Gatekeepers of Creativity

When the
Gatekeepers
of Creativity
want to check
your passport,

to make sure
you belong,

smile and
whip it out.

Show ‘em
that
The Mystery
is your
birthplace,

and you’re
free to
come and go
as you please,

Mystery being
the only
government
recognized by
Creativity.

It’s right
there, on
your passport.

Occupation:
Creator

Your birth
certificate is
your license.

Now,
ask those
Gatekeepers of
Creativity
to show
their badges.

Watch ‘em
slink away,
emptyhanded.

They probably
stole those
uniforms
from a
thrift store
donation bin.

 

On Your Knees, Sinner

It is reported
that Jesus said
we should
consider the
Lily of the Field,

who does not
toil or
spin a single
thread,

yet blinds
the astonished
eye with
splendorifousness.

On your knees,
Sinner!
Ask forgiveness.

In your tender
heart
you’ve been
secretly
measuring

your luscious
beauty,
your effortless
magnificence,
by the length
of your
To Do List.

I think
I hear him
laughing,
but it’s
with you,
not at you.

After all,
you’re only
human,
still learning
from
the flowers.

 

You’re Quite a Character

You may be
unaware of
your sublime
improvisational
skills.

But you’re a
lifetime member
of the
Cosmos Actors
Guild.

Sometimes you
forget
you’re an old hand
at overcoming
stage fright.

That your fellow
players
love you
when you
do that
thing you do.

So, come out
of the
Green Room.
Don’t hide
back there,
all
huddled up
with doubt.

You were born
for the stage,
so
come on out
and play.

 

Exhibition

I have an idea
for an
art gallery.
Please hear
me out:

Would you be
willing to
join a few
of your neighbors

and spend
an hour or two
being the
exhibits
at an
Exhibition

where you
sit in a
comfortable
chair
and

the rest of us
wander around
remarking
on the sheer
beauty
of your
one-of-a-kindness,
the originality
of the genius
that informs you,
the artistry in
your every
once-in-the-cosmos
feature?

After awhile
you would
rise
and others
of your neighbors
would take
your places.

And so it
would go.

(Photo by Alexander Jawfox, UnSplash)

 

Self Improvement

I set about
to improve
an orange.

An average orange,
grocery store
produce department.

First
I bought some
paint,
actually called
“Orange Peel”
to fix
the outside.

What a mess.

Then I
wondered
about using
a syringe
to inject some
one-hundred percent
certified pure
orange juice
inside that
little globe.

But by now
I just wanted
to
eat it.

It was
really
good.

(Photo by Tomi Vadasz, UnSplash)

 

What Would Jeebus Do?

Years back,
in a peccadillo
of whimsey,
I asked my
nephew, Mark,
to wield his
Needle of Beauty
and scribe
“What Would
Jeebus Do?”
on the canvas of
my forearm.

I meant no
disrespect
to the One
who thought
a grand debut
would be to
get this party
started
with some
Water Into Wine.

So, when I
wondered,
this morning,
if I had overstepped
my bounds,

I swear
I heard Him say,

“Oh, c’mon Steve!
You know
how much
I love
a little joke
between
friends.”

 

We See You

Who do you
think you are?
Judging
your Self.

You can’t even
see the
underside of
your own
chin.
Try it
without using
a mirror.

You think you
know yourself
so well,
but we can see
your beautiful
backside and
you can’t,
without using
two mirrors.

You are in
no position
to pass judgment
on your insides,
either.

You just can’t
see
your Self.

The rest of us
are here
to tell you
we see you.

You are
drop-dead
gorgeous.

(Photo by Adolfo Felix, UnSplash)

 

Leaping Fences

When I saw
two fawns,
still glistening,
still trembling,
from birth,

I wondered:

Do these
Little Ones
know they were
born able,
soon enough,
to soar over the
neighbor’s fence,
like dancers,
and dine on
azaleas?

Do they know
they won’t always
need to be
so closely
guarded by
Mama Doe?

Then
I wondered,
again:

When I
sometimes
pray,

desperate to be
closely guarded,

have I forgotten
I was
born able,
soon enough,
to leap fences?

 

The Coffee Shops of Mystery

Where do you drink
your first
cup of coffee
in the morning?

I have an idea
for you:

Consider
thinking of
that place
as one of
The Coffee Shops
of Mystery.

I can hear you
asking:
“Why would I
think of
my desk as a
Coffee Shop
of Mystery?”

Because you can.
They’re everywhere.

They contain
entire Universes
of
what makes you
gasp in awe and
liberates
your soul
to go
wander in the
galleries and
theaters and
dancehalls and
Show Boxes of
music in
the Mystery.

So, fill your
Special Cup
even if it’s paper
and just for Now.

Welcome to
The Coffee Shop
of Mystery.

(Photo by Priscilla du Preez, UnSplash)

 

Wonderland

Look at You
looking at you.
What do you see?

A work-in-progress.
A log book
annotated with
failure
to live up to
your promise
to yourself.

Wait.

That You
doing the looking,
that Self,
has never broken
a promise or
anything else.

Some morning,
soon, or
maybe
right this minute,

try moving
into your
Self.
You’ll slip
back out,
of course.
Move back in
when
you are able.

It’s a
wonderland
in there.

(Photo by Simon Berger, UnSplash)