ode to new year 2011

in all the poverty of existence
dressed in ragged hide, a child
with a belly full of tubers and eyes full of stars
drew in the sand and smiled...

and so may we pour the gold through the crucible
and pearl our dreams of stardust
and hold tight what is dear (but not too tight!
for while Life is tough - and fibrous, like a vine
Spirit is tender, and dies back when unduly choked...)

and most of all, may we dance dance dance!
may we learn to weave our stories without choking or jostling
crushing toes, or otherwise discouraging one another --
and may we uphold everyone's right and responsibility
for the dreaming of their own dream
no matter what it's color or creed
or which set of gonads press pillar to post
or heart to hearth....

may we close our eyes and open
to the hush of wonder we are made of
and then, see this inside of everyone we meet
from now until forever
amen