renewal – Breathing Inspiration

The Soul’s Beloved

L-rd, you safeguarded my soul,

even in the midst of the darkness

that seemed to consume my life,

at the time when all was lost.

Draw your servant out of the darkness,

and into the light of your sacred intentions,

that I may know what Your design is

for my soul to flourish in this world,

and the World-to-Come.

Rescue me from the fire and ice,

so that I may be free to breathe fresh air,

unhindered by the mire,

where I had previously sunk.

That every day may be

an opportunity for renewal,

as I climb higher on the divine ladder,

between Earth and Heaven.

Our Brethren

“There shall no evil come to thee: nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.” – Psalm 91:10

No longer driven this way and that,

because we are given the blessing of adaptability

in times of war, when all appears lost.

And, in times of peace as well,

in our homes, and when all alone,

to remember our brethren and kin,

when we have no one to tell

our troubles to except for G-d.

The memories of ashes, everywhere,

like dust in the currents of wind,

that shift across the ages.

Yet, renewal is at hand,

across this war-torn land,

when we turn to the One above,

Who can reconcile our lives to Himself,

and absolve our sins of indifference

to both G-d and mankind.

Tears Descend

The links of time

are found in the air,

amidst the whispering wind,

and the evanescent dreams

of the angels, echoing our prayers.

These threads of gossamer

are as fragile as the memories

of our ancestors, drifting in the ether,

until they are purified of the hues

of grey, that cloud the minds

of their relatives on the earth.

Spare us from the flames of Gehenna,

in this life and the afterlife, L-rd;

that we may not be inclined

to repeat the sins of our ancestors,

nor, fail to improve ourselves,

while we have the opportunity,

for the dead perform no mitzvoth;

rather, they are only subject

to the heavenly court,

for what can no longer be undone.

May the upper waters

refresh our tired souls,

like the tears of Heaven,

falling upon the penitent.

dVerse prompt

Environs Aware

Environmental policy, earth-based mentality,
Teilhardian views, and shape-shifting hues,
all contribute to a growing concern amongst us,
while the earth spins, and all of creation groans
within for a solution to what appears inevitable –
from the cradle of civilization until the current time,
the question remains, has our stewardship refrained
from maintaining our very own life-support system?

If we are actually approaching the brink of a turning point,
necessary for the continuation of the human species on earth,
then, how shall we measure the distance that exists,
between our fears, and what we perceive as an undisputed reality?
If we only look at one side of the coin, so to speak,
emphasizing the negative, the dulled images on the obverse
of what used to shine brilliantly, when freshly minted,
then we may be compelled to attribute the losses,
to the usual suspects, without acknowledging the deeper truths.

Hidden within the subways of our mind, and the freeways
of the allotted time that we each are given upon this earth,
are the spaces and moments, the places of potential rest,
and meaningful relaxation, that can refresh our outlook,
and revive our souls, perhaps, in time to start anew,
and recalibrate our internal locus of control;
lest we give away our all, to help build
a modern-day Tower of Babel, hand in hand,
despite the falling of that past Biblical enterprise into inactivity,
when G-d’s hand from Above disrupted their ingenuity,
and scattered their plans in the wind.

earthweal prompt

Crackling Flames

If I could hear the silence of the night,

and listen to the sounds, when all is quiet,

I would be soothed to sleep by the stillness

of the earth, sky, and nearby forests.

Yet, this is a rare and precious treat,

that I am not often blessed with from Above;

for some reason or another,

I am mostly subject to bothersome

levels of music, television,

and other disturbances,

such as the return of my neighbors

after closing time at the bars,

around two a.m.

I would rather be an owl in a tree,

or an eagle in the sky;

yet, I humbly accept my predicament,

and patiently wait to be delivered

from my current circumstances.

Meanwhile, if there was quietude,

then, perhaps I would be able to hear

the crackling of the nighttime flames,

and the consumption of the fire,

as it consumes the pine tree forests

alongside the San Francisco Peaks.

