No One Pretended

Hey, fellow humans
We ain't dead, we are still here
Let's say we begin with some positive choices
so we can peacefully persevere

We didn't die and I'll tell ya why
Cuz we've got messes to clean up.. friends
We've got a planet to reforest and restore
And all the planet's life to support and mend

We've got people with no food to eat
and people who have nothing... no hope inside
Battling to live against people who have it all
We won't make it till we kill our senseless pride

Let us strangle the battle between us.... kill it off dead
Then we can live in harmony as it was always intended
We'll leave a legacy for those that follow
We cared about each other fully.... no one pretended

Cuz in the end, when it shows up for each of us
All we'll see is the life we chose... the life we actually lived
At the end of my life here...I'd like to know I honored others
I'll know I allowed myself to take and I allowed others to give

Give to me
                      I thank you
by giving back
                                       It's that simple, people

Let's do this thing and go home.......

The Mighty Stillness

Half Mountain (left)

Emotions bottled

become known

in the stillness of the wind

The mighty stillness of the wind

Peace unknown

becomes known in a soul old

In a soul old in the stillness of the wind

The mighty awareness builds

Open the cork of the bottle of your emotions

Let them be suspended in the peace of the mighty stillness

For in this blessed space

You are with your true self

In the quiet..the answers come

In the stillness...motion is created

and known in the perfect time

The mighty stillness teaches us so very much

Climb to the peak of the mountain

Do it in silence

Observe the stillness of being blissfully alone

Atop the world, atop your life.....wrapped in the mighty stillness

Love and Football

Setting up the play
Love..... the prize
3rd down, tension  builds
yellow flag on the field
Penalty...damn
back to the line of scrimmage
again

Once we love
the game begins
the energy is shared
the moment becomes days
Then weeks
Then years
Once we love
the kick off goes down

I define love as a decision
a way of seeing another person
as the truth they are
A team sport
I pass the ball to you
you back to me
and we move down the field
together

Yeah, we get tackled
and we get up again
We move in formation
or one is far ahead, ready to receive
awaiting the pass
The Hail Mary that wins the game
enthralling the crowd
Enhancing our individual stats

Tis how we roll down the field of our love
running or sacked
To the playoffs
or stuck on injured reserve
Love is like football
A grid iron game of skill
and chance
and we crave it, we seek it out

First down to field goal
I pick you as my teammate
You're my first round draft pick, darlin
Play with me?
Catch my passes?
Make that touchdown at the last minute
please
Quicken my pulse as we connect in silent suspense

Make me proud and let me sing your praises
In the locker room after the game
I will tell them how you are there, always
and I value your reception and the skill in your hands
So, hut, hut, hike, baby
Here we go again
The world wears our team colors boldly
Touchdowns....torn ACLs, the tempting timbre of the crowd
and all in between
Play with me, baby

The Light and The Dark

If the days were bright all 24 hours
I could see your face
There would be no darkness to
occlude it from
me

If the sun never went to sleep
we would be warmed by it
always, in all ways
We would feel her radiant
rays

If it were light in our hearts each day
Could you share your feelings more
easily
or, would they be hiding in the dark
still

In the dark there is such blessed respite
a soft place to fall
Let us own the darkness
the time to fall into a soft embrace..
sleeping

The dark and the light
are partners
As are we
Life is a gift... not a
struggle

unless we allow it to be

I chose to live where they meet
Live here with me

Be in the dark with me
Be in the light
Where ever we find ourselves
is where we begin and end from
Peace

Each sunrise a new day to explore
Each sunset a new night to live in each others
embrace
We are peace in the light and the
dark

Planetary Princess of the Cosmic Veil

In times like these...it's all about you
I told her as my drum took her on a journey through her life
a review

She showed up...a bashful and shy hybrid I've not met before
What is your favorite color?.... I asked her
Pink, green, yellow and blue

A new type of visitor visited me last night
There are more like her also I am sure of it
We need them, in times like these

Pieces of the puzzle keep falling into place
casual and unassuming.....deep wisdom ready to be owned
I do believe she is angel and goddess bred needing to be appeased

Aho, planetary princess of the cosmic veil
Come and let me wake you ..let me decode the messages for your soul
We will rock the world and save it if when it all goes down

We will assemble in numbers great
Those of the air, waves and inner Earth
We'll throw it down and clean it up...in times like these... this time around

