chomp

the heart is not a duplex

there's no storage
of false information

there's no compartment
for hiding

there's just
one blazing fire

no thing left

no refrigerator,
no freezer,
no north pole
or south

there's nothing
that can escape it

it's coming for you
now

right now

see that "tree"
that "sky"
that "voice'

these words

it's the fire of Love
here to burn you up

and turn you into cinders

that's what it's all for

the end
of "you"

every crumb,

gobble,
gobble,
gobble...

get it?

:-)))

nothing else

your Heart is singing
and where are you?

your Heart needs nothing,
She cannot be silenced,
She cannot be put out

Life is not mortal.
Life springs eternal.

"it" has a plan,
some little plan,
to grab a crumb
of safety,
such a little plan

and your Heart,
like a raging forest fire
lights up everything

every little thing
cannot be seen at all
without your Heart

it shines now on your face, dear one,
let go,
melt into it,
all your little fears,
boundaries, borders,
restrictions, defenses
cannot hold long against Love

you need not worry about
the outcome,
all wax melts in the warmth,

there is no ice
that does not melt
in the sun

so you, dear one,
are over
already

there is nothing else
you need to be

between the words

life is spontaneous,

is there really any question?

only glazed eyes,
looking "back",
looking "forward"

could possibly worry

thought,
pre ordained,
concept

of course, you don't feel alive,
like "something is off"

mind enclosed in a capsule
while
your Heart is singing away!

of course, you feel deprived,
like you are missing out on something

your step is skipping,
your child is playing,

and you are not there!

don't know what's happening,
(what's gonna happen,
what '"has happened")

now that's living!

now that's singing!

grace

(sitting on "my" couch in "my" living room
after facilitating a woman on "i'd be happier
if I had children")

"I'd be happier if ________."

No, you wouldn't.

Who would tell you such a thing?!@
(what a cruel thing to say, to think...
what a guarantee of emptiness)

without that thought...

so lovely
just sitting here

it's really only that thought
that has ever caused unhappiness

sitting in the glow
without that thought

just look! what "God" gave you!

perfect mirror image,
newborn kisses

perfectly fitted
delicious
hand tailored
yes, that is the perfect tv for me--small screen,
the perfect flowering cactus,
yes, the artwork
is so me

i'd be happier if what?
if i had a different reflection in the mirror?

that's what we're saying

without the thought "i'd be happier if _____"
i see i chose everything exactly as it is.
i hand picked it,
every pillow, cushion, paint color,
carpet, flooring,
lotion, book
even this pen cartridge

how 'bout your body, you say,
did you hand pick it?

without the thought "i'd be happier if..."
i adore
this "thing",
called a "hand"

oh my God,
amazing,
this miracle of a hand,
fingers!
falling in love with it
for the first time.
i've truly never seen it
 before
(through such loving eyes)

"hand picked"...
funny,
even that points to
the value of this hand

what would i have to be thinking
to not be enthralled
with this "hand"?

i mean really,
if you think you've got a problem,
just take a look at your hand
and notice the gift it is

with the thought "i'd be happier if..."
i completely miss it.
For 58 years I've never seen my hand
like i do today.
Never felt so much love for it.

how many ways "God" has shown up,
how rich the "books"
that sit in piles on the floor,
the table, and rest waiting on the shelf

oh, by the way, God,
none of this is good enough...

NONE of this,
the ENTIRE HOUSE and all its contents
doesn't do it.

it's hard to fathom
this has been a mantra

the bottle of lotion
stands so elegantly,
silently,
humble
and regal,
day and night
just waiting to serve
whether i ever touch it again
or not

even the foil on the coffee cup,
two chapsticks, and bottle of eyedrops...

i am so rich,
so rich

without the thought
"i'd be happier if..."

muscle

meteor showers!
for no reason

the low lying clouds,
heavy on the ground

murking days and hours
in the contracted heart

Tolstoy, Dostoevsky like drama,
a cold Russian winter,
Siberian boots walking across  my chest
in the night

and in the morning,
still cold

am i dying?
on the way down the hill...?

and out of Nowhere
the bicep begins pumping iron!

it LOVES this motion,
this "work"

strength is.
in it

resistance and strength are lovers

the heavier the weight,
the darker the night,
the more my adequacy,
capability,
and Generative Life--
rejuvenating Itself

glows

a spark

there's a spark
in each of your words,

in every thought,

intelligence
and love,
beCause that's Where
It came from,

even the idea of "you"
arose

a shower of thoughts, words, pictures

fireworks!

there is no darkness
in any word or thought

it's not possible for a thought
to be vacant,
to be empty

it is

a spark!

shooting up out of the Invisible Fire,
out of the Night Sky

simply happening,
poppety pop pop!

you can't stop the flower from blooming
or the grass from growing!

O my goodness
what a show!

what would you give you

what would you give you this Christmas?

would you give you worthiness?

a sense of value to the world,

would you see the love you've contributed,
the kindness,
the joy,
the support,
the comfort,
the generosity,

how many smiles you've shared,
how many times your eyes have lit up,
your heart warmed,
your tender listening,

how many hands you've held,
how many lessons you've opened to,
how many meals you've shared,

how much quiet meditation,
how much stillness,
how much gratitude,
how much laughter,
how much silliness and humor,

and quiet depth,

how much reverence,
how much honesty and integrity...

have you noticed
how big your heart is?

would you give you this?

so many presents
to open

the gift of Christmas

harmless

see the sweet faces,
the shining eyes,
the heart of gold?

they will
you but breeze off
the soot

the mirror shows them
proof of  blackness

it is you
who reach under
and touch
what shines away
the darkness

is it you
whose light
makes visible
the sparkling radiance,
the endless laughter,
beneath the heavy layer
of dust

see the halo
shining now?

all they will
is that they be their
own friend

they have come to you asking,
and await excitedly your reply,

am i lovable?
am i worthy?
am i ok after all
this bemoaning?

and isn't it
your greatest joy
to say

Yes!
Dearest One,
Yes!

