Feb 9, 2013 | Last Line First
From the Alzheimer’s Diary How your mother died, or said she might, The day she learned you were a lesbian— You’d hoped as you’d been hoping all your 30-something years, She wouldn’t see it as a failure of her parenting, That she could hold you steady as you stumbled...
Sep 12, 2012 | Last Line First
The body, when it’s finished, Knows exactly what to do, and Will do it with efficiency and grace If you have the grit and guts to let it. It knows it doesn’t need to eat or drink. Even when the mind no longer Understands, the body’s wisdom Stays intact and goes about...
Aug 21, 2012 | Last Line First
All there is: The cushion, The breath, The body. Returning thoughts To their rightful status: The mouth waters, The gut farts, The brain thinks. There is no Primacy here Only The cushion, The breath, The...
Aug 12, 2012 | Last Line First
Out to dinner with a friend, You notice that your heart’s not broken: Sushi, the simple beauty of the Ginger pile, wasabi mound, the Little dish for dipping. And Companionship: its Warm embrace, the Depth of conversation, Topics ranging from What bike to buy to...
Aug 3, 2012 | Last Line First
From the Alzheimer’s Diary Because it wasn’t ever really what you cared to do, you do it badly. You see to all the paperwork, prescriptions, petty cash for laundry and the odds and ends that keep things running. Her aides see to her body’s needs, but no one’s in...
Jul 24, 2012 | Last Line First
You never even knew you’d made the grade. The handbook you were given at your birth Made clear that times you get it wrong Would cancel out the times you get it right. You make your way through childhood’s bootcamp, Oftentimes confused when what they tell you Doesn’t...
Whether through Shamanic practice, through ministry, or through art, Riva finds peace and practice in spreading love, compassion, and empathy for the self and others. 