Sunday, October 25, 2020

A New Poem: I Go to the Trees

 


I go to the trees
for peace and
for grounding.
They show me
that to live well
you must root deeply
and lift your limbs
up to the cosmos.
What better guides
could there be
than the trees?
They drink nutrients
from the soil
and give breath
to the creatures.
They provide rest
for the birds
and splash beauty
across the earth.
I trust the trees.
They, like rocks, water
and mountains are spirit
made manifest, without
judgment, stinginess
or withholding.
It has taken me
a long lifetime
to understand the gifts
we were given.



My figurine and SoulCollage® card, Asherah of the Redwoods


Tuesday, October 13, 2020

A New Poem: Forgiveness

 

A New Poem: Forgiveness

Tomorrow I head into the double-dose chemo of round 6 (second of four potential rounds post-surgery).  This past week ("chemo lite" week as I call it) has been relatively easy, but I know starting next Saturday I'll be feeling it.  Nothing easy about this, as you know.  I'm just grateful that the air has been breathable, that I've been quite able to go for walks and to eat well (even if everything tastes weird and bitter), that I've had family around me and friends in contact, that I have a good home to live in.  It helps to feel gratitude in these difficult times.  My inner experience is pretty much in line with the outer experience of life in this chaos.

Forgiveness


My body 

did not betray me.

I am in need

of forgiveness, and

who I must forgive

is myself.

Meting out judgments

harsh and punishing,

I found a culprit 

to blame - the body

I've never rested easily in,

that never has lived up to

my required standards.

I've had so little tenderness

for its failings and foibles -

the belly wrinkled

from pregnancy,

the young girl's

awkward height,

the invisible issues

of the blood.

What I want 

is to cradle

my body-self and say,

"Shh!  It is all right.

You are loved."




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A New Poem: Forgiveness

Tomorrow I head into the double-dose chemo of round 6 (second of four potential rounds post-surgery).  This past week ("chemo lite"...