Seeing is Hearing
  
Seeing is hearing that which is hidden in plain sight,
Absorbing the reverberations of creation,
Perceiving the symphony of line and form; then going deeper
Than nicks and warts and embellishments,
Beyond distractions and wounds
To the true essence of the song.
Peel away layers manifest and layers buried within.
Behold Life, eyes and ears.
Express the Mystery, hands and hearts.
  
©January [...]

 A year after the shooting spree that killed five beloved people, wounded several more and left us grieving and grasping for hope, the city of Tucson came together on Jan. 7th for times of commemorating, celebrating, and committing to life, health and community.  It began at sunrise at the TMC Labyrinth at Peppi’s House. The mother drum called us together, constantly [...]

                       Wellspring of Goodness
 Drown in the depths of living nightmare                       
Or cling to divine buoy, bobbing the rhythm of reclamation.
Wrung out, dry as desert dirt
Or renewed by the River of Life.
Tricked by mirages that call us to drink
Then vanish upon our arrival
Or quenched by cups of cold water
Our neighbors offer, at times in sacrificial ways.
Wellspring of [...]

 
Spiritual Health
A good gauge of spiritual health is to write down
the three things you most want,
If they in any way differ,
you are in trouble.
 
Rumi translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Epiphany  Year C
Let It Shine
Let the light of love shine
Into molten rage
Cave-dark depression
Frozen fear frantically searching for hope
Let it shine
On the tender-hearted and closed-minded
The wise ones and the fools
From the deserts of Arizona to the deserts of Afghanistan
Let the still beams of courage illuminate
Paths of ethical compassion
For each of us who are invited to love [...]

From the First
Big-eyed beauty
From the first second,
We loved you -
Your eyes and toes
Your skin and soul
And each molecule of miracle that is you.
Big-eyed joy
From the first second
Our hearts overflowed with gratitude.
We rejoiced the first time we held you,
At 96 hours,
Now that your adoption is “official”
And will continue to celebrate
The milestones and moments
All along the way.
Big-eyed [...]

Worshipping with Sophia
Let me pray with you she babbled
After she rocked out to “O Come All Ye Faithful”
Communing with eyes of wonder
And peek-a-boo
Her soft, brown skin receiving affection poured out
Doubling, quadrupling her return
Surrounded by family: immediate, extended, church
By the time we joined voices for “Silent Night”
She slept in heavenly peace
Sweet breath rising and falling like [...]

Cradle us, God in the Manger,
For we long to be caressed tenderly
Loved intimately
Cradle us, God of the Star,
For the way is hazy
And your purpose illuminates like dawn
Cradle us, God at the Stable,
For all creatures need the nourishment you offer
In the House of Bread
© December 2009  Cynthia Langston Kirk
To use this or any liturgy written by [...]

Turtledove choked just before dawn