Poetry Party

From Christine at Abbey of the Arts:

Poetry Party Number Nineteen! I select an image and suggest a title and invite you to respond with your poems, words, reflections, quotes, song lyrics, etc. Leave them in the comments or email me and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!) I’ll add your contributions all week and then I will draw a name at random on Saturday morning from everyone who participates and will send the winner their choice of zine.

Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog and encourage others to come join the party! (a blog is definitely not required to participate!)

The photo below is of course of my beloved Abbess Petunia. This is the first time she stars as the prompt for a Poetry Party. She teaches me many things, but her total abandon when it comes to rest is one of the most precious gifts she offers. I have been thinking a lot about Sabbath these days because summer is coming when my husband’s and my schedule slow quite down a bit and we make time to relish relationship, to linger, to make discoveries in the sacred space of being rather than doing. So my invitation to you for this week’s Poetry Party is to celebrate the gifts of being – what do you discover in those still spaces and holy pauses? Where are you invited to release the hold of doing and surrender to something much bigger?

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

She snoozes in a comfy spot
At peace. At rest. A-dreamin'...
Her paws chase after rabbits.
Her nose twitches as she mumbles a "woof"
And I smile.

She is. She knows.
At peace. At rest. A-dreamin'...
And yet not.
The first jingle of a leash and collar
And she's up with a shake and wag.

:What's next? Where we goin'?:
She wrinkles her brows with question marks dancing over her head.
:Who's here? Time to play?:
Her tail wags, she smiles at me.

"No, silly dog. Go back to sleep. I'm just cleaning off the counter."

She slumps back on the bed.
Blinks twice and yawns.
Her tail thumps a wag. Once or twice.
She drifts back to the rabbits...

At peace. At rest. A-dreamin'...