A sliver of moonlight
against a slate sky
wakes me up
offers no words
but pierces my heart
breaks it open,
tears, silence.
A screech owl
penetrates the stillness.
Then another,
back and forth they shriek
then silence, tears dry.
The moon fades
as dawn lights the sky.
You’ve been with me
for what seems an eternity.
A shadowy presence,
keeping me up some nights
bringing an edge to my day
and nothing I do makes you go away.
Always here but you won’t show your face
until now.
This morning we met,
as if for the first time
I saw you without the veil,
not so dreadful after all.
Grateful, I welcomed you in
with an open heart.
We sat together like the best of friends
until the incense burned out
and the sun lit the sky.
We rose as one with a smile.
As I sit for meditation
I’m struck by the morning’s
complete generosity.
It gives all,
holding not a thing
back for itself.
It asks nothing of me
except to fall into its open arms
completely
like a lover’s warm embrace.
The birds sing this song
from my very heart
until the birds and I disappear
and nothing remains
except all that is here.
– Lisa Ernst
Incense close, sandalwood
Just outside insects sing a steady cadence
Dogs bark a few yards down
Cars whisper on a distant road
Each revealing its nature
Full and ephemeral
Like endless breath arising
and fading to nothingness
This moment, perfect moment
Gratitude
– Lisa Ernst
The Lotus Blooms in The Mud 