Category Archives: poetry

Ago-Old Questions

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So here I am

at 5:20 in the morning

one cat asleep

the other pacing for breakfast

and the world is still dark

on this almost-autumn morning

age-old questions weaving

through my thoughts:

why are we here?

why am I here?

Does the universe exist because

of a random series of physical events

that brought us to this place

where I sit in the dark and wonder why?

Some of my friends would say

that to ask “why” is to start

in the wrong place. Does there have

to be a why? They would ask.

Does it have to make sense?

Does there have to be a purpose

to this existence?

But it is built in me to ask why,

and so I ask.

And all the questions – the whys

and whats and whatifs,

the whos and wheres and

even the whens,

always lead me back to Love.

What? Love.

Why? To love.

Who? To love all.

When? To love all now.

Where? To love all now and here.

It is 5:34 now.

One cat sleeps,

the other paces for breakfast.

They are here to be loved.

– Karen Molenaar Terrell

The Rain Is Back

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The rain is back –
my familiar old friend –
and I settle into my comfy chair
with a mug of cocoa
and a cinnamon roll and watch
the raindrops hit the deck
making tiny splashes
and tickling my soul
with their happy pattering.
This is peace. This is joy.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell

“Are We Okay?”

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We disagree – my friend and I.
I ask, “Are we okay?”
“Of course! All this is temporary,” he says.
And I realize he’s talking about
something bigger than this life
on this planet
in these mortal bodies.
And my thought zooms out
beyond this planet,
this solar system,
this galaxy,
until our little Earth is no longer
even a tiny blue dot
in infinity.
And all there is
is Love.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell

(Below: NASA photo.)

NASA photo. A universe of stars.

In This Moment

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Note to self:
Stay in this moment.
Be here and now.
You’re breathing. You’re alive.
Your grandbaby is sleeping safely in the room above you.
There’s a cat on the arm of your chair waiting to be fed.
There’s another cat tapping you on the leg for attention.
The sun is starting to rise on a new day.
You’ve been given the gift of this moment –
fresh and new,
untouched by past,
untouched by future,
complete in itself,
and perfect.
Enjoy it.

You’re breathing. You’re alive.

Memorial Day Thoughts

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I hope for a world where no one dies in war –
where wars are a distant memory
of a primitive long-ago time
when humans thought they had to kill each other
to “win”

– Karen Molenaar Terrell

What Makes a Mother?

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What makes a mother?
Not a womb or eggs
or birthing another.
It’s the urge in your heart
to protect and guide,
nurture and abide
in love with all others.
Motherhood is fearless –
a heart that opens her home
and invites ALL to rest
and guest and feast
in peace.

– Karen Molenaar Terrell

Mother Wind

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The wind blows through the tops of the trees
and I feel the Mother-power of the universe
blowing around and through our world.
I send out a prayer for all the mothers
and all the children of mothers
and feel the Mother-power moving through me –
strong and fearless and all-powerful Love.
The wind is cleansing – blowing away the fear
and hate, the anger and greed – they are weightless
nothings in the force of the wind.

The birds sing. The sun shines. The flowers bloom.
The cleansing Mother-wind blows around us
and lovingly wraps the world in Her strong arms.
We are safe. We are loved. We are free.

-Karen Molenaar Terrell

This Is Happiness

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Forehead to forehead,
nose to nose, and grin to grin,
Grandbaby reaches out
and squeezes my nose.

This is happiness.

– Karen Molenaar Terrell

Cosmic Celebration

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I wake and feel the presence of Love with me,
enfolding me in wings of joy.
I have worries when I wake –
frittering, fretting, fruitless frustrations and fears.
I reach out to our Father-Mother for reassurance and hear:
“Fear not. All is well. Trust.”
And I do.
And it is.
And the fear dissolves into nothing
in the comfort of Love’s gentle mothering.

I feel the laughter of the Cosmos
and join in the celebration.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell

(Rainbow flower doodle by Karen Molenaar Terrell.)

The Last Person Alive on the Planet

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The last person alive on the planet
wasn’t a dictator, prime minister, or president –
no, it was a cleaning woman
who carefully tidied up the earth,
tucked in the corners, smoothed the wrinkles,
hid the plastic, glitter, and mess
to try to give a good first impression
to whoever lands here next
– Karen Molenaar Terrell

(NASA photo.)