Arlene Gay Levine

The Journey

A day begins; there are no promises.
Maybe the sun will shine, or not.
No one can be sure who is around that corner
or what news this next call might bring.

Seasons arrive like clockwork but how
they will turn out is a mystery. Still...
One day we will slip from our bodies
and slide into the Light; this we know.

Perhaps to rouse from sleep and put aside
the fear that hunts our hearts,
we could live each day
as if the Light was already ours.

Listen: The heart hears a deeper truth
than the head. Even the loneliest
one is never alone on
the winding journey home.


Mining the Heart

Let us kneel
before the stream
of our lives

mining for those
golden moments when
we see right through

to the real: kindness,
laughter, innocence,
the light of all things

Then, slowly
release all the rest
allow it to flow

the way life will when
we learn what to hold,
what to let go


Soulmaking

The moon kept us company all night
riding the dark stallion of sky
while we drove toward the mountains
in search of a new home.
“Got to get away from the greed,” you say.
“The pushing masses hungry for things
their money won't buy.” I nod.
“Grabbing, rushing, panicking. Useless!”
You stop talking then, the noise of your own voice
too much, concentrate on the single lane country road,
focusing the way we must on what we want.
Suddenly some small white animal streaks out of the darkness
headed for the oncoming lights of our car: a roadkill suicide.
You swerve, scarcely avoiding the death-seeking missile.
Breathless when the car slams to a stop
I whisper, “Can't run away from everything.”
You nod, somewhere between laughter and tears,
renew our ascent.


About the Author

Arlene Gay Levine, MA, a graduate of NYU, is the author of 39 Ways To Open Your Heart: An Illuminated Meditation (Conari Press). A new poetry chapbook MOVIE LIFE is available from www.finishinglinepress.com/NewReleasesandForthcomingTitles. Her poetry and prose have found a home in The New York Times, literary journals, an off Broadway show, radio, magazines and anthologies. Visit her at www.arlenegaylevine.com to read poems, articles and more.

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