May 2025 | “You have your plans. Let them rest/ in the welling of the trees,/ the billowing green waves.” Poems from the editor, photos, and more.
Dear friends,
I had plans on Sunday, April 6th, including interviewing someone for this newsletter. All that went out the window when I needed to go to the Emergency room the day before, which resulted in a surgery to remove my gallbladder.
Here’s a poem, written some months ago, that relates to this experience.
A Different Tune
Flurries of birch leaves rain down.
Clouds fill the sky. A turkey vulture
circles sniffing for decay.
You have your plans. Let them rest
in the welling of the trees,
the billowing green waves.
Give this moment its due–
a faint rainbow behind the eucalyptus,
juncos and sparrows swooping on
the bird feeder, the coolness in the air.
Another flurry of jewels. You could be
looking at your screen instead. But which
satisfies the hole in your heart? Which
might soothe the ache you cannot name?
The wind’s notes play in each tree.
May we be flutes, too, as raindrops glisten
on the dark privet berries, and hasten
to meet Earth’s face.
It takes a while to recover from abdominal surgery. Also, my daughter is due to give birth toward the end of May, inshallah.
So, I’m reviewing the role of this newsletter in my life.
Japanese Maple Harbinger
And so it is, the leaves,
hanging a little crumpled and limp,
like a baby after a long labor,
mini-hands opening
with tiny maroon bells
suspended from sepals
even as some of last year’s
translucent brown wings,
like moths or angels,
each bearing round seed,
cling by a thread,
mighty gods are reborn inside us.
I’m looking forward to interviewing a friend in May. That will be for June and July’s newsletters, all being well. What happens after that, we’ll see!
Wishing you a wonderful spring,
With love,
Raphael
What Fuels Me
As surely as the yellow center of each shining morning glory
draws ants and winged creatures
As surely as the bees’ fleeting flashing from one dahlia’s
golden black pollen to another
As surely as the satyr butterfly settles on the eight-petalled golden flowers
amidst a sea of leaves
so your love infuses all.
Temperatures rise,
yet your love doesn’t waver.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
“Earth’s Kindness” on Saturday, May 17, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm at Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Sally Churgel, Gail Onion, Abby Lynn Bogomolny, and I are excited to share poems of “Earth’s Kindness” at Sebastopol’s Lit Crawl. All four of us are published poets with years of experience delivering dynamic, meaningful content. We’ll be weaving some Native flute music into the hour, thanks to Gail. We’d love you to be part of this event.
Beyond Jewish Intergenerational Trauma – Living Peace
Alissa Hirshfeld, licensed marriage and family therapist; Sally Churgel, intuitive healer and transformation guide; and I will offer opportunities to process inherited pain, foster compassion for your story, reduce reactivity, and build a brighter legacy for future generations through creative expression, introspection, and community sharing.
This workshop is for anyone in Sonoma County who identifies as Jewish.
The Four-Part Series will be held in person at Ner Shalom, 85 La Plaza, Cotati, CA: Sundays, May 18, 1-4 PM; June 22, July 20, Aug 17 from 2- 5 PM$200 for the entire series.If you have any questions and would like to speak to us before signing up, please contact Sally at sally@sallychurgel.com
Marguerite Wildenhain’s Story from Bauhaus to Pond Farm
I discovered this treasure in April’s Interview with Justin Lindenberg. It tells the story of a Master Potter and her far-reaching influence on her students. It’s on YouTube at this link.
Happy for No Reason – A 2-Part Talk by Tara Brach
“How we pay attention determines whether we live primarily in fear and judgment, or happiness and peace.”
I find Tara Brach very engaging with her stories and good and bad jokes. I especially enjoyed the second part.
Part I: https://www.youtube.com/live/gxGaJzz833M
Part II: https://www.youtube.com/live/NQ2q69AnxdI
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