Owned
and True
Tiny steps towards light,
That are owned and true,
Are taken mostly with God,
And only shared with you.
- Brenneman T. May 1, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
A
Thought
A thought I had,
It came a while.
It made me sad,
Then made me smile.
I knew I had,
To feel the pain,
I did feel bad,
But not insane.
So when I could,
Choose thought again,
I sought what would,
Be more my friend.
What did I choose?
Is clear to see,
In love shown you,
I first gave me.
-
Brenneman T. May 2, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Two
Gardens Found
Slowly, patiently, and naturally profound,
The couple works their beloved ground.
As cars buzz by their rows of beans,
Firm Aging bodies sweat as vintage machines.
My eyes are drawn by the beauty there,
My heart is lightened, I slow, I stare,
At love in practice in every season,
Giving purpose to toil and to life a reason.
Five years go by, and then soon ten,
My courage then comes, "I must stop and go in!"
I knock and the door opens with a welcome sure.
Inside is another garden of hearts demure.
The many tomatoes and beans they've given me,
Are the least of what they've come to be.
Their charity is shared not in gifts alone,
But in every word, look, and memory that I take home.
- Brenneman T.
May 3, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Numberless
Thirty days of time I've marked in memory,
But life is timeless, ever-flowing, numberless.
The river does not stagnate that moves.
My thoughts bubble over the events of life toward truth.
There is no life in any motionless medium,
Or no full life. Not the clean, fresh zest I desire.
The poisonous waters of illusion are scattered here and there,
But they are in a desert of death. They are a mirage.
Enter those putrid waters, and they will soon disappear.
They are not timeless. They dry up, but the river keeps flowing.
I cannot stop the river. I can only leave it for a time.
Eventually, it will find me again, wash me, and carry me to freedom.
- Brenneman T.
May 3, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Dripping
Spirit
Rain is just fine.
The wet, drenching rain,
That puddles on driveways below a chilly mist.
All that is wet is welcome here.
Drool your dew to flood our gutters,
Overflow our streams, and broaden our rivers.
It is time for water's magic to wash us clean,
Cleanse our air, and soak our thirsty roots to swelling.
By moisture the hard is made smooth and permeable again.
We blink to see our ocean, and lick to seal our love.
Hydrate us, oh dripping spirit, as we weep upon all outer dryness.
Preserve our cheeks to be kissed again by you.
In sWEaT is our sweet essence,
A vapor to reach sensing membranes of mucous.
Excited, wet, and ready,
We are baptised-born.
- Brenneman T.
May 4, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Ticklishly
Close
What are these passions that this wilderness of my mind requests?
Where are the long arms to sweep me back from a scorching desert's rest?
Mealy words linger on my minds palate,
Then dissolve in a dull white paste, listless and bland.
I spit them out as chalk dust with a cough of righteous disgust.
The restless confusion of my soul defies consolation.
All rules are broken, and not one seems forgiving.
Guilt is the foreigner arrived, an unwelcome neighbor, and strong.
Another friend is not a friend at all.
Another love is not a love at all.
No conception belies purposeless reception.
A great storm looms black against the sky swirling towards me.
Inviting, cool, yet threatening, it pushes back the bald heat of noon.
In it's center is the danger and the dance, and my surrender is so ticklishly
close.
- Brenneman T.
May 5, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
In
Every Moment Lies a Secret
The moment of connection is not flawed.
It is not to be judged at all.
It simply is.
Our mind plays with what is,
And therein lies our struggle.
The moment of industry,
The moment of loneliness,
The moment of ecstasy,
The moment of death,
They simply are.
Time passes what is,
Until it was, and isn't anymore.
Letting it all go. Letting it all be.
This is true peace,
In every moment.
One cannot awaken without awareness.
One cannot sleep and be awake.
One cannot live without death.
One cannot be born without pain.
In every moment lies a secret,
The whispered truth of the love that is hidden,
Among seeming meaninglessness.
