Now that much cooler weather has arrived,
we have a good fire going in the wood stove.
I sit here relaxing besides you, timelessly at peace
within the embracing warmth of your gracious love.
On the television you’ve been intermittently watching,
a drug maker reluctantly mentions the possible negative
side effects from consuming their over-priced product,
including occasional unfortunate “fatal events”.
Surrounded by my favorite books and music, I reach
for the fresh cup of coffee steaming at my side, ignoring
the cautionary voice rambling on over my earphones.
The gratitude I feel for this blessed moment with you,
here at home in the midst of eternity, is inextricably
mixed with the recognition that fatal events represent
an unavoidable aspect of this fragile mortal existence:
outside, a white feral cat slinks through damp foliage,
intent on surprising a careless Blue Jay pecking for seeds;
various insects beneath the fallen leaves are scurrying
to prolong their brief and fitful miniature lives;
below the ground itself, fat earthworms are inadvertently
being pushed up from yesterday’s welcome rains, only to
become quick and easy meals for the ravenous sparrows;
and as the planet reels from the polluting designs of man,
mad leaders plan further variations on their relentless wars.
All that may be so, and we don’t know how it all plays out,
but the fire in the wood stove is a comfort indeed, as I sit here
relaxing besides you, at peace in love’s warming embrace.
Feeling To Infinity 