Nature of Spirituality

History is replete with those who find spirituality in nature and relationship-evoking passion that is expressed in poetry. In my work I strive to  express this mystery through time and space into the world in nature and our relationship with it.

Much of this work is also shared during our yearly October retreat The Nature of Life Retreat at The Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls in the Hocking Hills of southeastern Ohio.

Utilizing the substantive religious traditions, my poetry interweaves past-present-and-possible-futures into a single work. This reflects the poem as sacrament. This can be seen  (from the Christian traditions) in  Shroud of Christ, and Paper and Ink. The poem takes the historical story, makes it real in all five senses to the reader as to place and time, while weaving eternity, past-present-future as a seamless fabric.

Shroud of Christ

Scent of fabric
Aged with time–
Smell of rose petals…
Body covered with lime.Where once was heart
Heaving with hope–
Taking its leave,
With death elopes.The crowning moment…
Walking outside!Where did He go? Where did He hide?
Or did He just die? The Gospel… a lie?A stone too heavy
For twelve to move–
The worlds suffering loneliness
With love, now exhumed!For it is here in me
He came to reside!He took the stone that covered my heart.
He healed the wound
That has kept us apart.Awakened heart!
Embraced! Sublime!
The Christ of history, the Christ of time…
I am His, and He is mine!

Paper and Ink

On Mount Horeb, as I understand it–

The finger of God wrote on tablets of stone.

Moses brought them down,

Carrying them alone.

Now here I sit,

Putting paper to ink–

Carrying this poem, alone…

Yet, someone writes it with me–

And I feel so much at home.

Like God’s finger upon Moses’ stone,

Ink and paper intermingle…

(Neither are alone).

–And His Spirit is writing upon my heart–

My heart is a living stone!

God is writing on the tablets of our hearts!

And all our hearts in worship

Gather as living stones–

A house of faith being built out of us…

Towering to the heavens—

And we all feel so at home.