<![CDATA[THE TRACKLESS PATH - Blog]]>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 20:15:19 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Upon that Hill]]>Sun, 01 Dec 2024 13:13:24 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/upon-that-hillI realize now that someone had to die upon that hill,
Because there is something inside of me
That cannot let it go.
In my mind,
Truth must prevail.
Truth and love, they must prevail.
But are they here inside of me?
Surely. Or at least so it seems.
And yet I wonder if I’m right enough
To press my own ideal.
Surely not. Surely not.
And am I bold enough to suppose
That I can make you feel the way I do?  Surely not.
I am not right enough to see it through.
And so, I let it go. 
And if someone must die upon this hill,
Let it be me. Let it be me. I’ll let it go. 
I’ll let you win the fight. And if I’m right
I’ll trust that you will come 
To the truth eventually. 
]]><![CDATA[The Welcome Burden]]>Sun, 01 Dec 2024 13:12:36 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/the-welcome-burdenThere is a sadness that runs deeper 
Than even the grief of my own 
Most poignant loss.
I pour the balm of chosen, holy, words
Over the top of it.
But they only partially placate.
It is an unnamed, holy sadness,
For the world, perhaps.
It is that sadness
That brings me here
To the empty solitude
Of the blank page.
It is that sadness
That will bring me to your door 
Begging to be heard,
Searching to mend
The sadness of the world.
And it rends my soul 
As it should.
I was born unto this sadness.
And so long as I bear the burden well,
It will not overwhelm me,
But will carry my heart
From place to place and soul to soul
Until the whole of humanity is bound up
In the sadness and the joy
Of the love that is more
Than even our most poignant loss.
]]><![CDATA[Possessions Speak]]>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:39:02 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/possessions-speakPossessions speak to us all day long.
That book you purchased
But have never read
Says
“Read me!”
And the empty shelf 
Says “fill me up with more.”
Some possessions warm and nurture
While others distract, dissuade, and even harm.
If we are not careful, the things we own
Can siphon off our strength.
Or they can build us up,
Make us better.
So choose carefully what you own
And don’t be afraid of letting go
Of a thing 
When it no longer serves 
The purpose for which it was purchased.
]]><![CDATA[Not All Who Wander Are Lost]]>Sun, 15 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/not-all-who-wander-are-lostThey say that not all who wander are lost,
And that’s true of me, I think. 
I wander, wander,
Never sure
Exactly where I’m going,
But also not without a rough idea.
The inner light points in a direction
And I begin to act, to move step by step
Toward the place where it feels that I should go.
And I trust the way to open up before me.
And it does. That’s the miracle
Though it does not come
Without the work
Of exercising faith.
I relate to the albatross and its endless worldwide journeys.
It is said that the albatross can travel ten thousand miles
To bring home one meal of oily vomit for its chick.
Yeah. I think that’s it. Ten thousand miles
To find one little treasure,
One morsel 
To regurgitate here upon the empty page.
I find myself wanting to expand upon this work.
To share more of what I see and feel,
More of the people that I meet
As I wander, wander,
Round the world.
]]><![CDATA[Choose Your Story]]>Sat, 14 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/choose-your-storyIt is possible to serve the light
For your own sake?
To be 
Dark inside,
Filthy with secret pride
While outwardly stacking up
Your achievements, 
Allowing others
To laud your name, 
And never once realizing
That your soul is lost,
Not in gross immorality,
But in the actor’s game
The hypocrites play.
Listen closely
To yourself.
Is your story one of redemption?
Or is it the hero’s myth?
They are not the same story.
I have a deep distrust for the latter
And an unfailing affection for the former.
So don’t tell me how you slew the dragon.
Tell me about the dragon inside of you.
That’s the story I long to hear
Because he lives inside me too,
And it is all I can do
With the help of God
To find my way.
]]><![CDATA[To Go Out and Come Back Home]]>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/to-go-out-and-come-back-homeThere is the part of me that likes to go out
And there is the part of me that likes 
To come back home.
And both play a part in the strange way 
That I support my family,
My family.
And you are part of my family.
I go out, and I come back home.
And I share the wisdom that I’ve found from the road
With the ones I love, the ones I love.
I love you, and I pray 
For you in your own journey.
Perhaps one day, you will grow up
To go out and come back home
And share your wisdom
From the road.
And the cycle goes round and round,
You are my children. And one day
You will have children
Of your own.
]]><![CDATA[Raymond Lessons 11: All Day Long]]>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:52:15 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/raymond-lessons-11-all-day-longLessons from Raymond, the homeless man 
Who helped prepare me for the road.
To view previous lessons, find my playlist entitled: Raymond Lessons.

Lesson 11: All Day Long

I almost didn’t mention this one
Because it contradicts 
Something else 
That Raymond said.
