On Waking

image from google

sunlight through prisms

colors dance across the walls

room full of rainbows

Here To Love

[Double Rainbow from lookingtothesky.com]

for Real Toads prompt: "Even love unreturned has its rainbow" by J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)

She was in a deep, end-stage coma,
lying motionless
in her extended care bed.
On the wall were photos
of her life
Before:
her wedding picture,
hopeful eyes,
self-conscious smiles,
children, grand-children,
little girls with happy eyes
looking out of the frames
from that long-gone life.

Now she was here,
in this bed, alone,
and I was sitting with her,
a hospice worker
accompanying
her dying.

I wanted to give her
something,
not just be there,
so I opened
the pages of my book
and read her
some excerpts
from a poem about life,
and love,
and the world,
and death,
a poem about
Everything.

I felt the energy
in the room change,
and knew somehow
that my words
had traveled
into her heart.
My gift had been
received.

When I walked out,
that early summer evening,
there was a rich golden
light on everything,
at that gilded time
the minutes before sunset,
when all is radiance
and, in the sky,
not one,
but TWO rainbows,
arching across
the illumined sky
like prayers,
like an answer
to the question:
why am I here?
And the answer was:
to Love.

Sky Full of Rainbows

Hi Kids!
I was driving home from town today, when I saw, arcing across the sky, low down, lower than the surrounding hills, a rainbow, that spread from one side of town to the other, barely topping the trees. Had I tried, I am sure I could have found the pot of gold at one of its ends. But I left it there for someone who might need it more, and came home.

 It reminded me of this poem, though, from another hard winter some years ago, when I was walking my wolf-dog, worrying about things, and looked up to see many rainbows, all at once, all over the sky. A rainbow always seems to me to be a sign, that All Will Be Well, and I always say that to myself, every time I  see one: All Will Be Exceedingly Well! Here's the poem, from a few years back, the winter of 2006:

When you are hanging onto   
the very last edge
of the edge
of the skinniest branch
and you feel your grasp slipping,
look up!


There's a sky full of rainbows,
row upon row of them,
shining up there,
to tell you that
all will be well
all will be well
all will be exceedingly well.
God's in His heaven
in the so clear air,
and all will be
exceedingly well.


When the grayest of rain clouds
has just dumped its deluge
upon you,
and you are mopping your eyes
and wringing out your hair,
look quickly!
You just might glimpse
the shine of angel wings
hovering there,
at the very edge of
your peripheral vision,
to encourage you and I
that, on the other side
of this trauma
or sadness or challenge,
the radiant dawn
of a brand new day
lies somewhere
waiting,
just waiting
to break across your
morning sky.


When you have reached
the very limit
of what you feel you can
or should
withstand,
when the stress has
weighed you down so far,
you're not sure exactly
how you will
pull through,
go out to where the water
meets
the mountain.
See the waterfall
tumble
down its slopes
for you.
Watch the eagle
lift out of the mist
into the shrouded skies.
Take a deep breath
and believe,
just like the eagle,
your spirit, too,
your spirit
once more
will rise.

SKY FULL OF RAINBOWS

my beloved Wickanninish

posted for Poets United Sunday Poetry Pantry
and reposted for Poetry Jam

(thoughts while walking the dog, looking up from my worries
to see more than one rainbow in the sky - glorious!)
January 25, 2006

When you are hanging onto
the very last edge
of the edge
of the skinniest branch
and you feel your grasp

slipping,
look up!
There's a sky full of rainbows,
row upon row of them,
shining up there,
to tell you that
all will be well
all will be well
all will be exceedingly well.
God's in His heaven
in the so clear air,
and all will be
exceedingly well.

When the grayest of rain clouds
has just dumped its deluge
upon you,
and you are mopping your eyes
and wringing out your hair,
look quickly!
You just might glimpse
the shine of angel wings
hovering there,
at the very edge of
your peripheral vision,
to encourage you and I
that, on the other side
of this trauma
or sadness or challenge,
the radiant dawn
of a brand new day
lies somewhere
waiting,
just waiting
to break across your
morning sky.

When you have reached
the very limit
of what you feel you can
or should
withstand,
when the stress has
weighed you down so far,
you're not sure exactly
how you will
pull through,
go out to where the water
meets
the mountain.
See the waterfall
tumble down its slopes
for you.
Watch the eagle
lift out of the mist
into the shrouded skies.
Take a deep breath
and believe,
just like the eagle,
your spirit, too,
your spirit once more
will rise.

SKY FULL OF RAINBOWS

(thoughts while walking the dog, looking up from my worries

to see more than one rainbow in the sky - glorious!)

January 25, 2006

When you are hanging onto

the very last edge

of the edge

of the skinniest branch

and you feel your grasp slipping,

look up!

There's a sky full of rainbows,

row upon row of them,

shining up there,

to tell you that

all will be well

all will be well

all will be exceedingly well.

God's in His heaven

in the so clear air,

and all will be

exceedingly well.

When the grayest of rain clouds

has just dumped its deluge

upon you,

and you are mopping your eyes

and wringing out your hair,

look quickly!

You just might glimpse

the shine of angel wings

hovering there,

at the very edge of

your peripheral vision,

to encourage you and I

that, on the other side

of this trauma

or sadness or challenge,

the radiant dawn

of a brand new day

lies somewhere

waiting,

just waiting

to break across your

morning sky.

When you have reached

the very limit

of what you feel you can

or should

withstand,

when the stress has

weighed you down so far,

you're not sure exactly

how you will

pull through,

go out to where the water

meets

the mountain.

See the waterfall

tumble down its slopes

for you.

Watch the eagle

lift out of the mist

into the shrouded skies.

Take a deep breath

and believe,

just like the eagle,

your spirit, too,

your spirit once more

will rise.