I am aware of the fresh aroma of earth
even though I cannot smell it, aware
of the songs of birds, though muted,
aware of the faintest stirrings of breeze
through I cannot feel it but only see
motion in the trees, aware of how it
feels to have moisture dripping from
my face even though I am dry. And so
it is that I am ensconced in the world
even as I am separate from it.
we long for a place of safety.
In an ever colder, harsher time,
we long for a place of warmth.
In an ever more cruel and hateful time
we long for a place of compassion.
In ever more distressing time,
we long for a place of comfort.
Let us pause for a moment of quiet
to experience in this place
some of the safety, warmth,
compassion and comfort
that we long for.
May we be the place we long for.
May we be the people we wish to be.
May we make real
the safety, warmth, compassion and comfort
the world needs now more than ever before.
Amen.
has begun blooming,
signalling the start of spring
more certainly
than the weather’s various
vagaries, now
warm, now cold, now snowy
or rainy, windy
or still, sudden color
preceding green leaves,
Nature’s strong statement
about new life,
about the persistence
of living things and beauty,
season after season,
year after year.
there is no joyful sunlight
nor are there shadows
as the robin finds fat worms
after early morning rain
but the sun shines
through the front window
warming a corner of the rug
on our living room floor
providing exactly enough warmth
for this moment
as March dwindles
neither lamb nor lion
but light-bearing leopard
dappling every flat surface
on its path.
One of life’s greatest challenges is
learning how to be silent
in the face of the mystery,
learning how to balance
our need to know
with the necessity of not knowing,
learning how to use words
to describe the inadequacy of words,
learning how, ultimately,
there are thoughts beyond our thoughts—
knowing, at last, that the unknowable
cannot be unlocked, but can only
unlock itself from the inside out.
of a song or conversation when
the sense of connection is so strong
that the words and music seem
to fall away and all that remains
is shared soul-to-soul awareness
and I thank God for being alive!
sometimes, still reveal
previously hidden depth,
meaning and structure,
still offer new phrasings,
resonances, interpretations.
Good songs may get old
and worn but never worn out.
From the first gasp of air we breathe in
to the last gasping breath out,
each of our lives is defined by breathing.
Each movement, each thought
is fueled by our breath.
The blood that flows through our veins,
the neurons that fire in our brains,
depend largely on just this:
breathing in and breathing out.
Let us pause for a moment of quiet
to focus on our breathing,
to appreciate it and to be aware
as we breathe in and breathe out.
May our breathing fuel not just our actions
but also our visions and our dreams.
May our breathing connect us to all others
who breathe, who live, who hope and yearn.
And may each breath bring us closer
to the peace and love
we long to bring into being
now and always. Amen.
a huge pine tree dances; branches
animated by the wind, it waves
and sways while our porch chimes
clang and jangle. Even the slightest
breeze stirs movement and music,
call and response, beauty answering
beauty, breath moving with heartbeat.
of false summer
yesterday’s winds
brought cold weather
and we woke today
to a dusting of snow–
not enough to cover
the ground and streets
but scattered frozen white
on roofs and cartops
reminding all that
Spring takes its time.
When our dog
lies on the couch,
it’s as if she becomes
a part of it,
as if the Swedes
who designed it
had in mind this creature
when they created
its contours and textures,
when they specified
its exact dimensions.
The way she feels
at home on the furniture
is the way I want to feel
at home in the world.
either to bury our heads in the sand
or to obsess over every awful thing,
perhaps the best strategy is to
take everything seriously
but hold it lightly.
©2025 Jim Magaw
green today
and you might catch
a few perch there
if you can find a place
to cast your line
among the drunken
would-be leprechauns
but the River Boyne runs
clear from Trinity Well
to the Irish Sea
and still elusive
the Salmon of Knowledge
swims waiting
for some poet
to bring it ashore.
struggle and confusion,
We pause to sense
the calming spirit of life.
In a world of fear,
hatred, and apathy,
We pause to sense
stirrings of compassion.
In a world distorted
by the horror of injustice,
We pause to sense
the emerging shape of justice.
In this place, in this time,
in this beloved community,
We pause for a moment
of quiet contemplation.
May our roots in this moment hold us close.
May the wings of our love set us free.
And may the spirit of life be known to us
Now and always. Amen!
Not wanting to believe unfavorable prognostications,
Whether based in meticulous scientific calculations
Or intuitions, educated guesses or merest hunches,
Their visions unsettle us, force us to face consequences,
Recognizing that fate is determined not just by random
Spins of the wheel but by our own actions and inactions,
By centuries of unjustified arrogance and rank hubris.
Listen closely to their pleas: beware the Ides of March.
in joy, in brightest yellow proof of life
amid the pain and chaos of this time
when any bright and hopeful thing means more
than ever, more than mind or heart might dream.
Give thanks this day for signs of spring reborn.
how much you might want to,
no time to retreat for four years
ensconced in a silken cocoon,
no time to play hide and seek
with hard truth and harsh reality.
Now more than ever the world
needs your voice, your hands
your heart, your presence,
your love, your soul on full display.
Healing requires all of all of us.
in the Southwest were lofted
high into the atmosphere and
traveled east, where snow
formed around them and fell,
accumulating in parts of Ohio,
West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
When the snow melted next day,
it left a layer of dust on everything,
which is why everybody in Pittsburgh
rushed to the car wash today, lines
backing up into the street, and all
because of a dust storm in Texas.
Evidence of transformation and
interconnection is everywhere.
not the careening atrocities
and blistering hateful absurdities,
but the emerging growing blooming,
the beautiful that comes forth
even from bitter poisoned ground.
Deep green daffodil stalks
Have pushed through frozen
Ground to find light and air
Despite a long hard winter
And God I am pushing too.
we long for oneness of heart and mind.
In a time of discord and dissonance,
we long for the sweetness of harmony.
In a time of greed and narrow self-interest,
we long for the richness of living for each other.
Let us pause for a moment of quiet to make space
for oneness, for sweetness, for richness of heart and mind.
May we build for tomorrow a nobler world than we have known.
May we create a new community of greater understanding.
May we bind our hearts together in hymns of love.
And, in so doing, may all be made free.
Amen!