Arlene Gay Levine: "Each Moment"

Behind the mask of summer sun,
the green rush of spring,
the peace of winter’s silence,
and autumn’s fiery crown
there are only moments strung together.
Beads on a chain,
each as valued as the next;
a necklace fashioned
of attention to this day.
What is gone
and what will be
are links fingered lightly
while we chant
the only word we know:
now, the glue
of our daily round,
the shining center
from where we came,
to which we shall return.



"Each Moment" by Arlene Gay Levine, published in Unity Magazine (May, 1999) and Movie Life: Poems (Finishing Line Press, 2011). © Arlene Gay Levine. Reprinted by permission of the poet.

Art credit: "As Above So Below," photograph by Tim Gainey.

Arlene Gay Levine: "Here Is the Road"

Here is the road: the light
comes and goes then returns again.
Be gentle with your fellow travelers
as they move through the world of stone and stars
whirling with you yet every one alone.
The road waits.
Do not ask questions but when it invites you
to dance at daybreak, say yes.
Each step is the journey; a single note the song.

"Here Is the Road" by Arlene Gay Levine, from Wishing You Well: "Prayers and Poems for Comfort, Healing, and Recovery. Edited by June Cotner. © Loyola Press, 2005.

Art credit: Untitled image of the Sufi dance of life, by unknown photographer (originally color).