Melt dem Blues away

he was sunk down deep in the blues

not knowing what method to use

to get out

"don't get out".. she said... "feel it"

you've been gifted time... no need to steal it

get down and  funky in your blues

these blues are nature come to mentor

figure out why and who sent her

to your door and your heart

nature is the great aligner

she can do it with both hands tied behind her

cuz she got no hands to tie you down

nature is our true and only mother

though we are cleaved to another

she is the one to seek out

no hands... no expectations

no slaps...no rejections

just acceptance

get out in her wisdom...as your heart she surrounds

get outside and lay down on her frozen ground

let her melt dem blues away

as she holds you she will tell you

exactly what you need to do

just what you are doing... she will say

lay down with me...boy

to you I envibe great joy

lay upon me today

The Goddess Glides

Goddess gliding

through tangled thoughts

Mere mortal men meander

between blossomed bosoms and beliefs...belittled

by her grandeur 

A woman wanders wisely

Always assessing the avenues of her adventures

Getting there the goal

Aware along the way.... actively and acutely attune.. always

Be in awe of us... mortal man

We are wonders to be whispered about in the wind 

We are goddesses gliding

Gracefully.....guiltless.....gracious.....gone before you know it

Show up......hold on...risk the rescue

Connect in consciousness....sink into the seductive scent

Be bold and brazenly brave

and your heart...you will find.... shall be saved

Self Found

I am a lady regal and wise

I am a vixen.. flashing my sea blue eyes

I am a mother...life was sparked inside my womb

I am a lover lyrical and alive....releasing my love once entombed

I am a grandmother proud and open

I am a teacher watching them grow... always hopin

I am a sage.... sharing the paths that worked for me

I am a guide... assisting the birth of others reality

I am a lady wise and regal

 Stretching my wings like the mighty Eagle

I am a vixen.. eyes of blue.. name of Green

Found myself....I have...sharing the wisdom I have gleaned

I am a mother... bearing life...the sacred fruit

Finding the answers to life's mystery... a stealthy sleuth

I am a lover... sprung free from society's stigmatic embrace

I walk tall... mighty and majestic.... I have found my place

Trans Form......dedicated to 2013

burn it away...let it release
transformation leaves a mark
a scar
a memory
a lesson
sacred battle wounds we must honor

burn it away.... rise from the ash

a new you

a new creation

honoring the past

while future bound

directly and boldly

fuck 'em if they can't take a joke
this is no joke
this is your life
live it

burn it away....live your dream

then the next dream

then the next

until your dreams are strewn before you

always

as the path you walk

burn it away.....let the orchestra play
the strings
the timpani
the winds
in harmonic flow
the soundtrack to your transformation

burn it away.....carry on

your life is calling

rise

rejoice

honor in all directions

transform

Paint it Pink

The sun rise glows in the sky

painting the sky pink

It is another dawning day.. watching the hours go by

and I just can't clearly think

You have come and awakened me

painting my heart pink

Knowing the tune and where the words should be

without each other, we are out of sync

Please take your paintbrush and paint the world

paint the world pink

Perhaps then, our wings can unfurl

this may be the missing link

If we lived in a perfect place

if the place were painted pink

Maybe we could match our pace

and the distance between us would shrink

Until then.. I paint a road to your pink heart 

I paint the road also pink

There may be no end to this masterpiece I start

So to brush and palette I become linked

The challenge is laid out grandly before us

we paint the challenge pink

Your brush and mine painting the words to the chorus

As these words and the tune become distinct

Sea Soul

A ship out to sea I am

alone against the heightening waves

Forging forward

The wind my friend or my nemesis

The sea my mistress

dark, tempest of fury

or crystal clear lover of my soul

I am in love with the sea

Still or wild

I ride her as she welcomes

me once more

to her heaving bosom

In the rise and fall we dance

In the dark night lit by stars

we fall more deeply in tune

with each other

I am in love with the sea

My wild or mild mistress

My solace...my storm

She is the keeper of my secrets

She is my refuge

She is my safety

She is my sea

She is my soul

The Canvas Known as the Sky

The balmy breeze sends the clouds

slowly slumbering across the sky

as they gently gaze up gratefully

from the ground they rest upon

Fingers entwined

Smiles strewn across faces

Time standing subtly still

a memory manifesting

"I see a tree" she whispers..

pointing upward to the meandering marshmallow clouds

"So do I" he says

"It's like the one we sat by that day"

"Uh huh" she returns

The soon to set sun streams upon them 

as it moves across the canvas

known as the sky

"I see you and me" He laughs

"There, see us?" 

