and now stand we all upon the brink of mystery
for to us, the empty-handed, there has been a child born
uncreated, He has entered human history
life eternal, swaddled in the flesh that we have worn

a life incredible, vivid, excellent.
and now stand we all upon the brink of mystery
for to us, the empty-handed, there has been a child born
uncreated, He has entered human history
life eternal, swaddled in the flesh that we have worn
wonder-wrapt, she walked the rocky road as
it wound its way between the hills to a stone house
tucked between the trees.
O Bread of Life, You are the
true food that satisfies our hungry
souls.
the old man’s hunger had left his stomach hollow.
how am i to know this? he had asked the angel.
elizabeth’s womb lies barren; no seed
has ever taken root. and i am no better than a wizened stem.
For some reason that I’ve never been able to explain, I absolutely love mushrooms … except when it comes to eating them. Then I’m very picky. But when it comes to finding them in the wild, I’m endlessly fascinated by the vast array of shapes, sizes and colors they come in, their intricate details, their growth habits, uses and dangers.
Read MoreWho will lift the shroud of night
heaven’s light fresh to reveal
overcome death’s with’ring blight
deign our wounded hearts to heal?
o Love gentle, patient, kind
make us once more wholly Thine
we planted the peas today
rolled their plump green bodies
into the black bacterial dust
gardeners call inoculant
and then tucked them one by one
under the soil
today the warmth returned
and the blond-haired boys were
running wild through beds
of brittle hydrangea
and barren rose canes
when the littlest
still unsteady on his feet
caught his teddybear bib on a thorn
we’ve had a cold snap again
frost nipping the eager blooms
of the japanese magnolias
and kissing the bricks
that weight the blanket
stretched over the half-moon bed
of drowsing flowers