Pull up a Chair

    Pull up a chair
    and tell me your story,
    a friendship we will christen.

    For your tale and mine
    are intertwined
    if we take the time to listen.


    The Space Between

    In the space between
    you & me
    two circles intersect,
    and what meets in the middle
    is the essence
    of our connection.

    The space between
    you & me
    is a playground for our souls,
    filled with words
    wanting to express
    what doesn't need to be said.

    In the space between,
    we dance together
    to an unheard melody
    and sing in harmonies
    which can be felt
    in our hearts.

    The space between
    you & me
    is energy revealing itself,
    where my truth
    and yours are one
    if only for this moment.


    A Smile and a Wink

    With a smile and a wink you touched my heart.
    And though our tales seem worlds apart,
    When we let our guards down,
    We find common ground.
    For beyond the outer frame
    What makes us human is the same:
      Our heart,
      Our divine spark,
      The still part that knows
    What we all really want.


    Trespassing

    I don't belong here.
    I'm trespassing in someone else's neighborhood
    as I turn off the main road
    and onto the quiet, tree-lined streets where people live.

    This is where I'll take my walk today
    and no one will know the difference.

    The woman working in her garden,
    the man with the four dogs (two large and two small),
    the couple on their power walk,
    all smile and wave
    a friendly good morning
    as though I am a part of the fabric of their world,
    as though it would be perfectly natural
    if I turned up the next driveway,
    walked up to the pale blue house with the red door,
    put my key in the lock and stepped inside.

    But this is not my home.
    I've never walked this path before.


    Don't Mistake My Silence
    for Indifference

    Don't mistake my silence for indifference.
    I need time to soak things in.
    Did you notice the way
    The gilded frame around the frosted mirror
    Behind the bar reflects more light than the mirror itself?
    The way the bartender shakes the drinks
    In time to the bluegrass playing on the old record player?
    The way the waitress in the long, patterned dress
    Disappears and reemerges
    Through the half-draped curtain
    That blocks the view of a hallway?
    I wonder what else is down that hallway.

    Don't mistake my silence for indifference.
    I'm not the type to wear my heart upon my sleeve.
    Have you ever eaten an artichoke from the start?
    Taken the time to peel back the thick, outer layers
    One by one?
    Noticed how each layer is more tender,
    More yielding,
    More nourishing?
    The reward at the center ever more gratifying
    Because you took the time to savor the unfolding.


    Nordstrom

    I was waiting at the end of a long line
    to return something at Nordstrom
    when a young woman came up
    and said she could help me
    at another register.

    Relieved that my wait was shortened,
    I complimented her coral skirt,
...