Vessels of StarsVessels of stars sailingWith our dead walking their decksThrough the little pinpoints of lightVague white-capped angelsIn hollow restHelping and protecting us on earthAnd the love we makeDesperate to shine forthWhite birch bark with fading, uneven black linesSo insufficient are our days hereSo feeble our ability to truly touch another beingTo relate the essence of who and what we areSomber, we try, our never-ending desire to beInside another sentience, let our hands releaseOur hold on the things of steel, stone, wood, glass, gold.Release, to cleave onto, and not let goBut love exasperates, cannot be drunk or ownedOnly felt and possibly shared in the moment.Everything in Spirit's good timeAs we walk our path through life together,Each being locked inside its prison of flesh,blood,and dustTerrifyingThis constantly changing worldUnstable,unpredictable.In an aging fragile bodyRun by a defective, addictiveself-centered mindQuickly moving towardan uncertain endDependent on others, unworthyof long-term trustReaching out to GodWhom I cannot see, or touchDepending on faith to livein this world one more dayWHO WILL CARRY THE WORLD?OneBrush oil paint on tightly woven burlapCrisscross patterns with large woodenStretcher barsLet it dry under sunlight, starlight,Moonlight; go out there tonightListen closely to your heart beating,A symphony with blood, air and lifeRushing inThink of crickets and firefliesHopelessly trapped here on earth, joyousCreaturesLight the candles on the table outsideApply new paint with brushes and pallet knives,Mix in the teardrops as you paint with shadowsDrawn in from candles and moonlight hearingThe lonely distant trains sounding out as theyPass throughNow it is time to tell God what is onYour mind knowing the paint dries slowly.God is patient, especially with you.What will you say,And will it all be true?TwoThe stars blink once or twice every nightThey are busy now, making lightThe neighbors try to sleepThe dogs and cats up lateWondering who will be left whenThey leaveWho will count the waves at the sea?Who will ponder riddles and walk the maze?Who will carry the world on one's back?Make light of darkness and fill outer space?Frivolity cannot perform the calculationsNor supercomputers with highest InternetWhat is needed is undiminished joy offeredUp in spite of every problem encounteredOutstretched hands dipping water out of the river,Expecting nothingListening to crickets, watching firefliesAllowing the world to carry itselfWherever it wants to goLifeWorking betweenIntervalsOf rest and play