dear orrell, 
man who sits under the bridge at richmond and horton
in a decrepit wheelchair
with a beer in your hand
dear orrell,
who i drive by every day and always want to stop
but can't...or don't....
dear orrell,
i am happy to have met you today
i am happy to have shared some of my good fortune with you today
i am glad to have seen the twinkle in your eye
as you told me how you lost your legs at age 12
dear orrell, 
i am happy to have stopped, and listened
and to have really understood the connection among us
i asked you why you chose to sit there every day
and you told me it was because you were looking for company
and that you always met interesting people under the bridge
well dear orrell,
i certainly met an interesting and unforgettable man today
peace on earth

nothing is simple
ignite the warrior goddess
and smile
this too shall pass

alice cooper said lace and whiskey
i say soup and whiskey
one nurtures, one soothes
and it's a bit of an either or in that regard
i'm goin for the soup

oh tuesday morning

how dare you whack me in the head this way
how dare you pressure me with rules and expectations
how dare you infiltrate my imagination
oh tuesday morning
with your bills and order and drive

oh tuesday morning
i send you back whence you came

dear prime minister,
if you don't step down
i will provide you with a stool
perhaps you are too small of a man
and require assistance with the big step
i know it's hard to be a big boy
but everyone has to grow up sometime
there are lots of people to help you
except the ones whose jobs you cut
take a taxi, then maybe you could get some therapy or health care
go back to university...oh sorry you probably can't afford it
i know, wait......join the speech circuit and talk about how you made turtle island a better place
tell them how you made our country an arms dealer for israel
tell them how you spoke about maternal health at the UN to an empty room while at home people are screaming about the countless lost and murdered indigenous women in our country....
tell them how you make secret backroom deals with other countries that threaten our water supply and sovereignty..

step up, mr. harper, cause i can tell you with complete certainty...

karma is a bitch....

oh the night,
the beautiful glamorous night
give to me your secrets
and i will tell you mine
whisper in my ear
all that is ugly
and let us make a cocoon
for the butterfly

9-11

did someone call 911?
metaphor for security
wrapped in safety
while thousands upon thousands upon thousands
remember those numbers
in another way
mission accomplished
agenda completed
sorties have landed
soldiers home safe

except for the trauma
hiding behind red rimmed, shallow eyes
except for the veil of truth
shattered by corpses and those
who won't stop wailing
(make them stop)

safe
except for the rally cries
of the allies
as they sail on to
their next victory

home
cicadas and 
red wine
mind full of memories, ideas and thoughts
heart full of love, questions and dreams
soul full of desire, envy and determination
home
home for weary feet and tired eyes
home for transitions and shortcuts
and longcuts 
and anything in between
home
home

my mom pulls me up the gravel drive
in a wounded red wagon
its wheels churning slowly
under a hot sun

dinner is burning
i can smell the rank odor
and i get nervous

a burning dinner is never a good thing
see, for me, it usually means death

it means another nanny or papa or
tante or uncle
habibti, daughter or son
has been killed

it means my psyche
still fresh with wound
takes another blow

it means that only time
can measure my restraint

it means that i lay down at your feet
and let you walk all over me
if you will

and it means i rise again

on my way to the fine east coast
music, dancing, ocean and feasts
laughter and love, family and treats
healthy children by my side
strong, educated, funny and cute
not oblivious but sheltered
from the horrors of the world
we will swim at the beach
swim as far as we dare
no bombs will land on this beach
no snipers will shoot if we swim too far
no child will see his best friend blown to bits
as he stands there, helpless
bloody in the night
no mother will wail in the night
as the sirens drown out her sorrow

when we come home
our house will be neat and orderly
not a pile of rubble where kids have to play
our schools will be cleaned by unionized custodians
waiting for the happy screams of schoolchildren
not temples to the innocents
our families will be in front of the tv
watching the bombs drop
'such a shame', one will say
'it's complicated', says another
and then they'll click the channel
click
click
click
and the sun will rise on the children of Gaza
again

you can sink a ship
you can drown my baby
you can poke my boy's eyes out 
with a wooden stick
but you can never
NEVER
wound the heart of a wounded soul
you can never 
NEVER come close to me
with your guns, and bombs, and gas
even when they tear my family to pieces
I am a woman who stands tall 
although I feel small
I am a woman who holds hands with my sisters
I am a woman who will look you in the eye
and point your silly gun away from me
I am a woman who will demand that you ask your mother
if what you think is true
I am a woman who will stand between you 
and my child
I am a woman who will forgive you when you put your weapons down
as we bow our heads together
I am a woman who will build a fire, tend to it
and cook dinner for us all
I am a woman who will dance until joy sings
I am a woman who will demand the end of insanity
and the beginning of truth
i am a woman
whose tears
nourish the earth

