Let There Be Peace

—Poems by James Lee Jobe, Davis, CA
—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of James Lee Jobe

There is a lovely hill in my heart.
The sun rises on one side
And sets on the other. Perfectly.
At noon the sun is exactly above
The crest on my hill.
A lion lives here, and a bear,
And a dove. Wild flowers
And pine trees. Squirrels.
The sounds and smells of nature
Cover the hill. My hill.
This happens everyday
And it is all in my heart.


_________________


It was the moon that taught me to believe, 


Or at least to attempt belief. The moon;
Vast, beautiful, so close and yet so far,
Always changing, always returning. 

Death and the world can darken your thoughts,
Darken your hope.
That’s why you must hold on to life
And to your dreams.
With both hands.
Brother.
Sister. 


____________________


A nail is made, and it doesn’t know
Where it might end up.
Why should you or I?
The purpose of a hammer is clear,
But what is the job of a mystic?
What does it even mean
To be a mystic? I don’t know,
But if you can leave your body,
That’s a good start.
The pencil doesn’t know
What will be written,
And neither do I.
Words just come when they come.
Friend, I can live with that.

Dig the earth for gold, for silver.
Dig the earth for oil. Until your fingers bleed.
Until the people bleed, eaten by cancer.
Eaten by greed.
And now the earth itself bleeds,
For now the days are troubled.
And what have we to show for all of this?
Just a few dirty coins to count.
Nothing.

Night arrived, right on time.
Moon, but no wind at all.
Life, as still as death.
Let there be peace.
Night, like a tent, like a roof.
Moonlight, like a lantern.
Let there be peace.
Dawn is but a promise,
It is not a guarantee.

__________________

I wrote a letter to the World,
"Dear World, live life one moment at a time.”
It’s good advice, but...
You know the World.

Silt on the river bed,
The Sacramento River.
Valley farmland,
The Sacramento Valley.
Delta winds,
The Sacramento Delta.
Barn owls, red tail hawks.
Tule deer, river otters.
Valley oaks, elms.
And me. At home.
Friend, find that spot
On the earth where you fit.
And dig in. Dig deep.

___________________

Today’s LittleNip:

Let us be mindful of that which grows and blooms, bringing life and beauty to the earth.

—James Lee Jobe

___________________

—Medusa




 Forget-me-nots
“…that which grows and blooms…”
—Public Domain Photo

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