Poems From The Porch

My Heart is Aware

This morning reveals the earth sparkling crystal white

with the moon beaming approval.

The starry sky is reluctantly yielding to the dawn.

Lights from distant fire balls appear to twinkle

until the pink and blue hues cloak their presence.

I am up early this morning and glad for it.

Coffee prayer and silence,

a journal and a pen.

I am holding the mystery of grief and gratitude,

their presence ever co-existing.

In this moment, there is so much joy,

a humble recognition of being tenderly held.

And at the same time,

my heart is aware of those I’ve loved and lost

and of transitions that highlight the passage of time.

Most specifically, my friend lays dying,

and my son turns thirty today;

both are occasions to celebrate life well-lived.

So I join Mother Mary in her canticle of magnification

and remember the love my friend gave me

so generously.

I release my son again into his adulthood

and marvel at his maturity.

Goodbye, friend,

you who saw in me such goodness.

A shimmer of me goes with you,

as a twinkle of you stays with me.

I honor you for your beauty and your struggle

and for the legacy of love you’ve left as blessing.

Steady on, son,

as you travel this journey of life.

My son, my own.

Your life, your own.