Crossroads

Trail through the redwoods

The same breeze that sifts

through the redwood boughs 

and flutters the aspen leaves

also lifts a strand of hair from my face,

brushes my cheek and wrist.

What arboreal aerosols

has it lifted on its way

to trace on my skin?

We can’t see what happens underground,

roots and beetles, tinge and seep of water,

the faint white mycorrhizal threads

doing work beyond human imagining.

The power of the barely there

becomes visible in trunk and leaf,

honeysuckle nectar for the bumblebee.

Like the magnetic pulse that tells

wild geese where to fly,

something is calling you 

to the place

where your joy meets

your neighbor’s need. 

At this crossroads 

in the kingdom of enough,

listen to the gull’s cry,

the squawking of crows,

the warbling coo of mourning doves.

Here is the delight of the realm

singing your name.


With gratitude to Frederick Buechner, who wrote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

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Mary Camille Thomas

Mary Camille Thomas is a native of Santa Cruz, California who considers herself lucky to have returned after living internationally and on the road. She is a librarian by profession, and her poetry has appeared in The Moving Force Journal, Porter Gulch Review, and Sisters Singing. She is currently working on a novel called What Lies Buried and a collection of poems of the spirit.

5 thoughts on “Crossroads”

  1. How beautiful! Such rich imagery and tender sentiment. It is a wonderful invitation to feel that “magnetic pulse” that guides and draws us to our true callings——-And I especially appreciate your circling around to including that poignant phrase “the kingdom of enough” which is your blog title! It helps me to remember to be content with the blessings in my life. Thank you.

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  2. I am so thrilled to be receiving your blog. I LOVE Crossroads. It elicits the wonder I feel but can’t adequately express. You have done that for me.

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