earthweal prompt

Hidden Manna

If this is all there is –

what I see around me –

blue skies, sunsets, and rainbows,

forests, wildlife, and rivers,

a reflection of G-d’s divinity,

cloaked within the natural world;

yet, reduced to a seasonal pattern

of birth and decay, subject to entropy;

then devoid of the mystery,

I shall remain ignorant

of the hidden manna,

sent from Above.

~~~~~ ~~~~~

G-d’s invisible attributes

sustain every aspect of the world,

as found within every flower unfurled;

the beauty of every sunrise

and the stillness of every sunset

gleams out from eternity,

hidden behind every color

in the spectrum of light,

available for the eye to see.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Yet, if we look beyond

the natural world around us,

to the sustaining life force

that maintains all of creation,

and upholds our every breath –

then, we will realize

that even our very being

is dependent upon Him

in Whom we live.

earthweal prompt

Seek the Light

Churches, hospitals, and schools,

are these not all sacrosanct?

Synagogues, yeshivas, and kosher markets,

become battle grounds for good and evil?

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

America the home of the brave

risks in many ways, becoming

a country where the depraved

seem to give free reign to evil,

forsaking a guilt-soaked conscience,

and side-stepping any sense of reason.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

While we wait in vain for any change,

we would be better off to pray

for our own transformation within,

as well as for the moral conscience

of the melting pot of America.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Systemic sin, from the beginning,

in the Garden of Eden, takes its toll,

because it goes unnoticed in our lives,

hidden beneath layers of distractions

from what is essential in life –

to nourish the soul with truth.

The light of redemption for humanity begins within, and spreads without, candle by candle, flame by flame, until the hearts of all mankind are alight with compassion, and a sense of justice, for harmony to prevail. Even so, most will choose not to follow this path, and the wicked will continue to be wicked, as the righteous continue to pursue righteousness. This may appear to be a bleak reality; however, I believe that it is important to acknowledge the existence of both good and evil in the world.

Where is hope? Hope may be found in the promises of G-d to enlighten our eyes to the truth. For, there will be no hundredth monkey effect, nor Omega Point of unification, until Heaven smiles upon us from Above. Neither will there be a utopia brought about by man through technology, nor a peace brokered by world leaders, until the final battle of good and evil, whereof good will triumph. So, for myself, I will seek to remain in the light and look Above for the answer. Until then, love my neighbor as myself, unmask the lies in the world, and seek to be a light in a world of darkness.

Dedicated to the victims and injured in Tulsa, Oklahoma;

to the innocent lives lost in Uvalde;

and to the lives lost in Bufalo, New York.

Additionally, to the lives taken in Ukraine by a merciless foe,

and all of the victims of the recent terror attacks in Israel.

“May their memory be a blessing.”

Topsy Turvey World

It’s a topsy-turvy world,

from the point of view of heaven,

wherein all that is being unfurled,

is as pervasive as leaven.

The angels lament, over the years,

of decline amongst humankind,

asking, where are the hidden tears

of compassion for us to find?

Time to transcend

all of the fortuitous evil

that was befriended,

unknowingly in this upheaval.

The pandemic released more than a virus;

the greater malaise is spiritual,

wreaking havoc and chaos

amongst souls immaterial.

I will stand in the truth

of heavenly values divine,

created to serve as a bedrock of faith,

against all that is a lie.

The emunah of my ancestors

will help me to follow through,

steering a course in turbulent waters

of magnificent oceans blue.

Be Still

“Look further on ahead, there between truth and falsehood, a little empty space.” – Amrita Pritam

A space to call your own,

far away from the phone,

distanced from the world,

above and beyond the voices

of cacophony on cyberspace,

and the virtual public square.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Regain ground in the fight

to retain your conscience,

and preserve a place to reflect,

between stimulus and response,

news quip and commercial,

sound byte, and the next maxim.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Be still,

and listen within the silence

for the heartbeat of G-d,

Who waits for you to seek and find,

amongst the clutter of the mind,

that fertile void of emptiness,

wherein peace resides.

dVerse prompt

Presently Somewhere

Memorial Day

passes unnoticed, behind

pixels on my screen.

Rosh Chodesh, soul renewal,

emerges from inner space.

Except for the designation inscribed on one of my more secular-oriented calendars, I would not have known that Monday was Memorial Day. Thus, cognizant that Sunday was Jerusalem Day, and Tuesday Rosh Chodesh (the New Month) on the Hebrew calendar, the American holiday was reduced to a passing thought for me: that is to say, it reminded me of Jerusalem Day, and the fallen soldiers in Israel. Perhaps, I am becoming more like a family friend, who is a Rabbi, and had once told me that he is not really present, mentally he is in Israel. Today, the first of the Hebrew month of Sivan is a time of renewal, to begin again, on a monthly basis, to encounter life, by way of a revivification, after a day of introspection (tikkun hanefesh – renewal of the soul) that occurs on the previous day, the last day of the month on the Hebrew calendar.

Tanka Tuesday prompt