An Invitation to Belong

I received an invitation 

Long ago departed

Only just arriving

Reaching me 

Lost I imagine

Amidst crowds of disoriented keystrokes

Pounding the sidewalks

Of my productive mind

In search of alignment

Craving coherence

Trapped at the intersection

Of Trauma and Expression

Waylaid by the barricades and protest signs

Of my wounds and frustrations

The walled borders

Of my broken heart

The xenophobic self-loathing

Among my internal nations

Of privileged and oppressed parts

Tangled in the traffic

Of my shame and mistrust

Or bound perhaps

In the endless doom-scroll

Of my fears

Overshadowed by the glowing click-bait

Of blame for dreams deferred

The blaring horns of my ego and the podcasts of my insecurities

Drowning it out in their cacophony

Disconnected

Sheltering in place

Waiting to be addressed

Delivered

The envelope bore the delicate scent of moonlight

And the elucidating perfume of star-shine

It was sealed in molten basalt and charred red fir sap

Imprinted with mid-day sun rays

And jagged bolts of heat lightning

The stationary

Woven from rough braids of sequoia bark

Fine elk hair and polished sedge sheathes

With chartreuse likens interlaced

In their oxide and umber warp and weft

Is rimmed in Leopard Lilly stain:

Dark pocks of wetland soil

Against an orange-gold backdrop of poppy petals

The script

Penned in blood and rain

And punctuated in Coho scales

Is a filigree of sierra spindrift

A scrimshaw of whales’ scars

Meandering in river bends and oxbows

Rising, falling, and flowing

Shaping and being shaped by

Depression and uplift

The message  

Sung in the frayed soprano

Of sunlit cloud edges

The steady tenor

Of north winds

And the soft thick baritone

Of distant thunder

Evokes a memory

A red tale

Of rough legs and sharp shins

Blistered hands and cracked feat

Of grandmothers’ dreams

And children’s Laughter

Breath and tears

The rush of breaking water

The silence of senescent decay

The work and the rest

The intent and intelligence

Of all that has been

And the mysterious expanse

Of all that could be

The inevitable opportunities

Of relationship and connection

The invitation is:

To Belong

A call-out

A call-in

A call home

A love poem

A prayer

To each of us

For all of us

Maybe you received it too?

My People

My people Identify and are unidentifiable:

West-Indian, Caribbean

African, South American,

Asian and European

Pacific and Atlantic

Indigenous and industrial

Local and alien

Joined by long sea voyages

And overland marches

On horseback and on foot

In bare-feet and boots, sandals and moccasins

Forged by family, concentrated by culture

Galvanized by colonialism

Mothers and fathers

Sons and daughters

Of teachers and students

Miners turned migrants, turned bankers, turned strategists

Ministers turned scientists turned fur trappers

Black, Brown, and Colored

Struggling and thriving

Free and shackled

Cheered and feared

Challenged to untangle who we are from how we’re perceived

Afraid to show ourselves

Striving to be seen

White and pale faced

Privileged and powerless

Innocent and guilty

Proud and ashamed

Afraid to know

Wanting to understand

Intuitive and educated

Unexposed and inexperienced

Protected and vulnerable

All pigmented with perpetuated pathologies

Within and without racial hues

Seeking inclusion and connection

My People are famous and infamous

Unknown and familiar

My people are communicators

In words and rhymes

Poem and prayer

Notes and tones

Eyes and ears,

Winks, bows, and hand-shakes

Hugs and kisses

Sounds and silence

We are the expanse and the bridge

My people are creators, curators and connoisseurs

Of colors and shapes

Tastes and smells

Voices and laughter

Dreams and visions

Form and spirit

My people are travelers

We are of this place

Of no place

Of the earth

Of humanity

Settling in

Seeking a home

We are of roads and trails

Rivers and skies

Grass and concrete

Stars and Traffic lights

Essentially wild

My people are of mountains and oceans

East and West

Sun and moon

Fire and Water

Heart and Mind

Light and shadow

In need of medicine and the medicine

Lovers and Beloved

My people are dynamic and changing

Core and constant

Waking up

Not sleeping

Activated and activating

Seeking our edges and discovering our center

Part of systems and systems unto ourselves

Particle and wave

Unique and ubiquitous

Directions Home

Over the hills

Around the corner

Right at the rainbow

Left at the mountain’s foot

Across the river

Through the woods

Just past the desert

Right before the ocean

Down the dark alley

After two stop signs

On the other side

Of the gate that says “no trespassing”

Out in the sunshine

Under the stars

Beneath the moon

Hidden

In plain sight

Unknown

Familiar

Long forgotten

Soon to be remembered

Is the place

We all belong

See you there

Can’t wait!

Ocean and Thunder

Ocean waves crash

Echoing Thunder

Of storms past and distant

In softer tones

Or maybe it’s the opposite

Thunder sings Ocean’s song

Loud and angry

That she remains on earth

Until at last

He weeps

Himself to her

And they sing together