remembering. <br /> <br />If you somehow lose the link to this poem, don't worry. There's a billion more where this came from. <br /> <br />Just look around you. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Stay close, Dear One. <br /> <br /> <br />Stay close to the river.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1170408674384633512007-02-02T01:30:00.000-08:002007-02-05T23:47:46.090-08:00The Art of Opening a DoorThe final approach is most important<br /><br />the seconds before skin meets brass<br /><br />timing is everything<br /><br />and that twist must be subtle yet firm<br /><br />sometimes feeling a slight tug and then that satisfying snap! of the little lock undoing itself for your entry<br /><br />now the big question, does it open in or out?<br /><br />not to repeat any of those embarrassing moments<br />exiting gas stations or walking into restaurants <br /><br />those painful nose-against-glass<br />soft shoulder against stubborn wood fiascos <br />that echo through your mind like<br />cannon fire many painfully self-reflective<br />minutes after.<br /><br />and now, mindful to remove your hand at just the <br />right moment to encourage the proper velocity<br />of hinged wood sailing away from door jam home plate.<br /><br />if done properly,<br />you should have the benefit of inertia in your favor<br />slightly propelling you forward.<br /><br />Now it's just a matter of strolling...<br /><br />A topic covered in-depth in previous chapters.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1170408569668346982007-02-02T01:29:00.000-08:002007-02-02T07:37:51.943-08:00Speechless, Among the FlowersSpeechless,<br />among the flowers<br />until I too<br />unfold into<br />Pure <br />LightIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1137320493552353112007-02-01T02:20:00.000-08:002007-04-04T11:40:30.761-07:00Playing Catch Up<br><br>Monks,<br /><br />with their one hand clapping<br /><br />and gong-like silence<br /><br /><br />witty as hail storms<br /><br />on Spring mornings<br /><br /><br />sit,<br /><br />open minded<br /><br /><br />like<br /><br />a Gershwin<br /><br />or a Ganges<br /><br /><br />flowing into<br /><br />uncharted territory<br /><br /><br />waiting for the<br /><br />rest of us<br /><br /><br />to catch up.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1168791052251389442007-01-14T08:10:00.000-08:002007-06-19T00:02:33.891-07:00StardomMaybe we'll find it:<br /><br />that one choice<br /><br />that one<br />UMMMMPH<br />of a choice<br /><br />that clear<br />White-to-Black<br /><br />"I will go THIS WAY!"<br /><br />And the invisible<br />crowd roars<br /><br />and some beautiful<br />woman or man <br />hands you<br />the award<br /><br />Forgotten friends<br />and neighbors<br />appearing<br />out of <br />nowhere<br /><br />"Ya know, <br />I always thought they would make it...<br />Just somethin' about them."<br /><br /><br />The yearning<br />for stardom<br /><br />is the memory<br />of the stardust <br />we came from<br /><br />a faint <br />remembering<br />of being a light<br />that could be seen <br />all the way<br />across the<br />cosmos<br /><br />But look at us now!<br /><br />Strange bodied creatures<br /><br />Sticky and awkward<br /><br />so specific<br /><br />with a name<br /><br />and <span style="font-style:italic;">strong </span>political views<br /><br />wandering a planet<br /><br />searching for something...<br /><br />soft and tender<br />diffused light<br /><br />that can now be held<br /><br />by another's<br />yielding<br />skinIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-10386898080719127232007-01-04T22:31:00.000-08:002007-05-01T22:37:46.687-07:00and then peace said"My most precious child<br />the war is over...<br />the war is over."IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1167815559133510632007-01-03T01:12:00.000-08:002007-04-07T21:57:13.163-07:00DedicationWith a tongue<br />wet with kindness<br /><br />and a heart blessed<br />with eternal sunshine<br /><br />I speak these words to you<br /><br />withstanding all <br />life has to offer.<br /><br />I billow in wineskins of reverie<br />remembering that white light<br />cadence we all sprang from<br /><br />before we were flood into orbit<br /><br />before we became a nationed Earth.