In a little house by the sea
The stove full of simmering creole
Hot cheese pie and grits porridge
And a nice white slab of baked sea fish
And you can warm yourself to a little electric fireplace
Warm tea to drink, a fleece blanket the color of the sea
Some little cheese straws and iced cookies
The kind that people long for
When they're standing in the rain
Storms come to the island
Spring blows in around march
The trees shed their pollen
In golden blankets that grace the floor of the land
Like a promise of good things coming
The water warms around then
Where in the winter the water was warmer than the air
In spring the ocean feels like bathwater
And the crocus nibble your toes like breath
The people start coming out on the beach around then
And everybody starts to party
Little puppies and kitties are born in spring
The businesses start hiring
People take out their summer beach gear
And buy roses and sweet nectar vines
The lowcountry is an easygoing place
Up inland people are mean to each other
People tip their hats and have parties on the coast
The marsh is trespassed in gentle bridges
You look out across the marsh and think about life
You wonder what has brought you this far
Sometimes the sea calls and you rush out to greet it
To wade into its grey abyss
To go further enough into the water to lose space and time
To become that which was chased after
To lose yourself and go back to the clay
The ocean whispers softly
Oh lunatic dancing by the sea shore
God will rock you in his cradle of water
Back and forth like the baby bunting
He will give you new strength
With love he will hold you in your bed
With the water enfolding and coursing
Churning in and out
The cool greens of the ferns and vines
That blanket the canopy forest
Are crushing a volcano that longs to erupt
And pour molten wreckage into the sea
The clownfish are nibbling
The cool ferns of the forest are thinking
Above them, only blue
Below them, the saltwater stew
Of shadows that come and go
Some shadows small and unimportant
Others long and terrible
Some shadows that circle the boat
Suggesting no way out
Shadows that wander through the night
Like the mist when it lays off the water
Water so placid and calm and cold
That nothing dare disturb it
No one dares disturb my heavy curse
The curse that's been lying in the hay
A baby that laughs like a billiard breaking
Into a hundred flecks of light
Slow rivers that course like blood through the veins
Of a deeply ponderous form
Oh river, river, remember me
In thickets warm with fur
People wander with no comforts of home
They have nothing waiting for them then
Unless some samaritan have the heart to respite
To shelter them from the cold
A shelter is a sacred thing
It carries holy powers
Although its powers are not all clear
Shelters around the world are saving human lives
Those that face the elements die
Humanity must look after its own
And if we look not after our own
Then there will be noone to look after humanity
Hot cider in silver teasets on lace doilies
Children celebrating easter
Children with gloves around their fingers when it snows
Mothers who cook like chefs
Markets of hand painted dolls
Only a few dollars each
Bright colors, dolls in fuschia or blue dresses
Tribal prints, red, gold, and purple
Thinking along the lonely road
That leads me here in solitude
When you were my only purpose
Before I recede into the dusk
The horns ring out on the horizons
And the angels fly circling the sky
Like hawks their great black wings circle us in the sky
And then the sky begins to get dark
The sun blacks out and behind the sun
A light like a hole in the sun shines through
And the shadows grow long and the earth grows eerie
All is dark for a few hours
And then the angels push the dark away from the sun
And it shines clear as before
Oh, what does this solar eclipse mean
What is the reason for it
In a little cottage by the sea
One lays back in a papasan chair while the cieling fan turns
 A windchime made of sea glass and driftwood jingles gently
A sea cucumber in the palm, stranded in a tidal pool
Little holes in the sand where creatures have burrowed in
The wavery patterns on the sand suggest that time goes on and on
The shore meets with all shores, all parts a part of the main
Time is cyclical and eternal in the rebuilding of the patterns
God intends for his children to be happy
All alone on an empty beach, you walk towards the horizon
The clear stretch and the grey froth breathing in and out
A horseshoe crab strands upon the shore
A jellyfish lays in a glittering spherical mound
Windbreakers and jackets at the ocean
