restless hum

shhh,
listen...
do you hear it?
if you are a seeker,
if you sometimes toss and turn in the night,
if you sometimes go through the day out of sorts,
curious about what goes on inside,
frustrated by your thoughts,
then you can hear that restless hum,
if you want,
you can harmonize with it..

wkm
Nashville

superlative

is there a superlative grand enough for mercy?
i don't think so.
this morning when i was working out,
i was caught off guard by grace
it hit me how madly in love God is with us humans,
how constant is His longing for our nearness,
i had to stop pedaling for a moment
i reached for the crucifix around my neck
pulled it out from underneath my shirt
looking at it,
i asked for forgiveness for ignoring this mercy
how my days get the best of me
how i become distracted with work,
letting everything be about me...
how boring!
how shallow!
how insipid!
there is not a grand enough superlative for Mercy..
no

wkm
Nashville

ears back..

into green valleys
the laughter fades
a horse never lets you see him laugh
he hides it with ears back
he comes close to showing it when he runs
his mane flying above him
curves into a smile
there is great benefit in watching horses
in standing near them
God made them as a human Querencia
a place where we find great solace
and feel something primal and beautiful
something curious and wild
powerful and fragile,
at least this is how i see it..

wkm
Nashville

The Song, Isn't that Like Love?

this day reminds me of something
and when i realize just what,
i'll let you know

and isn't that like love?
it slides like smoke under your door,
when you least expect it
isn't that like love?

you asked me why i'm so quiet lately,
now I am wondering too,
i'll let you know when i do

and isn't that like love?
it slides like smoke under your door,
when you least expect it
isn't that like love?

after 24 years i'm still falling in love
those green eyes still give me a thrill
and the poetry of Neruda
can't even begin to express what i feel

all of this is grace
all of this is mercy
all of this is a miracle
that's all i know

maybe that's why i'm silent,
pensive and sensitive

isn't that like love?
it slides like smoke under your door,
when you least expect it
isn't that like love?

wkm
Nashville

Isn't that Like Love?

this day reminds me of something
and when i realize just what,
i'll let you know

and isn't that like love?
it slides like smoke under your door,
when you least expect it
isn't that like love?

you asked me why i'm so quiet lately,
now I am wondering too,
i'll let you know when i do

and isn't that like love?
it slides like smoke under your door,
when you least expect it
isn't that like love?

after 24 years i'm still falling in love
those green eyes still give me a thrill
and the poetry of Neruda
can't even begin to express what i feel

all of this is grace
all of this is mercy
all of this is a miracle
that's all i know

maybe that's why i'm silent,
pensive and sensitive

isn't that like love?
it slides like smoke under your door,
when you least expect it
isn't that like love?

wkm
Nashville

whenever i think of Pentecost..

whenever i think of Pentecost,,
i think about David in the hill country,
dancing before the Ark of the Covenant,
i think of Mary visiting Elizabeth in the hill country
i think about John dancing in Elizabeth's womb
before the Ark of the New Covenant..

wkm
Nashville

The Indy 500

i dreamed last night that i won the Indy 500,
why?
i don't even watch the Indy 500..
with the win came a one million dollar check!
but i had to wait till Monday to cash it..
bizarre..
there was a certain bank i must use,
i had no idea where this bank was..
at one point i woke myself up laughing..
our dreams are a playground for subconscious children,
making no sense
but here is why it was so funny,
i needed the money for a house repair,
my recently deceased aunt was the contractor..??
she wouldn't do the much needed repair until i had the money in hand,
upon which i said to her,
"Anette, i just won the Indy 500,
i have the money!"

wkm
Oxford

Horse

Horse by Bob Dylan

i saw this painting on Dylan's website
he not only writes and sings like a prophet,
he paints like Van Gogh
crazy how one man expresses so much
73 years old and still creating beauty and irony
keep Bob in your prayers..

wkm
Oxford

I pray I ain't dreaming..

it's a poem
it's a song
whatever
it keeps me moving on

the road is a river of rain
dogs are chasing my car
one windshield wiper is stuck
where i'm going is still too far away

the truck stop smelled like bacon
one driver stopped eating and stared
he waved with only two fingers
as if he wanted me to know he cared

i've been listening to Louis De Montfort
"True Devotion" blows my mind
it's like a treasure hidden in a field
it's like pure gold in a forgotten mine

the sun is coming out
hwy 7 south is steaming
30 more miles to go
Lord I pray i ain't dreaming...

wkm
Nashville

till i see you again

i heard a chorus of birds
as i walked in the soft summer rain
they were singing for joy
they didn't notice my pain
but you'll never hear me complain
walking in the soft summer rain

i carry a picture of you
whatever road i'm on
and i talk to you in the night
and sometimes i sing you song
especially when the night is long
whatever road i'm on

sweet recollections
memories so kind
it's a bitter sweet world
honey i'll be fine,
till i see you again.