Hear it,
See it,
Be it.
-
Brenneman T. May 5, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Vampire
Vegetarian
Once upon a time a vampire with the usual intravenous appetite,
Met an extraordinary vegetarian,
Who preferred only the fluids in a certain large living leaf's veins and stems.
After soulful discourse, they decided to start a group called "Living
fluid-suckers Anonymous."
Predictably, the vampire was only frustrated and never got over being
bloodthirsty,
And to the vegetarian it was only pleasure and odd preference denied.
In their shared misery they became good friends,
Then eventually even married each other and had three much adored children.
The regular vampire did get real thirsty reading them bedtime stories,
Especially with their cute little necks so exposed and all when they fell
asleep.
The children even had fairly normal appetites,
Because of a more genetically balanced desire,
To blend a diet from both animal and plant nutritional sources.
However, as you may feel after reading this, they were still suckers.
- Brenneman T.
May 6, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
I Bless Your Truth
If I understood your truth for even a moment,
If I had your body, your experience, your thoughts and feelings,
I would accept your choices and be content,
Knowing all is as it is for a reason.
But as me, I can only imagine your heart and seek to understand.
Mostly, painfully, I choose to simply allow you to find your own way,
Accepting that I may never know why I am not traveling with you.
Loving you as I do, I wish you this freedom, and I bless your journey.
- Brenneman T.
May 7, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
The
Answer Is...
We talk and talk,
And talk some more,
We complicate,
We push the door...
The answer is...
Heavy weights of hope,
Salted in despair.
The rational doesn't
Matter where...
The answer is...
Friendship then,
And love in gates,
I'm me, you're you,
That's all it takes...
The answer is...
- Brenneman T. May 7, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
As
Ships Prepare
Shipyard blues,
In hidden meows,
Glimpse the rough,
Of barnacled bows.
Beefy dock workers,
Yelping dogs,
Rocking platforms
Raised on logs.
Steam horn bellows,
Scaring me,
Gulls start up,
In flight to sea.
Smells of oil,
And algae mixed,
Lapping waters,
Floating sticks.
I see a woman,
Walking there,
No word, slight smile,
As ships prepare.
Memories now,
Of what might have been,
Her eyes, her calm,
Her ways, her skin.
-
Brenneman T. May 7, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Uneven
Tide
When we come to expect a straight, even line,
And want everything to get easier and better,
Life teaches us the higher order of another way. Wisdom's uneven tide,
Ebbing and flowing with time, smoothes the jagged rock of selfish desire.
Ours is an unexpected season of growth.
We may set our roots in the dark of winter,
And in summers warmth and plenty,
Our hearts may starve with want of love.
Life's way is rambling,
And in that is our adventure.
Once we are feeling lost,
We may truly find our way.
- Brenneman T. May 8, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Spirit
on Our Shoulder
Max the lovebird has flown away now.
He called quite loud, then took his bow.
But Max left his spirit on our shoulder,
A little friend to love us as we get older.
To fly in our window when it is raining,
And pinch our back when we're complaining.
A bright green reminder with peach detail,
Calling us back to memory's well.
Cast aside your bucket, dive with spirit instead,
Into the cool deep feathers and eyes that said,
"I love you."
-
Brenneman T. May 8, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Feel
Love's Holy Presence
Who's the angel?
Is it the mystic who thinks she is,
And looks like the one we have imagined,
Who captures our love, then flies away on a puffy pink cloud?
Or is it the one who lives without pretense, and simply loves us?
Is it she who is there for us, and like us is also human?
Real angel's wings aren't made of clean white feathers.
They are tough, spirit-flexed, and sinewy from experienced caring.
Their touch is wisdom-ready, and more functional than mysterious.
My angel works hard in a windowless office,
Except for one opening facing the hall to the bosses door.
She raises an incredibly well-loved, unspoiled child,
And she does it alone. She's done it for years.
