Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 's Poetry
The following is a selection I wrote for Under Sonoran Skies: Prose and Poetry from the High Desert (2012), an anthology of fiction and non-fiction literature written and narrated by co-authors Bill Black, Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, Susan Cosby-Patton, Kay Lesh, Patricia Noble, and Larry Sakin.
TIMES SHADOWS
The channel pathways are rivulets no more,
Since eons of floods have stormed
Across this desert plane.
I sift the sands of yesterday,
Straining to glimpse your passing−
Some trace you’ve left for us to glean.
Kernels few of yellow, red and black,
Like the lick of fires up your caverns dancing.
Scraps of leather, bone and shard,
Barren or tooled to your artisan imaginings.
As frozen tears draped timeless night,
A shooting star burst through
To trace a changing sky.
* * * * *
Sit awhile and you will hear the sand
Fly upward through the trees.
How can that be, Mother of my Mother?
Asked a child, reaching to stroke
The face of the moon.
Gazing beyond, the ancient one mused.
Here on the gorge, the trees bend to kiss
The path we have trod upon so long,
Just as the Earth stretches to kiss her progeny,
Now risen beyond her erstwhile dreams.
* * * * *
We come from a time
Past your knowing,
Past your kenning.
You may hear the whisper of
Our melodies on the wind,
Catch hints of our soft harmonies within.
Your hands touching the river’s flow,
May feel the rhythms of our dance. But the bits and pieces trapped within the meadow,
Will never let you walk in the fullness of our lives.
* * * * *
You may step across time’s shadows,
But can never linger longer than
A sojourner within the circle of our firelight.
This image was shot from the back lānai of my home in Tucson, Arizona...
I am honored when asked to write a poetic piece at the time of person's passing. In some philosophies, "angels" are described as inspirational thoughts transmitted from Unifying Power of the Universe to humankind.
SOMEWHERE THEY DANCE WITH ANGELS
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 2019
Somewhere our loved ones
Who have passed before us
Dance with angels.
Greeted by beloved family, friends,
And animal companions
They now abide in gardens of delight.
Who, I wonder will be there to greet me
when it is my turn to walk into the light?
One day we shall all walk with angels...
SHE WALKS WITH YOU
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 2020
Times of separation in life and death bring sorrow...but also opportunities to recall times of great joy! When you think of your beloved, consider how she (he, or they) looked...
~ When you first met...
~ When you fell in love...
~ The joy you shared in even the simplest of times together...
You may not see the beauty of her countenance within your activities of daily living, nor hear her voice in the winds that sometimes swirl around you. But know that…
~ She walks with you throughout your days, watching each step you take
~ She presses her hand upon your arm during every challenging moment you face
~ She kisses your brow each night, imprinting your dreams with life-enhancing ideas
As you look at the Pathway of Life stretching before you, consider whether you are embracing and celebrating each moment of Life she continues to share with you in spirit…
I AM HEALED AND WHOLE!
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 2019
Mourn not that I am no longer visible to you…
For moving into a glorious light, I am healed!
I have merely stepped beyond this plane
to another room within the mansion of the Universe.
See me as healed and moving with joy
Among the beloved who have passed this way before!
For this is the pathway we all must take.
I now step forward with joy, for I have lived each day fully,
Grateful for the bounty of gifts both seen and unseen!
I am healed and ask you to rejoice in my rebirth!
Grieve not for things unmanifested in our daily sharing,
For they have bloomed within our hearts
If merely through our visioning.
Affirm that I am healed and partaking of
New adventures in the fullness of the gift of Life!
Awaken each day, knowing that I am with you
In sunshine and in rain, for each are gifts that nourish
The garden in which we live and move and have our being.
The music of the spheres harmonizes my mind and spirit and
I radiate wholeness throughout the essence of
My still unfolding life!
See the gardens of love and light you plant each day
Come to full fruition in the right way and time.
Let every flower you see, and touch, and smell
Remind you of joyous celebrations we have shared.
May the Harmony of Life fill your soul with joy now and always!
And know that when it is right and good, I will be there to step with you
Into the light of your own new beginning!
I drafted this for Murder on Mokulua Drive. Miss Una speculates on who has emerged from the sea...