Home Plate

Holy Infant, All

trees, grass, sky...

so tender and mild,

harmless

there is no race
to get to where
you already are

you are standing
on Home Plate

stop running...
away
from
Home

the Catcher has the ball in his mitt,

you are safe,

the Umpire has declared it
and it is so

there is no other
Home to run to

and this one will never be
different than it is
in this moment,
not higher
nor lower,
bigger
nor smaller,
sicker nor healthier

the Holy Infant is the entire field!
the entire ballpark
and beyond

there is no need to hit
another ball,
to accomplish one
more
thing

you've won Everything.

Everything is You.

how can you possibly lose?

there is
no other
team

:-)

jack be humble

scraping out the seeds of a squash

or doing The Work,

there is nothing more valuable
than another

are you at peace?

without the need to accomplish,
to be seen a certain way,
to be special

isn't life just lifing?

going to the bathroom
or on the phone with
an investment company
making decisions about
"retirement" (ha!)

a walk,
asleep

dancing
working
unemployed (ha!)

there is no
not being

how are you doing?
whatever you are doing?

that is the question

are you with it--
in gratitude,

or against it--
without gratitude?

how humble
is thank you

how arrogant,
Jack the Ripper

:-)

germ warfare

fight germs
fight weeds

ha!
thank God!
they are still here

what is a "weed"?
(some people love the stuff :-)

weeds and germs,
have gotten a really bad rap--

thank God!
life cannot be extinguished

despite the war,
despite agent orange,
despite pesticide,
despite our best efforts...

are you  kidding?

thank God!
we can't wipe out weeds
and germs

our very life: plants and animals

proof we cannot destroy
Mother Nature,
our nature
no matter how hard we try

even "death"
is simply
trans-forming-ation

old men can't stop time,
old men can't stop the tide,
no need to fear "old men"...

"all my life's a circle,
sunrise and sundown..."(harry chapin)

maybe we can rest...

as the tiniest,
tenderest
infant sprout
makes her tender way
up through the concrete
all by herself...

all by Her Self

it

it shows up when asked for,

it's already here,

the only "problem" is
you
have a thought
that you are believing
that says
it should look like something else  :-)

and you don't recognize
the Love
in front of your face,
surrounding you,
within you,
in this very pen!
air,
thought

you simply don't recognize it

that's why the Course says,
enlightenment
is but a simple recognition

It,
what EVER "it" is,
is Love

every where you look,
every thing
every thought
every feeling
every thing and no thing,
Love

every form
every expression
every word,
a name for God

every crumb
every "disease"
(from whose point of view is a "germ" bad?...
certainly not from the "germ's"...and if you take
that label off...and let it roam free and wild in the world
with equal rights to exist as you have...(as it does!)...

1000 names for Joy,
10,000
a million,
infinite names for the One

a simple recognition

no exceptions

It is
and nothing else is

who needs a future
in perfect peace?

where would you possibly
want to go?

the best i could do

the best i could do

what's the best you could do
with a blindfold on,
and a deafening siren
blaring in your ear
without a moment's
pause?

what's the best you could do
with your hand a vice,
in a fire
you can't escape from?

what's the best you could do
with a knife penetrating your chest?

are you starting to get it,
to understand
why someone
would drop a bomb,
while being bombed
out of their mind?

why someone would
set afire
another human being
while they are burning alive?

is it becoming clearer
that the only antidote for fire
is cool, clear water,
not more heat?

flowers do not grow
in agony

please, i beg of you,
don't ask me to stop
what i am doing
when i am covered in flames!

please, oh please,
i beg of you,

help me

put out the fire.

water

please

is it true?

"a tiny mad idea",
misinterpretation

runaway train,
steaming  loco motive
without brakes,
no steering wheel,
careening off a cliff...

wearing a pretty dress
and lipstick,
sipping a from a crystal glass

pretending
everything is ok

schizoid

a smouldering heart,
scorched by the friction
of trying to put the brakes
on reality

stop, World, stop!!

raw flesh,
scraped knees
on asphalt

trying day after day to stop
what can never be stopped,
needing the sun to shine
when it isn't,
the kiss on  her lips
when it isn't

oh dear, dear child,

is it true?

it that really true?

finally
the Sun can burst through
the clouds,
can burst through
the darkest night
of the soul

a beam

one drop
of the Heart

dissolves
the crusted,
rusted
bar
of separation

the past is gone,
the future no where to be found

truth
alone
is far more
than enough

far far more
than enough

full circle

i killed the cat.
i did it.
and i am 100% innocent.

a gargantuan iceberg

fell into the sea

10 years in the waiting

10 years ago
my 17 year old son said to me,

"why don't you just kill the cat?"

terror arose
huge terror
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
hysteria
mega sadness
"disappointment" can't begin to describe
the internal devastation

he's a psychopath
no feelings
no compassion
i hate him
i hate me
i have failed, truly failed
shame
done wrong

this CANNOT BE

deer in the headlights

frozen in terror

helpless
absolutely devastated

and deaf
dumb
and blind

add to it "why not just kill old people?"

my  mind REVOLTS...explodes in hallucinations...
i'm trulytripping!
this is impossible!
too horrible
gruesome
to even go there...

EVIL!

nuclear guilt

i am destroyed...

any image of a loving mother
or loving son
is completely obliterated

reality obliterated:
'this cannot be happening"
things like this don't happen...

and today (ten years later)
i killed the cat.
yes. literally.
she was 20 years old,
peeing on the floor,
with a big lump in her gut,
two doses of antibiotics had been given...

and i decided it was time
for her to "die",
to be "put to sleep",
"euthanized"
we say.

we give like death/killing
another a name.

and I see
the simplicity
the stillness
the kindness
the invitation to contemplate life, being,
this is all there is

and I see
Aaron's (my son's) absolute innocence.
A child asking a simple question.