But it has become applicable.
You see, I was skeptical 
When he implied
That everything came to him without asking.
Sometimes, maybe. But always?
And so I asked Raymond,
Do you ever have to panhandle
To get the things you need?
“Yes,” he said.
“How much?” I asked.
“All day,” he said. “Every day.”
“Oh…” I said. And I didn’t like that answer.
Because now it appeared that our good fortune
Was a special providence, and that
I would not be able to escape 
The work of asking.]]><![CDATA[Enough]]>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 23:09:19 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/enoughJust a note for those of you who aren't yet subscribed to my YouTube channel, if you want to hear me read these poems and also hear a little background on them, go subscribe.  Here's the link.
Many changes are afoot.
I stand on the brink 
Of, yet again, a leap of faith.
And somehow, it feels as if 
These little thoughts
Might just not be enough,
As if I should be, do,
Something more…
Something more…
And I wonder,
Is it enough?
What do you think?
Might the world feed me and my little tribe
If I just keep showing up…showing up?
Soon we will find out,
Won’t we?]]><![CDATA[The Weaver of Dreams]]>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 23:24:07 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/the-weaver-of-dreamsI weave your dreams from autumn leaves 
Turned brown and drifting downward
Toward the emptiness 
Of summer skies
When the snow flurries
Upward toward the starlit heavens
And the moon looks down 
Upon the restless hopes
Of careworn souls
Who daren’t 
Believe
That anything
Could be so real 
As the grind of wheat upon the wheels of time.
And the feet of those who’ve gone before
In the dusty tracks of them
Who couldn’t find
Their way.
]]><![CDATA[A Prayer for Oneness]]>Sun, 08 Sep 2024 11:43:01 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/a-prayer-for-oneness
Picture
This is Dillon. I met him while taking a walk yesterday. He was about to lift a lawnmower into the back of his pickup truck and I stopped to help. From what he said, it sounds like he is a cattle rancher who mows lawns on the side to make ends meet. He seems so young to be a cattle rancher.... I always picture cattle men as big burley guys in their mid-fourties with cowboy hats and beer bellies. I guess that shows how far stereotypes go. In any case, as I went on my way, it occurred to me that he is just like me, making his way in life, doing the best he can to make ends meet.  And it occured to me that I might be him if I had been born at another time and in another place.  And so I stopped a half a block away and wrote this poem. When I finished, Dillon was just finishing up trimming the lawn and I went back and got this photo. (If you can't see the photo, you may have received this through email. I don't think the RSS feed sends photos. If so, just go to my website, click on the BLOG and scroll till you find it.)
​
I wonder, If I were someone else,
Would I be just like them.
I can't help but think
That to some degree, I would.
That makes me think that it's just me
Walking around and being everyone.
So many people can't help but be themselves,
Just like me, just like everyone.
I wish that I could be 
A better friend to them
And in turn, a better friend to myself.
God help me to see it deeper
To feel myself in the others
That I meet each day
I pray.
]]><![CDATA[What the People Want]]>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:09:39 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/what-the-people-wantNote to self:
People want what they want,
And some graciously give,
God bless them.
But when it comes to making a living,
It may be better me to focus on what others want
Not what I want. Sell them something
That they are already looking for.
And then use the surplus 
To graciously give.
One day, the world will change
To an economy of gifts.
I look forward to that day.
But in the meantime, it’s a balance.
We work. We sell the people what they want.
And then we give of our surplus property.
It is an imperfect system. 
But it works.
And perhaps we can use it as a tool 
To shine a light on the coming world of gifts.]]><![CDATA[We Three]]>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:41:48 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/we-threeI am the roots of the tree
The thing unseen.
I am
There but you can’t see me.
You think that it is you,
That it is he,
But it is we
Three.
Remember. Oh, remember.
And when you think that you’re alone
Draw deep from the unseen place that lingers
In the memory of what you were before you sprung
Up from the ground so many years before.
There we were together.
And though
You cannot see me.
I have never left you and I never will.
I am the source, the wellspring of your deepest desires. 
And one day, when you’ve grown tired of living,
And fall down hard to the unforgiving soil.
There I will wait to meet you deep
In the hollowed end, 
That is beginning.
Thank you
For letting me nourish you.
I am the roots, and I love you
And though you think that we are separated,
We are not. We cannot be, we three,
Are knit together in oneness
Always.
]]><![CDATA[Slow Down and Visit Meaning]]>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 18:29:47 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/slow-down-and-visit-meaningI have to slow down and visit meaning
Or it escapes me. I have to ask myself,
Do I find meaning in what I'm doing now?
I ask it all the time, of myself.
And to my surprise 
It often says, 
Aye, there's meaning.
And that's classic, to find it 
In the most unexpected ways and places.
