N O W

Television off -

Windows open, welcoming... 

and ‘NOW’ is calm.

Today I have turned off the news, with images of the devastation and firsthand accounts of the horror of the Mudslide in Montecito following The Thomas Fire.  The People do need to tell their story, and with respect I have been listening.  That being said, I am taking a little break from the stories.  Living on the hill – saved from the fire (about a mile away at it’s closest) –so then subsequently saved from mudslides of a magnitude none could have imagined were coming. 

Peace in a moment of NOW.

A deep sadness permeates my home town.

I baked cookies. This morning I will frost them and will take them to my neighbors – a small token of appreciation for their goodness.   

****

Call to DIVINE MOTHER

Oh Montecito -

Thirty miles square destroyed !

Oh Divine Mother . . .

 Seeking Divine Mother's healing hand after The Thomas Fire which was quickly followed by devastating mudslides in Montecito, California

(information about the artist who created this painting: Freydoon Rassouli is an Iranian-Born, American abstract surrealist and artist and author. Inspired and encouraged by his Sufi mystic uncle, Rassouli began painting and learning the poetry of Hafiz and Rumi from early age.)

In The Twinkling of an Eye

Lives changed forever.

By grace of morning light,

This one does survive.

***

When I gave myself the task of writing a daily Haiku, I could never have imagined what images would come before me seeking words.  Here, a woman who will have her perspective changed forever by the circumstances of one day.  Residents were given well over 24 hour mandatory evacuation orders, but a report in The LA Times says they felt the reports of danger were exaggerated.   Many in Santa Barbara / Montecito changed forever.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/many-in-montecito-ignored-mudslide-warnings-until-it-was-too-late/ar-BBIbwpC

   

ONE SIDE OF THE COIN

Cool breeze makes chimes call.

Moisture feeds the thirsty land.

Inside cozy fire.

****

It is oh so peaceful here - high above the city - yet, along the coast and south in Montecito - suffering - lives lost - homes destroyed - always a juxtaposition of opposites in this world.  Duality...

FIRE and WATER

*****

Fire followed by rain.

Homes saved from hungry fire -

Lost in raging water.

*****

Homes that survived The Thomas Fire, now lost to the floods as water inundates the land that no longer has trees and brush to hold the land ...and so the water sweeps away structures and vehicles that stand in the water’s path..

WAITING

Hands are turned up,

Feeling the change in the air.

Waiting for the rain.

Needed Rain

Thoughtful and quiet,

The expectant land does wait.

Then – joyful tears - rain !




***
We have been blessed with a few sprinkles of much needed rain - for which we are grateful
and rain beyond mere sprinkles expected tomorrow ! ! !