Long ago on a stormy day

a ribbon arced high

across the clouds—

light and water banded together

in a splurge of color and

the promise of renewal.

And we danced, didn’t we?

Some of us naked, and some of us clothed,

we shimmied and wiggled and leapt with glee.

Our feet pounded the earth

to celebrate that long-ago promise.

Unlike wishes, who travel in packs,

promises float along by themselves,

their fragile feathers ill-suited

to the mad dash of busy days.

Determination may be their middle

name, but they certainly can take their time

and sometimes we can’t help giving them

a nudge.

Remember this:

A promise kept is a lasting bond.

A promise broken is a chance to forgive.

A promise sat down beside a koan and smiled.

The koan’s mother warned,

“That promise might bring disappointment.”

and the koan replied,

“That puppy might pee on the rug.”

Is it really so sad that there’s no guarantee?

No one could breathe in an iron-clad world.

So we trust when we’re thirsty that water will flow

And we search when we wonder and

share when we know and bask when we can

in the promise of now—

Do you know the collective noun

for wishes?

Wonder.

A wonder of wishes.

Here's mine:

May love enfold and protect you

ever and already;

May your memory of this moment

always bring a smile;

May the promise of today

Rest within you

bone-deep and feather light.