But it's not enough to find my meaning 
I have to see it in others also.
I have to hear the stories.
I have to watch their
Sacred paces.
And the sight, the sound, of it
Restores my faith in meaning itself.
And as, like a flood, it washes over me,
I am restored to the unnamable meaning of it all.
]]><![CDATA[Always an Option]]>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:44:51 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/always-an-optionThere are those who try to deny hell
But I am not sure why.
There are those
Who choose hell in this life
When the light shines the day long.
I can’t imagine that the next life is so different.
But I also can’t imagine 
That the light doesn’t shine brighter there.
But that means that the darkness 
Must also be deeper,
The contrast more stark.
There is always hope for those who want the light 
Though they flounder and fail to find it.
I do not worry about them.
But there are also those
Who do not want the light.
They seek out the shadows.
They revel in causing pain.
And you cannot force a soul to heaven
Though you extend the hand of mercy the day long.]]><![CDATA[His Love]]>Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:35:08 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/his-loveI wish that I could give the world His love,
Not a system of belief,
But the Man 
Himself.
For I am cradled in his kindness.
My home is in His heart-
And though I wander 
O’er the earth
My pillow a stone,
My shelter rain,
I am at home
In Him.
It makes me think of those
Who have no home
In the love 
Of One.
It makes me want to wrap them up
In the harbor of my heart,
To clothe them with acceptance,
Peace, truth, and kindness,
And to free them, 
Like birds
To the belief that they are loved,
How is it done, I wonder,
When I, myself, 
Am yet like sparrows?
It seems so little to love.
And yet it, so often, has been 
The only thing I had to give.
]]><![CDATA[Bring Them Back]]>Sun, 01 Sep 2024 12:48:02 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/bring-them-backOld friend, the world that you have chosen,
The spoil that you have taken,
Sits rotting
Under your canopy.
“But I could pay,” you say,
“I could pay. And here is the receipt.”
Fool! You believe that you are the hero,
The saver of the day, the victor
By the thickness of your pocketbook.
And what’s more, that you have escaped
The eye that sees all things,
When in reality,
You have dealt treacherously.
You have whisked away the hearts
And the very souls of men
For your own pleasure.
Bring them back, I say!
Bring them back!
Before, with fierce anger,
I come into your house to repay.
And your family is stripped from you,
Your pocketbook emptied.
Your soul ravaged 
Of solace,
And you left desolate
Amid the furious winds
Of the desert of the soul.
Old friend, we are still friends.
But know that you can’t go on this way.
And I mourn to see the future that awaits
If you do not swiftly change your ways.
]]><![CDATA[More Than Good]]>Sat, 31 Aug 2024 12:24:09 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/more-than-goodIf the world will ever find peace
Good people will have to stop fighting.
It is not enough for good people to be good.
Being good has a blind spot. It makes you think
That you are justified in fighting for what is right,
In making war in defense of truth
And to preserve your freedom.
But freedom doesn’t need to be preserved.
It lives within the heart of those 
Who can’t be persuaded 
Not to speak the truth
Even when the enemy rages 
And the tyrant oppresses.
So be good. Speak the truth.
But also be kind. It is the way 
That leads to peace.
]]><![CDATA[Overseas]]>Fri, 30 Aug 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/overseasSome news.
I am going overseas.
I don’t know how I’ll get there.
But I’ve never known how I’ll get there.
And isn’t it strange that I could know such a thing?
And yet I do.
How long will it take me to get there?
I don’t know.
How will I support myself when I get there?
I think I know. More on that to come.
But in the end, God only knows.
And how long will I be there?
A year, a month, a day,
A lifetime?
God only knows.
One thing I know.
My path is a surprise.
And the joy is walking it with Him
Wherever he leads me. That’s enough.
]]><![CDATA[Do]]>Tue, 27 Aug 2024 12:07:14 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/doIf I were to just act
And stop thinking quite so much
I think I’d be better off.
So long as our intentions are good,
I don’t know that it matters that much
What we do so long as we do.
Do, do, do. In all things, do.
That’s what bodies are made for.
Do the best that can be done
Under the circumstances
And then move on
To another do.
I wonder if it’s the long-term 
That gets us thinkers into trouble.
We try to make choices 
That we can’t yet make.
I am sure there are some
Whose problem is the opposite
Who get themselves into trouble
Because they don’t think quite enough.
But for those of us whose addiction
Is trying to work it all out beforehand,
The antidote, it seems to me, is DO.
]]><![CDATA[Raymond Lessons: 10 Keep Writing. Tell a story. Disappear.]]>Mon, 26 Aug 2024 22:45:51 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/raymond-lessons-10-keep-writing-tell-a-story-disappearLessons from Raymond, the homeless man 
Who helped prepare me for the road.