On her difficult days, she is still there for him and for others.
She is the angel. Find her, learn love, and feel her holy presence.
- Brenneman T. May 9, 2002
In honor of all mothering spirit
-----------------------------------------------
Body
Grin
After running, yoga, and a swim,
My whole body wears a grin.
Inside enzymes unknown to me,
Do their job as worker bees.
Some may call it a natural buzz,
Whatever it is sure beats what was.
- Brenneman T. May 11, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Wet and Powdery
Buried miles within earth's mantle,
Molten rock is hot, but not hard.
Deep under the mild pressure of our fighting feet,
All weight is even and emotionless.
Stars that shed their light eons ago,
Imperceptibly illumine all our angry world.
Under their unbiased light all at war meets death,
And without life, there are no more cheers or tears.
Burn precious liquid earth and bubble up and out.
Explode distant star of light, awakening us to both love's wet and powdery
potentials.
Pour your truths liberally, and sprinkle your lessons freely.
We war asleep, and need your power's touch to awaken to humility.
-
Brenneman T. May 13, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
She's
so cool... She's hot... (song lyric with tune)
1)
She's soft as peach,
That's ripe for the pickin'.
Like blues on the beach,
She's mellow but kickin'...
Refrain:
She's so cool (draw out cool)... she's hot.
She's no fool (draw out fool).... no, she's not. (higher)
2)
She has lots of sense,
But hardly a dollar.
When I get intense,
She loosens my collar.
3)
She can take the heat,
And stay cool as a pickle.
When I'm sore and beat,
No, she's isn't fickle.
- Brenneman T. May 13, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Tears of Sea
The world is crying, closing its eyes,
Pushing out the tears of dying oceans.
With no place to go,
They will wash over our arrogant lands,
Sweeping our dry history away,
Until all is drowned in tears of sea.
- Brenneman T. May 13, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Direction
to a Mind of Images
As a farmer's loosely held seeds,
My words spill out, giving direction to a mind of images.
They sift through rough, thick fingers,
Mostly, whether harvested or wasted, they grow where intended.
Are they to become seedlings sweet and succulent,
Or weeds among my flowers?
Although reality may rule my choices,
My choices imply my intent. I must ask myself, "Why do I speak?"
As faith rules all, wherever it has fallen,
The seed I sow will seek to grow, flower, and bear it's fruit.
- Brenneman T. May 13, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
White
Bread, and Whole Wheat Love
I used to love toasted, buttered white bread.
I ate it after school, and it was delicious.
Whole wheat was unknown, then uncommon.
The first whole wheat wasn't the real stuff.
It was more like brownish white bread.
Now I like whole wheat,
And white bread tastes like candy.
Love comes in white, whole-wheat look-a-like,
And the real thing that takes some getting used to.
I'm hungry, and ready for the whole grain.
- Brenneman T. May 14, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
The Choice
A choice presented itself to me.
I chose and chose, but wasn't free.
I chose both blindness, and to see,
I searched the root, then climbed the tree.
With all my analyzing done,
I found no answer, not even one.
I went the way I was to go,
This was my answer. Now I know.
- Brenneman T. May 14, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Purple
Mountain Travesty
What did I expect,
Caving comrades embracing,
On purple mountain's majesty?
Maybe not, but the bombs upon bombs,
Shattering the Afghan wilderness.
I didn't expect I'd be party to that. But as an American, I was.
I know this: Many fragile environments existed in those caves and mountains,
And they weren't interested in our Middle Eastern Muslim or American Christian
views.
They weren't political or religious at all. They were only victims.
We acted, destroying these rare gifts of nature,
And much of the innocent life there is now gone,
But the "enemy" persists.
- Brenneman T. May 15, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Momenta
All that mentally, physically, or spiritually moves gains momentum.
