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Late Afternoon Winter Light by Jane Dawson

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Jane Dawson, one of the Sangha's residence poets, has offered her leadership talents through the development of our Program offerings that we offer twice monthly. This Winter and Spring, we offer exciting yet nourishing events, including Merton talks at the Santa Cruz Zen Center, Buddhist, and Hindu practices as part of our Lenten Retreat at Villa Maria del Mar, Qigong practice at the Land of Medicine Buddha AND Fr. Cyprian is joining us to celebrate our 20th year as Sangha Shantivanam of Santa Cruz County. You can find the link to our schedule of program offerings here: https://www.sanghashanti.org/schedule-of-meetings

Please enjoy Jane's latest poem:


Late Afternoon Winter Light


Fading away, reactions muted

emotional tones more subdued.

The difference between calm relaxation

and accumulated fatigue.

It may just be normal effects of slowing down

slouching slowly, yet surely, toward the tomb.


I bask in the late afternoon winter light of my life.

In 50 years, I have never tired of this view:

Looking down from the bluff above Capitola as

the short twilight begins to give way to moonlight.


Seeing my reflection in this mirror, trusting

that I, too, will pass quickly unto death,

'Til 'tis time once again to embrace the light

familiar to those who believe that, we, too, recycle.


Focusing my attention on where the river

meets the sea. Blocked in summer, in winter,

it flows through the sand to the ocean, once again.

Fresh water blends with the salt water, both lifegiving,

but only to species adapted to one or the other.


How can this be? Yet another example of the great mystery.

Ions of energy churn as sea waves meet the beach.

The charge of divine energy felt along this breach.

An earthly threshold to the Source itself.


So grateful for the life that has been gifted me

on this Earth, in this time, of such strange intensity.

Alive, as plate tectonics go on shifting in my soul,

my spirit ever growing toward becoming whole.



Late Afternoon Light, 2024, Elbina Rafizadeh
Late Afternoon Light, 2024, Elbina Rafizadeh

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