We Are Not Islands

We are not islands:
isolated,
insulated,
to be ignored.

We are hearts engaged
in a relational dance:
intertwining stories,
weaving new tales

Yearning for love’s reciprocity
Delighting in wonder of discovery
Slugging through painful demise
Striving to be better

We build walls,
construct towers,
follow paths leading nowhere –
the pitfalls of our quest

Artificial barriers:
lofty ideals,
dead ends…
and still we push on

Dreaming of hands that hold
and gentle waters – soothing
and warm – passionate kisses:
Love’s rewards

We exist
not for accumulation
but for the gifts that arise
when open hearts dance

(Image my own)

If I Could Only Breathe

So much I want to say,
yet the oppression of opposition
stomps heavily on my airways
cutting off the flow

Daughter of a trans father
mother contemplating MAiD –
embroiled in controversy,
I see only injustice

Cannot fathom the hatred
the railing against books
and glamour, and science,
misappropriation of christianity

How am I supposed to grieve;
take up arms for those I love,
when I am silenced before I speak
judgments cast without a thought?

If I could have a word,
if anyone would listen
I would share, perhaps insight
into the lives of secrets held

Describe how hearts wilt
beneath cruelty of suppression
how torn apart we become
ignorance voiding authenticity

I would tell you of the horrors
that dwelt within our homes
the fear of discovery, of rejection
how ugly it all felt….until

Education offered explanation
and in that opening
we saw potential to climb out
from our shadowy existence

embrace a life in which our love
is neither tainted nor deviant
and tell me please, as I try to listen
how such hopefulness is sin, after all.


(Image my own)


Responsibility vs Love

Like Atlas, I bear
the world’s weight
call it responsibility –
a painful delusion
requiring walls

Life has its own rhythm –
light and dark,
joyous and sorrowful –
orchestration outside
of my domain

Love, however,
is limitless
in its capacity –
open-hearted acceptance
protection in itself.

Trading one focus
for another
permits appreciation –
I vow to assert love
and forgo control.

Marriage Potential

What if loyalty purchased this house
and commitment co-signed?
We’d take out a mortgage
based on love – interest only

What if our foundation was spiritual
and our walls cornerstones of faith?
We’d furnish our home with joy
and leave room for wonder.

Can you imagine the possibilities
if we dedicated this life to service,
if we made our marriage the hub,
found a reason for being?

The ingredients are all here –
so where’s the hesitation?
Let’s turn off the screens
and tune into what can be.

(Image my own)