The things that make for home/off the plane at JFK/family to meet you/and a neighborhood/NY/pizza/one of a kind/ blessed to taste home

Sometimes I just want to say/love is broken/obviously/doesn’t work right/anymore/ if it ever did/the evidence is clear/greed/corruption/vengeance/utter destruction/children eating and sleeping on garbage/and being gunned down/and so on and so forth/but this I remember/and this I call to heart/God’s love is inexplicably for us/ when nothing we do works right/it’s never stale or day old/God’s love is fresh/new every morning/so I’m trying not to bring/ years old grief/ to the Holy table/bitter rotten fruit/so old and tired/trying to take out my judgements with the same old same old trash

Brave enough to ride our monsters/the ones that lurk in the corners/strong enough to turn and walk away/from the voice of denigration/bold enough to laugh wisely/in the face of fear/as the adventure of life scrolls on/ride every monster/ Ford every flash flood/follow every emergency light/until you find/ the dream within

Sometimes it is good to remember/that we were held in arms of care/dressed and curled/shoes tied with jingling bells/with a bunny to cuddle/we would not have survived/without love/so fill the gaping holes of not enough/never enough/with gratitude/thanksgiving/show love/early and never too late

World traveler/knowing what it feels like/to receive hospitality/to be welcome/to be welcomed by many faiths and nations/all your life/you lived reciprocal care/and taught your children/as we all do/ by your actions

Family fades across distance/time stretches thin/our bonds/we row fiercely/against forgetful waves/the values of love/that gave restored hope/unity across the miles/faith and forgiveness endure/we plant seeds/break bread/remember who we are

Clear to see love and care/transmitted/beyond place/continents/generations/spiritual existence/plainly/the arms that held us/wait to enfold us/still

Your beauty/love and strength/have blessed our generations/Sister/we cry/peace and joy on your journey/we pray/comfort for the comfortless/to have your enduring gift/ of presence/replete with love/we ask

The harbor/from which our journeys began/an expanding place/in memory so large/after all the roundabouts and perambulations/turns out to be a small place/with cosmic resounding walls