Friday, April 17, 2020

Winding Down

Winding down,
At the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
In the shadow of lavender’s haze,
Wrapped in consolation. . .

We lift our gaze,
To the rivers running down. 
Reflection of strength and of praise
We release another day.


Winding down,
At the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
In the shadow of lavender’s haze,
Wrapped in consolation. . .

We lift our gaze,
And we kiss the stars above, 
Reaching for more than we see,
We will reach infinity.
-Janey Pease

One Scene, So Much to See

So curious.
                 I see pretty much the same scene
each morning  nuanced by seasons
that know what they know about being what
they are in their allotted time given.

And yet
            what arrives day after day
from inside me causes me to pause
and feel how contemplation done -- even
half-assed as I do it -- reveals,

enters into
                  "the thing itself"
in ways I can only follow never
lead nor want to replying 
to "Follow me" with "Yes."

Which begs
                   the question, "How long can this last?"
and I hear, "Forever is just a short 
time for now." and think I feel a smile,
see the silhouette of a bow.

-Byron Hoot

Friday, April 10, 2020

Good Friday

The name of this Friday
and the acts of this day once
upon a time is a paradox --
how is this Friday called Good?

False accusations, the condemnation,
the mockery, the beatings,
the crown of thorns, cross carried,
the crowd now cursing him.
Judas hangs from a tree.
Peter shamed into despair,
Magdalene and his mother
stunned beyond their understanding
and his silence, not defiant
but complete, unnerves everything
until he asks the question 
all who love him hold -- "My God,
why have You forsaken me?"
And the sky splits,
the veil in the Temple tears,
the separation between heaven
and earth -- as in him -- no more.

Among the words forgotten 
are "Follow me."
                       This is what 
not many care to grasp;
the cost of claiming who you are
is paid in this way.
The greatest sin not spoken
of is the denial of who
you are -- live the way he did
and there are guaranteed 
crucifixions. 
                 That's right
crucifixions because there
are multiple resurrections
in a life lived the right way --
to live this life we must die
and rise again.
                     That's why this
Friday is called Good --
it takes us to where we've never been.

-Byron Hoot

Friday, April 3, 2020

What Once Was Never Was

"Get the bacon, Jake?"
I ask at breakfast.
"Yep," he says.
I had not seen him
step behind me --
so much for the omnipotence 
of the father.

        The Heart or That Thing Called Love

I listen to my heart and restrain
my mind knowing the kinds
of problems an unrestrained mind
can create
                  preferring an unrestrained
heart
        trusting instinctively its knowledge
over the logics and arguments  the mind
presents indifferent to honesty or lies
running wild because it can while
pretending not to.
                          The heart is a mystery
and the mind is a problem --
I've lived in more mysteries
than problems:
                        problems I want to solve,
                        mysteries to get lost in
because being found in some mystery
is better than solving a problem.
Don't get me wrong -- I love to solve a problem
but not as much as getting lost and getting found.

-Byron Hoot

Art by Zach Baker

Pride #1 2024 Untitled 2024