As bodies, thoughts, and feelings pass through their perspective media,
What moves in the same direction speeds them faster,
And the effect of what opposes them is lessened.
Where are my various energies going? How have I set my sails?
What are the directions I've chosen my universe to support?
Should I find the ideas, objects, and beings moving with me undesirable,
Will I exercise my power to turn and find a new and better way?
- Brenneman T. May 15, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Time's
Seesaw Balance
We experience a great loss, and with time our pain diminishes.
We experience love and good fortune, and with time our gratitude lessens.
With time we are always moving towards stability; a center of balanced feelings.
While the weight of continued experience will always imprint upon us new
positive and negative emotional memories,
With time, their intensity always lessens, because with practice, we learn to
balance them against one another.
Remember being a small child on a seesaw?
If your big brother or parent was on the other end,
They had to move towards the center to find balance with you,
To have fun, and for real play to begin.
Over time, you grew, and they didn't have to move so far towards you anymore.
What are the weights and counterweights on the seesaw of your emotions today?
Know that whatever they are, they must balance over time.
You will be both up and down. That is life. When you're ready to get off,
To avoid busting your butt, you're going to have to maintain some balance.
You'll have to develop the skill and timing to counter what's happening on the
other side of the seesaw.
- Brenneman T. May 16, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Paigelette
There was a young woman named Paige,
Who over the years became sage.
She was sweet and good looking,
OK, so hot she was cooking,
But don't you dare ask her her age!
- Brenneman T. May 17, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Sifter of my Soul
As my broken dreams fell through the sifter of my soul,
They became food for my growth towards truth and serenity.
They show me today that I am complete, I am good, and I am whole.
- Brenneman T. May 17, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Straight
Line of Desire
With no diverting curves or angles,
To bend love's shafts of desires,
Our passions' flicker entangles,
With our heart's kindling fires.
- Brenneman T. May 18, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Pretend Layaway,
Give Retail, and Receive Wholesale
If we buy this thing or that, then we'll be happy, rich, thin (or fat)! Come
again?
Such consumer thinking is certainly no place for our spirits' lives to begin!
How about we just pretend to put those crazy thoughts on long term layaway, and
forget about them anyway.
Instead, let's give our love at full retail value. We're bound to receive more
well below wholesale today.
- Brenneman T. May 19, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Neatly
Placed and Doll-like
I went into her sweet small box,
Because I loved her.
She liked to see me there,
Neatly placed and doll-like.
The problem was,
I'm not a doll.
When I squirmed,
She was upset.
Eventually, she saw I was real,
And didn't belong in her box.
Being real can be fun.
I'm meant to be human.
The cute little box is broken, but that's OK.
I find myself awakening to a warm green meadow surrounded by rich and varied
life.
I'm now boxed only by the gravity of my own fears, but spurred on to love's
borderless birth by my courage to be real.
The whole universe awaits me.
- Brenneman T. May 20, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
Take
It Home
Your kind words do bring me healing,
And while sharing with you, I have grown.
Finding self-acceptance is the better part,
Of all the lasting peace I've known.
To believe your loving words so deeply,
As to shape the marrow of my bone.
Such a precious gift you've given me,
But only I can take it home.
- Brenneman T. May 22, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
As Sleep Surrounded Earth
As a series of events,
I saw them slowly passing.
Without scratches or dents,
New vehicles were amassing.
Exhaust, poisonous yet clear,
Grew thick around our earth.
Choked with vanity, not fear,
We met our extinction's birth.
- Brenneman T. May 22, 2002
-----------------------------------------------
A
Bunny Named Briar and a Woman Named Tamber
Once upon a time there lived a robust rabbit.
He was reaching the prime of life,
Living along the edge of a county park.
The park had a pond, and trails, and wild blackberries
That visitor's came to pick.
Old black men often fished along the pond, and
Briar, a robust rabbit in the prime of life,
Often enjoyed watching them casting their lines
And baiting their hooks.
