Caress of Understanding

When I see someone
With malice in his heart
I want to be the mirror of his hatred
Until I let myself see the God in him.

When I stand in error
Having done a thing I meant never to do
I view myself with loathing
Until I let myself know the God in me.

When we stand apart
Making differences of all we are
I want to win the battle of our wills
Until I allow the thought that we are both Creators.

Is it respect I must then admit to
Or tolerance or acceptance?
Or is it the caress of understanding we are One?

Copyright © 2009 Mary Beth Watt. All rights reserved.

Lessons from a Dying Friend

This poem is for my friend, Dale, and his wife, Marilyn. Dale has lung cancer, and they are going through the end times... with love, with dignity, even with gratitude. Not long ago, Dale experienced a crisis that had us all believing he would leave us soon. But he recovered from the pneumonia that threatened him, thanks to his own strength of will. This is the poem I wrote following that time. I've shown it to Dale as a way of thanking him for what he is teaching me.

Dying’s not for the faint of heart, I recall my father saying
Watching you, my friend, I know the truth in that
Seeing you suffer and strain, I wished for your release
Wanting to free you from death through an easier death

But you wouldn’t give up your stubborn life hold,
Not as easily as we wanted to wish for you
Your frail form strove for more life than you had
Your strength overwhelmed the reaper’s call

And I watched you with discomfort at first
Refuting the choices you’d made in your freedom
Until I understood the power of your desire
And gave you your right of sovereignty

What place had I to deny you the full life’s length
Of suffering, of humanity, of unmitigated existence?
You taught me the boundaries that cannot be crossed,
The judgments that cannot be judged

So live fully, my friend, until your own hand
Lets loose of the lifeline you grasp so tightly
I’ll watch through your journey, a friend by your side
And remember your strength till my own life light fades

Copyright © 2009 Mary Beth Watt. All rights reserved.

Thank you, Dale and Marilyn

Cayucos

We spent Labor Day weekend in Cambria. On Saturday, we drove down to the little beach town of Cayucos to walk our dogs on the beach. The holiday brought out crowds of tourists, but we were more interested in the other crowds that gathered. This is what happened.

Cayucos

Morning finds this sleepy beach town waking
To the calling of gulls on the strand
But this day lures more than the usual inhabitants

Something is running just beyond the breakers
The cormorants know, and the seals
Their congregations swell as the service begins


Then dolphins circle, riding the cresting seas
Triangle fins and arched backs rising
Above the swells and beyond the bands of gulls


Soon the air fills with graceful pelican echelons
These master fishers claiming a full share
Of the feast God provides below the cerulean surface


A thousand pelicans surf the air and ride the waves
Until one folds and dives into the sea
Then rises to float by the gulls, beak swollen with success


More brigades of pelicans cast shadows on the sand
As alongside floats another monarch of air
A single osprey, patterned wings slicing through the sky


Copyright © 2009 Mary Beth Watt. All rights reserved.

Having Fun Now

We're having fun now, my friends -
No matter that sometimes we're pained
By niggling concerns or constraints
Or hills that seem too high to face

We're having fun here, let's admit
We signed on for this cruise, after all
Each new port we land in informs us
Each day out at sea brings us rest

We're having the times of this life
Let's remember, when things seem the darkest
And our cruise turns instead to a wild river ride
All the fun is in shooting the rapids

So indeed, we are having fun now
And when all of the hills are behind us
We'll look back on the climbs we accomplished
And remember the joy in the climbing

Copyright (c) 2009 Mary Beth Watt. All rights reserved.

InisOirr

Here is another poem from my trip to Ireland. We visited the Aran Island of InisOirr (Inishere) on a spectacular day and took a pony cart ride around the island. Just as we were leaving, another cart driver asked if we wanted a ride. Here is my poem.

InisOirr

The craggy shores of InisOirr drew nearer as we sailed

Upon a silken sea beneath white clouds

As we drew up to the dock the magic island beckoned

Its spider web of stone walls called us forth

We met a thousand dreams, some ancient, some brand new

But each one sang to us enchanted songs

The island dogs served escort as wanderings led to wonders

Everyplace we stopped called to our souls

And lives are lived in full there in peace and simple pleasure

The best of all the ages holding fast

Yet too soon departure called and as reluctantly I answered
A cart man pitched a ride about his land
"The sun is here," he said, "it shines here every day"
He smiled to let me in on his small jest
My hand went to my heart as I answered him in kind
"It shines in here, that's good enough for me."

Copyright (c) 2009 Mary Beth Watt. All rights reserved.

Symphony of Peace

I wrote this poem in response to a challenge from Robert McDowell, whose own wonderful book, Poetry as Spiritual Practice, I highly recommend. Robert is suggesting that those of us who want to might enjoy participating in a new movement for world peace started by a friend of his, Rich German. I have visited the web site and will now receive a daily meditation for world peace. If you would like to know more, please visit www.richgerman.com/worldpeaceintro.html. Also, you can visit Robert McDowell's web site at http://www.robertmcdowell.net/.

Anyway, here is my poem about peace.

In a small house in Virginia
A young mother comforts a child
With a lullaby learned at her own mother's side

At an army base near Kabul
A soldier sits at a computer
Laughing at emailed jokes from his son

Near a village west of Nairobi
Six women search for fruit
Singing together to welcome a new day

Everywhere, voices rise
People join in laughter
Harmony brings smiles

Moments of peace playing
A symphony for God's hearing

Copyright (c) 2009 Mary Beth Watt. All rights reserved.

More Knowings

I know that I am having fun.

I know that I treasure today the memories of even my most uncomfortable moments in my least satisfying times, because they happened, and I felt them, and I became more from them.

I know that life is joy even in pain; love even in times of hatred.

I know that hate is only strong emotion thwarted.

I know that the knife thrust of strong emotion helps us break through to new ways of seeing.

I know that the knowings that come to me in the purity of an open perception are the truest knowings, and I want to remember them.