The wind is cold and the sand stings
You stand into the wind, warm in your jacket
Like noone can ever hurt you
You are safe for awhile
Dolphins in the currents just beyond the waves
Dolphins have telepathic power to give happiness
They channel the deepest feelings into people's hearts
Inspiring hope and laughing at sharks
Sea roses survive the elements behind the dunes
Pink roses glow with the light of the moon and sun
Petals flutter like wings in the wind
Driftwood is bleached white by the sun
Little crabs scatter back and forth
Gulls eat leftovers on the beach
People fall in love at the ocean
Clam shells can be strung on necklaces
A cooler full of granola bars, cheese and juice
That night, two bodies embracing in the clean warm bed
And a refrigerator full of snacks
The sea rolls on forever
Do robins drink at your birdfeeder
Do deer sleep in your shade
Is there hope or dreams in your heart
Is there a river you can follow to the sea
Is the soul really sacred
Are we more than matter or are we light
Are we holy, are we sacred
What wind moves without grieving the dead
Getting caught and losing form
All lost, all lost
There is noone left to bring comfort
Noone left to sit by the eaves and listen
Noone to put out a bowl to gather the rain
The small hands of the rain are helpful
They bring peace to tired bodies
When all is lost, the cooling, soothing rain
brings comfort to things that are in pain
Much sleep when one has suffered long
Much rest when day is done
In you, the hope of my future
In you, the dirt for my flower bulb to grow in
In you, my future
In you, the way out
The little ferns that grow in the gully
With little fronds like fans
Stones cold and wet and dark
Red Chickens scatching in piles of oak leaves
Darting in and out of the undergrowth
An armchair in a window overlooking the woods
Rain coursing slowly down
Feeling safe in the woods in the rain
Pattering sounds and slight movement in the leaves
Soft, warm and dry, a heater by your feet
Blanket around your bed
Dusty books to warm yourself against
Books with pictures of lands and adventures
Love affairs with rebels, quarrels with kings
Princesses who are never recognized
Princesses who are sold into slavery
Poets who change the world
Buried treasure and villains who gaurd it
True love conquering all things
The hero and heroine live happily ever after
And the children dance in the sunlight and rain
They live happily ever after
And all is well then
The little tin soldiers stand in rows
The carousel of pink and gold
Pink velvet roses and satin ribbons
Loose glitter in little pill boxes
Umbrellas with cherry blossoms painted on them
Butterflies with blue and black wings
Dishes of jewelry
Silk flowers and Strands of pearls
Saucer chair in a cozy place
Bed underneath a window
Boys when they giggle with delight
Elephants playing in the ocean
Sandwiches and potato chips
Gingerbread cookies with orange candy
Tigers roaring fiercely
Urns filled with birds of paradise
Small wooden seals and silver frogs
Tapestries that tell stories
Little shelves with picture books and trinkets in them
Candles floating in bowls of water
Tea with apple juice, honey and cream
Vanilla creme sandwiches and slices of cake
Asparagus with bacon and olive oil
Rain puddles and warm dry boots
Children blowing bubbles
Puppies on clean newspaper
People with their whole lives ahead of them
Those who can do anything they want
Sea urchin drop earrings
Talismans of gold
Baby chicks looking up at you gratefully
Pears and cream
Tears of joy after a long day
Hugs late into the night
Being in love and being loved
Holding everything in your arms
Having everything in someone
Knowing you did the right thing
Cathedrals crying for your return
Sleep after a long day
When tide and time and marsh is begun
When all is given away
When I stand on the shore and hold you in my arms
You are worth more than money
I have everything because you love me
In you all things will be okay
What led me to this silken height
That betrayed me to my captors
But little matter, for you are here
And in you I am richer than any other
What care have we for anything
Solitude is wonderful for a little while
After too long it becomes terrible
But for just a little while one feels peace
Snowstorm on a bleak day
Streetlamps glow orange halos with the snow falling down
Ice forms on the branches like glass
The glass cracks and creaks when the wind blows
And the tree shudders, shaking down ice crystals
Icy puddles by the side of the house
Where the ice has been crushed by friendly boots
Inside the house, you and I are safe and warm