I see I could not even hear the question,
I could not even consider the simple
profound, deep question that it was.

I could not see the invitation
to ask, to consider, to contemplate

death

"killing"

I see I put ALL the destruction on him,
this innocent child,

I see now
as I drive away
from the vet
having witnessed
the administering of the iv,
her tongue hanging out of her mouth,
the drug in her eyes,
and finally the body without a heartbeat,
the gift of her life,
the silence and peace,
experience continuing

I see the devastation
was ALL mine.

I see nothing happened,
but a child asking a question
to his mother.

I love you, Aaron, with all my heart.
And I am sorry I looked at you with such terror
in my eyes and heart.

You are so innocent.
So completely innocent.
And I see, too, was an innocent child
believing my thoughts.
Having a nightmare.

Love to us all.
And thank you, kitty.
You never know
when an iceberg is going to fall.

amen.

come on in

what if you welcomed
the thief?

oh honey, come on in,
i've been waiting for you,
looking forward to this day,
to meet you,
so up close and personal

you are scared, you say?
you are craving?
you want a chip?

here, have the whole bag!
i'll fix a meal for you,
what's your favorite?

sit by the fire,
tell me, tell me, sweetheart,
all your troubles,
can you stay for a week or so...?

i've made up the bed
with fresh scented sheets,

would you like to move in
with me?

i tried this today
as i reached for another chip...

and she simply melted
into thin air

can you give you
the love you are looking for?

guidance

Let the deathless be your Guide
for all else will lead you astray,
pull you away from it,
blind you

get still
and listen
to the deathless

She holds the candle,
the sparklers

She burns so bright

She attracts you to the light
for She is
the only way to see

Reality calls you now,
beckons
every instant

She waits in perfect stillness,
absolute grace

there is nothing you could possibly prefer
to this
because there is nothing else

Let stillness
be your God

let no action arise
but from stillness

for Christ is
stillness Itself

let stillness be
in every act

from pristine
groundlessness

let there be no body part,
no separate self interest
in even a glance
or you bankrupt your soul,
overturn the ark
and night once again
is all there is to see

it cannot be
your brother is not yourself

it is but you,
you serve

it is but you
you offer to

how much would you give yourself?

what
would you give yourself?

is there anything you would still withhold
from yourself?

except that i hold the Space,
how can i possibly experience it?

Let the deathless
be
your Guide

deathless

deathless

come what may,
it can never hurt you

deathlessness
has no price

what can assail the unassailable?

deathless is strong

though a million soldiers march,
it is for naught

hurricanes,
nuclear war,
even pepto bismol

assorted jokers all

what is deathless
cannot die

deathless

all things dissolve
before this truth,
before this might

oh how very safe
deathless is

we raise the ante
to everything,
for no fear is possible,
conceivable
in deathless

deathless,
no opposite

all else
a tiny, tiny,
tiny mad idea

a gnat
buzzing in God's ear,
ha!

do you really think
God
Reality
Infinity
Love
is threatened
by that,
a gnat
claiming to be
all of it!

claiming to have power
and control,
taking credit for its life,
its provision,
with intelligence enough
to dictate
all of existence?!

laughable!

laughable!

you
are not this gnat

you
are deathless

everything you ever need
or could possibly want
is here
now

seek not
life in death
for it is not there
and never will be

you are deathless
now

only this
is true

there is no problem
that can ever
speak louder
than this

of course i can!

of course,
i can!

perfect mirror image

i'm already here,
and i
had nothing
to do with it

do you SEE the miracle you are?

you just appear...

and everything else around you,
a whole world...

just happens!

and you're worried
there is not enough!@?

the kingdom of heaven
day after day after day...

sky
moon
rain
just happens

body
happening

laughter
happening

a cheery song...

even kittens!!

and you doubt miracles?!

what have you
ever had to do
with anything?

not even one blink of your eye...
not one tulip,
not one flake of snow...

pretty humbling

just a back seat
in this show

of course, i can "do" it...
i've got nothing to do with it
:-)

oh to meddle...

oh to meddle in the affairs of field mice!

they have their soldiers,
their ways
of surviving
the nightmare

you don't tell
a hallucinating man
it isn't there

you hold his hand

and listen

and stay by his side

knowing all the while
there is no problem
that needs to be solved

no criminal to be jailed

simply a frightened mouse

and isn't this
but a call for tenderness?

where is darkness?

in tender solitude
the mayfly sings her sweet song

effortlessly the fireflies light

effortlessly the light goes out,
lifting spirits

can you look at light
and see darkness?

and where is it that there is not light?
for without light
it is impossible to see at all

so it is
there is only light to see

and where, sweetheart,
where is darkness now?

which track are you on?

there were
three race cars
running round the track

Mary was a bread winner,
Susie, the wine maker,
and Harry
had no idea what he was--
where to start,
where the finish line was.

Is there really a beginning,
middle, and end to a circle?

well, Coral Bell thought
it was the rough spot,
because when your car hits it,
it might flip over
and that would be the end

Mary, with all the bread,
needed to rise
to have it all turn out right,
so she considered the high edge
round the turn
to be the necessary act
before the finish

and Susie,
having to wait many years
for the wine to ferment
thought she may as well
cover every square inch of the track
in order to not miss anything
and perhaps uncover
some deep insight along the way

and last there was Harry
looking at them all.
He decided if he just
sat right in the center
and watched them all go by
he could have it all
without lifting a finger

but it wasn't until the rain started
and the snow fell
that they found out
they were really all
on the same track

and right now
it belonged
to the Snow

:-)

stiffened wire

stiffened wire,
the kind put in place
before they pour the cement,

reinforcement,
the troops

tamping down
tramping down
packing the hard clay
into its place

cast iron
cast away
cast in a play
casting
a spell

a very
dry
spell

where the mud
is rock hard

and liquid but sits on the surface

that photo IS you,
proof of your identity

it's the law, for heaven's sake!
the Law!