the dancer

she longed for the song

the one that filled her soul

with the melody of bluebirds

she floated

on the dream

that he would play it soon

she whispered in his ear

so close, so soft

so demanding

he promised

and promised again

she smiled

picked up her skirt

pulled back her shoulders

raised her head

and danced in silence

For Dave,

IF YOU WANT

if you want to fly through space with no wheels and no handles
then you do that
if you want to dig holes and stare at tiny bugs for hours and hours
then you do that
if you want to collect rare books and count them every day, making sure everyone is comfortable and accounted for
you do that
if you think that your stuffed animals are real and you like to talk to them
you do that
if you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain
you do that
if you like big comfy tighty-whiteys, lacy sweet and sexy, thongs that ride up your ass, that you can feel every time you move,
 or commando
you do that
if you get straddled or don't while getting your hair cut
you do that
if you fall deeply in love, over and over
every day
you do that
if you find a friend you want to have in your life forever
you do that
if you want nothing more than to express your desire for that person
you do that
if you want truth and honesty and openness
you do that
if you want pure love
you do that

Mother's Day, May 2014

today my mama bloomed 
with magnificent grace
fulll of rich splendour
fragrance
and place
today my mama bloomed
in a wild flurry of beauty
soaring into the sun
buried deep in the soil
returning to life

the world's easier to see
through rose coloured glasses
but sometimes
the glasses come off.....
and you still look alright
naked
on front of the stage

river of life
dreamer of dreams
sweet mother of creation
and lover of peace
a player till the end
a singer, dancer, card player
spellologist (sorry aunt kath)
and cherished momma, grandma and friend
a joker and a smoker
not a midnight toker
she sure didn't want to hurt no one...

beautiful woman
best mom in the world
even though she cut my hair short
and made me wear stupid brownie uniforms
she taught me when to fight
and when to give in was right
(although our opinions differed highly on this subject)
she also gave me my might

we often didn't agree
but she accepted me as me
and did her best to LET me be me
(well actually, i didn't give her much choice)
but she gave me roots and also set me free
a branch from her tree
and the wisdom of family

her spirit lives on
our memory strong
in the hearts of everyone
and my mom is with all of us forever

the universe always gives
and we may not always listen
but when we open our hearts to truth
the threshold breaks
the corners are swept away
and the dust settles

and when the dust settles
we can sigh
and drink some tea
embrace our loved ones
and begin again

they say it is written in the stars

long before our time

the journey of our soul

they say the rhythm of 

the great mother

is the conduit

i believe we are all stars

born into this reality

through the absence of time

connected in ways beyond reason

colliding, holding space

for each other

every day of our life on this earth

transformed into our animal spirits

we sing their song

as long as we listen

my wise woman tells me

watch the stars

especially the ones

who shoot through the night sky

fireflies of the universe

transcending time and space

erasing all boundaries

wild and untamed

my child tells me

be in awe and wonder

believe in magic 

my soul tells me 

to love and be loved

dance under our ancestors

the stars

as they hold our space

and light our path

dance for love

for truth

for joy

dance for beauty

for god and goddess

for you

as the rain pounded

against the nakedness

of my soul

i was reminded

of the wise woman

who told me to laugh

and smile

and receive the magic

the train leaves the station

and her heart skips a beat

she looks back and wonders

and then looks at her feet

music is her solace

in an empty home

she wants so much to share

the soul of her poem

Hey, hey, my my....
Palestine will never die
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
There's more to this picture
Than meets the eye

in the dark quiet hours
under snowy skies
while ancient trees
sing their songs
my psyche unfolds
wilderness of wildflowers
tantalize my senses
as i awake
memories
of stories and poems 
once told
cross the threshold of my soul
in a fiery dance
and i remember
in wisdom
no two snowflakes
are ever the same

lying in bed on this blustery winter morning
steaming coffee and the gentle breath of my boy
deep in dreamland
are my companions
he crawled in with me in the night
awakened by a dream of a momma elephant
abandoning her sick baby
he wants us to rescue all the babies
in these tender moments he is my baby
not the wild boy of the waking hours
my heart is cracked open
with love

he ocean of sky awaits
tepid in its offerings today
yet gentle
i am tempted by its warmth
and strangled by my fear
questioning everything
believing nothing
sucked into
every black hole
i can find

and there she sits
with whiskey and a pen
staring off into the muddy sky
dappled sunlight
mind adrift
in nothingness
and everything

layered storm
and rising sun
vastness of nothingness
beside my beloved
wondering who i am

and there she sits
with whiskey and a pen
staring off into the muddy sky
dappled sunlight
mind adrift
in nothingness
and everything