Discriminating: Honouring Allies

The goldilocks are gone
But now I have three bears,
The first an accidental gift,
The other two are foundlings,

Discovered on a snowy day,
Abandoned with a pile of clothes
That had been similarly discarded,
Enough to stir the heart.

The clothes went to Goodwill
But the two new bears
Are with me still,
Perched atop the buggy by the front door.

I greet them when I come in
And say farewells when I go out,
Goodnight them upon my late return
And good morning when I arise.

This little ritual
Reminds me of
The little bear and big bear
That I imagined last year.

These allies left their mark
And now I have their counterparts
Sitting close by,
Inhabiting my place,

One dark brown and furry,
His little brother
Light brown and plush,
Both so very huggable;

It enriches the scene,
Making everything appear
Warmer somehow
And so much more inviting.

Discretion: Meeting Doubt

Many things to do,
Big chores afoot,
So much to catch up on
But finding time and energy,
That’s always the trouble.

Pain and difficulty bubbled up
And I misplaced my metta,
How could I forget?
I forgot that too!

Change is coming
And it’s not just the weather,
A wind is blowing through
But for what? —Ill or better?

No matter what plans I make
There’s always the unexpected break,
The job that won’t wait
Or the unanticipated accident;

Anxiety’s in the air,
A whiff of fear;
What’s happening next?
Will it be up to specs?

Will I be able to take it?
Or will the hurricane
Produce a fit
Or another hit?

Not sure where this is going,
Uncertainty is the theme,
What about the unseen?
That which I cannot interrogate,

I really must let go of doubt
And turn towards some useful work,
It’s better to keep on that
Than worry and fret all day.

Discrete: Choppy Waters

Business unusual,
Looking at new options,
Courted by astonishment
And dancing with uncertainty;

Doubt and worry
On the horizon,
Like storm clouds
Slowly moving in,

Have to hunker down
Or get blown before the wind,
Carried away by chaos,
Brought back by resolve,

Can’t get involved
In angry explosions,
Or wild cascading emotions,
Like torrents of rain;

Furiously, it falls, again and again,
‘Til I get lost
And forget what’s happening,
Caught up in the tempest,

Unable to sleep
But instead continuing to ruminate,
On past injustices and present,
Not really being in the present.

Whatever happened to mindfulness?
It disappears and reappears
Like a log floating in
A turbulent stream,

One can only go along
When the river is so strong
And yet aiming for the shore,
I finally surface once more.