to oppose this "proof"
in anyway could actually put you
behind bars

oh what a frightened,
terrified sheriff this must be

what a thing to teach a little child

you
are these squirmy little shapes,

you
are this one sound,

you
are dust,

you
are simply
a color

so small,
so weak,
so in danger

but wait...
wait!
the child sees,

and leaves
silently in the night

she simply isn't there
in the morning when you go to wake her


(or perhaps she is shot down in broad daylight
in the middle of the street
by the frightened sheriff)


it.can.not.be!   ...mind.is.speech.less

no answer
for this
One

and now it is you
who must open wide

must open to the Vastness,
the beyond all labels

and ask a real question
with all your Heart

What am I...
really?

without the mortar, bricks, and cement,
without the mold,
without any authority telling me,
without a map anyone has ever walked...
without any possibility of punishment...
or danger...
without a mother...
or a father...
without knowing
a single thing...

wall of protest

the bubble,
the veil,
the divider

the wall of protest

strewn with graffiti,
all saying,
pointing to

"this" is not me--

damn the war!
f**k  the government,
police, spouse,
opposite sex,
corporations,
environmental degradation!

it is not 'I'

it is outside of 'i'

ha!

how many eons
has this scribbling gone on...
how much longer...
'til
the ink
dissolves,
the lie falls...

it IS you,

it IS You

what else could it be
that experiences this?
believes,
"sees" 

who else's suffering is it
if not your
wound

cut out of your
very own soul

and left to rot
in hell?

come,

the wall of protest
IS 
your safety

it IS
where you have hidden
every lie

to behold one day
for what it is

your very dearest Self

your very dearest Self, Love

Huck Finn

would  you marry Huck Finn
and pull the plug on his raft?

he was a traveling man,
couldn't sit still

was it his fault 
you wanted a pony show?

something to show off,
cotton candy to eat,
fancy costumes
to cover 
the empty shell

he walked on two toes
and still it wasn't enough

walk on air!
you said,
and he actually tried

but it was so damn hard

he fell to the earth
in tears
and you called him a sissy

oh my God,
is it really true 
that men are from Mars
and women are from Venus,
or do we all just want
everything our way?

an image
that no one 
can ever be

just right

bigger
bustier
sexier
more glamorous
taller
cuter
younger older

to "er" is to err

Godlilocks had it right

this chair IS just right

this boob is just right, ladies
and gentlemen!

it's absolutely PERFECT

thank God for it!
now!

thank God for now!

thank God for God!

really, what else is there to do?

it can never ever BE
different

thank God
i am not in charge

thank God
i haven't gotten all my wishes

thank God
i have no idea what is going on!

and can just enjoy the ride...

Alice
in Wonder

can't keep up

no one
can "keep up"
with the mind

do more!
again!
again
again
again!

more, i say,
more!

bigger
better
stronger
faster
quicker, quicker, quicker!

smarter
prettier...

no, i'm exhausted

i can never ever ever
satisfy
mind...

she keeps dreaming it up
and i will never ever ever
match
her dream

good to know

if you are depressed,
here's why

:-)

pancakes or nightmare?

would you ask a waitress
to be the President?

no.
she would not know where to start,
overwhelmed
and bewildered

so it is when you give thought
the power of decision
to rule your life

it is in no position,
has no knowledge,
no experience,
no qualification

this moment,
this Virginity
is foreign soil
to thought

it has never been here,
nor can it ever be
"in the moment"

it is always delayed,
always an after thought

nothing happens
and thought says it did--
conceptualizes it

it never is experience,
only a story
later

it has no power to make decisions
because
she is NOT there,
she cannot rule when she is NOT there,
a "decision" is made, and she says "i did it"

she's only a reporter
and always gets it wrong,
beCause she wasn't there

thought and reality
never meet

thought is the absence
of reality

she can't enter the Oval Office,
it just isn't possible

simply let her serve up pancakes dripping with maple syrup,
but do not give her the job of Director or expert witness...
unless that is
you're in the mood for a nightmare...

not i

not i

take i out of the equation,
because i is always one too many,

i is the error in the math,
in navigation,

i makes haywire of all signals--
every signal gets hijacked,
directed at "me"

mass miscommunication,
talk about net neutrality...
take i out of it,
and just see what happens

i, the cause of all war,
i against i,
this thought
against that thought,
fighting fighting fighting,
to seem to have a life,
to extend it's illusion of time...

not i,
and the birds are free again,
the migration of a million geese
isn't halted
in "my" interest

the motor isn't silenced,
the face isn't slapped,
the the tied tongue
is loosened
in the Space,
no need to talk
now

not i,
what would you like, dear?
how can i serve,
invisibly,
no i needs to notice

can i make someone's life easier?
can i just be a hearth
for their words and feelings?

not i

the medicine

that dissolves
all opposition

teachers

a million
trillion
teachers,
masters,
rush
float
lift
swirl
dart
suddenly change direction,
dangle upward
weightlessly

never before
never again

no size
no shape
no speed
no location
predictable
nor predicted

no thing like
the moment before

dashing downward
sworling up

teachers,
every one

from the finest particle
to the clumping collective,
perfect positioning

resting on the "roof",
piling on the pile

never born, She
never dies, She

names can never hold--
never ever delineate
the continual imperceptible
wonders

without any understanding at all,
what is there to know?

we say "snow flakes"
and there is no way
it can contain
this Infinite Wildness.