<br /><br />I tell you this,<br /><br />I will chalice myself<br />upon the parched dried<br />lips of the Christ<br />inside of you<br /><br />and feed myself to you <br />in words and sweet songs<br /><br />until your Urkraine<br />and Denmark<br /><br />and Great acres of Kansas<br />all resonate in unison<br /><br />with the words<br /><br />I AM LOVED.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1167814786059941272007-01-03T00:58:00.000-08:002007-04-07T22:13:12.296-07:00OK, Try This...It all began like clear glass -<br />a reflection without<br />anything yet to reflect<br /><br />the meandering meadows<br />were the first to arrive.<br />blazing flowers -<br />marigolds and whisps of lavender<br /><br />white snow-flecked petals<br />gave way to what we now <br />refer to as "morning"<br /><br />It was Tuesday,<br />to get specific - <br />although the term "Tuesday"<br />wasn't yet coined<br /><br />then I appeared<br /><br />Well...<br />not so much "appeared"<br />as realized I was standing there<br /><br />ahhh yes,<br />taking in that first sweet morning - <br />the sun "just so" in the sky<br /><br />and a thought of oceans<br /><br />yes! "oceans!"<br /><br />then a huge tale overtook the foam, breaching<br /><br />a "whale"<br /><br />although he referred to himself as "Ned"<br />back in those days.<br /><br />There was just one of him, you understand<br /><br />in fact, the concept of more than one of <br /><i>any</i> animal wasn't something that <br />occurred to me until much later<br /><br />still, I can't say much <br />for the world back then...<br /><br />no ferris wheels or shopping malls<br /><br />no complicated plot structures or <br />wicker furniture<br /><br />no multi-attachment bagless <br />water-based vacuum cleaners <br />invented by some guy <br />with a thick indiscernible<br />Eastern European accent<br /><br />Nope,<br />not even the concept of "eastern" existed yet<br /><br />We're talking "way back"<br /><br />Still though, the essence was there - <br /><br />and a determined desire to manifest something<br />out of nothing.<br /><br />And Love...<br /><br />Yes! Love was there.<br /><br />She's pretty much the one that got it all rolling<br /><br />In fact, there's this little kind of "trick" I know...<br /><br />Ya see, <br />Love always leaves a little "calling card" <br />to ensure her presence was noted -<br /><br />although, most tend to overlook the obvious<br /><br />OK,<br />all that is needed is a little quieting down --<br />becoming still - where ever you find yourself...<br />just focusing on that space in between thoughts - <br />in between you and everything else<br /><br />that place where "I" becomes "other"<br /><br />the place where "I" stops being "I"<br />and just is<br /><br />yes, I think you've got it!<br /><br />Now, just stay right there...<br /><br />forever.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1137320739363045632007-01-02T02:25:00.000-08:002008-01-25T00:48:33.768-08:00Yearning for Something Wetthrice I came to you<br />bearing gifts of<br />precious oil and <br />good tidings:<br /><br />sweet air and dusty feet<br /><br />the mountains are<br />prisms of grass<br />turning pure<br />white light water<br />into rainbow <br />wine<br /><br />lining the bottom<br />of every laughing<br />gurgling stream<br /><br />what were once<br />sun-tormented rocks<br />yearning<br />for something<br />wetIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1137320660193339552006-10-18T02:23:00.000-07:002007-04-04T11:44:40.108-07:00Swimming LessonShe stood<br />just outside<br />of view<br /><br />like a memory<br /><br />or a scent<br /><br />a thin <br />wafting<br />presence<br /><br />all of the<br />available<br />light<br />curled<br />up by<br />her<br />side<br /><br />in the Dance,<br />it becomes<br />clear <br />that<br /><br />love<br /><br />LOVE<br /><br />isn't just<br />a game<br /><br />it's a<br />circumstance<br /><br />an atmosphere<br /><br />and Greek Gods<br />and the fairest<br />of maidens got<br />it all <br />wrong<br /><br />it's tangential<br /><br />like an equation<br /><br />an ocean one<br />must learn<br />to swim <br />in<br /><br />great flocks<br />of children<br />kind of Love<br /><br />cloud exploding<br />vibrant shafts<br />of light <br />kind of Love<br /><br />no more of this<br />drowning business<br /><br />there!