"yes, I do...let's never leave" She teases

"You and me together in the sky, always"

Now each day their gaze

greets the sky

Never alone...always slowly slumbering

across the canvas known as the sky

The Curses of the Blessing

Pre-sight
All knowing
Foretelling, foreseeing
Forger of the path... following never again
The curses of the blessing

Hope is alive or dead
no in between
Wanting full or not at all
Waiting in the wings for the world
to catch up
always
The curses of the blessing

Silence of the sea so sadly eludes me
Up here the noise never ends
Their constant confused shuffle from here to there
and back again
The circus comes to town
and never leaves
The curses of the blessing

Pain inevitable and of their own hands
So ridiculous
So very foolish and sadistic and such a waste
of time
Trapped in time... here with those we are here to
rescue
Where is the hero's welcome?
The curses of the blessing

The curse outweighs the blessing today
so I allow it to be here
as I retreat deeply and fully
Do Not Disturb is hung
from my forehead
Today I curse the blessing

Towards the Sun....For Greg and Andy

This could be his last day

He may leave, what do I say

How do I tell him how much he has meant

to me all these years...my soul laments

I will hold his hand in mine at the bedside

Does he know I am there, has he felt the tears I've cried

I must boldly be there again today, honoring this man I love

He has loved me too. Together we learned what life is made of

Sunrises and sunsets

A love of two with no regrets

It is the most important gift to share

I must go now, he'll need me there

This could be his last day

He may leave, and I will say

"Goodbye and thank you, my love. Move towards the sun when it's time

to let the morning greet you on the other side"

Till Someone Stays

Come home to yourself...know your truth

Be the peace that lives in your heart

Allow the love that flows so strongly in your soul

Risk saying what you know you need to say

Say it, let it be heard

If they run...

Say it till someone stays

Come home to yourself

Only you can occupy the house of your purpose

Only you are you

Only you can activate the power inside of you

and only you can give it away

Come home to yourself

Once home..your house is realized where ever you are

Once home, your search halts and the respite begins

Come home to yourself, I need to know you

in your truth

Open the door 

Come home

He's Still Here

baby boy born to the cradle of a river town

he's wild and free, you can't strap him down

he's got songs to write and mountains to climb

he's got me and you to meld into a family so sublime

he's got places to go and people to see

so little time, so much energy

to share and speak and vibrate in song

shining with deep intensity... a life line bright not long

the wind cries today through the majestic trees

and we cry.. too.. in our souls collectively

dan asks us not to cry right now, but instead to sing his songs

to let others know to allow themselves to see that love abounds

he taught us all so much, to our souls the lessons penetrate

as we study his lyrics and we live them as they integrate

go out and be with nature and feel her surround you

let dan continue to teach you and astound you

there are messages in the music he wrote

learn them to your core..let your emotions emote

know he is hanging around you always like those stars so near

place your hand upon your heart and know he lives there....

he's still here

Between The Pines

He strode along
mind full of song
Ready to pen the
future he was to live

He came upon
a sacred lawn
The lawn did house
2 pines

These pines
they spoke
his soul
to him

He felt
the kindred nature
of the roots below
and his heart above

This peaceful man
whose soul
did meld
with ours, the ones
who held
his gift

In open hands
and open hearts
with thirsty minds
and parts of plans

And dreams
realized only
in mystical
far away lands

While in the company
of these
ancient pines
strong against wind
yet growing true

He began the journey
of his lifetime
that would connect
me...... with you

We sat among
those trees so wise
Our souls carried on
the breeze

That blew our tears
to meet his own
Where boulders sit etched
and Pines shed their cones

No Words

There are no words to heal the ills of the world, Dan knew this. It is one reason he chose to write and sing about love. We all cling to love.
I asked him for a song ....he sent Ghosts. A song about the past, the mystery, the invisible-ness of life.

We can not see a motive for such awful acts, we never will. There is no motive, there are only questions.

If we can not see it, does it exist? Only you can answer that for yourself. 
Is an evil thought more powerful than a pure one? 
Is one person more important than another? 
Why is there so much pain in the world? 
What do I do with all of this pain? 
How do I move forward, why should I move forward when things are so dismal? 
Why do I have to be here? 
How do I get out of here?

I want to go home!

I choose to send love out, vibe it out. I send peace to the hearts of all, and to my own heart as well. It is my mojo to send love and peace to the planet.

At a time like this, do your mojo..... practice your magic...be the love.
Be the peace, be yourself. Cling to the love and the peace. If we share it, others will follow...... one by one, inch by inch, day by day.

Be the peace you want to see in the world.