There were many rabbits in the park,
And many of the lady rabbits were interested in Briar.
They wanted baby bunnies, and they thought,
'Briar is strong and handsome,
I would be proud to have his children'.
Although Briar had occasional trysts
With some of the ladies in his youth,
He never felt right about them,
And he had become callous to their advances.
Truth be known, Briar had given up on love,
Believing that he must not be meant
For the joys of love and family.
Still, there remained a grain of hope within him.
One hot Tuesday Briar was showing off his darting abilities
On the obstacle course set up for visitors, but seldom used.
He did like attention, and was said to out run
Rabbits half his age. On this hot early summer day,
Storm clouds had gathered in the late afternoon
Cooling the sun-drenched earth with the promise of rain.
This prospect energized the already enterprising Briar
And his leaps were marked with a particular zest and spunk
That finally culminated in an unintended final roll
Which he at first claimed was planned
But would later humbly espouse as an act of Mother Nature herself.
The roll landed him somewhat awkwardly
On his right shoulder with his left hind leg
Wedged between two planks in a small bordering fence.
Although feeling unhurt, Briar was a bit dazed,
But mainly embarrassed at his fumble.
After considerable bunny laughter,
One of his most ardent young admirers, Sarah
Suddenly signaled with a thump and pointed ears
At the approaching sound of footsteps along the path.
Bunnies scattered in all directions, and that's when Briar
Tried to right himself, and couldn't get his leg out.
Around the corner came the figure of
A young lanky blond woman, maybe in her late twenties,
Running directly toward the fence!
Briar twisted, but the more he pulled, the more his leg strained,
The more it became ensnared. The woman stopped suddenly
When she saw the struggling creature, hoping not to scare it more.
Briar continued to struggle, not realizing a chain connecting
Two parts of the apparatus had become entangled in his ample foot.
Tamber, the woman, didn't know what to do.
"Would he bite her if she helped free him?" she wandered.
Hers was a loving spirit. One that had been broken twice
By lovers who basked in her beauty and kindness,
But had ultimately cheated on her
Breaking her heart and shying her to love.
Still her goodness was solid, and she resolved to free the creature.
When she first moved towards him
Everything in Briars instinct said to flee.
He struggled even harder, and let out little rabbit yells
That momentarily frightened Tamber into stillness.
Then suddenly Briar stopped struggling,
Somehow half-recognizing Tamber's intent as benevolent,
And half giving up.
Tamber drew her breath, and reached a tentative hand
Towards Briar's somewhat bloodied foot.
For one brief moment, Briar considered attack,
But though cocky as far as rabbits go, he wasn't stupid.
He recognized his best bet was to lie motionless,
And he did so but for his chest heaving with exertion and fear.
As the gentle fingers of Tamber's left hand touched his thigh
Her right hand maneuvered the chain such that the foot was freed.
Tamber was amazed at the simplicity of the rescue,
But Briar did not recognize his freedom, and lay motionless.
Growing more concerned and losing all inhibition,
Tamber took the creature up in her arms and began to cry.
She believed the fright and trauma had been too much for the poor rabbit,
And her salty tears stung a bit as they landed in the cuts on Briar's foot.
This is when his heart warmed.
As he lay in her arms, he knew love for the first time
Since the brief time spent with his mother.
He relaxed further, which in turn caused Tamber to cry harder.
She was still feeling bad about herself
From her last boyfriend's infidelity,
And now this.
Again, she thought she had failed.
Again, her love had been met by disappointment.
Eventually Tamber walked into the woods off the path
All the while cuddling Briar and sobbing.
Deep in the thicket she came across a shady moss covered clearing.
Exhausted, Tamber lay down, Briar still in her arms, and fell asleep.
Briar fell asleep too; feeling loved and cared for as never before.
Briar awoke to the beginnings of the coming rain.
At first he was disoriented, and felt only the stiffness and pain in his foot.