We are watching TV and eating biscuits with bacon gravy
We both have a bowl of fresh fruit and a glass of orange juice
Like squirrels putting away acorns for ourselves
Chirping and twitting cheerfully about how warm we are
Two little animals kept safe from the freezing cold
A pink plastic butterfly with a motor for its fluttering wings
Little pagoda of stone in the corner
Gold crepe paper and gold curled ribbons
Aluminum foil that crinkles around salted toffee
Kittens opening their eyes to the world for the first time
Looking around and trying to understand what life is all about
Little kitties when a pink butterfly lands on their nose
And pale yellow sweaters that cover one's flaws
Rain that falls on a summer day with the sun shining through
Falling on the green grass and smacking on the sidewalk
Fresh sheets and towels from the dryer to snuggle into
Your mate's arms after a long day
The tired way an old couple smile at one another
When they have weathered many struggles in life
Passionflowers reaching for the light
Passionflowers turning into crystal
An umbrella when you're with the one you love
Walking hand in hand
Elephants with red and gold blankets
People when they face a challenge
And gently overcome it
Dawn on the light of the world
The grace when someone offers you food
The grace of a person when they give you comfort
Lanterns made of metal and glass
An owl roosting in the top of a dilapidated building
Fresh diaries with cream colored pages
Lanterns with candles in them
Bluegray water that laps at your toes
Chocolate eclairs that fill your belly
Snowflakes that land on your nose
Soap after a long hard day
Glitter for the cheeks and nose
Getting the day off when one doesn't feel good
A clean conscience like pure snow
Righting one's wrongs with the power of prayer
Making dirty spaces tidy and clean
Buttons that look like mosaics of stone
Children jumping in puddles with galoshes on
Buckets of sand dollars and seashells
A foot shower to wash off one's feet
Sand castles and little leaf boats
Floating across the water
Mimosa fans when the moon shines through them
A hug when you feel cold
Some snacks and a place to rest yourself
A city street at night with a warm bakery cafe
You duck into the cafe and order a deli sandwich
Some money to do whatever you want with
A pile of well-worn pants to mend by hand
Sitting by the fireplace and mending them
Ostrich feathers of pink and blue
Pinned down with a diamond pin
Pearls when a person has done manual labor
Bonsai trees when a person thinks alot
Long velvet dresses for those who spend time indoors
Grasshoppers cricking their legs in the tall summer grass
Stone ruins that endure time's worn old age
In the light of the silvery moon
People that find their way home in the night
The way lost wanderers find their way
Murmurs of a lady to a white pensive dove
Chicken broth with fresh boiled vegetables
Little pewter statues of animals that fit in the hand
Lions, elephants, cats, snakes, turtles
Treading water calmly in a pool
Long idle days of summer slipping past
Fields of queen anne's lace bouyant in the wind
A tub full of fragrant bubbles
Fleece lined flannel jackets with frog buttons made of wood
Dolls that are well loved
Music boxes with ballerinas with white tutus of glass
The most delicate music plays in a tinsel of light
Sunlight lighting up a dark room
Musty earth rich with compost
Nestling bulbs into the musty earth
Nourishing it with a generous helping of warm summer water
Little chubby yellow baby chickens darting in and out
Of their mama red chicken's legs
The mama chicken looks concerned
But the babies are having the time of their life
Her downy red breast could shelter their bodies
But the humans design her nest
They decide whether to make her into a meal
Or to let she and her chickens grow up
Chickens love with the heart of a flower
They don't deserve to die
They say that chickens cost too much to keep
But those that keep them are blessed
In the end where the two lines meet at last
Does true love overcome all ultimate struggles
In the zenith where tide and time has lost
Will I meet you on foreign shores
All lost the mosaic of the heart has been rent
Like a broken clay pot
Or a dress in tatters in the back of the store
Or something meek rising up in self defense
Like a wounded soldier crawling backwards in retreat
Or a sailboat with a broken mast
How cheerful its proud white sail cheers over the horizon
Oh, will the hope in this little prayer last
Will love endure time's onslaught of torment
Will it continue through the storm
