THE RED DOOR

I’m lucky,
you see,
I see,
the red door
we all live with.
Only thing is,
I’m no better off,
in figuring out,
whether
to enter
or exit.

(photo taken by and used with permission of

Christine Valters Paintner. Go to www.abbeyofthearts.com

every other Monday for her Poetry Party.)

MONASTERY (CHIP)MONKS

Skittering flashes at my feet,
a tumbling jumble of joy unleashed,
chipmonks in their brown-striped habits
lead me to the oak church doors.

Joy without, joy within…

HIDDEN ROOM

What if…
on a mid-fall late afternoon
just as the light begins
to fail the day,
you were to take a walk
into a dark wood?

What if…
you heard the last refrains
of a robin's lullaby?
you saw a chipmunk
darting home with a snack
to savor at midnight?
you caught the sweet whiff
of soggy leaves
in the brief moment
before they became rich humus?

What if…
on your walk
you came across
a small wooden cabin,
unlocked door slightly ajar
with a faint glow of moonlight
visible through the keyhole?

What if…
when you walked through that door
and knelt on the floor
you felt the well-worn tracks
where others kneeled
and prayed before?

Would you have any more questions?

poem inspired and photo provided by Christine Valters Paintner

at http://abbeyofthearts.com