Zen Pop: The Earth We Borrow— Reflecting on Grief and Birthdays This Spring

“We walk the earth for the time we’re given, then we return to it.”

I’ve been sitting with these words from the movie “The Way Home” for a few weeks now. As the frost finally thaws and the first green shoots start poking through the dirt, the timing feels intentional. This spring marks the birthdays of my mom and dads, and as I have for the past few years, I am still struggling with these dates without them here to blow out the candles.

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Breaking Up with Winter: A Poetic Reflection

Here in northern California we enjoyed a few warm days, where the sun painted the landscape in vibrant colors and coaxed us outdoors, but this week we are back to windy, rainy weather that feels relentless and dreary. You might feel the same way wherever you live, enduring the lingering chill and gray skies, so I say we break up with winter (Dear John style), put on our brightest smiles, and look forward to the blooming of spring. With this thought in mind, I’ve written a poem reflecting our collective longing for warmth and renewal. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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This and That (Spring)

One fall I went walking with a friend on a nearby trail, the colorful leaves crunching beneath our sneakers. We were talking about the russet beauty all around us, pointing out this and that as we went along. I thought a poem, in the form of “This and That” would be a fun challenge and it played on my mind as we walked. So, I went home and wrote this fall poem. And then I wrote a winter This and That. Now, spring has sprung and so has a new poem in this fun form!

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