Though adversaries crash and storm it
Will the mother bird keep the babies warm
When the babies cry, will they be fed
Or will one unseeing eye destroy us all
An eye that seeing, sees not
And reasoning, reasons not
Will it take our lives as collateral
Oh little ship sailing for the land
May God fill your sails with wind
The little children left at home
May they find you at day's end
May you fall to your knees at close of day
And take them into your arms
May the baby of the family be enough
To keep your heart warm
The alligator swims up the river
And lands in a still deep spot
Light shifts and sends its silken strands
Into the surface of a table where it lands
With a resigned crush and its strands fall about it
Like the tentacles of a flower that has been shaken from a tree
Island life in this little cottage
With the waves beating against the sides
Palaces of paradise with the lights down low
And the little heater bubbling away
Not one visitor has troubled this place in many years
A quiet sanctuary
The walls are breathing in and out
At night there is feasting and television
And you to hold me close
The creeks are crystal, crystal and cold
And the leaves are starting to fall
The insects cry out in the peak of their triumph
A good season for end of summer soup
Lifelike, a crystal butterfly perches on a mirror
Eyeing me intently
Otters dive in and out of the river
The alligator moves back downstream
Love's steady flow like the magic of true love
And you serving gratin to customers
With the grace of a dancer who dances when she walks
You have feet like the petals of a camelia
Your eyes like the pools that gather humbly
At the foot of the proud and arrogant
Your eyes are beggars' eyes that beg for their bread
You look longingly and repentantly at me
Every morsel that falls you gather it up carefully
And your eyes are blue and green
Like deep pools that leaves listen beside
Your eyes solemnly ask for what you most need
Begging is painful and humble task
You pick up crusts that your friends leave you
Sometimes dipped in broth and cheese, but sometimes stale
You scavenge around on the streets
In your eyes the hope of repairing worlds
That may not yet exist
In your eyes the trace of the panther hunting
The path of an arrow flying through the air
The disaster of a socialite whose dishes have been shattered angrily
And she bends over their shards and sobs unbelieving
The coyness of an inventor taking out his toys
And the voice of the wife of a soldier at war
The panther smells blood and heads into a valley
Where the creek is lush and yielding
Like dangly earrings in autumn over a red cardigan
With a white collar and a lush black liner
Storms beat against her shores
Like the lush footpaths of the indian
When he traces his way through the forest path
And comes to a clearing full of sunlight
The yielding of the pear tree
When she bows down her elegant arms
Laden heavy with tart green pears
The bouyancy of a cold river fish
Its scales sparkling with pink and gold and black
Looking back at you wildly
The hand that dipped into this stealthy stream
Was surely not sent here by accident
A karmic web, all things occurring for a reason
The paybacks of an eternity of debts
Some debts good, others not good
All things have a reason for occurring
Lost love swirls in the wind
The voices of lovers that were torn apart
You can hear them in the lifting of leaves
And perhaps they are the reason for the wind
Sparkling water before it falls
Bubbles rising up and up
My friend who helps me shoot pears off the tree
And then we go and pick them up and eat
Some of the pears don't want to fall
Some of the pears are quite unwilling to give
We beg for bread and they fall in a furious way
We get a good laugh out of their reactions
Alone in the clean black night
The thing that hunts is far away
So I am enjoying the peace in solitude
The cicadas cry out the song of songs
And in these roots all meanings have an end
All things flowing into this one thing
All purposes leading unto this one purpose
Those that have died and those who live on
Have labored to bring this night
The way they struggled is the way the leaves fell
And I lay in the dark and listen
Listen to the silence of the planet
As it flies through space and time
Listen to the autumn descending
Like the answer to many prayers
To the ones who have fallen recently
And what they labored to bring to birth
One dream was this house under the stars
And all contributed to it
One house for all to comfort us
The individual battles of a silent war
A war to save the little bird
And his nest where the dolphin plays
