Under Sonoran Skies: Prose and Poetry from the High Desert
Times Shadows ● Somewhere They Dance with Angels ● She Walks with You

I composed this first poem for Under Sonoran Skies: Prose and Poetry from the High Desert (2011), an anthology of fiction and non-fiction literature written and narrated by co-authors Bill Black, Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, Susan Cosby-Patton, Kay Lesh, Patricia Noble (deceased), and Larry Sakin.(deceased).

TIMES SHADOWS
by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 2011

The channel pathways are rivulets no more,
Since eons of floods have stormed
Across this desert plane.

 I sift the sands of yesterday,
Straining to glimpse your passing−
Some trace you’ve left for us to glean.
Kernels few of yellow, red and black,
Like the lick of fires up your caverns dancing.
Scraps of leather, bone and shard,
Barren or tooled to your artisan imaginings.

* * * * *
As frozen tears draped timeless night,
A shooting star burst through
To trace a changing sky.

* * * * *

Sit awhile and you will hear the sand
Fly upward through the trees.
How can that be, Mother of my Mother?
Asked a child, reaching to stroke
The face of the moon.  

Gazing beyond, the ancient one mused.
Here on the gorge, the trees bend to kiss
The path we have trod upon so long,
Just as the Earth stretches to kiss her progeny,
Now risen beyond her erstwhile dreams.

We come from a time
Past your knowing,
Past your kenning.

You may hear the whisper of
Our melodies on the wind,
Catch hints of our soft harmonies within.

Your hands touching the river’s flow,
May feel the rhythms of our dance.
But the bits and pieces trapped within the meadow,
Will never let you walk in the fullness of our lives.

* * * * *

 You may step across time’s shadows,
But can never linger longer than
A sojourner within the circle of our firelight.

I am honored when asked to write a poetic piece for a person's passing.
In some philosophies, "angels" are described as inspirational thoughts
transmitted from the Unifying Power of the Universe to humankind…

SOMEWHERE THEY DANCE WITH ANGELS
by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 2019

Somewhere our loved ones,
Who have passed before us,
Dance with angels.
Greeted by beloved family, friends,
and animal companions,
They now abide in gardens of delight.

Who, I wonder will be there to greet me
When it is my turn to walk into the light?

 One day we shall all walk with angels...

SHE WALKS WITH YOU
by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson 2020

Times of separation in life and death bring sorrow...but also opportunities to
recall times of great joy!
When you think of your beloved,
consider how she looked...

~ When you first met...

~ When you fell in love...

~ The joys you shared in even the simplest of times together...

You may not see the beauty of her countenance within your activities of daily living,
nor hear her voice in the winds
that sometimes swirl around you.

But know that…

 ~ She walks with you throughout your days,
watching each step you take

~ She presses her hand upon your arm
during every challenging moment you face

~ She kisses your brow each night,
imprinting your dreams with life-enhancing ideas

As you look at the Pathway of Life stretching before you,
consider whether you are embracing and celebrating
each continuing moment of Life and know that
she continues to share with you in spirit…

With Aloha, Jeanne