Friday, April 24, 2015

The Traveling Bones



Down there in Egypt we kept to the bones
Of Jacob and Joseph, the great patriarchs
We kept the dry bones on a string near the door
And on windy days they would clatter and rattle
Telling us who we have been.

Whenever we traveled, the bones traveled with us
In prison and palace, up tenement stairs
In flats and apartments, and all down the street
The traveling bones, the rattling bones
Were our memory and our reward.

When we took to the desert, we carried those bones
On sledges or and wagons, on camels and carts
Not resting or quiet, but clacking in time
Those elbows and ribs, they played out their rhythm
As we marched through sun and sand.

Just now they might feel when their exile is ended
And we come to their home, I cannot imagine
The traveling bones, the rattling bones
And we take their place in their unquiet slumber
As the rattling, clattering bones.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Since it is a week before Christmas, I wanted to share some articles regarding the holidays.
One of the things I have learned in the past few months is the power of blessing people
Here is a blessing I wrote for the Christmas season. I hope you enjoy it.


May you not be trapped

by gaudiness and feasting.

May you sleep well, knowing

what does and does not matter



May you delight in the lights and laughter.

May you hear the singing of carols

and the ringing of church bells

and know their meaning and message



May you stand outside

the circle of obligation

and give up following the crowd

finding solace in the season.


May you gather under starlight,

invited by God’s angels

to stand beside the manger

to partake in the Gift of infinite love.



And may you (if only

for this one evening)

experience stillness and beauty

of this singular and silent night.