He was well rested, and had in fact used the same spot for naps
During the heat of days' past.
He began to slowly remove himself from her sleeping arms.
He looked at the lovely woman for a long time. He wanted to remember
Every feature, every tear.
She looked so enchanting asleep on the moss, breathing so peacefully.
Still, there was fear of her inside him at the same time.
Why? Wasn't she the one who had saved him?
Still, as the rain began to fall a bit more steadily,
And Tamber began to stir; Briar limped slowly away back into the woods.
Tamber awoke suddenly to the clap of thunder soon thereafter,
And within seconds rain was pouring upon the earth.
She immediately looked around for Briar, but he was gone.
Had she dropped him? Had some animal taken him?
Was it possible that he was still alive, or had he gone off to die?
Her anxiety had little time to build before another bolt of lightening
Frightened her to her feet. After one quick look around, she set off back
To the path and her ordinary life.
As days passed, Briar found himself becoming friendlier to his peers,
And less cold to the Lady bunnies. He spent many hours basking in the
Remembrances of the woman who loved him,
Feeling her arms about him and the love she had shown him.
He no longer felt the need to show off quite so much.
Although most of the Lady bunnies weren't his type,
He was able to listen to them and be sensitive to their feelings.
As he listened to Sarah, a rabbit whose interest had once fed only his ego,
He began to really appreciate her and enjoy their quiet talks.
She was patient with his occasional lapses into selfishness.
Around her, he sensed a love reminiscent of Tamber's.
Eventually, to everyone's surprise, they bedded down as man and wife bunnies.
Briar had never been happier.
He often wished that he hadn't left Tamber's side,
And that he could somehow show her what she had done for him.
Tamber often wandered what had happened to Briar.
The prospect of his having lived didn't seem plausible to her.
Her life was so hectic; she seldom made the time to run in the park anymore.
When she did, she would often end up stopping along the path
Where she had found Briar and a tear would fall from her cheek.
Every time she would see a rabbit, she would try to walk up to it,
And off it would dash. Eventually she stopped trying.
The summer days came and went, then winter and fall.
By spring, Briar and Sarah had a new family of their own.
Briar had never known such happiness and fulfillment.
One day that spring, feeling a familiar loneliness, Tamber took the day off.
She went to the park to sit and read. She often found solace in books.
She packed a small bit to eat, and went off to find a quiet spot, where she
could
Be alone in her loneliness.
As she lay on her blanket, she had trouble concentrating on her book.
So much was going on around her. Birds were staking territories,
And seemed oblivious to her. Interesting bugs would jump or fly by,
As if to show off their extraordinarily unique diversity.
She eventually lost her painful self-awareness,
And just accepted with joy the moment before her.
After napping a bit, Tamber was able to relax a while
And enjoy a leisurely read in her mystery novel.
Just when she was getting to the climax and engulfed in the book,
Something stirred under the edge of her blanket.
Tamber froze; thinking it might be a snake.
But soon a tiny nose emerged from under the edge of the cloth,
Turning this way and that. It was a tiny rabbit emerging from its borough.
Tamber allowed the bunny to pop entirely free, and it was soon followed four
more!
Tamber sat still and watched them fearlessly wandering about her.
One came right over to her sandwich and nibbled at the lettuce hanging out from
the side.
'Where is their mother' Tamber wandered, and right away the mother emerged with
Her back to Tamber. It was Sarah. For a moment Sarah was unaware,
But almost immediately looked around and quickly scurried back in the hole,
Followed in immediate succession by five little anxious bunnies!
Tamber soon packed and left, but her spirits had been lifted.
That evening Sarah recounted the encounter to Briar,
While the tiny bunnies tried to add in bits here and there.
One said, "She tried to eat us!" trying to outdo her brothers tale.
Briar was accustomed hearing of human encounters by now,
And the stories of his youngsters,
But would always get around to asking, "What did they look like
Sarah?"
