Singing in Soul Silence

for Ron, who makes my life a place for poetry

The following poems appear in my collection titled Singing in Soul Silence: Voices of Faith available on Amazon.

1 Invitation

Into my garden of weeds
Come, Eternal Gardener—
Teach me to plant and prune fine foliage.
Show me where to set the lilies and tulips
And where the roses should grow.
Guide my choices of herbs and vegetables.
Give me knowledge of fertilizer and fences.

Into my garden of words
Come, Eternal Poet—
Make my poems exude divine ardor.
Fashion my thoughts to bow at your feet.
Make my images spout living waters
From an enlightened fount
To refresh all who dip a cup.

2 In My Spiritual Garden

In my spiritual garden
I walk with you when the sun is medicine
And the rain suckles the beets and corn.
I walk with you between the rows of memories
Where love holds you between peppers and tomatoes.

I walk with you along the fence
And touch your hand and step across
Thinking of you as I pick the peas,
Still thinking of you as I weed
The beans and cucumbers.

I walk with you and with every silent step
And every moment of your absence
That would weaken the faith of one
Less in love, my love grows deep
Like the roots of the bamboo and my love
Grows straight like the stalks of asparagus.

In my spiritual garden I will always grow you
In the medicine sun and the suckling rain.

3 Divine Gardner

After we scoop the soil
over the seeds
& sprinkle the water
& pluck the weeds,

you will tend the growing
& tempt the eye with green
& yellow peppers,
& tempt the tongue
with onions & corn,
& invite us to taste your flesh
in cucumbers & tomatoes.

I will stand at the edge of the garden,
my lips & tongue tending the silence
I learn to thank you with.

4 My Divine Beloved

When spring comes
Tilling the ground
I will plant seeds
And think of you
You are earth
You build my body.

When spring comes
Showering young plants
I will sing with raindrops
And think of you
You are water
You carry my life.

When spring comes
Warming my limbs
I will brown my skin
And think of you
You are fire
You inflame my heart.

When spring comes
Swirling on the wind
I will lean into it
And think of you
You are air
You clear my mind.

When spring comes
Rising from winter’s tomb
I will sing devotion
And think of you
You are my Divine Beloved
You revive my soul.

5 Your Divine Love

My heart is a lake I swim in,
But I want to float in the ocean of your love.

My mind is a sky I fly through,
But I want to soar through your omniscient love.

My soul is an undiscovered star,
But I want to find it shining in your flaming love.

My dream spreads out in all directions,
Searching for the boundary of your Divine Love.

6 Cosmic Beloved

Though my heart is fickle
And strays from you,
You never stray from me.
Your love for me
Never waivers.

You came to me in youth’s naiveté
And married my folly,
And for a time I slept without rest
In the arms of a splintering sorrow
Deep within a cave of madness.
When I emerged from that black night,
You greeted me as my daughter.
You blessed the rest of my life
With a holy union when you became
My true mate with whom I rest
In the cave of a peaceful heart.
And you greet me as my son.

When I go off from time to time
To carouse with the lesser lights
Of poets and painters and dabblers
In pursuit of knowledge,
You become each one of them
So you can stay by my side—

You love me that much.

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