To view previous lessons, find my playlist entitled: Raymond Lessons.

Lesson 10: Keep writing. Tell a story. Disappear.

This one surprised me.
It came in the days that followed.
Raymond had given me 2 books,
One deep, the other bubble gum.
Couldn't get past page 40 in the latter.
Couldn’t put down the former.
The author of the latter 
Was all over.
But I could not find a single word
About the author of the former,
It was published in 1939,
And the writer had disappeared from history
To spite the fact that his book
Was one of the most meaningful, 
Well-written, and moving stories I’ve ever read.
And in those two books, Raymond’s message 
Came through crystal clear:
Tell a story. Tell it well.
Move the people,
And then disappear.
Don’t try to be great.
Just try to tell a good story.
It’s enough.]]><![CDATA[The Carefree Scavenger]]>Sun, 25 Aug 2024 17:15:28 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/the-carefree-scavengerI will gather the apples before they fall,
But not my apples, your apples,
If you'll let me.
You planted the tree with good intentions
But we all know how that goes.
And they'll soon go to waste.
I'll also clean your windows,
Mow your lawn,
Walk your dog,
If you let me.
You planned to do it all,
But we all know how that goes.
I'll even take out your garbage 
If you let me, so long
As I can rifle through your trash.
You bought that stuff with good intentions
But we all know how that goes. 
And I can make a living of your waste if you'll let me.
And what's more, don't put it past me to wait
Until you're bothered 
By the unused scrap of land
And are ready to let it go for a song.
I'll sing the song if you'll let me.
And pound out a golden paper
If you'll let me, if you'll let me.
I am the care-free scavenger.
My life is easy, risk-free, almost.
Because I know how that goes.
And I am willing to work and wait.
]]><![CDATA[Rewriting the Past]]>Sat, 24 Aug 2024 10:45:37 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/rewriting-the-pastYou can create another version of the past 
That serves a better future.
When you do something you regret,
Rewrite the experience in your mind.
And give thanks for God’s grace
In helping you to choose the better part
Even though you did not choose the better part.
Be descriptive in your re-writing,
Enough that gratitude wells up
For making the right decision.
See it. Feel it. 
Resist the tendency to disbelieve.
And you will actually create another reality.
Yeah…out of fantasy. 
But your brain doesn’t know that it’s fantasy.
It experiences those good feelings
As if they really happened.
If you do this consistently,
Sooner or later, you’ll discover
That you start doing the right thing
So that you can experience more 
Of the feeling you felt
In your made-up past.
It is a strategy for the weak
Who wish to be made strong through belief.
]]><![CDATA[A Cold Water Plunge]]>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:18:45 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/a-cold-water-plungeBookkeeping and accountability
Is very much like a cold water plunge.
It brings me into immediate contact
With a cold harsh reality
That is at the same time
Shocking and invigorating.
Holy cow! What a reality check
To face the unrelenting numbers.
But I love it. 
Every expense, however minute, counted.
Every dollar added up and carefully budgeted
With single minded intent toward wise investment.
It turns out that I don’t make as much money as I thought!
And that makes me disinclined to waste a single minute.
I can’t afford to. They are too prescious.
Most of my life was laissez faire.
I trusted God to provide 
And he did.
But this new thing of facing the numbers
Is also precious. The God of Truth
Is also in the numbers.
The cold water.
He is in the miracles.
But he is also in the math.
He is in the wandering wilderness.
And he is in the rocky soil we must plow
When we reach the promised land.
]]><![CDATA[Where the Broken Waters Flowed]]>Thu, 22 Aug 2024 11:30:00 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/where-the-broken-waters-flowedA fire’s lit within me
Where the broken waters flowed,
A covenant to purchase
All the land they have disposed,
The barren wasted places
That the Spirit only knows
To feed the broken family
That in my heart like flowers grow.
]]><![CDATA[The Reclamation of the Land]]>Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:06:33 GMThttps://the-trackless-path.weebly.com/blog/the-reclamation-of-the-landI rejoice that the land is going back.
It is being claimed by the owls 
And by the finches,
By the little birds
And by the great big bears.
For it appears that despite the grasping hands,
That the pebbles fall between the fingers.
For the time is up.
The lease has been reclaimed
And soon, it will be turned loose to the wild ones 
Who have no other place to go. But fear not, 
It’s just the land you haven’t used.
You won’t miss it when it’s gone.
You may even rejoice
To be spared the taxes.
For a curse is decreed upon the land.
Hear it, oh people! I say again,
A curse is decreed
Upon the land.
And now
Behold the One who watches over sparrows
Come to give homes to those
Without holes. Behold, 
He comes 
With lightning in His hand.
And there is no way to cling anymore 
To anything but that which you most cherish,
So choose well.
]]>