When Sarah described Tamber's flowing blond hair and lanky frame,
After a few pointed questions, Briar was certain it was she.
"That's the woman who saved me!" he exclaimed, at first scaring all
present.
Each day thereafter Briar was alert for any signs of Tamber's return.
He coached his wife and children that this was a special human,
One of whom they need not be afraid.
About three weeks later, when Briar had become less hopeful
Of ever seeing Tamber again, his son came scurrying down the hole
Shouting, "Daddy, the woman who saved you is outside running.
I know it's the same woman." Briar had his doubts,
Because his children, in their exuberance to please,
Would mention almost any blondish human as possibilities.
However, his son seemed convinced, and Briar felt a deep excitement.
After having his son pointed him in the right direction,
Briar took off toward the same running trail at which he had first met Tamber.
Briar saw a few people from a distance, but none was Tamber.
At last, he decided to go to the very spot he had been found.
He went there, and waited. As he waited, he wandered what he should do?
Would she really come by? Once he heard footsteps, but scurried
Into the brush when he saw it was a man and his dog.
He decided to stay in the brush and watch.
About fifteen minutes later he heard another softer rustling.
As Tamber turned the bend, Briar recognized her immediately.
She had a distinctive look about her, a depth and beauty that couldn't be
hidden.
Tamber slowed, and happened to look directly into the brush wear Briar lay.
Briar summoned his courage, and emerged directly into the path.
Tamber was dumbfounded. She sat down immediately on the obstacle course post.
She was in disbelief. Briar slowly and awkwardly approached her,
Until he was directly inches in front of her. Then Briar lay down.
His side resting against Tamber's foot.
Tears fell like rain on Briar.
Soon, Tamber had the courage to touch him, and he allowed her
To pick him up. She caressed him and inspected his foot, finding
Only enough hints of scaring to confirm it was indeed Briar.
For a long time Tamber held him in her arms.
Her pain was gone now,
She knew love.
Many days Tamber spent with Briar.
Eventually Briar brought the family,
And Tamber was amazed to learn that
The very spot she had seen the bunnies
Was Briar's borough!
Tamber was never really quite so lonely again.
When she was down, she would visit Briar.
She started to believe in herself again, in her ability
To love and be loved.
Soon, other animals became accustomed to Tamber's
Gentle spirit, and became her friend too.
Briar always had a special place in her heart.
Years later, once Tamber had found love in her own life,
And had children of her own that shared in the special bond,
Briar was old and feeble. On Tamber's visit one fall day,
He came directly to her, and she could tell he wanted to be held.
She comforted him in his last moments,
And cried big tears as she had the day she met him.
When his well loved spirit left his body,
His last sensation was that wonderful feeling of being loved.
Tamber buried Briar in the mossy clearing,
And often congregated there with her family
And all of her animal friends.
When Tamber died after a long a fruitful life,
Her ashes were spread there with many creatures,
Both human and animal, attending.
The love between all creatures will always grow stronger
Because of the love of one rabbit named Briar,
And the love of a woman named Tamber.
- Brenneman T. May 23, 2002
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No
You and Warmer Weather
When you said, "I'm not going anywhere,"
I thought you meant you'd always be there.
I learned you wouldn't move forward together.
What changed? No you and warmer weather.
- Brenneman T. May 23, 2002
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Sanguine Stars and Stripes
Red heart, blue vein, white eye,
Our sacred flag flies subtle sanguine colors by.
Three hues; one flowing, one deoxygenated,
And another absent the gore we've manipulated,
To form in blue and white the shapes of heavens ceiling,
Striped with nothingness across hell's red feeling.
With vivid variety our flag ripples forth its boast,
Yet it's honor remains captive to what we treasure most.
- Brenneman T. May 23, 2002
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Creation's Smile
Awakening cold and clumsy bumble bees,
My yawning dog stretches her head to knees.
