What Nature Knows is collection of poems and meditations that celebrate the wisdom of nature and the grace of togetherness.
From What Nature Knows
1
From afar
honey is honey,
all sweet and gold,
but up close
this honey,
that honey,
this honey,
each its own,
its hue a range
from morning sun
to evening amber,
its flavor varied as
spicy and fruity.
Each drop’s a portrait
of a nectar feast;
alfalfa’s purple blooms,
the flushed flowers
of fireweed,
white fused petals
of a blueberry bush,
all adding to the
the hive’s unique honey,
every drop telling
its own origin story.
It’s like this.
2
Let’s rest together
in the space that separates
words, where quiet hangs
like a hammock
strung between sounds,
where silence is not
an awkward beat
but a place to breathe
in the chasm below noise.
Let’s sit side by side
in the gap between
question and answer
problem and solution
paralysis and movement
and let’s invite wisdom
to join us.
3
A pear won’t fully
ripen on a tree.
It must separate first
from its branch
before maturing
into the sweet
and slightly gritty
fruit of rolling
bumps and curves.
Pull too soon
and the pear will
cling to the limb
in protest,
but when ready
a gentle tug
is all it needs
to part from its
source, now free
to wholly ripen,
its sweetness rising
day by day.
It’s like this.
4
Use me
as a windbreak
to shelter you
from weary blows
and protect from erosion
of hope.
Let me give you rest from
the unrelenting prairie winds
so you can experience the
calm of stillness.
May It Be: Growing a Genuine Life is a collection of short offerings on creating a growing and giving life, while celebrating along the way.
This book makes a thoughtful gift for anyone in a time of change or growth -- perfect for graduations, religious ceremonies, housewarming, mother's day, father's day, weddings, or the start of a new job.
Chrissa’s hope is that everyone will find encouraging words in the book that resonate with where they are now, or where they hope to be.
May It Be is available on Amazon or at these independent stores: Wish (Walnut Creek, CA); Sagrada Sacred Arts (Oakland, CA); Orinda Books (Orinda, CA); Muir Galleria (Walnut Creek, CA); Bel and Bunna's (Lafayette, CA), Notre Dame Bookstore (Notre Dame, IN)
"The thoughtful, soul-filled words of May It Be will change you, not to someone else, but to the person you were called to be in the first place."
-- Rachel George, Adjunct Professor, University of Notre Dame
Excerpts from May It Be
1
May you slow down to notice
what appears singular
is often part of something grander,
just as a stand of quaking aspen
looks to be a grove of individual treed
until a bit of digging
reveals a single massive organism
sending sprouts upwards
from its widespread web of roots.
2
May your words be a lantern,
guiding others through darkness
to a sanctuary bathed in light.
May your ideas be a torch,
heating the conversation
and sparking new debate.
May your actions be a bonfire,
inspiring many to gather round
to warm themselves with story and song.
May your wit be the dancing flame
that brightens shadows with humor
and marries the blues with yellow laughter.
3
May you experience rebirth
in the wake of ruin,
just as the white bark pine
relies on the searing flames
of a forest fire
to open its cones
and release its seeds,
freeing what was
once locked away
to grow tender new shoots.
4
May you cherish friends
who value friendship
as deeply as you do,
who yearn to see all of you,
who prod you to grow,
who bring joy to the doldrums,
who forgive moments gone awry.
May you hold close the friends
who elevate the title
to a sacred state,
a place of grace and mercy,
where apprehensions are lifted,
and trust is cemented.
May you treasure these friends,
for they are sprinkled sparingly
through our lives,
like turquoise sea glass
on a beige beach.