What the sunset told meListen said the tree,and I didwith my back pressedagainst her body.Listen closely for the soundof the sunset.And I heard somethingfrom within my own soullike my heartbeatwithin my chest.Release your grasp,the tight hold you haveon life. Cleanse your soulfrom the taste of fear,like metal on your tongue.In the shadow I seethe birds,... Continue Reading →

VisionThe faintest starsare the most beautiful.Only when it is dark enoughdo they show their facessinging the hymn that dreamedall creation into being.They walk the long roadthrough the canyons of the universe,only carrying what they can holdin their hearts–the light–as they arrive at lastand kiss my longing eyes.--Stuart Higginbotham From Pixabay...

Stones I kneel down to collect myself like stones scattered among the sweet sage. Who is it that looks and pauses to see? Who is it that kneels? Who is it that gathers? What is it that is gathered? Who brushes his finger across the weather-worn face of the dark rough rock and recognizes himself... Continue Reading →

The mantleFor John CromartieAfter the chariot slipped overthe horizon, he stood still,lifting his teacher’s mantleto his face, closing his eyes,and resting in the song of the birds.When he opened his eyes again,he saw his own pathdrenched in lightwithin the cave of his heart.He rolled up his teacher’s mantleand struck the face of the water,pushing back... Continue Reading →

The constellation of your eyesThe most difficult thingabout being humanis to dare to lovemore than my anger tells meis possible or worthwhile.How would I dare to treat youif I knew your lifewas the path to my salvation?That the healing of my soulwas mapped outin the constellation of your eyes?There is a piece of my storythat... Continue Reading →

Good morning. This poem is from my collection Bones of Light, and I want to offer it again on another day when we are yearning to make meaning and stay grounded--then we'll look at what Dr. Brueggemann continues to teach us. The watchpost (Habakkuk’s mantle) The oracle speaks. Layers of whispers sound like sand poured... Continue Reading →

Light seedsShe learned after a whileit was better to plant themat night, when the soft earth,still warm from the sun,cradled them in her hands,in the darkness that gives life.On June 1, Brandon gave an amazing sermon rooted in Psalm 97. You can find that link here if you want to listen (and I think you... Continue Reading →

Anthem of a DreamerFresh light spills overthe lip of the horizon,filling the bowl of the valleyof the shadow of death.Who knew shadows could dance,their bodies softly heldin the arms of the lightthat knows them best?Honor the clouds and the secretsthey hold within them,coaxing the shadowsto stretch their armsfar across the gently rolling hills.--Stuart Higginbotham

Narcissus LivesHe doesn't sit gently by pools anymore,leaning over to watchhis own reflection looking backat himself, caught up in his own gaze.A thing of beauty, he thinks,as he dips his finger into the water,making ripples into waves,sending minnows into a frenzy.Now he sits uprightand looks around at every screenthat gladly shows the imagehe has so... Continue Reading →

Too much to loveNow, the bee on the milkweed,ambling from one ruby cluster to the next,with the purslane sleeping, waiting to openits blossoms, mouths to drink the lightas the morning sun rises.Now the crow slowly flyingover my garden, and as I look up,it turns its face directly towards me,our eyes connecting in that instance,the black-feathered... Continue Reading →