Nature.
Master.
Teacher.

qualified?

ok, so you think
the entire Universe
should be different

every man, woman,
and child should be
more loving

traffic should be faster,
the air cleaner,
he should look at you
like no other woman ever,
the grass should be green
every day of the year--
everyone should be happy
with all of your demands,

"your" politician should win
and the other crooks
should go to jail,

there is not one thing
in this Universe
you would not change...

and just what
are your credentials?

without guilt

without guilt,
do you see
the distribution of wellness?

there is no lack
of Awareness,

there is no flower
without beauty

see how your mind
flowers!
without fear...

see how there is no
poison
that can ever kill
awareness

bombs may drop,
blood may flow,
but only
in the presence
of Awareness

no bomb
can kill awareness

no hate
has any power
to move
awareness

here
is the stable,

The Presence

guilt would try
to convince you
it alone is powerful

but just take a look
at any flower...
and you will see
it is not so

catch or release?

this con-trap-tion,
we call a mind,
eats, lives, nourishes itself
on contrarios,
breakfast,
lunch,
dinner...

give me your tired,
your poor, your sick...

i will mash them up
and put them in my bowl,
tasty treats,
sugarcoated
deserts

the more color!
the greater the inflation
to mask its nothingness,
the better

O my
what emptiness it is
i seem to distract myself with...

this con-trap-tion
called the mind,
that makes no thing into something...

the emperor's new clothes

and we all stand around
appalled
at the story on the internet,
mouths open--
no!
what vileness
this world holds

yes, dear one,
yes

it's caught you,
the hook is in your mouth!

would you bite down harder now
or
release it?

grandpa

grandpa smiled
at his grandson
as he told him
how he saw
a snake
THISsssssssss long...

as long as a....

really, Grandpa,
i swear!

and grandpa knew
it WAS true for the boy

He adored this child

there was not one thing
he could ever say or do
to make him see him
as anything but innocent

for grandpa's Heart
had seen it All,
and behold
it was All
very, very good

He, too, had been a boy once,
and he understood.

the Apostles

the Apostles held their sway
the moment
they could see no other

the bygones were
gone

revelers hold clairvoyance
in their Hearts,
see with Eyes
unblocked by learning

there's only ever been
One

the constancy of this
Unspeakable Reverence

silences
even the most
talkative

all things
shall pass

in quiet
now

there is no pull,
no string
that could ever
waste God,
fool
the Horizon,

the Depth
is Endless,

that's All
i know

time to vomit

the price of peace
is materialism

is this what you really want?

fabric by the yard sale,
old worn out washing machines
in the land filled
over the brim stone
with stuff?

stuffed to the max
with stuffing
on Thanksgiving?

will the stuffed belly
really ever make you full?

isn't it about time to vomit?

to throw up your hands,
your cash cows
into the air?

that Emptiness
can once more
be Open
to the wind?

that breath isn't seized,
but free
to be
what it is
where it is
when it is?

isn't it time to see
that no box
can ever hold
Everything
outside it,
and the more
you try
to collect the stars
the less light
you will shine?

for there is
only One
pure Source
of Illumination

and that lantern
is You

to lay down
everything you own
is HOW
the light gets out
into the world,
that you
can actually SEE
and FEEL
the Radiance

a light
locked in a closet
beneath a thousand
shopping sprees
is not gone out,

but it is
unseen

hovering

it simply hovered there
in the dimensionless place
like a silent helicopter

waiting for permission
to enter,
to infiltrate
this body,
and pretend
to be  it

this morning,
doing the dishes,
it appeared
and i saw the thought
literally hovering,
"you should get started"

and i saw clearly it wasn't true

i saw clearly it had no authority,
no back up,
no proof,
it wore no badge,
and had not been
elected to office

it was really so sparse,
so harmless,
so innocent,
a question...hanging in the air
like an old familiar bird
on his route south

and
i didn't collapse/contract/shrink
into her

i didn't go there,
become it

i just watched her
as the Vast Space

and she went away

settle in

settle
in ward

can you feel it?

relax INto
the Space you are

settle in

there is no colonizing
that will ever
clear this Space
that is You

Heaven,
the Heaven,
the fragrance,
the Epitome
You are

you can't grab
another,
another's experience
and call it your own

no matter how many books you read,
poems,
salutations
and awakenings...

not one
will give you
what you
already
are

tasting space

the deeper Guide,
the Heart,
knows
the truth

until the crows are actually silent
how could one
taste
the space
of a million silent birds

where once raucous cries
filled the sky
day and night,
calm is palpable,

the heavy pressure,
the sick feeling,
the anxious gnawing static
now resting
quietly in the shade
by the river

with only an occasional
giggle
and guffaw
at the once
impenetrable blanket
laid over the Sun!

can you imagine
what a feat for a two-year-old!
what an amazing feat!

oh
to see the silliness
of such a prankster

gone in an instant,
a flash of smoke
without
one cinder left
to mark its passing

the silent killer: belief

to bite the apple
is to believe the thought,
the story,
to fall for it

(it's so quiet,
so unseen,
so unnoticed)

i am
the only one
that can bite it,
and in that bite
a entire world,

entire

world!

a whole different
cast of characters,

villains
are born

to bite the apple,
the moment i believe,
"you should get started",
guilt,
a character: 'you' is born
right there

drama,
good and evil

IF you believe it

i need
do nothing

stillness,
awareness
is everything

watch

do you see
how unnecessary that coffee is?
that chocolate?
that should...?

the end of the rainbow
is here,
this is
the pot of gold--
the absence of belief
literally shines
so brightly--

nothing should be different.

nothing
should be different

you wanted to meet God:
this is It.

no story will ever make it different

the Inquisition is over.
burning at the stake
is over!

i see the apple
and it has no appeal.

guilt has lost its luster

i see
i am
so very very fine
without it

amen.

the fairy light touch

the fairy light touch

the wand
has turned the straw into gold,
the pumpkin into a coach,

it is
but this,
only this
fairy stuff
that tells of the true,
the Heart
that is married
to every Rapunzel,
every cornstalk,
every hurricane,
and sugar cane

there is NO EVIL
in this world

it is but the wand
of forgiveness
that removes the blinders
from your eyes,
the black soot
your guilt laid upon
every loving star,
every innocent frog

