Shut Up. Listen.

I am not sure what I should write so I start writing because

writing for it's own sake is enough. These days are coming,

these days are going, you watch it as you live it. Your thoughts

move and shift like clouds. What does this new shape mean?

Must it mean anything? There is so much in my life I have

forgotten. There is so much in my life I have yet to live.

There is an infinite number of ways to still change. What 

will I do with this information? Is it possible to embrace

the impossibilities of what I wish to accomplish with this time?

Why must husbands and wives disagree? Would agreeing 

all the time be preferable? Are these both the same problem

in different guises? You wish to know peace. Where are you

looking? Are you looking in the outer world? Are you looking

to conquer outer space? Have you considered an inner gaze?

Do not fret at making everything cohesive. Not everything

is meant to be held forever. Not everything is meant to make

sense. Embrace duality. Embrace contradiction. There is space

enough within. Do not dwell too deeply on past mistakes. Let

them be. Know that was you then. It does not have to be who

you are now. You are growth and change. The pains of growing

into new skin are never easy. You will feel relief soon. Listen.

Just shut up and listen. Sometimes that is the most important

thing you or anyone else can do. Shut up. Listen. 

Who asks / Who listens

I am asking you to listen but
who is the I doing the asking?

The I is only me speaking
to myself.

What is the sound of honesty?
What is the sound of clarity?
What is the sound of truth?
If you heard all three would
you know which is which?

I have heard the sound of honesty
and truth. Their voices are not
the most pleasant but they are
easy to hear and understand.

Acceptance has no sound,
it merely is.

To Listen

Begin by listening
What should I listen for
Listen to the stillness within
How can I do that
Find a time and place to be
alone and quiet
Once you are there
be quiet
close your eyes
and it will come
What if it doesn't
It will
even if you don't
realize it
Then what
That's for you
and only you
to know
and decide
Trust in yourself
and listen
and when the time
is right
act

Declarative

"Listen."
I  hear this in my mind when I wake
at five in the morning.
It is not a command as much
as a declarative.
I ask myself
What am I to listen to
at this early hour?
I close my eyes
and listen to stillness itself.
The peaceful wave
of morning
A day yet untempered
by coming events.
Listen.
Listen.
Dawn begins to grow
from a planted seed
blooming quickly.
I listen and listen
and try to understand.
This self within me
twists and moves
inside my skin
straining to hear
to feel the morning air
This world wakes
at it's own pace.
I hear the first bird
of morning.
Is it listening as well?
What does it hear?
I cannot ask it
what it knows
yet I am glad to have it
at this moment
at this time
A companion unseen
but heard
Somewhere close
life is gathering
once more
Palm trees stand in stark
silhouette as the sky
grows light behind them

Listen (Freewrite)

Love as both biological impulse and metaphysical
act of connection Life viewed as a natural extension
of cellular division Consciousness a question still
unanswered What is the divine spark and why has
it been given Awareness a gift or curse Don't think
Just act Let these thoughts just be Fill your life with
the necessary distractions to pass the hours days weeks
years to make this all bearable It is only as bearable
as we want it to be Are you happy asking questions
or are you happier wondering and never knowing
Decide for yourself but feel free to change the answer
whenever the impulse may come Sitting in the drivers
seat of your car you have become its consciousness
guiding a body of plastic and metal through streets
and roads Is this the metaphor for our existence Is our
consciousness the driver apart from this vehicle Define
the self Struggle with this idea but do not surrender it
You have lived a thousand lives but left them all in
your mind Who will you be today Will this self be
content or restless Will this self hold on to the ideas
that have shaped it Or will this self boldly reject what
it has been fed and create a life to its liking Restlessness
is a constant attribute to our lives A way to shape us
into more than mere apathetic surrender You are
remembering being in the woods and staring up at
the treetops listening to the birds and wind and feeling
as though the answers are there but not being sure if
you can speak the language they are being spoken in
Listen you told yourself Listen Listen And finally
you heard the voice and understood The wind spoke
and repeated one word over and over to you Listen
Listen Listen Listen Listen Listen Listen Listen Listen

To Listen

I dream in colors
appearing
and blending
as though they
were a sea of
shifting tides
giving birth to
one another.

The sea within me
moves and grows
as I learn to
listen to it's
songs. I do not
always understand
the language it
speaks but I know
I must listen.

When the voice
speaks it speaks
in measured tone
so it can be
understood.
Calling to me
in a faintness
almost over
powered
by wind
I close my eyes
and find
the words
it seeks
to give me.

Listening

Finding himself unable to sleep he decided
to stay up as late as he could.
He opened his window and listened
to the still of night. At one point
he heard a sound that could have been
two people making love.
Listening to the world while others slept
he felt as though he had accidentally
stumbled into a great truth.
The greatness of this truth was quiet
and sought to bring no attention to itself.
It was content to simply be.
He began to yawn and feel fatigued
but he had no interest in sleeping.
He wished to sit in stillness
as the world around him dreamed
of things that would be forgotten
once the sun shone and life resumed.
The lateness of the hour burned into him
as he saw its red eyes raw and feral.
He decided to close his eyes and listen.
He listened and listened until at last
He listened to life in another world.

If you are ready to listen 
I am ready to speak.

I, the River

my blood

the source of all life


my blood

the heart of creation


do not fear

uncertain thoughts


do not fear

that which is not yet seen


hear the voice

speaking within


hear the voice

echo into action

Shh...

Be still.
I want you to listen.
I have something to say.

If I have your attention
I am ready to begin.

Is there anything important
for us to talk about anymore?

I am asking you this
because I am not sure
if there is anything

worth the time
of our discussion.

This didn't turn out
quite how I planned.

Forget I ever brought
it up, let's open the door
and see what awaits.