Spiral

 A lone white pelican

visited our lake yesterday

catching the attention of 

snowbirds gathered around

the water, watching it dip

for fish, its orange beak

glinting in the sun

and I considered this a 

good sign as I’ve

always thought of these

birds as angels because

of the way they spread

their wings and spiral

around and around.

I Turned the Page

 The greatest magic you have is the

courage to go digging for,

when your world falls apart,

the light you still hold,

when everything has grown dark

(Nikita Gill, pg. 24, no title)

I read a poem called “Endings” 

which is a fine poem but in no way 

did I want to write about endings 

given what has happened in my life 

these last couple weeks, 

so I turned the page and found six lines that said

it all about the courage to find the light in the dark 

and I’d say most of the time I’m doing that, 

and I know my years of spiritual practice

 has served me well, while at the same time

I know I can get caught in the trap again, but

each time I will find my way out faster.