A Definition in Mind

It emerges as fungi on
birch logs. Quiet. The mind
is what can exist if we are
not afraid to let it grow. Alone.
Softer than ivory and clear as
a gathering storm. Its dark energy
is all around us. In the dying embers
of secret traditions, it knows the
promises that had to be broken.

Adirondack Mountain Matins

Tremulous aspen leaves applaud
each breeze without discrimination
Unseen hummingbird wing beats
render human heartbeats both
static and ecstatic by comparison

Monarch caterpillars munch milkweed
to make themselves toxic to predators
These mountains are great grandparents
to the far Himalayas and wear down
slower than the novice monk’s stout will

Beloved Camp

The ties that find, nurture and bind,
That bring them home from where they roam,
Epicenter, here they enter,
Family land, from hand to hand.
King trees enclose this place that grows,
Within the heart, when far apart,
Its living lake, their thirst does slake.
Cabin of wood through decades stood,
It held them strong, brought them along,
From child to man, they hiked and ran,
They rowed in boats, their tubes afloat,
They swam with loons, heard cricket tunes,
Walked on the beach, sweet laughter reached
From shore to shore, they echoed more,
Hiked peaks so bold, then cooked on coals,
The bounty sown on land hard-grown,
They say their grace to bless this place.
In summer breeze with songs of leaves,
All rest their heads in downy beds,
And vow they’ll come with each year’s sun,
Their spirits, kindred, every one