Moojo Cafe

storm chaser

i don't need a tornado to
race after or a
hurricane to hunker
down from
a monsoon to outrun
or lightning to
hide from
i've got all the storms
i can handle
churning up inside
my emotional barometer
is falling rapidly
and it doesn't look
pretty so duck and
cover take shelter
and get the hell
out of my way

mapping

as women grow older
we fret over the
appearance of lines
on our faces
my lines showed up
but not on my face
i look down
at my hands and
see troubles i've
been through and joys
that surprised me
loves that emerged
and then walked away
pride in what i've
overcome and shame
at what i haven't
people i've known
and friendships
that survived
babies i've held and
tears wiped away
comfort and guidance
and doors that i've
slammed
they've been held
palms up in grace and
carted burdens from
place to place
they're a road map
to survival and
a testament
to leaving behind
my denial

intuition

when did my knowing
become something i
don't want to
know?  when did
that inner voice
become something
i feel compelled
to quiet?  who
walks up to a
truth-teller and says
thanks anyway but
i'd prefer to be
kept in the
dark?  what will
it take for me
to step back into
the light?

balm

the first sip of coffee
from my favorite
glazed mug the one
with the palm
tree on the front
a tiny nibble of
dark chocolate while
curled up in bed
lost in a novel
my eye catching the
blue sky space
between the branches
while sitting at
a stoplight
the comforting nuzzle
of one of my
brother's dogs their
unspoken TLC
a balm for my broken
heart

annoint

blessed be the ones
who tell the truth
in face of
an overwhelming desire
to cover it up
blessed be the tiny
fissures of light that
seep into the darkness
that find the
cracks in your defenses
for planting seeds
of self-kindness
blessed be the gifts
willing you
willingness
to open your arms
and receive
even as you cover
your eyes