<br /><br />that island!<br /><br />go!<br /><br /><br />She hovered,<br />just outside<br />of view<br /><br />like a memory<br /><br />or a scent<br /><br />a sweet<br />uncut jewel<br /><br />refracting<br />light<br /><br />the way<br />stillness<br />holds the <br />sound<br /><br />and I<br />went up<br /><br />and took<br />her hand.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1152284553592204182006-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:002007-05-17T23:30:17.067-07:00I Don't Like the Look of that MoleYou've come down with a rather unique ailment.<br />Your mind is obsessed, night and day, with cataloging all those things that <span style="font-style:italic;">might </span>be wrong with you.<br /><br />"SARS? yep, I probably caught that off the drinking fountain the other day"<br /><br />"Foot and Mouth Disease? It could be making a come back!" <br /><br />"I don't like the look of that mole."<br /><br />However, behind the eye that reads this there is a much more serious condition afoot, <br /><br />an insanity more prevalent than any mass contagion<br /><br />You see, you've mistakenly identified yourself with the name on your Driver's License. <br /><br />You somehow believe you are separate from that which spins planets and hatches new galaxies just before the morning tea.<br /><br />You've already won the lottery and yet you still live like a pauper.<br /><br />My friend,<br /><br />If you can become the sweetest tear you've ever cried, I'll have no choice but to make a few phone calls on your behalf.<br /><br />With any luck, we'll have you jumping up and down like some crazed game show contestant by sundown.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-31194919606497908742006-06-19T00:27:00.000-07:002007-06-19T00:30:15.602-07:00A Mouth To FeedTrained to search<br />siphon the world<br />empty handed,<br />I look withinIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-83645935685355841372006-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:002007-04-04T11:36:53.045-07:00ShyIn the shallows<br />I become afraid<br /><br />all the small talk<br /><br />I'm not sure<br />what to say<br /><br />a strange and<br />majestic sea<br />creature<br /><br />longing for <br />the deepIntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-9149253028987108302006-04-02T00:56:00.000-08:002007-04-15T00:06:18.101-07:00I Travel Light, She Says...she lives in a magazine, full time<br /><br />just adjacent to the impulse buys at the front counter<br /><br /><br /> she watches the vagueries and well-defined lines of human life pass before her eyes<br /><br /> safely tucked behind bent metal wire<br /><br /> <br /> beyond a name -- just a smile -- making the most of her two dimensions.<br /><br /><br /> a baby's wandering oceanic eyes --<br /><br /> then a careful old woman <br /><br /> visibly loosening her grip,<br /><br /> nestling a bit closer up against the Great mystery<br /><br /><br /> water drips from somewhere in the storeroom -- but you can only hear that at night when everyone's gone home. <br /><br /><br /> a neon light buzzes blue --- remembering when its molecules were a cicada or antelope fur -- or the creaking bark of a blue spruce, making room for the thin lines of water determined to work their way back up into the heavens<br /><br /> clouds are born<br /><br /> and the asphalt becomes wet -- emitting a curious odor.<br /><br /><br /> She greets the morning crew<br /><br /> as the slight morning breeze filters through the automatic doors<br /><br /><br /> and points her in a slightly new direction <br /><br /> this time facing the chewing gum display<br /><br /><br /> "I travel light" she says...IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21004081.post-1170408511726685652006-02-02T01:26:00.000-08:002007-04-04T11:39:28.162-07:00The Old ManI abide<br />like still<br />water <br /><br />gazing<br />into you<br /><br />an <br />empty <br />old man <br />filled with <br />Eternity<br /><br />Come sit with me.IntoTheSoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193106123627298950noreply@blogger.com0