Eight of us sit, a small group in the heat.
We practice cooling breaths, sip ice water
before silence begins, before a rotating fan reaches
skin. That vast field of the mind stretches at warp speed
through oak after oak, and overheated birds begin
to sing, joining a chant to protect the planet
and bring the forest back to life.
Gudrun Mouw (c)
Late Summer Fear
Was the subject not clear enough?
How a seething fascism erupts
from the confines of
contracted hearts.
It can happen anywhere, and it does;
it does, as clouds of hate imprison
us all and beat down
the righteous ones.
Let us not be silent; let words
encourage, inspire, heal
and embrace an expanding place
of love and kindness, wisdom
and peace.
Gudrun Mouw is the author of From Ashes Into Light, which tells about three characters who face oppression, hate and fascism. It’s won multiple awards, the most recent From Ashes Into Light was a finalist in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for debut fiction. Available online, and wherever books are sold.
When I am liberated by silence…
My whole life becomes a prayer.
—Thomas Merton
I still see that light shining around
any object; and I still feel that current,
sometimes so strong I may not
have feet on the ground.
And that space inside grows larger,
like a scary no beginning, no end;
vibrating, vibrating until the silence
is no longer silent.
Gudrun Mouw (c)
July 4, 2017
Remembering
…
We remember, and the memories float
like clouds that shape themselves
then dissolve into something else.
We remember, and the past comes to life
as if there is no difference.
We remember how the years pile up
like children’s blocks we try so hard
to keep from crashing down.
We remember and at our best embrace
sweet gratitude.
Gudrun Mouw (c)
May 9, 2017
1.
“Life is Difficult”
M. Scott Peck
“That’s swamp fog,” he says, “it collects
in watery crevices
between local hills, especially, after
this wet…wet winter.” I nod, thinking, mysterious,
beautiful and wispy,
thinking of someone who said,
I will drain the swamp; instead,
he empowered swamp monsters
to pollute our air,
streams, rivers….
2. The Need to Learn
Yesterday, I heard the sound
before the sound.
I remember Opa, ignoring papers
to Auschwitz, Poland,* was forged
in to a hidden man,
a silent man,
shrunken
inside his clothes.
I need to learn each day as if new,
so everything humane becomes audible.
3. Today’s Mammal
“Look,” he says, “back there! The bobcat!” I remember
crying out as the gopher ate my last butterfly plant,
and bobcat came to grab that offender. Now, we wave,
“Hi, friend, good to see you! It’s been a while!”
He looks at us over his right shoulder; his tail tilts
left. He almost stops, steps forward at his former speed,
not fast, not slow, but casually, self assured.
We have nothing on our offering plate, today, and he knows it.
*From Ashes Into Light, explores dealing with fascism
1.
I’m on a mission uphill,
downhill, back and forth,
I refuse to fall into myself,
to sink. Cold
may contract
all it wants.
Breath lifts and lifts,
I raise my face to sun
like a prayer.
2.
In that space between rain
after rain, after rain,
I stand on wet grass,
close my eyes, hear happy birds,
see the play of red and gold
behind lids, radiance.
3.
When anger crosses the street
and makes a sharp left,
I am relieved.
I check the slider and two doors;
one was not locked.
I sit by a west window and enjoy
bright afternoon light
almost warm.
………..
Gudrun Mouw (c)
March 1, 2017
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