Hexagram 31 'Mutual Influence'

Make space for others

and be ready to be changed -

welcome the movement

while retaining core stillness.

Relationships can bring joy.

Moon in December

& the circus clown in town

kills us with her jokes

no one dares to stop laughing

under big top at year’s end

reading hate letter

the touch of the osprey’s claws

picking me for prey

as bird plummets at daybreak

this cold morning on a stroll

Words are like pebbles.

Sometimes we turn them over

seeking what live thing,

shy, or not yet brought to light

might lie there, hidden beneath.

Her voice was so pure

but her spirit so troubled.

Her grave is so quiet

among so many others -

silent in the granite sea.

(in memory of Sandy Denny)

Rain drums the skylight

too loud for conversation

although not for thought.

Perhaps the future will be

a never-ending deluge.

Hexagram 37 'The Family'

Home is a refuge

where each rests and finds their self:

light and warmth are there.

Family is at the core,

home is the place of their growth.

Yuletide weekend

delightful & of value

wild crocus to pick

& given on New Year’s Day

for a gift to the homeless

Cycling with my friend

we’re braving the wind and rain

just glad to be out.

Mind and body need this time

to recover the self again.

If you’ve got no change

at least you can give a smile -

it’s cold for begging.

We don’t carry cash these days,

no kindness in our pockets.

In all my time now

Fortitude has developed

Paths interconnect

What journey sweet interlude

Time to have rest directly.

The pain of others.

Inequity, injustice.

Guilt in my comfort.

In anguish I turn to art

seeking solace and a voice.