i watched a film from France
sipping a French Bordeux
two lovers in love
you know how these stories go
it was winter there was snow
sipping a French Bordeux

sweet recollections
memories so kind
it's a bitter sweet world
honey i'll be fine,
till i see you again.

wkm
Nashville
for R..

wonder

i am really wondering something..
it was on my mind at 4:30 this morning
i woke up and went for a walk
the very cold air made me wonder even more,
and the more i walked,
the more intriguing it became..
..if Jesus said and did certain things,
then why don't I do and say those things,
why isn't being like Him my greatest passion?...
anyway,
i mean,
i pray, study the scripture, receive Him in the Eucharist,
go to reconciliation,  pray the rosary...
but there is something deep within me not 100% His,
there are places i hold back,
even without realizing i am doing so..
this wondering makes one thing very clear,,
i have a dang long way to go..
Mercy!

wkm
Nashville

He loves us anway..

"everything you can think of is true
the dish ran away with the spoon"--Tom Waits

not everything makes sense, does it?
some days are diamonds
some days stones
and deep within our minds,
there is a search light
constantly looking for ourselves
for our souls
our true selves
but what happens if we find them?
will we be happier?
we will see one thing, again...
everything is grace.
and,
apart from Him we can do nothing,
and,
in Him we live, move, and have our being.
Augustine said,
"You know us better than we know oursleves".
there is great comfort in embracing this,
He knows us..and He loves us anyway..

wkm
Nashville

where we find love

it is easy to lose one's self
in the hum and rush of the day
work we choose to do
our minds light here and there
like birds
we feel hunger
we eat
thirsty
we drink
our souls are often ignored
but this is where we find life
where we find love
forgiveness
hope
and if we don't feed the soul
we starve our virtues
and we feed our lust

wkm
Nashville

getting old

it feels peculiar,
getting old
my brother-in-law turned 50
i still have a few more years before that happens,
Lord willin..
my mother is 70
a bunch of her friends and siblings are passing on..
friends we have known for years
have silver in the beard
i've had silver in my beard since my late 20's
now much more so
we eat right
excercise
do the best we can
some days not so much
i think laughter is the best thing for us
you know,
the kind of laughter where you cry a little,
have to rub your eyes,
it helps to laugh as we get old,
not take too much too serious,
at least to the point of worrying,
won't do no good..
time keeps on ticking..

wkm
Nashville

never know what will come...

we never know what will come

we all feel at times as if something is coming

but it hardly ever does

expectation turns into acceptance

we lie down in the dark

wake up in the dark

sometimes the moonlight still eases into the room

the silver light

and then the dawn

i often listen to the sirens on 440

it seems every morning they wail..

we never know what will come

Jesus said He will come again

after earthquakes, floods, wars...

sound familiar?

 the news

this morning at 5:00

the BBC showed riots,

Athens, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and three other places,,

the whole dang world is mad at something..

"speculation is a waste of time,

you wanna go and have a glass of wine?"--Bruce Cockburn

wkm

Nashville

dark clouds

dark clouds over Nashville
hard rains coming
i think everyone looks at the sky differently now
thunder shakes us a little more
lightning and wind more ominous
i guess this is what a catastrophe does to folks
causes more respect for the elements,
humbling..
storms are like grace,
they fall on everyone,
rich or poor,
young and old,
grace is how we weather them

wkm
Nashville

for Brah

woke up at 4:30
could not go back to sleep
went for a ride
listened to Bruce Cockburn
windows down
cool morning air refreshing my drowsy soul
drove to the Church
front door was locked,
 but when i pulled,
the doors came open,
the dead bolt slid out.
hmm,
so i went in
i love the lingering scent of incense
the candle glowed red behind the alter under the crucifix
isn't it amazing how quiet it is near the Tabernacle?
after a while i left,
making sure the door was closed properly..
we are all travelers..

wkm
Nashville
for Phil Brah

May

This is Mary's month,
has been for ages,
a month of celebrating her heart,
her calling,
her "yes:...
i am not ashamed of Mary,
not afraid to honor her,
not timid in asking her help,
she has helped me to know Jesus better,
helped me to glorify Him better,
helped me to trust Him better,
helped me want to please Him better,
and when I fail, too often,
she reminds me how deeply He loves me..
just like a mother,

wkm
Nashville

thankful

thankful
for my son
he works so hard
studies so hard
has great friends
a beautiful sweet girlfriend
he is mature beyond his 19 years
helps his mother out around the house..
he fishes
rides horses with great ease and grace
the horses feel comfortable around him
he is calm and handles himself well
he plays guitar as if he always has,
sings with all his heart,
but most of all,
he goes to the Tabernacle and prays on his own
he prays the rosary,
reads scripture and the Saints daily..
i am very thankful,
and proud beyond telling..