As stars flash their light one to the other,
Chirps flutter trustingly from under mother's cover.
My mind dares to think the thoughts my heart will chase,
As creation's spirit spreads it's smile across my face.
- Brenneman T. May 23, 2002
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Crammed
Chickens
We run those chickens right out of their feathers,
To get them from an egg to our oven, then gut.
We might as well bunch feed and hormones together,
Cram it down their throats and right out their butt.
- Brenneman T. May 24, 2002
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Missing Morsel
Black ant upon my trophy,
Search well bronze legs and face.
The crumb that you won't carry,
Is the morsel it didn't taste.
- Brenneman T. May 24, 2002
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Time's Ocean-deep
Weight
Wear steady, oh wave of time's ocean-deep weight.
Bring level all past new hope to create.
Smooth passion's sharp edges that bloody our minds,
And soften the landing to our future's shorelines.
-
Brenneman T. May 28, 2002
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Savored
Sliver
After able to divine and direct my own uncommonly varied energies,
I find I've only grazed the tasty skin of life, fallen, and scuffed my knees.
I hope the sliver carved, which with my manic emotions I then diced,
Is relished as fresh joy and raw humor, and not preserved, vacuum-sealed, or
iced.
- Brenneman T. May 29, 2002
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The Fig-givers
Though they never told the Priesters,
Some neighborhood children would eat the dog biscuits,
They were given to feed their dog Squire.
At least Maggie did. I think I may have tried one.
We tried lots of things back then.
We wanted to fill their pond to have turtles and fish,
But the parents were smartly worried about someone falling in it.
My grandmother, who would be one hundred and twenty-one now,
Rode on the back of their red motor scooter.
We played basketball and kick ball in the round driveway,
And made designs on it with bike tires through the puddle
That was always there after rain.
It's still there, just to the left as you cut through the hedges.
I learned puddles there.
I learned figs there, and they let me learn them.
The plump and juicy figs are still ripening in my memory and on that tree today.
I learned kind and honorable old age from Mrs. Priester's mother Mrs. Cannon,
Who lived with them until she died at almost 99.
I learned security in the consistent love they showed,
In the white powdery cookies they still make us every Christmas.
They've loved me 43 years now, all my life, and half theirs.
They've been there when I came over depressed or happy. They've righted me.
They've listened and cared.
They've loved me when I bragged of my achievements or shared my losses.
They've loved me well and taught me what being a good neighbor is.
It's rare now for anyone to have the same neighbor for 43 years,
But it's even more rare to have someone as wonderful as the Fig-givers,
To shine on me, inviting my spirit to hope, and experience the essence love so
consistently.
The maturity of what we sow is not always seen by us.
They have planted so much in me.
Any buds or blooms and fruit that come are also a part of them.
Time is passing, and things must change. Blooms, then fruit must pass, and
eventually the tree.
But new seeds are planted. New figs grow. I have grown rich in their presence.
The house next to them was torn down to build a bigger one.
They have also grown with the years, but remained the fig-givers,
The cookie-bakers, the constant friends. They are timeless in that way.
When Dad used to say,
"Who's the best Daddy in the whole wide world,
We would play and say, "Dr. Priester,"
Since he always had a nice new car and the motor scooter.
Dad would then say, "Who's next to the best Daddy in the whole wide
world?"
"You are! Next door to the best daddy in the whole wide world anyway."
We would all laugh.
Mom wisely never asked the question.
- Brenneman T. May 29, 2002
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Your
Answer Ninety-six Percent of the Time
What's your problem's answer?
It's likely the healthiest choice you've considered,
Followed by clear, disciplined, and balanced action,
Implemented starting right now.
- Brenneman T. May 30, 2002
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Haze Fades
As almost forty-four new days,
Add memories to brighten my forty-four years.
A shifting strawberry-blond haze,
Fades as surely as time's healing perspective clears.
- Brenneman T. May 30, 2002
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