Prayer Of Saint Francis Of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not

so much seek to be consoled

as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Some Things I Love

A songbird at sunrise, 

A hummingbird in flight,

The restless surf of the Pacific,

The sound of wind and the waves 

and what they bring to the grassland.

The languid glide of turkey vultures,

The surprising clamor of a desert rain storm,

The kiss and touch of a passionate woman,

Families and the bravery of children,

Seeing lovers attentive to each other,

My tile decorated home and anywhere 

there is love, peace, and kindness. 

More Things I Love 

Soft closing toilet lids,

Nippy weather and airy mist,

Birds chattering at the birdbath, 

A dark night and its starry-starry sky,

Independent bookstores and coffee shops,

Braying mules and crowing roosters,

Concertos, sonatas, and symphonies;

rock and roll, big band, and blues.

Rafael Mendez and Anthony Bourdain,

When summer relents and fall takes over,

The beauty and joy of children’s imaginations,

My family and all the love that has been and will be.

From: Shorts: Short Poems On How We Ramble

Unpub. MS pp. 45-46