Send Peace

The Fail and the Prosper

in the fail we also prosper

if you loved and you have lost her

let her go...she is not gold

the prosper comes in wisdom's growth

you have gained and lost... you now know both

befriend them

in the prosper we know many fails

a fail is never a loss when wisdom prevails

no mistakes.... just lessons

allow the fail and the prosper...it is a tale very old

often you get nothin' when you are panning for gold

your riches are revealed in your widening wisdom

Rock the Cradle, Rob the Grave

Rock the cradle...Rob the grave

Revive my soul and the love I gave

Bring to me all the love I am to receive

Help me integrate what I truly believe

The cradle... my home when my human soul was young

Taking new breath into my tiny little lungs

The grave I deny as my body gracefully ages

As I am now surrounded by the wisdom of awakening sages

These sages found their way to me along my path

The past we are engaging while preparing for the aftermath

Coming, it is, making the lines of the future more elusive

It's all happening NOW, although the evidence may seem inconclusive

Rob the grave while rockin the cradle

Transcend the past, yes, you are able

To see that it all is going down now

The past, the present and the future somehow

Are always connected and blended perfectly

Just close your eyes and you will see

Rock the cradle, rob the grave

Revive my soul and the love I gave

Live Your Love

Slowly the sun rises

another day

awakes

I, too, am rising

to meet this day

hungry and alive

Peace comes my way

Love is at my doorstep

Pain slept away in my last night

Making it a great day

is my goal

Living the day greatly....my plan

Be in love with your day

today

Live your love today 

The Forces of Flux

Constant as the tides of mama ocean

Just like the colors of the trees on the range

The Forces of Flux are always in motion

Things are always gonna rearrange

Life will flow in ways profound

Or in ways ever so subtle

One minute you're dropped down hard to the ground

The next floating freely in a happy bubble

It's coming, you may as well honor it

One day you are picking out the new doggie

and the next day picking up its shit

All of this dichotomy can leave you rather groggy

Go out there and manifest the life you desire....make a choice

 Get off the pot... quit makin' a fuss

Could be the difference between drivin a Rolls Royce

or sitting with 50 of your closest friends on the city bus

Change is coming, embrace this fact

Befriend it and create it as you wish

Regain the things that you want back

And your fears of change shall vanish

The Space She Leaves

The space she leaves in the room will be felt

so deeply

The space that was occupied by her laugh leaves

a deafening silence

The space in their hearts will ache for a long

while

Better for knowing her

now

A new life time friend

always

She shall be

The space she leaves in a life when she moves on

is vast

The smile she leaves on a face as memories are recalled

is even more immense

as it calms the ache, soothes the pain

The smile she brings will heal the

space she leaves.....

someday

For now, they will feel her absence

knowing they are so blessed to

miss her

And so very blessed to know her

Gaia Sleeps

The cold awaits me

outside my door

Drivers creep and crawl

atop the blanket

she covered us with

There is no way for me to say no

I must move out and in to the day

that awaits, white and wicked

yet beautifully at rest

Gaia rests

I shall not deny her the slumber she seeks

and so rightfully deserves

She will sleep and I will move on

and out

into the morning

I honor the winter and all she has to teach me

Alphabetical Awareness....

alabaster
blanket
covers
deep
energy

finessing.....
Gaia
hones
icy
jewels

kindling
lights
many
noble
opportunities

purpose
quakes
revealing
sudden
truths

undiscovered
varied
wisdom
(e) xudes
youthful
zeal

Dust Yourself OFF!

Footprints in the dust

the place we have come from

trampled trust

and a cloudy outcome

Not the future I envisioned

But for that matter, also not the present

Seems I am running low on provisions

And you I am beginning to resent

How sad that our love flows away in fear

Just as it flowed to us

Abruptly and undetected in the rear view mirror

Now we are wanting an end that is fair and just

When we build our life on fear, guilt and shame

we are building on a river bed dusty and dry

And, when this love ends like the others, the same

We sit in the dust, crying dry tears asking "why?"

Love from a place of true and perfect flow

Let it wash over you, cleansing you in the mighty river

In mutual honor, each needs to be free to know

That they are safe as the taker and the giver

When it rolls to you in the river's rapid waters

Take the hand of love fearlessly

Or, you'll be sittin' in the dust... heart once again slaughtered

Wondering what the hell happened to me

And I, shall wonder when

you will finally release the tradition of drowning your desires

Allowing your self to live the current of your life, able to bend

and flow like the river that you so admire

The Only Way

All are equal

in act one and the sequel

There is no higher plane

Where one sits in regal disdain

 Of another

 Not in my world, not how I roll

We are not bodies, but souls

Equal and deeply connected

A truth that got rejected

By men full of crippling fear and descent

The crippling thrown upon the innocent

Today, we are still caught in this place

Why do we even continue to utter words

Such as race?

