Lost Heart

I cannot find my heart
In the hustle and bustle and hassle and rustle…
Though it’s not even Christmas, I fear!
I cannot find my heart
In illusion, confusion, profusion, delusion,
For its voice is too quiet to hear.

In the silence I wait,
When I can remember,
And call to the Spirit inside.
I cannot find my heart
Unless I am seeking
Rediscovering what’s always been mine.


For the Fifth Anniversary celebration at
dVerse,
where Walt asks us to draw inspiration from this quote:
“I am cold, even though the heat of early summer is adequate. I am cold because I cannot find my heart.” ~Sebastian Barry from his novel A Long, Long Way

Pink Flamingo

Many, if not all of us at one time or another, live in silent desperation. We feel we can’t tell others what is really going on, so we (try to) hide behind a smiling face, a sense of humor, evasive answers, or in this case, a pink flamingo. May this song be a reminder that we’re all in this together, and there is a Light of Truth behind our identities and expectations!

Instrument: Brio – Red Cedar Concert Ukulele

Refrain:
I hid my sins behind
A pink flamingo
So people think things go
The way I wish they would.
But when I take the time
To see the light inside me,
I know it gently guides me
To a place that’s real and good.

1. The paradise I got
Is not the paradise I wanted.
And the love I thought would last,
It slid right down the drain.
And I just couldn’t face the facts
Of the faces and opinions.
So I held it all inside me
And tried not to complain.
Refrain:

2. The picture that I see
Is not the picture that I wanted.
And the things I need to do,
It seems they never do get done.
And I just couldn’t face the facts
Of the faces and opinions.
So I tried to smooth it over
And paint a better one.
Refrain:

‘Cause that flamingo statue can fall over.
And all the stuff behind it can pour out.
My insecurities are like that cover.
God sends the tides and washes them all out.

So no more hiding sins behind
A pink flamingo
So people think things go
The way I wish they would.
‘Cause when I take the time
To see the light inside me,
It always gently guides me
To a place that’s real and good.

A place that God provides me
Where I understand His good.

Common Threads (The Weaver’s Song)

Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar

O don’t expect our threads to look the same.

1. As cultures, families, and friends,
We have some common threads for sure.
They give us things to talk about and help our bonds to form.
But no matter what we think and say
Or do that looks the same,
Our common threads are different players in a special game.
So
Refrain:

2. Religions, hobbies, work, and life,
They give us common threads to hold,
Connecting us through chaos and confusion in the cold.
But no matter what we pick and choose
That looks the same to you,
We add a special touch to our corner of the truth.
So
Refrain:

3. There is one Spirit in us all.
It’s the common thread that’s real;
The God who weaves our tapestry and lets us live and feel.
And no matter what we find in life,
Our threads are in His hand.
The Spirit won’t unravel, and the work is always grand!
But
Refrain:

No, don’t expect our threads to look the same.

Refrain:
Don’t expect our threads to look the same
As they intertwine with others in play.
Like everyone in fact,
They travel on a path.
But we see and hear and touch and know within a narrow frame.
So don’t expect our threads to look the same.

Related

Lifeweaving

How to Weave a Tapestry

Shuttle: A Tool for Change

The Weaver’s Prayer

Beloved

I am God’s Beloved!

A song for meditation and affirmation.

Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar

1. Beloved,
Remember I know your heart.
I was yours before the start.
I love your tender heart.

2. Beloved,
Remember I fill your soul
With water that keeps you whole.
I love your thirsty soul.

You are the Light that shines within this world.
You are eternal Word.
You are my body made to do and feel.
You are my perfect work.

3. Beloved,
Remember I made your mind.
Seek me there, and you will find.
I love your brilliant mind.

You are the Light that shines within this world.
You are eternal Word.
You are my body made to do and feel.
You are my perfect work.

Repeat 1.

Beloved,
Beloved,
My Beloved.

Earth Blessing

A blessing song for our Mother Earth and her many inhabitants. May we live in harmony here, and with all beings everywhere!

Instrument: Brio – Red Cedar Concert Ukulele

Refrain:
Earth we know
Earth we love
As below
So above.
Earth we take
Earth we give
We awake
As one to live!

1. May compassion be our guide,
Seeing all that you provide.
May our knowledge come to show
Wisdom as we change and grow.
Refrain:

2. May we give to you our best,
Loving kindness, peace, and rest.
Harmony is One in All,
Shaping land and waterfall.
Refrain:

3. God above and on the earth
Lives through every death and birth.
Planet of the Spirit, too,
May we handle you with Truth!
Refrain:

Still Life

I am the sculpture;
I’ll come right out and tell you that.
Which one?
I can’t say, because you don’t really care.

