A Maple

I grew up marveling at the maple. I was so moved by her strength and openness. I built homes in the arms of the maple, erected castles where her massive trunk met the soft supple earth. Many a decree was uttered to the robins and box turtles from the fortified shelter that was her presence.

Thick and meandering like a snake’s body, the roots were woven in the highest layers of the earth. Her expansiveness was her way of building great foundations, forsaking the conviction required for single-minded depth. Did she wonder if the forest resented her for spreading out wide? Did she take so much earth for fear that her beauty and presence would be overwhelmed by the oak or evergreen?

In her leaves were the magic of the harvest moon, and the musty smells of a world in stillness, waiting for transition. In any moment she would set the forest ablaze in hues of red found only in birds of paradise, and oranges usually bestowed upon Southeast Asia sunsets. The Maple begged me to wait-to stay with her so that I could behold her in rapturous beauty, longing to be remembered in her most glorious moments, troubled by the inevitability of the days when the snow would fall and reveal her nakedness, imploring her to stop until she has no choice but to rebuild again.

The World I know

The World I Know lyrics

Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on.
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why.

Are we listening
To hymns of offering?
Have we eyes to see
That love is gathering?
All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding
Into one.

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below.
And I laugh at myself
As the tears roll down.
'Cause it's the world I know.
It's the world I know.
know.. The world I know.......

Timorous

Fullness manifests into life
Expansion, contraction
Aching remains
Still and empty

Oh to only breathe shallow breath
Stirring only the faintest light
Eternal dusk

Last Night-13 years passed

An assault of rage shouting back from the mirror
Forgotten hope
The harshest of all truths

Beating rapidly suddenly it forgets itself
Weary from life’s broken promises
The final breath, an exhalation, a release

This life’s end ushered by a moan
Meek and powerless as the last air released from a tire
Death laughing ungratefully as if it was all a lie

4/11/2009
Alisha Brown

Zig Ziglar & Dad

Happy Birthday Liam Brody!!

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday Dear Liam! Happy birthday to you."

happy 1st birthday my sweet little nephew!
XOXOXOXO

Aunt Alisha

A thought I had about love

Love invokes incredible fear because it comes with the realization that there is an inevitable pain attached. The pain comes from the understanding that the nature of love is unending & permanent, but the nature of all things on earth is impermanence.

It doesn’t matter if you feel love and the relationship never comes to be or if you love and have a long and happy life with someone because in the end you will still feel the pain that comes from such an opening. This teaches me that love requires incredible courage. There is no controlling it; there is no protection from it.

Is this the nature of God's love? To always want what is the truest happiness for the object of your love? To be open to the purest expression of love by having the courage to hold on by letting go? What authenticity he must possess that he would be willing to bear that elation and loss an infinite number of times with all that has been created?

And perhaps this is why we have created these long standing human institutions like marriage to give us the illusion of security and permanence so that we can allow ourselves to love more deeply. Perhaps too this is the reason for all cycles that give the illusion on permanence and something we can attach ourselves to.

If this is true than it teaches me this. That all of our institutions and celebrations are critically important. The measure of their success isn't whether or not you never get divorced, or never miss a Sunday at church. The measure is whether or not in them you challenge yourself to really love, to attach. Maybe you do, maybe you don't but did they give you the space to have courage and try? In doing so we begin to believe that we can really love ourselves and that is the most important truth and purpose of all.

I love you all.
Alisha