We are in a race... collectively

The only way to live is respectfully

Respect for you and respect for me

In our hearts we know this is the only way to be

who we truly are in sweet, blended reality 

When we can finally live here, then we are all

FREE

The Layers of US

Deep embrace

touching your face

Holding you close

Time our dear, sacred friend

and our nemesis

Loneliness abated for brief moments

within days shared

It shall return

and we shall rise above it

again

There are many layers to

Us

We are friends, lovers

secret keepers, releasers of pain

Lonely slayers

The layers deepen and meld

down and out, around

Encompassing and surrounding

Us

We are layers many.... compressed over time

When it gets lonely, I linger

in memories and moments held frozen

in my mind's eye, my heart's 

Center

Us

There are many layers to who we are

Together

or

Apart

No longer alone, ever

Connected through it all

Time will once again

gift us

and our layers will

deepen... meld and compress

Creating the jewels of our union

Diamond in the Rough

Second Home

Our hearts have a new home now
in the state of Illinois

A second home on the prairie
A collective commune of continual connection

We commute there to be together
when ever we can

And when we are not there, together
We wish we were together there

Peoria, now Danville
hold the energy we have created in blended song

And again, we will be seen by her
as she welcomes us with open arms

The stones and the soil will sing all those
Dan songs known to our souls

Be it a day dusty or blustery or unseasonably warm
You will find the clan gathered

Be it in the physical
or in spirit

Because we all now have a second home
called Illinois

Nests Now Empty

A field full of trees with no leaves

Nests now empty awaiting the return

of life in the Springtime

Homes built of sticks and bits of paper discarded

Man's trash becomes nature's abode

Life shall return in the Springtime

These abandoned homes in the naked branches

call to me as I pass the fields in the bus I ride

Life in the Springtime, nests empty now, waiting

Empty space is the hope and promise of life to come again

Can I honor the empty places inside me?

Can I allow empty and wait for it to fill?

Bringing new life in the Springtime

I will allow the emptiness to teach me

I will fill my nests now empty with life

 In my Springtime

The Song Is Written

he traced her face and her neck with the tips of his fingers......slowly

and she in turn traced his face, resting her finger tips on his lips over and over

she loved the lips that kissed her gently and spoke her name

like a song her soul has known always

he gazed into her eyes

and she met the gaze gratefully

seeing each other close and connected

making memories to sustain them

hands on hearts, sending love 

heads turning in unison as Gaia spoke

through her water creatures in the dark night

lifting their heads hunting for stars..together

laughing and talking, knowing each other more fully

building a foundation unlike any before

forward movement all their own, honoring the process

allowing the strength they create together to keep them strong.... apart

he sings her name

she sings his praises

the song is written

within a love beyond time

Danville Blessing

Elements

Welcome everyone!

We come together today to honor and celebrate 2 amazing men, John Denver (Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.) and Dan Fogelberg. We gather to remember, reflect and rekindle the spark of their art, their passion, their wisdom, their peace. Let’s take a few moments to reflect now in collective silence. We are about to share in a bonded experience now, together.   

We honor and thank these men who have been and remain to this day, in some way, elemental to our lives.

We emote to the Earth they were such humble stewards of. Let us be stewards of our Mother Earth, as John and Dan’s walk here taught us. Let us continue the legacy to care for the wild places that they were so akin to. We honor the woods and the mountains, the oceans and the prairies, the soil and the stones, the majestic trees. We can visit the boulders at the memorials In Aspen and Peoria and see their words etched into the rock, to live on forever. Poems set to music, lyrics so lovely, living ever on.

We acknowledge the air that filled the sails of Dan’s friend, the Minstrel as he melded with her upon the sea.  And the wind that lifted John’s craft high into the sky, where the Eagle and the Hawk fly free. Today our souls will soar in harmonic joy.

We send ovations to the water of the oceans that supported The Minstrel and Calypso, both muses for these men.  These vessels were symbols of the freedom John and Dan knew in their souls. Let us be carried on the waves of the emotion we experience here today and let us feel fully free.

We bow to the blazing fire...Dan taught us about the fires of passion that we all possess. He sang so deeply about the embers of love, and the flames of desire. And he sang of rising from the ashes formed in the fires of transformation.   John brought us to the campfire connected in song, peace and joy.  Today as we are here, let us feel ourselves around one big campfire passing the peace pipe as we honor John and Dan.  We are sitting around with friends and loved ones, our old man, our old lady by our side, perhaps. Getting naturally high on the vibe we experience and create, together.

As our senses fill collectively, we remember what Dan Fogelberg taught us. Love really is the only thing that matters.  And we remember that John Denver taught us to live peace, embrace peace, share peace and BE the PEACE we want to see in the world. 

Peace to you, fellow humans. Enjoy the show!