Prince of Peace
is the only
Heart
that beats
in every Son set

the table has never
ever ever
been empty

oh, for Heaven's sakes,
Honey,

what in the world was i thinking?@!

it's shining!
Just shining!
Everywhere!

hmmm...

the creator/perceiver
of a problem
can hold no answer

its purpose,
its life
its motto
is simply
"there is a problem,
there is always a problem
and always will be a problem"

i am the one who interprets
Reality/Love
as a problem
to solve

problem: a narrow point of view,
limited vantage point,
simply cannot see the whole,
infinite points of view

raised by
educated by
a narrow point of view--
a bias: problems are real,
abundant and unending

educated to study problems,
the history of problems,
to study wars and famines,
not the absence of...

taught by the same mind that worships problems,
we were told to look to this creator of problems
for "advice"

no class
ever
on the absence of problems,
the Spaceless Space

no, it was the joker's show

the Openness,
the free
Love,
the ever merciful
Heart,
Grace,

the clear sky
the clean water
the fresh air
the space between the words,
between thoughts,
the gaps in the system

the ease
and laughter,

no one ever taught you

the Eternal Laughter,
ever laughing...

no,
there was no class
on This

isn't it funny
we paid tuition,
thousands and thousands
of dollars
and
taxes

to teach us
every moment of the day
that problems
are real?

stillness

what could possibly be "off"
about a river?

only in the stillness
can i see
the shimmering fish

like a painting in a gallery
how else can you possibly
see it
inhale it
imbibe its juiciness
without
BEING with Her

complete stillness
to see
to experience
to feel the color RED!
piled upon violet
next to the sashay of "yellow"

there is no name for this,
the intravenous injection
of That
which can never be named

it's just for me
to be
still
and experience

what could possibly
be "off" about a river...?

really?

you can't be "off"

Reality can't be
different than it is

BE with this...

if you have a thought
you are "off",
just notice
(this screamer!)

how old is she?
notice
what she is wearing,
the lipstick,
the slinky black dress,
the coolness,
sleek
dangly earrings,

"you're off!"
she says,

this image,

do you see
it's make believe
talking?

literally
a hallucination

she's not even here

her feet never touch the earth,
she lives in your head--
never breathes air,
never sees or feels
one thing you do

she doesn't know even know
any thing or any one

she's never met a real person!

she's not even as real as
a puff of smoke,
not for one instant

she has never been born
and can never die--
like a tape recorder,
she has no soul,
no heart,
no skin

she never sleeps
and never wakes,
just like a photograph,
she can't even walk
or drive a car...

or have a life!

so
would you really
look to her
as your guide?

really?

you can't be "off"...

no matter what
"she"says

Reality
can not
be
different
than it is

never land

it's never been true

an after thought (label, concept)
has NO relation
to reality,
what happened

a generalization
can never be
reality

never

a label
can never
be what it refers to

it's always
looking back,
creating a "thing"
boundaries
and boxes
out of what never was,
the seamless
undefinable
inconceivable

without a capsule

isn't it plain to see
how extremely limited
your sight is?

what about the 270 degrees
behind you and on both sides,
not to mention
above your head
and below your feet
you are completely blind to

how could you possibly claim
to have context?

possibly claim to know what is going on
on the other side of the earth,
much less
in another head?

what in the world!!

how could any of us really think
we could BE inside
of another--know them?

and this is daily talk,
taken for granted--
like leaves on a tree--
this WILD ass(ed)umption!

just pause for

one

instant,

honey,

for one
instant.

lay down this one thought

and
omg

do you see
the technicolor
infinite
Universe
that sleeps
beside you!

talk about exploring outer space--

oh oh ode to joy!

it is but this "inner space"

that

never ever ever ever

ends...

"it's" all over
already

"it's" never 
been true

natural brilliance

underlying brilliance
shone through,

all the way through!

i mean in every particle
there was no blocking the Source,
the Intelligence

think about it--
even a lie
is just sort of a backward way of talking,
a long way around the pond--

i wanted to say "i love you"
but it came out all garbled
and sounded like
screaming and crying,

but my heart was behind
the scene, Love

my Heart, was behind
even that scene

shining in
the "damn",
the limited view
was doing the very best
it could,
given it could only see
one particle
of the whole creation

so much compassion
is available
when we see this

you can't expect an ant
to know what life looks like
through the eyes of a bird, honey

at best i can imagine
a snakeskin
slithering
footless,
legless,
but i can never truly know
a snake's life

magic happens
when my eyes do attempt this though

i can see
how my foot
just stomped out
the life of an ant
and i didn't even know it

natural brilliance
is so ready
every where
as soon as you

ask!

impostor

impostor
is a lot of work

the costume
the face paint
the accent
the exaggerated gestures
and painstaking postures
held long enough (endlessly)
to convince another
a lie is true

how long will that take?
how long has it been attempted?

it's really a wonder
we're all still walking around,
laughing--
good thing for humor--

the good Humor Man
that can laugh,
that can't be fooled
by a halloween costume

trick or treat?
i pose to myself
each moment

denial
or integrity?

death or life?

poisoned candy, my darling?!
or would i place my fingers
gently on the buttons of
this costume,
and one by one
open,
reveal
what's been hidden
under
this heavy layer of whitewashing

would i let the soil
show itself to the world/me?

i
am not what i have claimed to be, sir

let me wear nothing now
but a window,
a clear transparent window,
that the sun can penetrate
and  the dark cannot hide

let me do nothing
to convince you
i am what i am not

the fullerbrush salesman
would retire

your hair is already oh so naturally brilliant

rest

rest now
in the Almighty Tabernacle

the bird will wait
outside the door

her wings close to her side,
eyes closing in the sun,
beak bowed to the ground

there is no hurry to flock,
no need to leave the ground

there is electricity
in the stillness

decharging
the
attraction of the poles

magnetic splinters abound,
yet all the same pull

rest
is the feast

rest
is the fullness

without that thought...
without any thought...

