A Hint of Joy

Strangely, even sorrow
can mask a hint of joy,
the joy in knowing
you are imbibing life,
the whole of it,
not rigidly eschewing
the bitter and the sour,
the too spicy and the bland,

© 2015 Dennis Ference

Desire for the Divine

Know that a true desire
for the Divine
will carry with it
a desire for peace
which will never abide
a penchant for discrimination
and the violent divide.

© 2015 Dennis Ference

let stories…happen to you

I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you,
and that you will work with these stories from your life . . .
water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom,
till you yourself burst into bloom. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

mortal wound

all our chronic
compulsive cleaving
    in-
                     to
good     and      bad
rich       and     poor
left        and     right
black    and     white
right     and     wrong

threatens to inflict
on our world
a mortal wound
that only a Divine
love can heal

© 2014 Dennis Ference
(First posted without pic 10/29/14.)

Incessant Thoughts

How easily we point
to people and things
outside ourselves,
naming them culprits
that limit our lives,
while holding tight
to those relentless thoughts
   about them,
those stronger chains
that more surely keep us
from being free.

© 2015 Dennis Ference

Vibrant Spirit

The experience
of a joyful life
lived in gracious receiving
and compassionate giving
is an experience
of the vibrant Spirit
breathing in one’s heart.

© 2015 Dennis Ference

Write On

Words that fall on a million deaf ears
are sometimes the exact words needed
to heal one wounded heart.

© 2014 Dennis Ference
(First posted 8/27/14 without pic.)

I Sat with the Spirit

So I sat with the Spirit
and gave her the news
that I was prepared
to surrender all
to whatever was the plan.
I would build hospitals and churches,
give retreats and missions,
write books and play music.
I would start movements, teach others,
and yes I was ready
to reform the world—
nothing was too grand
for an enthusiasm like mine.

There was a long silence then
until these words
came humming into my heart:
Are you available
to live fully this moment
you have been given?
When I paused to consider,
the moment was gone.

© 2015 Dennis Ference

Here I Float

Here I float
on a Sea of Compassion
that patiently accepts
my earnest prayers
that I receive
what I already have,
that I become
who I already am.
Here I float
on a Sea of Compassion.

© 2015 Dennis Ference

Sea of Compassion

I am sometimes overwhelmed
by the thought of the pain
our minds create for us,
how facilely our egos dupe us
into believing our illusions are real.
Yet, despite the fear
of hellish, deadly storms,
may we come to know with surety
that a Sea of Compassion, in truth,
engulfs us all.

© 2015 Dennis Ference