bring the unending potential
beyond yourself within, one
slithering breath at a time;
feed your vastness with our
vastness; expand of us; two
by two turns four to universes;
one poem’s every poem; impressions
sink into surfaces, form
scars of impacts shaded from
sun’s reach, each of us a moon;
fingers stretch farther than their tips,
tickling little ribs and sensitive bellies
from across the room; openness
opens opportunity; the slightest
nudge a landslide from nothingness
into infinity; inhale;
soften once more if you dare

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

infinite openings
overhead and underfoot
boundless springs tightly wound
listening for the call
to unfurl forever
their lives their sole response

How come we, friends, to choose
which lucky sprigs to pluck?
Which yellow to follow,
green to deepen and grow,
branch to hold, stone to step,
thought to spill from our pen?

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Goosebumps like speed bumps say ‘whoa, slow down,’
a little friction to protect us. 

Yet tension slows movement, growth and love,
a little oil then, to prepare us.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Brain abuzz like bursting bubbles, TV fuzz,
mind drizzle fizzles on my white hot skull.

Pent-up potential energy grows frenetic
before kinetic conversion releases my flooded creases.

Deepen the well, I tell my hungry my lungs.
Breathe in the rushing air, even as to-do cliffs steepen.

When monkey-wrenching thought-swirls take hold
unclench, unfurl, uncross, unfold.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

yes—we’ve taken on mountains; and
yes—we’ve lots left to do; and
yes—we’ve heard weeping nightly; and
yes—we’ve much to see through; and

yes—our wicks near their ends now; and
yes—our edges are frayed; and
yes—our kindness can keep us; and
yes—our hearts can be brave; and

yes—new beginnings await us; and
yes—new paths to pursue; and
yes—old nightmares may haunt us; and
yes—old dreams can come true

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Birdsong,
carry us away
as some brittle leaves
of grass left to fade
and wither. Take us
up into the breeze,
freed of wan and weight.
Weave us, please, nurture
new use into our
weary forms. Make us
your haven, gathered
just so to give warmth
and comfort, safety
from storm and hunger.
Fill us with your rest,
your young and your life.
Nest of us.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Contrary Mary's, queens and fairies,
how does your power grow?
With long memories,
new ways to see
and raised fists all in a row.
-
Eager Peter’s, cakes and beavers,
slow your rolls to trap your keepers.
Bound and gagged, you can not yell
for freedom to express yourself.
-
Cracker Jack’s honking horns are
good at putting babes in corners.
But thumb your nose
at dummies and drones
who buzz and lie
like snakes and flies
and think they know what they suppose.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

how buds reach
unknowing
for the sun
how they climb
thru muck and
curve around
stones to build
themselves up
how they poke
proudly yet
innocent
babes that we
can not hold
only hope
their tangle
of roots knot
them to earth
long enough
to flower

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Mothers of the revolution —  
     pray your children know their strength
and do not cower from the swords
     they press against the king’s throat.

Fathers, feed their courage with fire
     to warm them and light their way.
Bear the legs that bring them forward
     but not the arms they carry,

for they must learn to hold their weight,
     its center and its edges.
Love their power to unlock it,
     their freedom to stand and fight.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Chins rested on chests, breaths heavy, hands clasped,
we stand together to honor our grasp
of body relieved and of life renewed,
spirit ascended. And yet dour moods
sink only to rise: hearts opened by tears,
lifted by sighs. While ours, the hours, years
upon years, we spend them like seeds, sowing
hope, growing grace, and leaving fears blowing.
With our pools refilling and pyres burning,
Earth begets us and ever returning.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week

Comfort comes only moment by moment;
here we find mere fleeting feelings of ease. 

Softness and warmth offer brief embraces,
eager for savoring and for sharing. 

Care given is care taken. Care taken
becomes care spread: fingers that press into

heavy shoulders; shaky voices that stroke
broken hearts from afar; fresh blooms 

that issue soothing scents: pillows piled to
heaven, tuffets where our souls can settle.

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love notes
a ritual to start the work week