I was stone before I became this statue.
I am still stone.
And I will be stone even thereafter,
If (Merciful heavens!) I am chiseled to bits.

I told you I am the sculpture,
But I lied.
Yes, I, too, can create a ruse!
How do you like that?
The same way you like it when people point at you
Or put you in their neatly labeled box
And say, “THIS is who you are!”

You are not THAT,
And I am not the statue alone.
Heck! I am not even stone!
I Am Life!

You don’t think so;
You don’t believe what I say.
But did you believe me then,
When I said I am the sculpture?

No matter.
You can have your opinions,
Thoughts,
And beliefs!
These are problems I do not have-
Opinions,
Thoughts,
Beliefs.

But I am still Life!
I was before the stone was.
I was before the sculpture was.
I am now,
In the stone and the rendered statue.
And I will be
Long after the sculpture is no more,
Long after the stone has eroded.
I am there.

But lest you leave this conversation all freaked out on me,
Let me come right out and tell you that
You are Life, too!
Stoned or not,
Oops did I say stoned?
Ha ha even the stones have a sense of humor!

Anyway, no matter the state
In which you find yourself, Grasshopper,
You are Life!
So live on,
For you are sculpture and stone,
Artist and observer,
Creator and creation!

Now step lively,
Rock the boat,
And live Life with the Spirit that You Are!

Oh, before you go?
Tell that painting over there
That it is still life, too.

Thanks!


For
dVerse | Poetics – Chisel Me a Conversation.
I had fun writing this!

Currency

Abundance does our soul enfold,
But we’re forgetful in this world.

Such hardened hearts and trials tough
Show Everything is not enough.

The countless Enemies to blame
Perpetuate a losing game.

If love spilled out like human greed,
The currency would not be “need!”


A Quadrille for
dVerse,
where 44 is the magic (i.e. required) number of words, and one word must be a form of “spill”!

Songbird Sing

Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar
(capo 4)

Soaring high above the clouds
Of chaos in my mind,
I know there is a song to sing
With words I cannot find.

I hunt and peck and try in vain
To force the music out
And feel the pangs of harsh regret
That feed the fire of doubt.

The time has come to let it go
And set the songbird free!
For only when the spirit soars
Can any songbird sing!

I learn to find the hidden nest
Of peace within my mind,
Where love consoles and lifts me over
All the thoughts that bind.

There are no words to look for here,
No melody to sing;
The music of this sacred place
The Spirit plays within.

So, take the time to let it go
And set the songbird free!
For only when the spirit soars
Can you, the songbird, sing!

Download Mp3

Right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar to download. Feel free to share for noncommercial purposes only, please.
Songbird Sing Mp3.


“Poetics – The Music in You” is today’s prompt over at
dVerse.

Basically the exercise, for poets, is to write a song lyric instead of a poem. Read the post–I totally agree with the part about poems beaing “heard” in a speaking voice, while lyrics are not!

Most of you know by now that I’m a songwriter. However, this one is a song written more like a poem! It has melody, harmony, rhythm, and honestly, I think it turned out well! But you’ll notice it does not have a refrain or chorus. And it’s written in quatrains, those stanzas/verses of 4 lines. They rhyme, as most (all?) of my songs do. But it can be either read alone, listened to as a song, or both.

I hope you enjoy this. I couldn’t resist writing to this prompt, but the result is not what I expected! No, it is much better!

Also published in
Vision through Words

Know Me Well

Whether we seek to know God, a person, or His other creations, it’s all the same: We cannot truly know, unless and until we give up preconceived expectations, ideas, and judgments.

Instrument: Brio – Red Cedar Concert Ukulele

1. So you think you know me,
‘Cause you passed me on the road a time or two.
And you think you owe me
Your opinions and one version of the truth.

Refrain:
You try to tell my story,
But it is not yours to tell.
When you live without its trappings,
Then you can know me well.

2. So you think you love me,
‘Cause you believe I chose the perfect thing to do.
And you think you hold me
In a pretty little box filled with the proof.
Refrain:

3. So you think you see me,
‘Cause you recognize my body in this place.
And you think you need me
To look the same every time you see my face.

But I am writing you a story
That only you can tell.
When you live the truth inside you,
Then you shall know me well.

When you live the truth inside you,
Then you shall know me well.

You shall know me well.