wkm
Nashville

she has my heart..

listen to the tires humming
burning up this two-lane
mist fog slight rain
cool for May
at least in Mississippi
Tennesse state line
Bruce Cockburn singing,
"Pangs of love,
that's the price you pay,
when you give your love.."
the gray clouds hang heavy
the traffic is light this time of morning,
except for the occasional tractor,
four days in Oxford,
battery recharged
but already i miss her,,
she has my heart,
always has..
hallelujah..

wkm
Nashville

Happy Mothers Day

about mothers

i did not write this under duress
i have known many mothers
my mother, aunts, mothers of friends,
all of them unique
some of them strange, odd,
but all of them colorful and in some ways,
endearing
if you are from the south,
you will understand what i am about to say....
mothers make the most noise.
they secretly rule the lives of everyone..
some through kindness, humility, and giving
others through Viking-like dominance!
Matrons of the clan wielding the sword of the tongue!!
either way, what we do without our crazy, wonderful, mothers?
Happy Mothers Day!

wkm
Oxford

a white horse

no one knows
how it will go
how it will unravel
we have an image
a visual
an imagination
of what it will look like
His return
on a white Horse
in the clouds
we will rise
but it's all a guess as to how it will be,
how it will look
how it will sound
what key the trumpet will play in

wkm
Oxford

tethered by a dark sea

"I woke up thinking about Turkish drummers
It didn't take long - I don't know much about Turkish drummers"
---Bruce Cockburn, from the song, Get Up Jonah!

i woke up thinking about Turkey,
and being near the sea,
a very dark sea,
moody and mysterious
i took many pictures of boats
small fishing boats dragged up on shore
all different colors
some looked abandoned
it made me wonder
how often i am like these boats tethered by a dark sea
made for use
made for water
but i have somehow allowed myself to become useless
turned upside down on a sandy shore
i can't let work, failure, success, dreams, plans.....
capsize the true calling to push out into the deep,

wkm
Oxford

dogs

my dog Jack intrigues me
he stares me in the eye,
as if he is about to say,
"i am glad you are home"
all my life i have had great dogs,
as a kid in Mississippi I had many dogs,
Lady, Sam, Tuff, Lad, Rock, Blue..
to name a few..
they went everywhere with me on our land,
i am an only child and they were my siblings,
i believe the Lord gave me those dogs to teach me things,
i spent many days with them,
fishing, riding horses, camping in the field, walking the woods,
my mother never worried about where i was or how i was,
she knew i would be alright.
Jack is still looking at me..

wkm
Oxford

flowers in New York

flowers in New York
i took this pic 12 days ago
a few feet from where the guy parked the car bomb
thousands of people milling around
can't imagine why or how a person could do it
this is not subtle evil
this hate for Americans comes from somewhere,
i sure hope our gov't isn't covertly blowing up bombs in foreign cities,
for whatever reason,
no matter who it might "take out",
hidden bombs in New York, Baghdad, Kabul, etc..
it's all evil,
no matter who sets them off..
fire fighting fire makes the fire bigger
and we folk who call upon Jesus have to dig deeper,
we have to seek His face with more fervor and vigor,
can't be naive,
cry for mercy in humility
call upon the Saints to pray,
and especially our Mother to pray,
("The Great cloud of witnesses"--Hebrews 12)
especially for those suffering in Nashville with this flood,
there is so much to pray about
so many things happening
and now days we all know the moment things happen,
no matter where they happen
the world is much with us..

wkm
Oxford

what faith!

the grass is a blinding green
new, lush, fresh..
birds are playing in puddles
even in the midst of so much devastation,
there are signs of normalcy
signs of continuing
i am back in Oxford
so thankful..
lunch with Renee
a walk with Jack
Wes and I will soon be horseback,
we live as best we can
until we can't anymore
we are creatures of grace
i saw a black woman who had lost everything in the Nashville flood
she was on the news
standing amidst her rotting possessions,
she said,
"Our God is in control of everything,
nothing happens that He don't know about,
so I ain't complaining,
I am thanking Him for whatever He has planned for me.
no matter..."
what faith!

wkm
Oxford

flood

flood
the nashville flood
people on roofs
in boats
rescuing people on I-24
cars under water
trees sliding down hills
crashing into log houses
driving in a torrential down pour
can't see
surreal
much lost
even lives
river still rising
on this sunshine filled day
we forget how fragile we are
how much we depend on mercy..

wkm
Nashville

and grace

still in Chicago
i have been sick as heck the past two days
grace has kept me going
and very strong medicine
Mass tonight was beautiful
i miss home
not Nashville,
Oxford
i can't wait till Wednesday
i get to see my baby
that keeps me going
that,
and grace..

wkm
chicago