Weather

by

A Cold Winter Rain


A cold winter rain descends
From the darkest clouds I have ever seen
And a blustery wind pushes flowing sheets of water
And the trunks of every tree in sight
First left, and then right
And then left again
Whooshing and whistling from every direction
Making this dreary morning feel like almost night.

The things I need to do
The places I need to go
Will have to wait.

If not for this cold rain
This day would join the refuse of so many other
All-too-forgettable days that make up the measure of my life.
But this day is so unlike most
It is a day I will remember
A day I will not regret.

And so, I am thankful for this early-winter storm.
It gives me the excuse I shouldn’t need
To stop
Forget the things I think I need to do
And live, really live
This one day
Watching, hearing, feeling
Experiencing
A cold winter rain descending
From the darkest clouds I have ever seen.

Most days are just like every other day, and so are lost to the routine of our everyday life. When Monday is just like Tuesday and every week is like the week before, our lives slip away one forgettable day after another. Whenever the opportunity arises, slow down and experience one day as unique from every other. That day will join the few that really count.

by

The Breeze


This gentle breeze presses against me
Comforting
Like a crisp cotton sheet
On a sultry Sunday morning.

It carries a familiar scent
From some other place
Some other time
Resurrecting memories long lost
Memories best forgotten.

But as for now
All there is
Is this breeze
And this scent
And the rustling of leaves
As it moves on.

This is one of my favorite poems. I like the little mystery of the memory triggered by the breeze-borne scent. At first, I try to lead the reader to think this might be a pleasant memory, perhaps of some long-lost love. But then, we find this memory is not so pleasant after all. Or maybe it’s a memory of some guilty pleasure that is best forgotten? The last stanza brings in the mindfulness message..reminding us that everything in life is transient, including even the memory of our life’s experience.

by

Snowfall


The snow falls oh so softly from this wintery sky
Each flake like almost nothing
And even less than nothing
Melting on my upturned face
And yet, in time, flake falls on flake
Building drifts nearly insurmountable.

Life, like this winter sky
Can sometimes seem so dark
So dreary
And a single act of kindness?
Insignificant.

But over time, kindness begets kindness
Changing lives.
Least of which my own.

May my life be forever like this gentle storm
Spreading joy with every flake that falls.

Abbreviated version for mindfulness repetition:

The snow falls oh so softly from this wintery sky.
May my life be forever like this gentle storm
Spreading joy with every flake that falls.