The Circle of Love

I nursed my babies, watched them
Fall asleep, their hands cupping
My breast, face flushed, molded
Against me as we drowsed in a
Tangle of sheets and pillows.
I listened to them breathe
And whispered I love you

Years later I lay with my mother
Arms around her frail body, her
Hands cold as she drowsed from
The morphine, taking her last
Rattling breaths.  I leaned close
Telling her it was okay to go
And whispering I love you

Later still with my daughter,
Lights low during an concert encore,
All alone in a sea of thousands
Her arms around my neck,
Cheek to cheek, she sang
I still love you more than anything...

Oasis

Commitments we create for ourselves
Deadlines others impose on us
Leave us little time to nourish our soul

Creating a desert of the heart
We rush, stirring up dust
Grit in our teeth, unpleasant
And yet we convince ourselves we must
Keep on, so we react with impatience when

We have created our own famine
That stretches our skins so thin
We have no more tolerance
We hunger for an oasis
Without realizing it is not a place