A war that brought kings and planets together
And the living and the dead together
A war that brought animals and plants to speak
And prevented the end of the world
The cries of those that fell are here
They tell me to keep going
In all things to continue on
In spite of that which torments
All individuals contribute to the whole
Each one helps to build a temple
Most are more helpful than not
And the temple lies in peace
A temple of more significance
In the symbol it represents
A temple worth dying for
The house of the littlest lamb
And when the littlest lamb cries out
It wreaks the fires of heaven
And when the littlest lamb stumbles
indeed the earth itself stumbles
If the littlest lamb gets a warm dinner
Then all things get a warm dinner
The little lamb is loved you see
He is loved by the great I Am
The temple of the little lamb
Was loved by the great I Am
When the little lamb dies
No one knows what may happen
But perhaps one of you could change that
Perhaps someone little could be the next little lamb
His eye is on the sparrow, after all
He loves those that come to Him
If you go to the great I Am
Go with the heart of a dove
Then you, too will feel his love
And  He will protect you from harm
Grief comes like something heavy weighing down
Then scatters into fractals of crystalline light
Your scatter as you creep humbly from place to place
So many things I could not find words to say
But though I never told you, they were important to me
They rang true on the emptiness of my heart
People struggle to do the right thing
One action or move sends them staggering back
Though some people do harm to others
Most people seem eager to help
Most people need a little coersion to do good
One minute warlike and the next docile
People are easily swayed from one opinion to another
Sometimes the bleakness of life in its struggles is tiresome
As though no world could ever console it
And the energies that move through the cosmos are misleading
There is a God guiding that which takes and gives
Often a little prayer to God is all it takes to survive
Sometimes roadblocks in life are impenetrable
The divine will that guides the direction of fate
Can be coaxed or soothed or prayed to
The loss of pain, the grief of suffering
The tears that fall in hardship
These things weigh heavy upon the soul
Many people lose hope and take their own lives
Heartbreak is deadly and it causes deaths
So don't get involved in something that could break your heart someday
Don't put all your eggs into one person's basket
Don't trust your partner with your happiness
Your pain becomes all pains in the end
Your agonies become one agony
Like a river flowing into the dawn
Your agony will someday be your ticket to paradise
All agonies, great and deep as they are, will eventually end
Every storm runs out of rain
If you are stuck don't give up
Just lay low and keep praying
There is one way to travel through time that I know
It is by standing still and letting your troubles pass you by
Just lay still and let troubling moments wash over you like waves
The moments of agony will go away
If you survive a hard time, someday the energies will shift
God will put you back into a good place
That insurmountable obstacle is overcome with prayer and supplication
Your agonies will surely go away
All things into all things
All agonies fold into one
No demon so terrible that nothing cannot overcome it
There is usually a way out
Sometimes one is so overcome with pain that one feels like dying
Sometimes all one needs is sleep
A few haypennies for mother
A few kernels of corn for the mouse
Little slip-in shoes for the boy who lives down the lane
Seed for the birdfeeder
Pink or white hairbows for women's hair
Shower gel with glitter
Teddy bears for someone who's been away
Aloe for the skin
Warm soapy water and paper towels and a desire to do good
Scrubbing down kitchen surfaces in one's spare time
When one has a little extra time
Scrubbing surfaces while potatoes or soup is boiling
The happiness in approaching cleaning with a desire to shed light
If you clean with a desire to shed light in the world
Then your cleaning will be more effective and fun
If you clean things with a hope of making the world a little brighter
Then your heart will soar as you accomplish your task
You will feel heaviness lighten when you wash dishes
And soapy water will help you know you've found your place on earth
Noone knows how to take care of themselves
That is why there is so much crime
When people haven't had a hot bath or meal they do bad things
They get in fights with each other
