when i go into the forest, i am often overcome by an unshakable sense that silence is a placenot a building, but a cosmosand when i plant my muddy boots on the welcome mat, i am there to visit, to knock on the door of silence and, if i am lucky, be invited in for…

things take shape in us suddenlyand let us go just as suddenlythese days of tender leaves remind usthe doves, too, racing like comets across the skyas if to say, there is no miracle other than thisand as for youdo you have the grace to let goof that which has let go of you?do you walk…

how do we measure the anatomy of a moment?perpendicular, perhapsor with great color,incredulous as that may soundtake, for example, a sip of coffeein millimetersor a hunk of gravityon the breakfast tablewhere we sit in astonishmentas the eggs grow coldtime tells us that we exist with radio-like precision,but that, too, is a lie:a nickel in the…

the world doesn’t offer us hopeit does, however, offer us the possibility of transcendence and that’s something, believe me, i’ve practiced step one: tread lightly. each spoonful of earth contains the remnants of a galaxystep two: be watchful of crows. they, too, are magnanimous spiritsstep three: marvel at the snails underfoot, without whom we wouldn’t…

what does it mean to live a life?wash teeth. organize. set water to the plants. mimic this order for-ever and ever.make the walls sing, this i know, and dance while you cook,tossing salt over your left shoulder as you gohave patience, rise gratefully, and stir slowly—the cosmos are listeningdo laundry as stars fold into the…