there is no effort
beCause you are not the doer,
you are done

it's such a simple, funny thing/realization

when you put down your tools...
you can rest

no one was ever making you do anything,
think anything,
believe anything

when you sit down...
oh my, oh my, oh my...
you.can.rest...

how incredibly (unbelievably) simple

speed

why is speed revered? (speed is good...speed is God. is it true?)
have you ever wondered?

is it really
beneficial
right now?
in this moment?

what if
i slow down
and notice
this is what I've always wanted

speed,
like the drug,
was a drug
to keep me speeding.

no wonder
i missed Everything

on the way
to no where

false images

do not worship idols

do not invest,
put your heart
into false images
or you will suffer

don't invest yourself
in a fantasy

see the arrogance of it,
you were mistaught

do not doubt
your capacity
to unlearn,
(do This Work),
when you have created an entire world,
made hell out of Heaven,
killed God/Love
find hurt where there is none,
see danger while sitting safely
on your living room couch

the Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet
is a clear picture of your false images,
the way we want it to be,
how he should be

every time you hurt
notice the false image--
the one that isn't,
that doesn't exist

(it's called comparison--
reality and a false image)

if you worship a false god
you will hurt
because you can never have
what isn't

you have arrived

I am the doorway
for the traveler to pass through

you have arrived
at the place you were always seeking,
where you can unload it all

not even a body
to weigh you down

oh yes,
the mercy of Heaven is real indeed, sister,
real indeed!

I am the Sanctuary
to worship
the free

no laws
no rules
no back and forth

you have passed through

you have seen at last
that you
can never be
contained in a thought,

only that thoughts
appear and disappear in You

I am
the doorway to Love

come in,
and roast!

Refuge

I am
the Refuge

I am the state of mind
where all
the crying of the world,
the moaning,
the shrieking damnation
is given rest

Oh come, weary ancient thoughts,
dearest children who have bumped your knee,
bumped into a thoughtvalanche,
a mountain
of seeming no escape,
the tension of walking a tightrope
day after day after day...

I am
the Refuge

I am
the wake
of your suffering

It is here
your suffering can finally be laid to rest

She never did
protect you

I am
the Refuge

as you enter the Safe Space
archaic weapons
simply gather dust
in the corner

oh so much easier to whirl
without a cannon
'round my neck!

laughter is so natural
looking back

I am
the Refuge

come, Sweethearts, come

gentle

be gentle
with the insane

i/they
are terribly frightened

i
am lost,
abandoned,
wished dead
by my Mother,
by all the Universe,
trees
sky
earth

how wretched a mind
to cohabit

Oh Dearest,
be gentle today,
with your self,
and every soul who passed through
your mind,

every criminal,
corporation,
politician,
lover,
the most wretched
of the earth,

be gentle, honey

no agenda

how very miniscule the world is,
all the reaches of the stars
throughout all of time,
compared with one instant of stillness.

breathless,
no one comes
to go

no thing comes
to pass

no stair well,
no ladder,
to Heaven
nor to hell

without an agenda...
let this be, dear one,

that is all

let it be,

without an agenda...

that is all

the all encompassing truth,
where ever you look,
whatever direction
you can possibly imagine

God is...
prior to "you"

Get close to you

i don't know 

why geese fly south

why the north is cold 

or deserts hot

or cowboys are from the west

i only know

that everyone on this planet wants a rest

from weary travelers

of mind

so long on the road 

so long the caravans laden with boxes

promising

tomorrow will be better,

tomorrow,

down the road,

over there,

in HIS shoes,

or her body,

of if i had that face,

or that corporation's money,

or the military's power,

oh soldier, 

you do!

this universe 

within you

is your resting place

behind each symbol,

behind death and unfairness,

the most unfair bitter taste

in my mouth

is Heaven

look closely, dear One,

come very very close

to this mirror,

get as close as you possibly can,

every freckle, whisker, crevas.

magnify it, open it, take it apart

and see the

space

all it ever

wanted was the awareness of Love

it was your hiding place

from Love

now the cat IS

out of the bag.

The moment you see

your dearest Self wholly unharmed

by any condition ever

is the end of all illusion

the trick didn't work.

magic

is not reality

i don't need a black hat

to hug my bunny

she is already.

Only Love.

Look closely at every hiding place

and you will find it.

the perfect chair

Feel the kindness of the chair,
it cradles you,
cushions you,
supports your back,
insulates you from the cold of the floor,
absorbs the warmth of the sun for you

completely silent,
ever still

100% service
so willing
so humble
so patient

i will be still a lifetime,
i need be nothing but a chair,
not a flower, nor a bird, nor a cat, nor a roaring locomotive!

no, to be what i am
is the highest nobilitiy

to be
that which i am

for to be what i am not
is to surely fail

to step
one inch away
from what i am,
to set one eye on my brother's collar,
to desire one tiny hair

is death.

death at my own hand.

set your eye
on your own heart
feet, hands

feel the kindness
you are

be
the kindness
you are

the only life
there is

no one else's life
is yours

feel the kindness in this

you are in the perfect place,
time, space
body,
job
relationship
house
country

you are sitting in the perfect chair
for you

it makes perfect sense

anything else is non-sense

Kindness

Feel the kindness of the chair.

It's not inanimate.

Nothing could be more alive than Love.

Feel the kindness of the air,

the kindness of your skin,

of paper and pen.