If more people bathed twice a day
If people made themselves potato gratin
If there was always fresh fruit and yogurt in the fridge
Then maybe things wouldn't be so bad
Tiptoeing across cold wooden floors eagerly
Sausage and cheese wrapped up in dough
Caramels in gold foil wrappers and suger candy hearts
Mugs of hot apple juice with sugar and cinnamon
Whispering to a dove while it listens
Bringing a cup of hot tea to a parent
Asking someone lonely to dance with you
Cutting out paper dolls with someone who rarely speaks
Arranging flowers with someone who doesn't speak to you
Asking someone what they really like to do best
Asking them what, deep down, do they most want to do
Then giggling about how to make it possible
Following each other through the long leagues of life
And ever finding new prizes to reach for
Respectfully treating one another with dignity
So that you always respect one another deeply
Then making all your dreams come true
Together or alone
If alone, then just to be happy
With whatever you already have
And, being happy, to find new friends slowly
Over a period of years
For friends come from God
If one doesn't treat their friends well
Then they will melt away
But if people really respect one another
Then everything will be okay
Pink tulle inside a large pastel box
And inside, little delicate jewelry
Jewelry in the shape of dripping teardrops
Candy corn with caramel apples on halloween
Chopping cabbage into wedges for soup
And adding diced bellpepper, diced tomatoes, corn and onion
Chicken smothered in cheddar and bacon and grilled onion
People huddled around a bonfire, trying to stay warm
Children when they wish on a star for christmas presents
People when they have enough to be happy
When you are crying and the reason you were crying walks in
They apologize warmly for what they've done and embrace you
And wait for you to plan the next move
Without a breath of cruelty or condescension
Just the simple joy of comradery and friendship
Someone who likes you for who you are naturally
So that you don't have to pretend to be anyone else
Jingle bells as a sleigh pushes through a snowy night
With someone who wants to give presents to children
Probably regardless of what they want
Someone who wants them to be happy
When people are yelling at each other
And all manner of revenge is being taken
Somebody hands out fruitcake and egg nog
They look at you incredulously
But people normally yell when they are hungry
If people are yelling at you, give them something delicious to eat
And it will go away
The savior left me with some food to offer
So I broke it and shared with everyone
Then they all stopped attacking me
For that is one meaning of Christmas
Everyone feasting and sharing
All one planet under the stars
The planets beyond us don't want us out in space
So we should look around at what we have
Should concentrate not up and out into space
But within, inside, where our homes are crisp and warm
We should buy ourselves good things
And spoil our bodies luxuriously
With generous handful of body wash
Body wash has the power to save the world
I lather body wash all over my skin
Then I get really quiet with happiness
The fresh from the bathtub feeling is priceless
I pretend i am a baby duckling in the tub
I put it all over my head and dunk under
Then I put it on my arms, legs and everywhere else
I sometimes put dish soap in the water to make bubbles
I keep towels on hand that are clean
And I pluck the hairball from the drain every few weeks
Most people's bathtub drains are clogged with hairballs
It is because they don't know to remove the hairball in the drain
Drain unclogging fluid causes blindness and is poisonous to the skin
And one can become disabled by the harmful chemicals
If one gets drain chemicals into the eyes they will go blind
And many blind people end up homeless
So instead, pull the hairball out with a piece of metal or plastic shaped like a hook
Put a hook in and scoop out the hair
This useful tip could help millions of people survive
Then everybody could get a bath
Maybe a yellow rubber duckie or some plastic bath lights
Gingerbread and tea after a doctor's appointment
Then curling up in front of the TV
Or reading a good book in one's pajamas
After a long successful bath
Red ribbons all over the house
Egg custard in little white ramekins
Little pearly buttons on sweaters
Some with flowers, some with designs
Little frog buttons to close the front of sweaters
Someone who likes to tease you
Without really hurting your feelings
Laughter all around the house
A green lizard dragon with blue skin wings