love the moment

One of the most famous quotes of the  Vietnam War  was a statement attributed to an unnamed U.S. officer by  AP  correspondent  Peter Arnett . Writing about the provincial capital, Bến Tre, on February 7, 1968, Arnett said: "'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,' a United States major said today.  (from Wikipedia) Collateral Damage I have seen the wreckage The waste and devastation Of the fervent believer The innocent accused The guilty excused All in the name of God Allah Moses Or most any flag Black and white Pitted confidently against The humbler shades of gray And, still, today They honor the tombs Of all their victims Mercy and compassion weep They knew from the beginning The destiny of all those Too bright to long endure The darkened gaze Of those they came to save Gandhi, Jesus, Martin & Bobby Forgive us We came to see you too late To stay our own fisted hand dg 1/31/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

We pray Take a multi-vitamin Deposit faithfully into a 401(k) These things Bribes of a sort Talismans against tomorrow And, today Stands before us humbly Strangely less insistent And patiently asks Have you got a minute? It is easier Sometimes To face tomorrow In preference of today Easier to pretend A façade controlling the unseen Avoiding the admission Today obeys it's own master And it is not me dg 1/31/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. Pema Chödrön To be completely honest I have a tenuous relationship with reality I've found it often doesn't suite me It is unpredictable, risky I cannot control it And yet, in moments more lucid, I remember Two beautiful daughters who came unexpectedly. Unplanned. A single, unsolicited email from Match.com - That grew into a perfect day, a wedding on the beach And that, is my challenge - To Remember, in the midst of fear That, shifting winds, although controlled by others Have brought much more sunshine Than clouded, cold, rain And that any house Shuttered to the expected storms & winter's cold Will also miss The unexpected sunshine The lovely warmth Of this January day dg 1/29/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

Births, weddings Kisses at funerals We call special Sometimes, even sacred And rightly so - I've always thought But lately, I have seen other times I must consider I wonder if god has other measures Other criteria for what is and is not Divine The honesty of sorrow The tenderness of loss The courage required To face any fear Faithfully Moments we many times disregard And cast away, preferring another But for me As currently configured I am learning If but a little That the mere beginning of wisdom Is to welcome any moment Accepted as an unexpected But honored guest Only gods and angels know What gifts will be offered Only the wind can say If I am humble enough To accept without condition dg 1/28/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

In the midst of plans Determinations Decisions about ethical conundrums and Philosophical paradoxes In the midst of falling real-estate values Career plans gone awry And seriously suffering adult façades In the corner, forgotten Is a boy, blue-eyed and wondering Why all the fuss? He believes in dandelions In running through sprinklers He is befriended by dogs, cats and Anything That lives in mud He knows things I have forgotten He believes in things I doubt It is easier for him He is not far removed from god His heart remembers heaven And how it felt to live in endless light His eyes are still young And sharp enough to see The telltale signs Of angels Only recently departed dg 1/28/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

So many people Walking Alone, together Groups, couples Colors, shapes As varied as snowflakes And some as cold But all, as fragile Holding hands Gazing up, down, or Nowhere in particular But, all are Walking And some Are looking For the map, the Destination, the Meaning of the steps Maybe it is that We do not stop No matter the storm Or darkened night The meaning is the doing The fallen ones we lift Along the way dg 1/25 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

Gandhi Emerson Mick Jagger? Who knew Mick was so wise I understand your reticence I resisted, too As a young man I sang his song so heartily But soon forgot Both the words and the tune But lately Life's winding road reminds Even the most reluctant And, wistfully, now I sing You can't always get what you want But if you try sometime You'll find You get what you need Indeed dg 1/25/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

Think Of what you lost That thing small and shiny Precious, priceless Maybe Hard to say for you For me, it is like a phantom An apparition seen only in passing A vision that vanishes once faced straight on Like that name from school The face almost remembered But, sometimes In a moment, fleeting I remember a boy Who believed earthquakes were rare Who knew the ground was solid And did not move That boy walked with faith With no reason to doubt He knew tomorrow would come And the smiling sun Would always shine On his happy, trusting face dg 1/23/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

God bless those, today Who awaken to cold and wet No roof or walls No kitchen or tea No coffee and milk Frothed to perfection God bless those whose love Is considered inconvenient Whose eye for beauty is Errant in the minds of the many God bless the child Afraid and hiding Whose only plan is avoidance Whose simple dream Is to survive another day With only food and warmth And neither love nor beatings And god bless us And our weary hands Our misty eyes That have seen too much Sorrow Not enough love In memory of MLK Whose dream Inspires us still To be better dg 1/17/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

They say amputees Still feel the ache The phantom pain of limbs lost An itch, a twitch of skin, muscle Long ago gone Although I still have both Arms and legs I think I get it somehow I still hurt for the child  I never was I mourn the carefree days I never had In memory of  Christina Green Only 9 years old Taken much too soon dg 1/15/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

Her name was Lavelle But to a four-year old She was Lolly Across the cul-de-sac ocean Her's was a shining castle A refuge otherwise unavailable What she sold for free Was the unassuming return The restoration of clean and holy To a simple boy Who loved to play Wantonly lost In tar bubble popping joy And no recriminations For messes made dg 1/14/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

The snow falls lightly It changes things The waters' unlikely transformation The journey from faraway pond or river Completes another step No matter how muddy and stale were they lately They now glisten Their flakes cover me And christen me No matter how long their stay Their work is done They remind me that However barren the trees and lawn There are unexpected gifts Beautiful blankets born in the skies Waiting for the perfect moment To cover us To birth in us anew A long forgotten joy dg 1/10/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting. e. e. cummings. (by way of Rick Wise...) Nobody  Said this was easy  Every day There are things unfortunate Lies, stories, sometimes dying And our travels end similarly The difference that makes The difference Is the in-between That span between the two great beginnings We choose neither of them Only the big middle That is the part We call living The bard said it best To be or not to be That is the question The question none can answer But you dg 1/7/11 Sent from my iPad http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/