Gentle Rise, Easy Fall

In the spirit of trying different things here at home (the vacation-without-leaving-town concept I mentioned earlier), I went to a yoga class taught by the famous Geo (one name only—he’s that famous). I now see why he has such a huge following in Laguna. The class was great—it was challenging and fast-paced and involved a lot of pushups—ouch. But even better was Geo’s warmth and kindness, which you would think would be core values of yoga people everywhere, but sometimes (in my experience) are not. Geo is your basic dream-yogi: he’s bright-eyed, puckish, sixty-something years old, and has a way of focusing on and affirming each person in his packed-out classes.

I read on Geo’s web site that he served as a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant in Vietnam and fought during the Tet Offensive. He studied yoga in India in the 70s under some famous yogis whose names I can’t pronounce, and more recently, authored The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Power Yoga, which I will be buying. Bravo, Geo! I’ll be back.

Balance, flow, sweat, breathe.
Watch your breath, let it go and
know that you are blessed.

Hakama Glory Day

Spring break at home continues. Today my family and some of our tribe went to our usual spot on the beach. It was gorgeous and almost felt like summer. My friend Carey and I surfed some tiny waves; then David paddled out on his SUP and we saw dolphins, only about 15 feet away. It felt for a few minutes like all was right with the world.

Cold, green-glass water.
Little waves, the sun on my
face and--ah! Dolphins.

A Dog's Life

Before you jump to the conclusion that I want to be a dog and have gone stark raving mad, just hang on: what I'm trying to say is that there is something profoundly beautiful about watching one of God's creatures do what it is hardwired to do and fulfill its intended purpose. This is also true of God's human creatures at work and play. So I guess in that sense, I do aspire to be like my dog Genevieve.


May I grasp my calling
and live each day
with the joy and unflagging devotion
of a Labrador Retriever
swimming out into the surf
to retrieve a tennis ball
again and again and again

In a Nutshell

It was a beautiful, relaxing Monday here in our village by the sea. We're spending Spring break at home, which I'm really enjoying. But now it's late, and I've got to post a poem for the day, and I'm not feeling very writerly or inspired. So:

Tennis was played, Thai
food eaten. Titans clashed in
3D. Now, to bed.

Descensus Christi ad Inferos

The "Harrowing of Hell" is a doctrine in Christian theology, referenced in the Church's historic creeds, stating that Christ descended into Hell and proclaimed the gospel to the dead. A haiku for Holy Saturday:

Harrowing of Hell:
holy raid, search and rescue,
the ultimate coup.

Good Friday

A translucent moon
hangs low
in the mid-morning sky
reminding me of the day
centuries ago
You died alone
and the sun turned to darkness
and that very same moon
to blood.

April Fool

One April Fool's Day
about thirty years ago
I put salt in the
sugar bowl and my little
sister put it on
her cereal, took one bite
and then cried. (Sorry
Jeannie!) I got busted, of
course. Somehow I thought
it would be funnier, the
way it is in the movies.