Trails in Water

Do fish leave trails in water?
Do birds leave tracks across the sky?

My own footprints through life
leave clues of my journey,
give heart to those still on their way,
guide me back when I take a wrong turn.

Partly Seen

I see the image of a dog
in a tangle of tree vines.

Is the dog in the vines?
Or is the dog in my mind?

When I look at the world,
what I see is only partly seen.

The rest comes from inside.

Where Meaning Comes From

Where does
meaning
come from?

Does it come
from what I see
with my eyes?

Or what I see
with my mind?

Or what I see
with my heart?

None of these.

Meaning comes
from how I see,
not what I see.

Eye Level

The horizon always
remains at eye level,
even when hidden.

Inner sight is the same.

Darkness and light
are forever in balance,
even when unseen.

The Tricky One

It's easy to feel sad.
It takes a little more to feel happy.

To find exuberance in sorrow
is the tricky one.

Tao for the Body

Water
feeds us,
bears us,
washes us,
soothes us,
heals us.

It is like Tao
for the body.

The Next Turn

Winter hillside.
Birds and bare limbs.

Green river waiting
for the next turn.

It snows again today.
Not yet.

The Light Behind Me

When all I see
is my own shadow,
then I should know
the light is behind me.

Conformity and Diversity

Conformity keeps us all
heading in the same direction.

Diversity scatters us
along many paths,
but leads us to richer lives.

Earth Care

The earth can
take care of itself
without our help,
but it does us good
to do what we can.

Growing Vines

Vines are seekers.
They seek structure
to cling to as they grow.

Do they know this?
As much as any
living thing knows itself.

Where there is no structure,
the vine keeps seeking.

Whether finding or seeking,
the vine continues to grow.

The Acorn's Challenge

Yes, a mighty oak
grows from a single acorn,
but many others cooperate
to make it into a tree.

Cooperation is
the acorn's challenge.
To go it alone
is a fool's errand.