Notice what it took to make the "pen"!

all the men and women,

oil,

factory... all the construction workers, materials, resources...

designers

ink

steel for spring

paper packaging, trees, water, sun, soil, earth

computer

trucks and truckers

store

shipping

accountants

to name a few...

no little thing,

"a pen", is it true?

or is it a Force,

a power of

collaboration

teamwork

service

truckstops and coffee and waitresses and laughter and jokes and gasoline and oil wells and rigs

and oceans and tankers and dolphins...and steel mills in "Indiana"...

a Force so powerful

all these seemingly "separate"

entities

never could possibly be separate

a Force so powerful,

one cell,

every single cell,

is the power

of the Whole

Kindness.

Perhaps the Answer is the very lowest, most humble cell--

the truth that all cells are equal under God,

all cells are love,

all cells are wholly serving.

There is not one cell who would be greater than another.

Only Love.

That dances

and dances

and dances

with no will of its own.

Where would this single cell go off to?

It's church is here.

It's church is now.

It's light is ON.

Feel the 

Kind-ness.

Love is The Answer

Love is the Master Teacher,
it is love that walks on water,
finds fish where there are none,
cuts the one loaf to feed a thousand.

one taste of true love
and the ground literally
rises up to carry you
the appointed way,
to the appointed people,
words,
wisdom

one taste of true love,
and the professor vanishes from sight,
no one to profess to,
no one you would make wrong,
only love on every face, tree, cloud,
and what can one possibly profess
to that which is beyond all words,
and beyond all limits

one taste of true love,
and all of time is undone

oh yes, friend,
Love is the Answer

one taste of true love
and there is nothing else
which can ever stand

love is the under-stand

Love is the Answer
to every question,
every problem,
every doubt,
every di-lemna,
every di-vergence.

Re-turn to Now,
to what you K now.

Love is the Answer.

a leaf

can you do what a leaf does,
for just a moment?

to let yourself be carried
by the flow

100%?

zero control

no paddles

no steering wheel

zero opposition

zero separate will

simply be carried

100%?

as you are already.

can you give up
taking credit
for any of it?

invisible

i'm nothing,

no thing 

i can see

taste

touch

smell

hear

no sense can tell me

a thing

about what i am

i am

invisible,

soundless,

no image--

need nothing

want nothing

should nothing--

no will apart from what is:

appreciation

love

approval

worship not the visible,

it is not worthy of You,

it will fail you

the invisible 

cannot be hurt

or killed

or even touched

your brother is not visible either

no appearance will ever satisfy

You

are invisible

who can divide the invisible?

it is but a joke.

no one needs to see you,

nor can see you

what you are does not depend

on others

there is nothing you can do

to get closer to what you are

or be more

than what you are 

stop trying to be seen.

You are invisible.

seek no more

to look good.

You are invisible.

all comparison

is (false) images

ANY image you have

of yourself is a lie.

You are invisible.

praise on low

there's a sweet song
a singing,
the melodious enter prizes
that suddenly appear
and then shift
into shadows

smirking at
the bait taker,
rhapsody in blues,
yellow and greener is the grass,
greener is your meadow--
oh dear brother,
it hurts so to see
technicolor over there,

way over yonder,
the heart that left Home
is oh but a lonely fantasy

fantasia is only undone
when you touch the grass
you sit upon
and see,
really, really see
this miracle
at your feet,
of your feet

praise on low!
the lowest of the lowly,
is here
at your feet--
even this
is the piece,
the peace,
of the Master

let the door but swing
inward

welcome Home,
dear Heart

it is you,
I,
that is forever
Love

there's a sweet song
a singing,
a melodious inner prize,
right here,
ever
here

ever hear

Miss Identity

Miss Identity
dropped her key,
and couldn't find her Self

someone found it in the gutter
and thought they now could be
someone else,
and start a new life...

isn't it funny
what a short life we have?
here today and gone tomorrow,
and even shorter--
just this one thought, gone now,
gone forever...

the key to the past
does not open this door

This One is
wide open,
without a 'you'
that ever was before

Miss Identity,
lost her name,
and people
thought they knew her,
for sure

but it was only themselves
they wrote on her

She
was forever
a wide open door...

death is holy

the happy dream
holds flowers

and life,
and death,
that is not evil,
but holy,
whole--
promotion,
expansion,
transcendance,
limitlessness

who would choose
to remain in a box,
an eggshell,
forever?

limitlessness is natural

who would keep studying
the alphabet
when the writing is on the wall?

horror

horror
is but another name
for unexamined,

for distance,

haven't looked yet--

you turned away,
to avoid,
to run

sit you still now
and watch the reflection
do the same

the wild eye
not so
wild

the pounding heart
not so
jumpy

the whoosh of hysteria
not so
windy

look
how tame the "monster"
sits,
exactly as still
as you

not one hair different

she is at home
with you

nothing strange--
not a stranger
when You
look her in the eye

there is nothing hidden here.
it's all face value.
now
that you
have turned around.

tendrils

when silent tendrils lay awake

the moon through the window shown

how delicate

this nature is--

can't be told at all--

like a baby's skin

the words cannot approach,

cannot approach

the miracle

you hold 

in your arms

halt the input

all things you reach for will never satisfy

halt the input
and notice what is

see the image through the glass,
there is someone home already.
notice the House is full,
the hearth warm,
the fire roasting,
there is no need to bring in
a shoulder to cry on

feel the fullness

halt the should
and notice how she does dance

notice there are wings and tails already

notice that she fell on her face,
crashed and tore all the skin
off her life,
bashed her bloody heart,
waded in the cattails,
was struck by lightening
and thunder that tried to deafen...

and notice how
in the mourning she sang!
in the morning the sun did rise
every bit as bright
as the day before she was born

notice that nothing ever layed
her lower than anything else

notice she never scored a goal
of another
and was fine tuned
to her own interior

notice this one that had no name,
yet answered to one,
left each mark on the pavement
with abandon,
never to return to that moment again.

the past could not skin her a second time.

it might have looked her in the  mirror,
but the second time was seen as a rerun
and didn't quite have the shock value
it's maker wished

the walls crumble
when you no longer need the house

halt the input
and you might just notice
the Unspeakable